The chef Jason Atherton made headlines this week with his comment "I haven't seen any sexism in the kitchen." Intentional or not, Atherton's comment sent me straight back to my 19-year-old self, when I first started out in restaurants twenty years ago.

"Tell her she can't wear trousers if she comes back."

That was one of the first pieces of sexist feedback I ever received. It was 2005, New York City. I was on a trial shift for my first proper hospitality job as a receptionist in a fine dining restaurant. Why my choice of bottoms had any relevance to (a) my job performance or (b) whether people took me seriously was beyond me.

My next job: "Put her in section 2, that's the pretty girl section." That didn't place value on my skills, my work ethic, or what I could actually contribute to the business. One of the last restaurants I worked in NYC didn't even let women work in the dining room. Yes, you can pick your jaw up off the floor now.

This was 20 years ago. When I read Atherton's comments I guffawed, because I know for a fact that sexism is an ongoing issue that plagues my industry.

Bad culture, which is exactly what sexism encourages, does not promote a healthy workspace and therefore alienates a whole sector of people who could be excelling. It might be one of the reasons why of the 60% of women who are employed in hospitality in the UK, only around 26% hold senior leadership roles and only 17% are head chefs. Women aren't underrepresented in leadership roles because they lack talent. They're underrepresented because the system favours men.

I'm certainly not here to drag down one man, because honestly, this isn't about one person. This is about a broken system, a patriarchal structure that needs to change. Hospitality has long operated outdated, hierarchical models that fail to accommodate modern work-life balance and inclusivity. Kitchens, in particular, were built on the 'brigade' system, which are designed for military-style discipline and have historically fostered toxic, hyper-masculine environments.

Atherton's comment was plastered all over my social media, with nearly everyone I follow sharing it in outrage and upset. Why? Because this comment highlights an issue we have ignored for too long.

Have things got better? Yes. I founded Ladies of Restaurants nearly 10 years ago off the back of my own personal experiences and there are now a host of incredible platforms that foster community and advocate for change; Kelly's Cause, Countertalk, Home Hospitality are a few in the hospitality industry alone. But for me, now, it's about looking forward.

Because actions, not words are what matter. We don't learn from cancel culture, we learn from being held accountable, educating ourselves and others around us. Atherton's public apology and his acknowledgment of the issue is commendable. I hope he's done the same privately with his teams.

I applaud the 70 women who penned their name in an open letter, and the many more who feel they can't but have also experienced sexism in the work place. Change has to be structural, not performative. So if you are a business owner -- and let's be clear, I'm not just talking about hospitality here, this is not an issue refined to our industry -- ask yourself: Am I fostering an equal workplace for gender, race, and privilege?

This will mean doing a little MOT of your business. Everything from changing rooms, uniforms, tone of voice, staff perks, team building exercises. It will mean breaking a model that is outdated and lacks empathy. Find role models, in and out of the business, praise those who are doing it right. Create safe spaces so any bad culture can be flagged and eradicated early. When women are excluded, the industry loses creativity, innovation, and valuable leadership, and let me tell you, the next generation of hospitality isn't waiting for permission to wear trousers.