A look ahead at this month’s Casual Dining Show in London
Nearly two in three towns and cities saw the number of pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs rise or stay the same last year, according to the latest quarterly Market Growth Monitor from AlixPartners and CGA Peach – and this growth was driven by casual dining. To help licensees be part of this, the Casual Dining show returns to the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, on February 24 and 25, bringing together over 170 exhibitors alongside industry seminars.
Speakers will include Revolution Bars Group’s chief executive Mark McQuater, BrewDog’s bars managing director David McDowall, Punch Taverns’ operations director Paul Pavli, and bar and restaurant entrepreneur Luke Johnson. Leading restaurant groups will be sharing expertise, such as Wagamama chief executive David Campbell, Casual Dining Group’s chief executive Steve Richards, Gourmet Burger Kitchen’s chief operating officer Keith Bird, Carluccio co-founder and chairman Simon Kossoff, and Martin Morales, founder of London restaurant group Ceviche.
New products and ideas will be presented by exhibitors across food, drink, equipment, interior design, furniture, technology and services. Jascots Wine Merchants will present its new “Street Wine” concept, demonstrating how wine can be as accessible and unfussy as street food through dispense methods such as draught, mock barrels, multiple-use bottles and carafes. Kim Antoniou and Tarryn Gore will showcase their new menu management software system Kafoodle Kitchen, which helps operators to manage ingredients, including those covered by allergens legislation.
A new range of barbecue sauces designed to accompany specific pulled meats will be presented by AAK Foodservice alongside its gluten-free range, its new Flavour range of premium oils, and butter alternative Whirl. Lamb Weston, a leading brand of high-end potato products, is returning so visitors can sample its products from Potato Dippers to Connoisseur Fries which are “consistently inconsistent” to look homemade. Other foodservice specialists will include Aviko UK, McCain Foods, Mom’s Fabulous Hot Dogs, Moy Park, Nestlé Professional and Young’s Seafood. Snacks exhibitors will include gourmet brand Pipers Crisps.
Building on its reputation for pesto sauces, Sacla’ will promote its range of products made with authentic Italian ingredients, from Hidden Gems canapés to premium organic soft drink Galvanina, available in Ruby Orange, Sicilian Clementine, Sicilian Lemon and Red Grapefruit. Other soft drinks at the show will include Belvoir Fruit Farms, Bottlegreen Drinks, Britvic Soft Drinks, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Cawston Press, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Fentimans, Frobishers Juices, Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Luscombe Drinks, Qcumber, and Radnor Hills with its Heartsease Farm juices, while hot drinks will be covered by the likes of Teapigs, Tudor Tea & Coffee, Twinings and UCC Coffee.
If you are after alcoholic drinks, exhibitors will include Budweiser Budvar, Freedom Brewery, Jägermeister, Morgenrot, Pontoon Cocktails, Sipsmith, Innis & Gunn, Redchurch Brewery, Thistly Cross Cider, Warner Edwards and World Beers.
For design expertise, exhibitors include Catering Design Group and Eden Furniture, and, for equipment, seek out dispense specialist Brewfitt, Frima UK, Gram UK, Nelson, Nisbets, Rational UK, Vivreau and many others alongside clothing specialists such as Simon Jersey.
To register for free, visit www.casualdiningshow.co.uk.
