The team attended the first Propel Multi-Club event of the year at the Millenium Gloucester Hotel in London. Attracting the largest audience of operators in the sector it was a great opportunity to network and learn from the best in the industry. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from the day:
Stephen Freeman, chief executive of Freeman Event Partners
From a humble fish & chips outlet at Silverstone, Freeman Event Partners has grown exponentially and is now the F&B provider at Wembley, Lord’s, Twickenham, and the British Grand Prix to name a few! Stephen gave us an insight into how the family business has grown, and how it is playing its part in the evolution of the consumer/fan experience from building food and beverage villages, to developing payment and connectivity solutions.
With over 15 million consumers reached through key events and 4 million meals served annually, Freeman Event Partners is investing back into the industry to use technology to personalise the customer experience and increase dwell time.
William Gordon-Harris, chief executive of Knoops
The Knoops concept is based around a carefully curated percentage menu which offers hot chocolate to suit every taste and mood. William had us hooked discussing the sumptuous hot and cold chocolate they offer and their vision to “create the new Starbucks for quality barista hot and cold chocolate drinks” – we like the sound of that! With no-one else bench-marking quality chocolate drinks, the business has grown rapidly, plus they are super passionate about educating customers on the sophistication of hot chocolate as an adult drink.
Knoops launched to retail in 2025 with a scalable business model and are already set to go into Selfridges and Wholefoods, plus into more supermarkets as a grab and go. They also have an online business for customers to enjoy hot chocolate at home.
Florian de Chezelles, co-founder at The Salad Project
Voted the top restaurant in the UK & Ireland as part of Uber Eats’ Restaurant of the Year Awards 2022, The Salad Project received £100,000 to build and expand the business. The entrepreneurial duo, James and Florian, along with chef Clementine, are on a mission to improve everyone’s experience and to serve quality in the food and service they deliver. As a start-up business during the pandemic, The Salad Bar have been bold launching their next generation salad bar concept into the highly competitive central London market. They have also opened their first ‘Spaces’ concept store where customers simply click and collect their order from lockers.
Nisha Katona, founder of Indian street food concept Mowgli
As a well-known TV personality and chef, Nisha candidly talked about growing into a national brand and the challenges that come along with that, keeping close to loyal customers, consistently replicating the delicious food on offer, and expanding the brand both in the UK and internationally. With a strong ethos to continue to be about “building Mowgli to enrich lives in the cities we settle” by creating jobs, giving back to the community and spreading the love of an Indian home dish, Nisha is passionate about growth.
Whilst many in the industry are still struggling with recruitment, Mowgli doesn’t have trouble keeping its employees. This could be due to Nisha’s strong conviction that work should nurture the spirit, and that team enrichment is a vital component. She is an advocate for encouraging more individuals to enter the hospitality sector believing you can still attain a work-life balance.
Sir Tim Martin, founder and chairman of JD Wetherspoon
The day concluded with Sir Tim talking with Propel’s Katherine Doggrell about the current state of the UK pub market, the continued growth of JDW, and the evolution of its offer. They were also joined by Emma Gibson, one of the company’s employee directors and publican herself.
Reflecting on the last few years, Sir Tim said that energy costs and inflation had made things challenging for everyone in the industry. While sales were high, converting it to profit was still a struggle, but introducing tax breaks for restaurants and bars would be beneficial.
When asked about trends they are seeing, Sir Tim said that whilst non-alcoholic beverages were on the rise, he thought that “things will revert back to the norm”, with alcohol being a permanent fixture – but acknowledged that where it was being consumed was more of a problem. As a business, their plan is to expand their pubs by putting more emphasis on areas such as beer gardens. However, they believe their customers still enjoy the absence of music and appreciate the interior design and the fact they serve real ales at a competitive price.
Overall the day was packed with interesting talks, and attendees were able to participate by asking their burning questions on Slido. The atmosphere was buzzing all day and there were great opportunities to network and share challenges and solutions. We left feeling invigorated and very positive and excited about the future of the industry.
