A RESTAURANT owner has paid tribute to his top-class manager whose “mission” was to help diners enjoy themselves.

Nick Emmott, who died last week, was the former general manager of English’s of Brighton, a family-run seafood restaurant which has been in The Lanes for 40 years.

For the last 30, Simon Leigh-Jones, 64, has run the business.

Paying tribute to Nick, he said: “He was a great guy. He made diners feel at home.

“He was very, very friendly. He’d do anything to help out.

“When someone came in the restaurant, he wanted them to enjoy themselves. That was his mission.

“We’re a seafood restaurant that serves local fish, oysters and other shellfish.

“We pride ourselves on very high standards of service and being very friendly to people as well, and Nick was a key part of that.

“He was professional and also very warm.”

Simon praised Nick’s experience, gathered over a career working at the finest restaurants.

He said: “Nick was very knowledgeable and he knew the business inside out.

“He worked in top-class London restaurants. He started off as a waiter and worked his way up to a general manager.

“He came to us 11 years ago and brought ways of doing things that have stayed with us.

“His London style of service was very extremely professional.

“He had a great knowledge of food and made sure the service staff could put that forward to the customers.”

Simon said Nick had played an important role in mentoring younger waiters and waitresses, as well as the chefs he worked alongside.

He said: “He made them feel at home. English’s is a small, family owned business and he made everyone feel part of the team.

“And he adored food in the best possible way. He loved to serve lobster and oysters – anything where there was a bit of fuss.

“His food knowledge was enormous. I’ve never met anyone like it.

“And he could get down there and cook, too.

He was more than capable.”

Simon said before Nick went to English’s, he had been known to step in and help out in the kitchen when a chef was off work.

Simon remembered Nick “dressed very smartly, wandering round the restaurant, chatting to customers and making sure they were enjoying themselves.

He said: “He was a great guy and we miss him already. We all do”.

Nick worked at English’s for over ten years as general manager and left in April last year.

He had recently launched a French restaurant in Eastbourne called Bistrot Pierre.

In a statement, a spokesperson for English’s of Brighton said: “The news of Nick’s passing came as a huge shock to everyone who knew him here at English’s and it is a small comfort to have received so many messages of condolence through our social media and in person from our customers.

“Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”