All interviews – Page 54
-
InterviewsZoe Bowley: ‘We are fully energised to seize opportunities’
Following what can only be described as a transformational 2020, Pizza Express is primed and ready for the next stage of its growth, according to MD Zoe Bowley.
-
InterviewsWill Beckett: ‘We have tried to do optimistic realism’
Hawksmoor CEO Will Becket has described a decision to lay of staff as the pandemic worsened as “the worst day of my professional life”.
-
InterviewsAlasdair Murdoch: BKUK ‘looking long and hard’ at growth opportunities
Burger King UK won’t be holding back on expansion over the next few years, and is looking to benefit from new land opportunities in the fallout of the coronavirus crisis, CEO Alasdair Murdoch has said.
-
InterviewsJames Horler: ‘We need public opinion to change’
The sector needs public opinion to change if it hopes to exit lockdown before Easter, MCA’s The Conversation has heard.
-
InterviewsWill Beckett: New wave of quality and innovation will follow pandemic
Hawksmoor CEO Will Beckett has predicted the post-pandemic restaurant scene will be focussed on quality and innovation, which will see a new a generation of young, talented operators coming through the ranks.
-
InterviewsMark Davies: ‘If tiered restrictions return we will battle against them’
If Government looks to reintroduce the “ridiculous” restrictions on pubs seen under the tiering system, the industry “will resist”, Hawthorn CEO Mark Davies has told MCA.
-
InterviewsAlex Reilley: ‘The end of the moratoria will leave thousands of businesses horrifically exposed’
Loungers chairman and co-founder Alex Reilley expects the end of the lease forfeiture and debt enforcement moratoria in March will lead to a ‘phenomenal glut’ of CVAs across hospitality.
-
InterviewsPeter Marks: ‘We don’t want to reopen with masks, mist and panels’
Rekom UK CEO Peter Marks has said he would rather “wait a little bit longer” for reopening, than dilute the nature of the business’ offer.
-
InterviewsRob Pitcher: ‘Landlord’s behaviour in crisis will determine future partnerships’
Hard-lined landlords refusing to “play ball” in rent negotiations will be remembered by the industry going forward, MCA’s The Conversation has heard.
-
InterviewsUK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls OBE: ‘Take ministers’ reopening predictions with a pinch of salt’
Any public predictions on hospitality reopening is “just speculation” and shouldn’t be taken as fact, UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls OBE has warned.
-
InterviewsD&D London considers suburban sites as it plans for post-Covid era
High-end restaurant group D&D London is considering expanding its suburban presence in light of the changes to people’s social behaviour caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
-
InterviewsTrispan operating partner Robin Rowland OBE: ‘Operators are treading water in the dark’
Trispan operating partner Robin Rowland OBE has joined calls for an extension of the VAT cut and business rates relief beyond March, arguing that operators can only “tread water in the dark” for so long.
-
InterviewsWhitbread CEO Alison Brittain: Government support for hospitality a ‘good policy decision’
Issuing further financial support for hospitality would be a “good policy decision” for Government if they wish to see a fast-paced recovery, Whitbread CEO Alison Brittain has said.
-
InterviewsKate Nicholls OBE: Easter the ‘most ambitious’ reopening date for hospitality
Government’s “most ambitious” post-lockdown roadmap won’t see hospitality reopen until after Easter, Kate Nicholls OBE has said.
-
InterviewsJust Eat MD Andrew Kenny: ‘2020 raised the bar for delivery’
Delivery has never seen a year like 2020. Whilst last year’s events wreaked havoc on traditional operating models across the hospitality space, the back-to-back lockdowns and shift towards homeworking prompted an unprecedented surge in delivery sales, with the UK’s three primary aggregators all reporting uplifts in revenue, partnerships and order numbers.
-
InterviewsPeter Marks: ‘Deltic was left hamstrung by sales process’
Peter Marks has never been one to downplay the devastation this crisis could have on his business.
-
InterviewsGreggs CEO Roger Whiteside: ‘We’ll return to pre-pandemic growth levels in 2021’
The rate of Greggs’ growth pipeline this year will return to its pre-pandemic levels, with retail parks, central London and airports among key target locations, CEO Roger Whiteside has said.
-
InterviewsNeat Burger co-founder Stasi Nychas: ‘It’s how we adapt to the crisis that matters’
The timing of London’s tier 3 announcement couldn’t have been worse for Neat Burger. Launched in September last year, the plant-based burger concept’s first site was only six months old before the pandemic hit, forcing it to shift its then ambitious growth strategy of expanding to a further five dine-in sites in 2020 to fit a dramatically different marketplace. Nevertheless, the business pushed on, launching two dark kitchens in Battersea and Whitechapel earlier this year, and a further two bricks-and-mortar restaurants – to join its original Mayfair restaurant - in Camden and Soho.
-
InterviewsShaftesbury’s Julia Wilkinson: ‘We’ve always taken a long term view’
Shaftesbury had one of the most desirable restaurant estates in the country, until a succession of lockdowns wiped out trade.
-
InterviewsMarston’s refocused pub business will have ‘firmer pricing outlook’
Marston’s CEO Ralph Findlay has shared with MCA details of an executive restructure at the company, which sees previously separate divisions brought under a single pubs business.