After months of lockdown, imposed restrictions, active lobbying, diversification and strategizing, the time has come for the next chapter for the hospitality sector.
While businesses across the UK have now started to reopen their doors and welcome customers again, the industry is a different place to before the pandemic struck, with the future for many businesses still uncertain.
Although we at Restaurant have not been able to run our usual R200 European study tour this month, we want to still bring our community of multi-site restaurant operators together in the form of a webinar to provide a forum for discussion, analysis and the sharing of experiences and ideas to help support businesses as they look to the future.
In this webinar, we will bring together some of the leading multi-site restaurant operators to share their learnings of the past few months of lockdown, their thoughts and observations on the current state of the UK eating out sector and their plans and outlook for future. Among the topics discussed will be some of the more effective measures businesses have taken to reassure customers and entice them back to their venues; a look at the strategies behind reopening a large restaurant estate and where the challenges therein lie; the changing role of delivery in a post lockdown world, and where any opportunities of growth and expansion might lie.
Agenda
Welcome & Introduction
Mitch Tonks - Managing Director, Rockfish Seafood
Alex Reilley - Chairman/Co-Founder, Loungers
Dermot King - CEO, Oakman Inns
Jeremy King - Co-Founder, Corbin & King
Des Gunewardena - Chairman/CEO, D&D London
Jyotin Sethi - CEO, JKS Restaurants
Health and Safety Panel, including Rebecca Davies, retail concept manager at Star Pubs and Bars; Rob Easton, head of consultancy at Shield Safety Group; James Elliott, co-Founder of Pizza Pilgrims and Dermot King, chief executive at Oakman Inns
Mitch is the co-founder of Devon and Dorset based seafood group Rockfish. The group currently has eight restaurants in its portfolio with three takeaways as well as the more fine dining Seahorse restaurant. The group has started the reopening of...
Jeremy King first worked with long-term business partner Chris Corbin when the pair met while working at London restaurants Langan’s Brasserie and Joe Allen’s respectively in the late 1970s. Corbin & King now operates restaurants including ,...
Des is chairman of high-end restaurant group D&D London, which has restaurants and bars in London and other large UK cities as well as in New York and Paris. The groups operates 42 venues, of which 17 have reopened, with the rest to follow...
Jyotin is Co-founder and CEO of JKS Restaurants. Founded in 2008, JKS Restaurants currently operates 16 restaurants in Central London including Michelin-starred Trishna, Gymkhana, Lyle’s and Sabor, two-Michelin starred Kitchen Table, and Hoppers,...
Alex co-founded Loungers back in 2002, along with friends Jake Bishop and Dave Reid. The hugely successful all-day dining group now operates 138 Lounges and 29 Cosy Clubs with 75 Loungers and 19 Cosy Clubs so far reopened at the last count. It...
Alongside his brother Thom, James operates the now 13-strong pizza restaurant group whose sites are predominantly in the capital. The group has had success during lockdown with its cook-at-home Pizza in the Post delivery, which is now available...