2025 Agenda
Maggie will exclusively preview Lumina’s brand-new Restaurant Market Report, assessing market performance and unpicking the latest operator and consumer insights. She will share the menu trends and innovation shaping the channel and driving growth, and consider challenges and opportunities in the year ahead.
As the restaurant sector faces unprecedented shifts – from evolving consumer expectations and labour shortages to sustainability demands and economic pressures – industry leaders must adapt and innovate at pace. This high-level panel brings together senior executives from across the multi-site restaurant landscape to share insights, strategies, and perspectives on how they are navigating these challenges while positioning their brands for long-term growth.
When Tom James was appointed MD in 2022, he identified that Bill’s was well behind the curve on tech and innovation. Since then, his team has implemented major changes and driven significant growth, ensuring that all decisions on innovation are filtered through its brand lens. Tom will reflect on progress so far and share the plan to 2027, as well as the lessons he has learned from taking his team on a significant change journey.
As the QSR brand celebrates 60 years in the UK and Ireland, KFC is investing £1.49bn in 200 restaurant upgrades, 7,000-plus new jobs, plus 500 new restaurants over the next decade. In this fireside chat, general manager Rob Swain shares why KFC is confident in its growth prospects, how it continues to innovate in a competitive fried chicken market, and its commitment to youth employment through its Hatch programme.
People and culture may be viewed as ‘soft’ policy areas, but the right skills and execution can result in measurable improvements to business performance – and profitability. In this session, host Ceri Gott, culture and leadership coach and former chief growth & culture officer at Hawksmoor, will explore how a core focus on people is resulting in tangible benefits for operators.
Azzurri Group has branched out from its full-service Italian restaurant origins over the past two years, with the acquisitions of Mexican fast-casual chain Boojum, the UK master franchise rights to California-founded, and Nashville-inspired, chain Dave’s Hot Chicken and tech start up Openr. In this Q&A group CEO Steve Holmes discusses how the new business mix enables Azzurri to move quicker in fast growing areas of the restaurant sector, the potential for the roll-out of its newest brands, and how Azzurri is looking to drive forward its core businesses: Zizzi, ASK Italian and Coco di Mama.
From pizza disruptors to authentic Chinese cuisine and all-day Mediterranean dining, this year’s innovation showcase features dynamic, up-and-coming operators who will share how they’re standing out in a crowded market. Tasos Gaitanos, co-founder at Brother Marcus – winner of Emerging Concept of the Year at MCA’s Hospitality Awards 2025 – will discuss how the business grew to a six-strong estate. The Breadstall founder Seb Vince, alongside investor and Honest Burger co-founder Philip Eeles, will present insights into how they’re upending the pizza market and Wenjun Xiang will share her successful journey from a 17-year-old entrepreneur to founder of Xi Home, and her plans to develop new concepts.
Amid a challenging, cost-impacted restaurant market, what does the financial landscape look like for restaurant M&A activity? In this presentation, Graeme will give a forecast of the investment climate, consider what buyers are looking for from ambitious businesses, and explore the consumer trends and economic outlook influencing dealmaking.
It was all change at the business formerly known as D&D London earlier this year, with the premium restaurant group revealing a new name and identity alongside the appointment of a new chief executive. During this fireside chat, CEO Martin Williams shares his vision for The Evolv Collection, under the ownership of Calveton and Breal Capital, including the potential to expand its Bluebird, Sartoria and Chop House brands.
Three years on from The Big Table Group’s acquisition of the South East Asian brand, Banana Tree’s managing director Kate Wilton shares how the ethos and passion of the founder-led business is being retained as it embarks on the next stage of its growth journey, and why Big Table believes it has the potential to become a truly national brand.
Deepening customer relationships outside the four walls of a restaurant has become a key focus for businesses in an increasingly digital world. In this panel we discuss how restaurant operators are evolving their loyalty offers, building a rapport with customers online and driving sales through delivery.
Born in Sri Lanka, Des grew up in London and trained in finance, before meeting Sir Terence Conran in 1991. Their partnership transformed Conran Holdings into a global restaurant, retail, hotel and design group with annual revenues of circa £150m. In 2006, Des led a private equity-backed buyout of Conran Restaurants, which he evolved into D&D London, the luxury restaurant group that has opened German Gymnasium, 14 Hills, and 20 Stories and Queensyard in New York. After leading D&D London for 16 years, Des announced his new venture D3 Collective in 2023, a collection of individual restaurants collaborating with different investors, chefs and restaurateurs.