How did you get involved with L ’ Escargot in London ? I came here 10 years ago after a Premier League football game and immediately noted there was something special about the place . The food and service were good , but there was also something you couldn ’ t describe and I kept coming back and became friends with the management . They asked me if I was interested in investing and I felt I had the time and was , in any case , looking to become an entrepreneur to find out if I could be successful . Combining my passion for food and being in England , it seemed to bring everything together and I said Yes .

Above : Thomas outside his London venue

What was the first dish you had at the restaurant ? Good question ! I didn ’ t have snails , but can ’ t quite remember what I did have , although I do remember the experience , which was unique . All the rooms we have here , in combination with the service and the ambience in the restaurant , are something you don ’ t experience very often .

When you were a footballer were you interested in cuisine ? I understood diet , which was very important for performance and I talked to nutritionists and physios regularly about the impact food had on the body and performance . It was a huge learning curve . But I didn ’ t really go out for fancy meals . Now I have the privilege of not having to be fit the next morning and can take more carbs ! I like understanding new cultures through food .

Tell us about the facilities for meetings and events at L ’ Escargot . Some people just expect it to be solely a restaurant , but when you go through the building , all the way to the top , there are actually three private dining rooms . They all offer something special depending on the number of the party . And there is The Library , full of books and paintings – some from artists who used to come in the past . The restaurant ’ s name is still very well known and the challenge is to transfer it

“ I have been to Frankfurt and Leipzig messen where I published my first book , Mut Proben ( Tests of Courage ) and related to me coming out 10 years ago , doing brave things and not being held back by society .”

into the future with a quality offer and continue to make it a special place . So far , in the 12 months I ’ ve been involved , we ’ ve had very good feedback .

What about the idea of salon-style events and discussions ? Do you hope to continue the momentum from your initial two events at L ’ Escargot on sports and entrepreneurism and on DEI ? I definitely want to continue this . I really enjoyed our first event on 28 May and we had a great group of people from the sports industry . It has also been about promoting diversity which is something I ’ ve done for many years . I ’ m looking forward to more such events and to get to know more interesting people and show them the building . DEI is something I really care about , apart from football . Clubs now have huge responsibilities here and we need to speak about it openly – how we can be more inclusive in future .

Is there a different attitude towards business events in your home country in Germany ? I ’ m only beginning to understand the world of events . I have been to Frankfurt and Leipzig messen where I published my first book , Mut Proben ( Tests of Courage ) and related to me coming out 10 years ago , doing brave things and not being held back by society .