Mon 7th Oct 2013 - Breaking News - Giraffe to open dedicated training facility Giraffe to open dedicated training facility: Giraffe restaurant group will open a dedicated training academy called G1 at the end of this month on the site of their first restaurant in Hampstead. G1 will introduce the next generation of team members and managers to the standards and hospitality that have helped establish the brand. Staff will learn core values and key skills under the dedicated tutorship of trainers both front and back of house. As Giraffe continue to roll out the brand in Tesco stores and high streets across the UK, the academy will be the latest development in their training programme to bring the best people on board. The academy will continue to run as a restaurant with reduced pricing, starters at £3.25, mains £6.25 and desserts £3.25, whilst wines will range from £10-£15. The menu will regularly change over a four-week period to train staff across the entire repertoire of dishes. The kitchen will also run daily specials in addition to experimental items some of which may be rolled out across the group. G1 will close on Mondays for group training and inductions, cook offs and culture days. Russel Joffe, founder and managing director of Giraffe, said: “As we move into our next phase of growth, the new G1 Academy will be the cornerstone of our training programme, fostering talent from all over the UK as well as offer an excellent value dining experience to our local and loyal customers.” Giraffe have also announced a new partnership with People 1st, a government funded organisation who run programmes to help local unemployed people back into work. They will initially partner with People 1st for G1 and forthcoming openings in Tesco stores. Following Watford back in August, two further Giraffe restaurants will open by the end of the year in Tesco Extra stores in Cheshunt and Abingdon. Giraffe has been owned by Tesco since the start of the year but is still run by the original founders Juliette and Russel Joffe and Andrew Jacobs. It currently operates 48 restaurants in the UK, five of which are located in airports and 1 restaurant in the UAE.