Press Releases

Robust Approve and Deny System Drives Success at Casual Dining and lunch! 2024 

Casual Dining (now The National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show) and lunch! celebrated their best ever shows at ExCeL London last week. The premier events in the hospitality, foodservice and food retail sector welcomed an impressive 8042 attendees – despite a robust approve and deny system put in place ahead of the show.    The implementation of the new vetting system, in response to exhibitor feedback expressing concerns about suppliers attending primarily to sell to exhibitors at industry trade shows, led to the rejection of 20% of visitor applications. Despite this rigorous screening process, the total event audience experienced only a marginal 8% […]

lunch! and Casual Dining open at ExCeL London this week!

Decision makers across the UK are preparing for the most important shows of the year, Casual Dining, and lunch! which return to London this week.   lunch! – the definitive event for the café, coffee shop & food-to-go sector will co-locate with the 10th anniversary edition of Casual Dining – the definitive trade event for the restaurant, pub & bar sector when they return to ExCeL London on 18-19 September.  Together the shows will feature over 500 exhibitors, 6 Keynote Theatres (Casual Dining theatres sponsored by Uber Eats and lunch! Theatres sponsored by Lipton Ice Tea), and two Innovation Challenge Galleries […]

SSP, Creams Cafe and Sandwich Sandwich added to final lunch! line-up

SSP, Creams Cafe and Sandwich Sandwich are the final names to be added to the lunch! seminar line-up – completing a packed programme for operators to enjoy on 18-19 September at ExCeL London.   Renowned for attracting top industry experts, lunch! – the must-attend event for the café, coffee shop and food-to-go sector, has now confirmed its full seminar line-up of legends and leaders to see across its three theatres (sponsored by Lipton Ice Tea).   The seminar programme will include Keynotes, Interviews and Panels with:   James Norris, Food & Beverage Director, SSP Group, UK & Ireland   Josh Kleiner, Head of Operations […]

Burger King, Tossed & Wendy’s added to stellar lunch! speaker line-up

Even more leaders from itsu, WatchHouse & Chopstix also added.  lunch! the definitive café, coffee shop & food-to-go event has announced its next batch of speakers for 2024. The show returns to ExCeL London on 18-19 September.  Renowned for having the best in the business, the show’s Keynote Programme will deliver important insight for cafés, coffee shops and food-to-go operators. From keynote interviews to data-driven insights and panel sessions,  lunch! will host three theatres, (sponsored by Lipton Ice Tea), packed full of inspiring content across the two days.  Jason Cotta, Chief Growth Officer, itsu; Roland Horne, Founder & CEO, WatchHouse; Keith Bird, […]

Leaders from itsu, Caffè Nero and Tortilla confirmed for lunch! speaker line-up

buns from home, WatchHouse, LEON, GAIL’s, Ole & Steen, M&S & Costa also announced  lunch! the definitive café, coffee shop & food-to-go event has announced its initial line-up of headline speakers for 2024. The show returns to ExCeL London on 18-19 September.   From keynote interviews to data-driven insights and panel sessions, lunch! will host three theatres packed full of inspiring content across the two days.  The initial line up of food-to-go legends includes Julian Metcalfe OBE, founder of itsu and co-founder of Pret; Emma Woods, chair at Tortilla; Will Stratton-Morris, CEO of Caffè Nero UK and the always popular Shereen […]

Registration now open for Casual Dining and lunch! 2024

Free trade visitor registration for lunch!, and the much-anticipated 10th anniversary of Casual Dining, is now open. These industry leading shows return to ExCeL London on 18-19 September 2024. Casual Dining and lunch! are the premier trade events for innovation within the casual dining and food-to-go sectors – with a focus on discovering cutting-edge products, industry insights, and unrivalled networking.  As always, the thousands of attendees will be buyers and decision makers from leading restaurant and food-to-go operators, pubs, bars, cafés, coffee shops, supermarkets, contract caterers, hotels, delivery, wholesalers, distributors and more.    The co-located shows bring the whole industry together […]

