About David Holden
I was a chef before I was an auditor
Over 40 years in hospitality – kitchens first, then stocktaking, financial control and audit since 1992. Clarity by DH is just me: when you get in touch, you speak to the person who does the work.
I started in the kitchen
After training at college, I worked as a chef between 1985 and 1992, learning first-hand how food cost, portion control, waste and operational discipline affect profitability. The foundation of everything I do today was built in working kitchens, not classrooms or consultancy offices.
In the early 1990s, I moved into stocktaking, working alongside my father and developing a specialism in stock control that has remained at the centre of my career ever since.
Why Clarity exists
Most hospitality businesses don’t have a sales problem. They have a visibility problem. The numbers show something isn’t right, but nobody can confidently explain why. That’s where I come in.
When I walk into a business, I’ve usually worked in every role connected to the problem. I understand what a chef sees when food cost starts drifting. I know what stock reports reveal, and what they don’t. I’ve sat with General Managers explaining variances, and I’ve conducted audits where nobody knew there was an issue until the evidence was in front of them.
Clarity brings all of that experience together.
Not a methodology borrowed from another industry.
Not a report that gets filed and forgotten.
Just practical, independent, site-level work.
Work that identifies where profit is being lost, explains it in commercial terms, and helps put controls in place that last.
What I believe
Hospitality profitability is built on boring things.
Daily key line checks
Thorough delivery checks
Portion control and adherence to recipes
Investigating variances amd anomalies
Following up on yesterday’s numbers, not waiting for the end of month report
None of it is glamorous, and most of it is repetitive. But great results are built on the cumulative effect of this daily discipline being performed consistently and well.
There isn’t an easy shortcut, there isn’t a magic spreadsheet, and there isn’t a KPI dashboard that fixes poor control.
The businesses that consistently outperform are usually the ones paying attention to the fundamentals every single day.
My job is to help identify what matters, measure it properly, and make sure the controls behind it are strong enough to last.
How I work
I count it myself
Counting the stock myself shows me the cellar, the rotation and the paperwork, not just the quantities.
I tell you what I find
Good news or bad, in plain English. If there’s nothing wrong, I’ll say so, I won’t invent work.
Independent
No ties to suppliers, breweries or software. My only interest is your result.
Discreet
Investigations involve people’s jobs. Findings go to you, handled with care, and your business is never named in my case studies.
What people say
"David was the driver behind having the lowest Food and Beverage Cost of Sales. He did this by quietly working away with the kitchen and bar teams to improve conversion and eradicating losses.
He is team player working with teams to get better results, and not afraid to call out ineffective controls, processes or people. I would happily work with David again – he would be a great asset to any organisation."
Keith Pentland
Director of Finance, Hilton Birmingham Metropole
"David understands the controls around Food and Beverage outlets very well. He deep dives into the detail, putting in place clear procedures for managing effectively the COS.
When I worked with David, I knew our F&B outlets were in good hands as David looked at the revenue capture, stock movement, and the usual staff procedures to ensure we delivered the best margins possible."
Aleem Tufail
Group Finance Director, Black & White Hospitality Ltd.
Something not adding up?
Tell me what you’re seeing. I’ll come back to you with an honest view,
and if there’s nothing there, I’ll say so.