Another new speaker for 2020 is Oli Ingham, creative marketing lead at Wahaca. He’ll be at the show on Thursday 26 March for The Casual Dining / Supersonic Inc Marketing Podcast panel, hosted by Mark McCulloch. It’ll also feature Libby Andrews from Pho, Anna-Marie Mason from Mitchells & Butlers, and Sara Stark from Dishoom.
“I got my job at Wahaca by sending a video of myself and some colleagues cross-pollinating some chilli plants to Thomasina Miers.”
What restaurant & pub operators do you particularly admire and why?
I think Dishoom are doing an amazing job of standing true to their brand and I think Wagamama continue to do amazingly in the way they build a brand that acts way outside the fast casual restaurant sector.
What do you think is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors?
Build a strong brand that you know resonates with your customers, then keep it at the heart of everything you do.
What do you see as the key casual dining trends for 2020?
With the rise of restaurant tech already giving so many restaurants an advantage, working out how to best use the data and insights that that tech will generate is the next huge opportunity for casual dining.
The rise of food delivery: What do you think are the pros and cons for 1) your business and 2) the casual dining sector as a whole?
Wahaca has been cautious with entry into the delivery market, but we’re already seeing great results from our initial trials. Whilst it’s great for a restaurant to have an extra revenue stream, the big challenge for a restaurant like Wahaca is that so much of the experience is created by the vibe. Deliveroo can’t deliver that. Yet.
What’s your bestselling dish / drink at the moment?
It’s all about the tacos for Wahaca. It’s something we’ve worked hard to establish over the years, but they’re the perfect embodiment of Mexican street food and such a great way to create a shared experience when you’re out for a bite to eat.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Seeing the reaction to campaigns, new menu launches or openings on our customers faces. We are in a really lucky position to be able to have direct contact with our customers just by walking into a restaurant, and it’s so rewarding to see people engaging with your ideas first hand.
And the most challenging?
Cutting through in a crowded market is always a huge challenge in our business. With so many amazing brands out on the high street, and more and more joining every day, we need to keep working more creatively to capture people’s attention.
What does the next 12 months have in store for your business?
It’s exciting times for both me and Wahaca. I’m splitting my role into leading creative at Wahaca, and running my own consultancy where I’m helping build brand strategy and marketing plans for smaller businesses looking to go on that similar growth journey. I’m also working with some interesting tech businesses who partner with restaurants, and helping them to get the most out of restaurant marketing teams as customers, providing them with the right insights and data to get closer to their customers.
At Wahaca we’re focussing on doing the things we do well, even better. Building on our solid foundations and making sure we’re well set for the current high street climate.
Can you give us an example of what your business is doing to be even more sustainable?
Sustainability has always been at the heart of what we do at Wahaca, and we’ve always been very proud of the recognition we’ve got for that. The next year will be looking at ways that we can keep improving on what we’re already doing from a restaurant build, sourcing and community point of view.
Describe the Casual Dining trade show in 3 words:
Fun. Insightful. Innovative.
How important is the Casual Dining show to the casual dining sector?
It’s standing out as the show that everyone needs to visit – It’s really relevant to our industry and is always a really interesting visit.
Can you tell us a bit about your much-anticipated session at Casual Dining 2020?
I’m hoping that visitors will take away a few specific insights around how to get closer to their customers that they can put to use straight away.
Who or what inspires you to be even better?
Leaders who stick to their core values.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Toilet rolls have a fringe, not a Mullet.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know:
I got my job as marketing manager at Wahaca by sending a video of myself and some colleagues cross-pollinating some chilli plants to Thomasina Miers.
See Oli at Casual Dining 2020
The Casual Dining Marketing Panel – A Supersonic Inc Podcast Live: 11.15am in the Keynote Theatre 1 on Thursday 26 March
Featuring:
- Libby Andrews, Marketing Director, Pho
- Oli Ingham, Creative Marketing Lead, Wahaca
- Anna-Marie Mason, Brand Marketing Director, Mitchells & Butlers
- Sara Stark, Marketing Director, Dishoom
- Mark McCulloch, Founder & CEO, Supersonic Inc
