Attended by some of the industry’s biggest names including Prue Leith, James Martin and Anthony Worrall-Thompson, the event allowed restaurant owners, managers, chefs, industry professionals, service and product suppliers to share insights, foster ideas and formulate approaches to help drive business in the coming months and years.
In a celebration of the 50 years, guests reflected on the achievements of the hospitality industry and looked ahead to what is a crucial period for the sector, with the culmination of the Brexit talks coupled with a rapidly changing commercial landscape.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of The Restaurant Association and head of UKHospitality – the result of the merger of the ALMR and British Hospitality Association, said: “The Restaurant Association’s 50th Birthday Dinner did a fantastic job in celebrating the amazing people that make the British hospitality industry so vibrant and successful.
“It was wonderful to reflect on the sector’s achievements over the past fifty years, and with the creation of UKHospitality, a powerful, united voice for the hospitality sector, we look forward to building on them over the next fifty and beyond.
“This passionate industry is under immense pressure for myriad reasons, but with the right support from government it can continue to flourish and succeed.”
Robert Walton; president of The Restaurant Association, said: “What an honour for me to host such an amazing event celebrating how London and the UK has taken hospitality to the highest level.”
The dinner was a joint initiative by The Nth Degree, one of the industry’s private dining clubs and The Restaurant Association, now part of UKHospitality.
The dinner was in aid of Action Against Hunger and £46,100 was raised through an auction of charitably donated prizes, including a holiday to the Cayman Islands.