All interviews – Page 7
-
InterviewsWingstop UK continues to break sales records
The chain broke 147 individual sales records in November, “massively fuelled” by delivery, COO Matt Shepard told MCA’s Restaurant Conference
-
InterviewsOttolenghi explores expansion outside central London
The premium restaurant group will open a site in Richmond and another in partnership with Mandarin Oriental Hotels, while growing its wholesale business and partnership with Waitrose
-
InterviewsMarston’s: ‘2024 was a seminal year’
The pub group does not see pricing as its primary tool to mitigate labour cost increases, instead focusing on driving visit frequency and revenue, according to CEO Justin Platt
-
InterviewsThunderbird to take first steps outside London
The fried chicken brand has seen “incredibly strong” like-for-like sales and is working on securing new franchisees - as well as a new concept, CEO Paul Gilchrist tells MCA
-
InterviewsTortilla pushes ahead with dual-partnership delivery approach
CFO Maria Denny told MCA’s Restaurant Conference that the group has seen an expected decline in delivery volumes but is building a more “aligned approach” to drive profitability
-
InterviewsJKS: Diversity can’t be a tick box exercise
There needs to be a belief in the benefits of a more diverse workforce if businesses are to make meaningful progress, JKS Restaurants’ co-founder Sunaina Sethi says
-
InterviewsJeremy King: ‘You must open restaurants you want to go to yourself’
The grandee of restaurants shared advice, anecdotes from learnings from a life in hospitality, including what made Le Caprice special
-
InterviewsMitchells & Butlers toasts strong start to FY25
The group is cautiously optimistic amid the festive trading period, and will make pricing decisions to mitigate the impact of the Budget in the new year, CEO Phil Urban tells MCA
-
InterviewsAnglian Country Inns: ‘We still have opportunities to grow’
The existing estate still has capacity to grow, albeit the group is intent on mitigating the impact of the Budget, MD James Nye tells MCA
-
InterviewsJeremy King: ‘We’ll spend £10m to make it look like we’ve done nothing’
As he prepares to relaunch Simpsons on the Strand, the veteran restaurateur speaks to MCA’s Restaurant Conference about his comeback to London’s hospitality scene and balancing the old with the new
-
InterviewsGreggs: Any price rises will be ‘pennies’
CEO Roisin Currie said the brand’s growth plans will not be derailed by the recent Budget, with scope for as many as 4,500 stores in the UK overall
-
InterviewsBeyond burgers: How Bleecker is using its platform for good
Founder Zan Kaufman talks to MCA about the evolution of the now £10m-plus turnover business and why she is resolute in her mission to focus on the best burger she can produce
-
InterviewsKFC: ‘There is still tremendous opportunity for growth’
The fried chicken brand is looking to ‘step-change growth’, through innovation, enlarging its footprint, and new formats, with a multi-million-pound investment planned to upgrade its restaurants, MD Meg Farren tells MCA’s Restaurant Conference
-
InterviewsGerry Ford: A lot of people get stuck because they can’t scale
Fresh off the back the acquisitions of 200 Degrees and FCB Coffee, Nero Group is now the go-to company for trade acquisitions, founder and CEO Gerry Ford tells MCA
-
InterviewsYoung’s: ‘We want to get the City Pub estate rocking and rolling’
Chief executive Simon Dodd talks to MCA about the positive momentum in the business, the “outstanding” returns it is seeing from some of its investments and opportunities to develop the City Pub estate
-
InterviewsFuller’s: Budget will have ‘enormous impact’
The Chancellor’s eocnomic plans will not impact Fuller’s financial performance this year, but CEO Simon Emeny is convinced of the impact the “regressive” tax burden will have on the sector
-
![Branksome Exterior[41]](https://d36hgjhwuw81py.cloudfront.net/Pictures/100x67/3/9/4/341394_branksomeexterior41_790554_crop.jpg)
InterviewsBrewhouse & Kitchen to launch Craft House concept
Four existing high street locations will be converted to the more traditional pub concept over the next six months, in a move away from its brewpub model, CEO Kris Gumbrell tells MCA
-
InterviewsLack of data harmony is holding back agility
Azzurri Group developed common data model Openr in order to try and provide a single solution as operators struggle to manage massive data streams across multiple platforms, MCA’s Hostech heard
-
Interviews‘Anti-growth, anti-business’: Hospitality laments Budget impact
As sector leaders digest the impact of labour cost inflation, Young’s Pubs CEO Simon Dodd tells MCA the business is likely to reduce capex next year, while The Revel Collective’s Rob Pitcher says the Budget has failed to move the tax burden “from bricks to clicks”
-
InterviewsWasabi begins digital transformation journey ahead of nationwide rollout
The 40-strong business has launched a new loyalty scheme as it prepares to build its presence outside London, according to IT director Chris Scarth