Speaking at Better Hospitality Conference 2024: three things I learned

I had the opportunity to speak at Tried & Supplied’s Better Hospitality Conference at the stunning Mercato Metropolitano in March 2024, as part of a panel with Andrea Metropolitano (the venue’s owner!) and Julian George, director of The Future Plate. Here are three things I learned at the event!

One of Annica’s sketches for a menu 2Forks designed for Mexican restaurant group Wahaca (see more on the 2Forks website)

Photos on menus entice people to order (duh)

This might sound like an obvious one but it made me realise how rarely I actually do see photos on restaurant menus.

According to the ‘Menu Geek’ herself — menu copywriter Annica Wainwright (of 2Forks) — many restaurants take a lot of convincing when it comes to putting food photos on their menus, but, unsurprisingly, people actually like to see the food they’re gonna order!

Another menu design tip that stuck with me was the revelation that we (the royal we) tend to read the top half and right-hand side of menus first, making the bottom-right corner a bit of a dead zone 💀

So, use this nether region to put your allergen and service charge information — the boring-but-necessary bits. Then, place all your best dishes and sells-like-hotcakes menu items in the ‘upside-down L’ area towards your menu’s north-eastern zone, avoiding the ‘Menu Siberia’ in the bottom-left corner.

Passion over profile

The panel I was on held varying views on how to approach ‘trends’ in hospitality marketing. The thing that we all consistently agreed on was: passion will/should win over profile, every time.

Andrea Rasca, owner of Mercato Metropolitano, is the embodiment of passion for what his businesses stand for: good food. That’s it. Good quality food can save us all, and after an hour sat next to him hearing him talk, I believe him!

Julian George, an artist and photographer, shoots some of the best chefs in the country, and makes the front page of publications like Delicious Mag and Chef on the regular. He’s also a business-minded visionary; he founded The Future Plate, a culinary village which brings together leading Black chefs. Julian also agreed that the idea of short-lived food trends can be problematic, and that leading with quality, flavour, and passion is what’s really exciting in the world of hospitality.

Someone in the audience asked about social trends and how disappointing it is when you see a dish blow up online, then you go try it and you’re left totally underwhelmed. I couldn’t have agreed more, and loved the opportunity to say that we, as marketers, can absolutely make your product look great — we can roll it in glitter if you like! — but when the customer gets through the doors and takes a bite, it had better taste good. Don’t sacrifice the passion and purpose of what you’re doing in favour of TikTok’s viral dish of the week.

Though, if a trend fits your brand and tone and you can take part in it and raise your profile without losing sight of your passions and values, go for it. The hospitality market is competitive, and businesses sometimes need to appeal to the algorithms to stand out on saturated social media platforms.

Location, location, location

Sometimes, conferences in exhibition centres can feel just as exhausting as running a marathon, so Better Hospitality being hosted at Mercato Metropolitano, a stunning renovated church with stained glass windows and a ‘church of wine’ bar, was a welcome change of scenery!

The low light, the delicious food, and the relaxed atmosphere meant staying for a few drinks after the main event was just fantastic. It’s great to be showcasing these fantastic venues for our industry events, discussing our sector in the very spaces where the wining and dining really happens.

Domini and her team at Tried & Supplied did a fantastic job in organising the Better Hospitality Conference 2024. Can’t wait for the next one!