Our latest speaker Q&A features Jens Hofma, CEO of Pizza Hut Restaurants UK. Having previously headlined Casual Dining’s launch event in 2014, Hofma, who has headed-up Pizza Hut’s UK-based business since 2009, will be back to share his thoughts on the vibrant casual dining scene.
Founded decades before the term ‘casual dining’ had been coined, Pizza Hut has been a favourite on the UK’s high street for over 40 years. Under Hofma’s leadership, it’s embraced new opportunities, re-imaged its brand and menus, undergone a significant estate refurbishment programme, and (in 2018) completed a management buyout (MBO). It currently employs over 10,000 staff in over 260 restaurants across the country and serves 3 million guests a month. Hofma will be discussing all that and more in an exclusive Keynote interview, hosted by Peter Martin, director at CM&Co and VP of CGA, on the second day of the show.
What restaurant & pub operators do you particularly admire and why?
I admire anyone putting their hearts and souls in providing genuine hospitality, whichever brand they are associated with.
What do you feel is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors in 2019 and beyond?
Resilience: maintaining a positive, self-confident vision of the future whilst being real about the current headwinds.
What do you see as key trends in the coming year?
Convenience, value and experience.
What’s your bestselling dish / drink at the moment?
Pizza (unsurprisingly).
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Seeing people develop in a sector which is more meritocratic than any I can think of.
And the most challenging?
The stuff you can’t control (and there is an awful lot of that right now).
How important is the Casual Dining show to the casual dining sector?
It supports building identity in a fragmented sector, which punches below its weight in terms of prominence.
Describe the Casual Dining trade show in 3 words:
Necessary. Unifying. Encouraging.
Can you tell us a bit about your much anticipated session at Casual Dining 2019?
I will give frank views without the hype.
Who or what inspires you to be even better?
Seeing how much dedication, emotion and effort my restaurant teams put into their work day after day.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Always keep your feet firmly planted on the ground (it’s my Calvinist Dutch upbringing).
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know:
My Swiss fighting cow (although she tragically died some time ago).
See Jens at Casual Dining 2019
Exclusive Interview with Jens Hofma, CEO, Pizza Hut Restaurants UK (hosted by CGA’s Peter Martin): 2.45pm in Keynote Theatre 1 on Thursday 28 February.