Commercial Kitchen to integrate into even bigger lunch! & Casual Dining shows for 2024

Following record attendance at this year’s lunch! & Casual Dining, organiser Diversified Communications has announced that both shows will expand for their 2024 editions.   After feedback from both visitors and exhibitors, companies from this years co-located Commercial Kitchen will now fully integrate into these two shows. Due to the integration and the success this year, the overall footprint of the two award-winning shows will be bigger than the total footprint of the three shows this year.    This year’s event saw a record attendance, with an increase of 11% and these developments will give equipment suppliers even more opportunities to do […]

Best ever lunch! Casual Dining & Commercial Kitchen enjoy record breaking 11% increase in attendance.

ExCeL London set the stage last week for Casual Dining, lunch! and Commercial Kitchen. The highly anticipated shows for the hospitality and food retail sector took place on 27-28 September and received an overwhelming number of attendees through its doors – 9129 in total. Senior decision makers from Sainsburys, Center Parcs, Pret A Manger, PizzaExpress, Tesco, Starbucks, John Lewis, Bill’s, Leon, JD Wetherspoon, Hilton UK Hotels, wagamama, Nando’s, Wahaca, Big Table Group, Mowgli, Asda, Co-op, Amazon UK, Greggs, GAIL’s Bakery, WHSmith, BP, Marks & Spencer – and others – visited over the two days.  These buyers took every opportunity to […]

lunch!, Casual Dining and Commercial Kitchen open this week at ExCeL London

The hospitality and food retail industry are preparing for the most important shows of the year, Casual Dining, Commercial Kitchen and lunch! return to London this week.  The co-located shows, Casual Dining – the definitive trade event for the restaurant, pub and bar sector; Commercial Kitchen – the event for executive chefs and decision makers from professional kitchens; and lunch! – the definitive event for the café, coffee shop & food-to-go sector will open their doors at ExCeL London on 27-28 September.   Together the shows will feature over 600 exhibitors, 7 Keynote Theatres (sponsored by Uber Eats), 3 innovation challenges, 165+ […]

Unveiling lunch!’s star-studded speaker line-up

 Full speaker schedule announced for lunch! 2023   The food-to-go sector is ever-evolving, which is why UK retailers, café and coffee-shop operators need to stay ahead of curve with trends and consumer insights.   Bringing together the best in the business, lunch! – the definitive event for the café, coffee shop and food-to-go sector, will provide these invaluable insights on 27-28 September at ExCeL London, in its highly anticipated free seminar programme.   The event has confirmed interviews, talks and panels with Gail’s, Marugame Udon (Europe), Pret, WatchHouse, Chopstix, BP, buns from home, Subway, Tossed, Holland & Barrett, Tortilla, BloomsYard, Kaffeine, Wingstop, 200 [...]

Pret, GAIL’s, BP, and Holland & Barrett confirmed for lunch! speaker line-up

Initial line-up of lunch! speakers revealed    lunch! is thrilled to announce its initial line-up of impressive keynote speakers for 2023. Taking place at ExCeL London on 27-28 September, this year’s lunch! promises to be a must-attend gathering for the café, coffee shop and food-to-go sector.   lunch! serves as a platform for retail professionals and coffee shop/café operators to come together, share ideas, and explore the ever-evolving landscape of the industry. With a jam-packed schedule of interviews, seminars, and networking opportunities, this event stands as a pivotal platform for fostering innovation and growth within the sector.  “We are excited to […]

Elevate your coffee shop with a visit to lunch!

lunch! reveals the café innovators to meet at the show   lunch! – the definitive event for the café, coffee shop and food-to-go sector has revealed an extensive list of exhibitors that are helping transform coffee shops across the nation. The trade show returns to ExCeL London on 27-28 September and promises to showcase 300 of the most trend-setting brands for visitors to explore. Exhibitors to see include Grind, the sleek, specialty coffee brand (who also operate brilliant sites). As well as compostable coffee pods, visitors can discover their latest range – ready-to-drink iced coffees crafted into five unique varieties. […]