Tragus, owner of the Bella Italia and Strada brands, has confirmed the appointment of Peter Blake as managing director of its Café Rouge and Belgo chains with immediate effect.
M&C Report revealed in March that Blake, who spent 16 years working for Whitbread, was to join former Costa Coffee managing director and Tragus chief executive John Derkach at the company.
He started his career in the leisure sector at TGI Fridays, as regional manager and operations director, before joining costa coffee as operations director in 2005.
Most recently, he was chief operating officer of Whitbread’s restaurants division managing five brands including Beefeater, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns and Buffet Place, with 15,000 employees.
Derkach said: “I am delighted to welcome Peter to Tragus. He brings extensive operational and strategic experience, and will be a strong addition to our management team as we continue to build on our foundations with great people, well-loved brands and fantastic locations.”
The company is currently rolling out a new look Café Rouge and has talked about expanding its Belgo estate.
