For Simon Stenning, founder of FutureFoodservice.com, Casual Dining is a “brilliant melting pot of ideas, innovations and insight”. He’ll be back at the show on opening day (10.15am, 25 March) sharing exclusive new research from his Future of Foodservice 2030 report
Nisha Katona is the CEO, executive and development chef of Mowgli Street Food. In the five years since she founded her first restaurant in Liverpool (while still working full time as a Barrister), she’s opened nine more sites across the UK (number 11, in Bristol, is coming soon), become a familiar face on TV, written three cookbooks, featured twice on the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 list, and been awarded a MBE for services to the Food Industry.
Kicking off our 2020 Speaker Q&A series in style â here’s Baton Berisha, MD of The Ivy Collection. Don’t miss his highly-anticipated Keynote interview at the show on Thursday 26 March.
Simon Potts, MD of The Alchemist Bars & Restaurants, is making his Casual Dining speaker debut this year. In his opening day Keynote âFrom cocktails to coversâ, he’ll be discussing how the brand has evolved from a late-night bar to all day dining serving around 25,000 covers a week.
Next up is Jo Fleet, MD of Flat Iron, whoâll be taking part in an exclusive panel session on ‘Coping with Crisisâ. Head to Casual Dining’s Keynote Theatre 2 on opening day to hear expert advice from Jo â plus the Yummy Pub Coâs Tim Foster, MEATliquorâs MD Scott Collins, Brian Keeley-Whiting, owner of Whiting & Hammond, and Simon Stenning, founder of FutureFoodservice.com â on how to protect yourselves, your teams, your customers, your property and your brand in the event of disaster. Prior to joining Flat Iron in 2017, Jo was MD at Wahaca for seven years. She also spent over…
Meet Gordon Ker, a former lawyer turned waiter turned restaurateur, who founded Blacklock in an old basement brothel on Great Windmill Street in Soho in 2015. His second steak restaurant and chophouse, Blacklock City, opened in 2017 and the latest member of the family, Blacklock Shoreditch on Rivington Street, opened its doors in September 2018. He’ll be appearing in an opening day panel session alongside other industry high flyers (including Sarah Weir, MD of Albion & East, Steve Moore, CEO of Flight Club, and the NWTC’s Chris Hill) to talk about whatâs next for their brands. What restaurant & pub operators do you…
Dave Lewis is operations director of Browns Brasserie & Bar. A new speaker for Casual Dining 2019, heâll be taking part in day two’s must-attend Operations Director panel (28 Feb), alongside Baton Berisha from The Ivy Collection, Brian Trollip from Dishoom, Jo Childs from Yo! Sushi, Gavin Smith from Pizza Pilgrim, and Mark Stretton, MD of Fleet Street Communications. What restaurant & pub operators do you particularly admire and why? Over the last few years I have kept a keen interest in Brasserie Blanc, their food and drink proposition has adapted over the years staying true to their heritage. I am particularly…
Our next speaker Q&A features Brian Trollip, chief operations wallah of Dishoom, who has been overseeing the day-to-day running of Dishoomâs operations since 2010.  Heâll be taking part in the show’s first ever Operations Director panel discussion (28 Feb), alongside Baton Berisha from The Ivy Collection, Jo Childs from Yo! Sushi, Dave Lewis from Browns Brasserie & Bar, Gavin Smith from Pizza Pilgrim, and (chair) Mark Stretton, MD of Fleet Street Communications. What restaurant & pub operators do you particularly admire and why? Brian and the guys behind Super 8 restaurants do a brilliant job with Brat, Kiln and Smoking Goat. On…
Our next speaker Q&A features Mark McCulloch, founder and CEO of creative brand and marketing agency WE ARE Spectacular. In his opening day Keynote, he’ll be sharing expert insights on how, in the age of Brexit, “instafame” and the Millennial, we can attract, recruit and retain the best talent to look after our guests and show them real hospitality. While on day two of the show, Mark will be hosting a much-anticipated live recording of his hugely popular WE ARE Spectacular podcast â featuring Kate Eastwood (Revolution Bars), Thom Elliot (Pizza Pilgrims), Andre Johnstone (wagamama), Lesley McIlroy (Bill’s Restaurant) and Lucy Harwood…
Kate Eastwood is sales and marketing director at Revolution Bars Group. She’ll be at the show on Thursday 28 February, taking part in an exclusive live recording of the WE ARE Spectacular podcast â a must-listen for any discerning marketer in the food and drink industry. She’ll be joined by marketing directors from wagamama, Las Iguanas and Billâs Restaurants, plus Thom Elliot, co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims, and WE ARE Spectacular’s CEO Mark McCulloch. What restaurant & pub operators do you particularly admire and why? wagamama, for delivering casual dining consistently in a way you want to keep coming back for more…