My Journey to Hospitality: From Events to Opening Ojo Rojo
If you had told me years ago that I’d be running a Mexican restaurant and mezcal bar in Bournemouth, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. My journey into hospitality wasn’t exactly planned—it was more of a series of unexpected turns, opportunities, and a bit of blind faith.
In my twenties, I jumped between different industries, trying to find my path. I ran a local events company, helped organize festivals, managed bands, and even dabbled in web design, photography, and teaching at Bournemouth University. I loved being involved in creative projects, but at the time, I didn’t feel like I had a clear direction.
Then one day, everything changed.
A Conversation That Changed Everything
I was in France, running a mini festival for a friend’s birthday, when I met her brother at the bar. He asked me what I did, and honestly? I didn’t have a great answer. I told him I ran events but was looking for something new.
His response was simple: “I live in Mexico. You should come check it out.”
And for some reason, that stuck with me.
Three months later, I had sold everything I owned—except my comics and my guitar—closed everything I had going on, and was on a one-way flight to Mexico.
Finding Inspiration in Mexico
That trip changed my life.
While I was there, I fell in love with the food, the culture, the energy. But more than anything, I realized something: Mexican food in the UK wasn’t being done right. It didn’t have the authenticity, the vibrancy, the depth of flavor I had experienced in Mexico.
And that planted a seed.
I started thinking—what if I could bring that inspiration back? What if I could create something that truly reflected the Mexican experience I had fallen in love with?
Turning an Idea Into Reality
After two years in Mexico, I came back to the UK and started working toward opening my own venue. But here’s the thing—I had no experience running a restaurant or bar. No funding, no business background, just an idea and a determination to make it work.
And it was brutal.
For two years, I worked non-stop to make Ojo Rojo a reality. It was a constant battle—finding investors, designing menus, figuring out the financials, dealing with setbacks. I was literally building something from nothing.
There were moments where I questioned everything, but I kept pushing forward. And eventually, after years of grinding, Ojo Rojo opened its doors.
Building Something That Lasts
Fast forward to today—we’ve been open for nine years, made the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars three times, won awards like Best Mezcal Cocktail in Britain, and have built a community of locals and visitors who love what we do.
But I’m not going to sit here and say it was easy. It wasn’t. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I had to figure things out as I went, fail, adapt, and keep learning.
I’ve taken everything I learned from my past experiences—the creativity from event planning, the organization from managing festivals, the leadership from working with teams—and applied it to running a hospitality business.
And that’s what’s kept me going: finding ways to evolve, improve, and stay passionate about what we do.
The Biggest Lesson? Just Start.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: you don’t need to have everything figured out to start something.
When I took that one-way flight to Mexico, I had no idea it would lead to running a restaurant. But one decision led to another, and another, until I ended up exactly where I was meant to be.
So if you’re sitting there wondering if you have the skills, the experience, or the knowledge to go after something big—don’t let that stop you. You learn as you go. Just start.
Because otherwise—what’s the point?
Like what you’ve read?
Head to trevorhill.kit.com/mailinglist and grab my free ebook: The Four Pillars – A Sanity Manual for Hospitality Owners. It’s a short, honest guide to the four areas that helped me rebuild after burnout, with practical advice and real-world tools to help you take back control.