This summer we held our first edition of ‘The Shift In Conversation’, our live events programme that delves into some of the key themes from our biannual, research-based reports. And what a treat to get some friends together and talk about the world of hospitality – an industry very close to our hearts! 💙
Our inaugural event saw award-winning food journalist Clare Finney chair a candid and inspiring conversation between Johnnie Tate, Co-founder of Yard Sale Pizza; Terri Mercieca, Founder of Happy Endings; Greg Früchtenicht, COO at Saira Hospitality; and Liv Taylor, Head of Research at Land of Plenty.
“Hospitality is something that brings us to life. It’s one of the most IRL points in our lives where we understand culture… it’s the place where people come together to talk”
The discussion centred around joy – and how we foster that for our customers, but as well for staff and business owners. Both Johnnie and Terri shared generous and personal insight into growing business without sacrificing your core values – in the face of rising prices and staff retention after Brexit and COVID.
And Greg shared some wisdom about investing in the Hospitality sector and the power of local recruitment in creating better customer experiences, lower staff turnover, and enhanced brand perception.
“People need feedback. We need to water the green shoots of people that want to work in the industry… There’s more that we can all do to feed this ecosystem and have a bit more of a circular hiring economy.”
We also had some open conversations about Britishness that impacts business – whether it’s an embarrassment about shouting about success, or perceptions of jobs in hospitality in the UK. It all came back to joy – finding pride in delivering and hosting magic moments for customers, and in turn cultivating cultures that people are proud to be part of.
“We [local hospitality businesses] are interconnected and we’re interdependent on each other. And I think that’s a really beautiful thing. You just have to remember that our community is going through something that’s similar and if we’re doing that together, it makes it a little bit easier…The consistency of our food has not changed in the years that we’ve been doing this.”
And, the power of brand and storytelling was at the heart of our conversations. It was great to hear how some of the brand touchpoints – like eco-considered ice cream wrappers or illustrated pizza boxes – have helped keep some of our favourite brands stay true to themselves.
“Being part of local community has always been a key component of our business and brand. When we opened, we didn’t want to be seen as a local trendy pizza place. We wanted everyone and anyone to enjoy us, and wanted to make sure we engaged with the people that made up that community. Delivering joy to these people has been a huge driving force behind who we are.”
The evening was rounded off by some of London’s finest pizza and ice cream, provided by the teams at Yard Sale and Happy Endings. Delicious
Highlight video from the whole conversation COMING SOON!
