Hospitality future forecasting

We hosted the client’s innovation team for a one-day ideation and immersion session in London. The morning started with a round table discussion featuring Harrods’ pastry chef extraordinaire, Phil Khoury and inspiring co-founder of The Good Egg restaurant, Alex Coppard. This session provided the team with full access to the minds of our chefs, and the chance to dissect the intricacies and realities of running busy, professional kitchens.

After a restorative lunch at The Good Egg, we hopped into a taxi to visit a dark kitchen space in West London, and enjoyed a tour from the kitchen’s founder as well as resident chefs. The team enjoyed a unique behind-the-scenes view of a dark kitchen, central production unit and e-commerce site, which prompted important conversations on the future of delivery and start-up kitchens.

The day finished with a private tour of Scully restaurant kitchen from head chef Ramael Scully. The team were inspired by his creative ferments and cooking philosophy, as well as seeing the kitchen in action during service. We rounded off the day with cocktails, dinner and lots of food for thought.

At Harris and Hayes, we pride ourselves on giving clients unique access to some of the most illuminating food and drink professionals in the industry. Whilst reports, research and insights are the backbone of our future forecasting process, nothing beats jumping into a busy kitchen, talking to chefs and tasting research in action.

This particular tour was the culmination of a long-term research project on the future of professional kitchens. We provided an in-depth report in response to a bespoke brief, including 12 chef interviews, qualitative and desk-based research. This project took us into the kitchens of a wide range of hospitality brands, including interviews with chefs from Ottolenghi, Harrods, St John and the Small Holdings, as well as nationwide delivery specialists Dishpatch, local bakeries, cafes and snack bars to get a wide perspective on the industry.

If you would like us to host a similar future forecasting and innovation session for your team, please get in touch to find out more.