Confirmed Keynotes include:

Judd Williams

Business Development Director, Boparan Restaurant Group - owners of Harry Ramsden's Fish & Chips, Giraffe, Ed's Easy Diner and Slim Chickens 

Saturday 23 June | 14:00 – 14:30 

Judd Williams is Business Development Director for the Boparan Restaurant Group.  The group owns a portfolio of well-known branded restaurants including, Giraffe, Fishworks, Ed’s Easy Diner and Harry Ramsden’s fish & chips, operating through a mix of company owned and franchise partner owned outlets. BRG is also the UK & Ireland franchise partner for Slim Chickens, which made its debut in London in March this year. Judd has held leadership roles in both franchisee and franchisor businesses, at brands including Starbucks, Sainsbury’s, Costa Coffee and Costa Express.
 
In his keynote, ‘White space for franchise growth in food & beverage’ Judd will share some key observations of consumer trends taken from BRG’s viewpoint as an operator across multiple restaurant sectors – from fine dining to QSR. Sharing insights from the Group’s business and research, he’ll outline some potential growth opportunities it has identified for franchisees, including The Treat Occasion, Out of Restaurant sales and Fast Casual Chicken.  

Karina Jadhav

Founder, Ménagerie Restaurant & Bar, Manchester

Friday 22 June | 13:00 – 13:30

Karina Jadhav is the North West’s youngest independent female restaurant operator and owner and was voted Entrepreneur of the Year at the Manchester Downtown in Business Awards 2015.

She founded her current concept, Ménagerie Restaurant & Bar, Manchester in August 2016 and is the former co-founder and creator of Neighbourhood, Victors Hale and Southern Eleven.

Her latest venture, Ménagerie, converges the genres of gastronomy, art and performance, introducing the next level of immersive dining in the North West.

Karina wanted to develop the already successful vibrant dining model she had created. Disregarding traditional hospitality rules, she devised a concept where experience was key at every step of the customer journey. Her vision for Ménagerie was for it to be the first restaurant and bar to provide a collection of experiences beyond simply dining and drinking.

The restaurant won ‘Best Newcomer’ at the EAT SLEEP DRINK AWARDS 2016 and has garnered international attention for hosting a roster of celebrities including the Manchester City first team and their Manager Pep Guardiola, Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards, Jake Quickenden and Brooke Vincent. Stars Louisa Johnson and YXNG Bane have both performed at the restaurant and Menagerie also sets the scene for the Real Housewives of Cheshire.

In her keynote, ‘Causing a stir: standing out in a crowded industry’, Karina will discuss how she found a different route in a male-dominated industry and turned her differences into her strengths. She’ll share the influences she took from forward-thinkers from different industries and her "female" approach to management.

Lisa & Helen Tse

Founders, Sweet Mandarin Sauces

Saturday 23 June | 13:00 – 13:30 

In 2004, twin sisters Lisa & Helen Tse set up Sweet Mandarin, a Chinese restaurant in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, UK.

The company shot to fame when they appeared on Channel 4's 'Gordon Ramsay’s F Word' and beat 10,000 restaurants to win the title of 'Britain’s Best Local Chinese Restaurant'.

They went on to launch Sweet Mandarin Sauces, a British manufacturer of award-winning gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and vegan sauces inspired by traditional family recipes passed down over three generations.

Continuing their television success, Sweet Mandarin appeared on BBC’s Dragon’s Den in 2012, which saw them secure a £50,000 investment from duo Duncan Bannatyne and Hilary Devey.

Since then, they have distributed their sauces to major supermarkets across the world and endeavour to further penetrate the market via their online shop.

Their range has over 40 flavours including the best selling sauces in the range – barbecue, sweet chilli, hoisin, sweet & sour, blackbean, nut free satay, sriracha hot sauce and named after Lisa and Helen’s grandmother: Lily Kwok’s curry sauce.

During their keynote, the sisters will share their 8 tips to help new business owners succeed.