Our next speaker Q&A features Glenn Evans, head of food development at popular Latin American and Spanish restaurant chains Las Iguanas, La Tasca & La Viña.
With a diverse career spanning 21 years, including roles at Hilton Hotels, Compass Group, Marks & Spencer, Reynolds Foodservice, SSP and Greene King, Glenn has plenty of experience creating inspiring menus.
Don’t miss the chance to catch Glenn sharing his expertise on the opening day of the show, when he’ll be appearing in an exclusive panel session, alongside Jane Treasure, PizzaExpress’ food and beverage director, Steven Mangleshot, wagamama’s executive chef, and and Jay Morjaria, recent winner of the BBC’s My Million Pound Menu, discussing ‘Menu innovation for multi-site restaurants’.
What restaurant & pub operators do you particularly admire and why?
wagamama has maintained a really consistent, fresh and innovative food offer for quite a while now and even though they have had significant growth, their quality has not been compromised.
What do you feel is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors in 2019 and beyond?
Good value is going to be vital. As businesses pass costs on to customers, due to increased ingredient costs from Brexit, customers will still want an unforgettable experience and to eat instagrammable food.
What do you see as key trends in the coming year?
Plant-based diets and flexitarianism is only going to get stronger and it doesn’t have to be for the health conscious. I believe vegan junk food is going to be one of the bigger trends.
What’s your bestselling dish / drink at the moment?
Our Brazilian Bahian coconut chicken curry is our bestselling main, closely followed by chicken fajitas. Nachos is our best tapas by far and our bestselling cocktails are Pornstar Martinis and Mango Collins.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Working with the amazing people that I do, everyone (old and new) totally embraces the culture and wants the best for the business and, of course, our customers.
And the most challenging?
Our supply chain… that’s another story!!
How important is the Casual Dining show to the casual dining sector?
Very important, it’s a great opportunity for suppliers to showcase their innovations and relevant trend related products to one of the largest sectors in the hospitality industry.
Describe the Casual Dining trade show in 3 words:
Organised, relevant, enlightening.
Can you tell us a bit about your much anticipated session at Casual Dining 2019?
I will touch base on our successes, which includes the retail project with Sainsbury’s, our Brand DNA marketing strategy and the future of our kitchens.
Who or what inspires you to be even better?
Mos Shamel (Las Iguanas’ MD). He is constantly driven, his passion and enthusiasm for success and developing others is second to none.
See Glenn at Casual Dining 2019
Menu Innovation For Multi-Site Restaurants: 3.45pm in Keynote Theatre 1 on Wednesday 27 February. The session will feature –
- Glenn Evans, head of food development at Las Iguanas, La Tasca & La Vina
- Jane Treasure, food & beverage director at PizzaExpress
- Steven Mangleshot, executive chef at wagamama
- Jay Morjaria, chef & food consultant, and winner of the BBC’s My Million Pound Menu
