Speaker Q&A (2020): Baton Berisha, The Ivy Collection

Kicking off our 2020 Speaker Q&A series in style — here’s Baton Berisha, MD of The Ivy Collection. Don’t miss his highly-anticipated Keynote interview at the show on Thursday 26 March.

Casual Dining Show attracts “a huge number of leaders in the hospitality industry”, he says, “I’m honoured to be taking part.”

What restaurant & pub operators do you particularly admire and why?

I admire many operators. Dishoom is a very clever concept which has seen rapid growth. I like that it’s an all-day dining concept where you can walk in at any time of the day, and that you can enjoy sharing plates and therefore sample a greater number of dishes and flavours. There’s a great variety on the menu and the food never disappoints.

What do you think is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors?

Consistency, quality of food and service, individuality, a tailored and personalised approach, atmosphere, investment in your business, product, people and training.

Focusing specifically on food and drink trends, what products/ingredients do you think will be big (or even bigger) in 2020?

In my opinion, we will see a growth in healthier choices within both the food and drink categories. Guests are more conscious of ingredients and eating healthier in general and I think this is a trend that will very much continue into 2020.

What’s your bestselling dish / drink at the moment?

Our best-selling dish is our Shepherd’s pie, whilst our best-selling drinks are Ivy Champagne or espresso martinis. Cocktails in general are very popular across the group.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?

There are numerous aspects of my role that I find rewarding. The successful growth that we have achieved within a relatively short period of time is certainly one, as well as the positive feedback we receive from employees, guests and industry leaders.

And the most challenging?

It’s important to always push yourself, remain proactive and to anticipate the needs of your guests.

What does the next 12 months have in store for your business?

We will continue to focus on our current businesses, ensuring consistency and service remains high. 2020 will also see further growth, with further news to be announced in the new year.

Describe the Casual Dining trade show in 3 words:

Educational, insightful, informative.

How important is the Casual Dining show to the casual dining sector?

It’s brilliant to see some of the UK’s top leaders in the industry gathered together in one place, all passing on their knowledge and insight on the sector.

Who or what inspires you to be even better?

Myself! I am constantly pushing myself to achieve more and always think about where I want to be in 10 years’ time.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

You are given so much advice throughout your career. It’s not always a single piece of advice that sticks with you, but instead watching and learning from industry leaders over the years and learning from them. There are so many extremely talented individuals in the industry and I’ve been lucky to work with a number of them.