This year’s Restaurant Marketer & Innovator (RMI) event was an undeniable triumph and, more than any before, it stirred some really strong emotions for me. Emotions ranging from a sense of belonging to pride, warmth and admiration. But unfortunately, and for reasons wholly unconnected to Propel or Think Hospitality, I had a deep feeling of sadness. More on that later.

 

Righty ho let’s get started. Let’s kick off with a quiz. What is the collective noun for a group of hospitality marketers? 

 

Is it:

 

A: A menu of marketers

B: A meal deal of marketers

C: A marinade of marketers

D: Something else

 

The answer is D: Something else. 

 

The correct collective noun for a group of hospitality marketers is a “McCulloch of Marketers”.

 

And wasn’t the mighty Mark McCulloch on tip top form as he shared how he brought Prezzo in from the mid-market casual dining wilderness? He explained how he added the word Italian after Prezzo, while at the same time de-Italianising the menu terminology. It takes a special marketing brain to spot that the same Italian restaurant brand is both too Italian and not Italian enough. Molto bravo my friend, molto bravo.

 

The Propel and Think Hospitality teams clearly did think about how to elevate RMI 2026. A new venue, two rooms instead of one, some lovely nosh that was so good I went back for seconds, a behavioural scientist and, my favourite addition, the round table discussion groups.

 

I joined the round table mediated by Mark Bentley, business development director of hospitality data company HDI. Also at the table were Jez Frazer-Hook from data-driven market intelligence company Meaningful Vision, Jo Lynch from KAM, Lauren Gould from HGEM and Lou Fleming, head of retail insight at Punch.

 

Mark posed us the question: “Data knows best or trust your gut?” We discussed the four “Is” of impulse, intuition, instinct and information, and, despite the fact there were business competitors around the table, we were very quickly united in believing blending data and gut feel is the way forward. I am so convinced that this blend is right, the very second I have finished writing this column I am hotfooting it down to the Intellectual Property Office to trademark the word “gutalytics”.

 

Another standout moment was the interview between Olivia Fitzgerald, managing director of 125 Data Insights, and Tom James, managing director of Bill’s.

 

Tom talked about inviting real-life Bill’s customers into the boardroom (take a bow James Mobbs for planting that seed in Tom’s mind). “The closer we are to our guests,” Tom told his senior leadership team, “the better our business will be.” His predictions proved spot on.

 

“I love that we’re allowed to bring dogs into Bill’s,” one customer said. “What do you think of the doggie menu?” Tom asked. “Doggie menu? What doggie menu?” came the reply.

 

In that brief exchange, Tom explained he learned more than whether the dog menu had landed. He learned that being close to guests quickly reveals the gap between what he and his team think is happening and what actually is.

 

Another highlight for me was seeing RedCat’s Kiran Quinn up on the stage. Back in the day, Kiran and I worked together at Fuller’s. I remember saying to her on more than one occasion that while I did not want her to leave, nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing her career fly. And blimey, it’s soaring high. Watching her confidently own the main stage, blending psychotherapy with marketing, raised the hairs on my arms, brought back fond memories and filled me with admiration.

 

Next, “eldest daughter syndrome”, who knew that was a thing? Libby Andrews from Pho, that’s who. Having heard Libby speak, I would describe it as a TikTok shorthand for a phenomenon where family responsibility lands on an eldest daughter’s lap. The eldest daughter takes responsibility for family life and, more often than not, this will mean making the restaurant bookings for family gatherings.

 

That target audience could easily have been overlooked if Libby wasn’t immersing herself in TikTok and really keeping her eye on the ball as to what’s happening culturally on there. I have great respect for marketers who do things slightly differently, and that’s exactly what Libby does. 

 

There were many more highlights, but with limited word count, I can only share two more. I loved how Krishan from COREcruitment marketed his business. There was no hard sell, no fancy pants PowerPoint explaining what it does. He just donned his sparkly quizmaster’s jacket and invited the audience to play higher or lower. It was fun, really good fun, even though the phrase “close but no cigar” applied painfully to me and the £500 prize.

 

Another standout moment was the Mark Stretton-Kavi Thaker interview. Kavi is some guy, and I am clearly not alone in thinking this. After the interview, someone approached him and asked a single question: “Can I get a selfie?” It was a small thing, but it said to me a lot about genuine role models in hospitality.

 

Okay, as I mentioned at the beginning, despite being an undeniably superb event for me, it was tinged with sadness, and I want to tell you why. As you may know if you are a regular Friday Opinion reader, I am the co-founder of a soon-to-be-launched movement called the Good Apple Effect, which focuses on the benefits of reducing the misuse of power and bullying in our industry. During the breaks, I introduced the movement to around ten people. Three of them found the courage to quietly share their own experiences of misuse of power and bullying at work. Three people. Three out of the ten people I introduced myself to. What on earth is going on?

 

We are a brilliant industry. The room was full of highly skilled marketers; of young gloriously talented rising stars; there’s a bright future for technology (as described so brilliantly by the hospitality tech whisperer, Dan Brookman from Airship); yet there is still an element of misuse of power and bullying in our sector – and that is what made me feel sad.

 

Anyway, let’s end on a high. As James Hacon put it after the RMI Awards finale, it was “a particularly tough job for our panel of judges” to whittle down a bumper year of entries and find “very deserving winners, who represent the very best of marketing, innovation, technology and development in our exciting sector”. Hear, hear, James. And James, while I’ve got you, apologies for my karaoke singing on day two. I learnt a valuable lesson that singing Wonderwall opera-style is neither big nor clever. See you next year!

Financial management has always been complex, but for those working in licensed hospitality, the past year has made it feel even more challenging. While a career in hospitality is one of the most exciting and dynamic paths you can take, the last Budget announcement has left many in our sector navigating tighter margins, unpredictable costs and rising personal expenses all at once.

 

Financial worries have a way of impacting everything: your mood, your confidence, your relationships and your well-being – particularly at the start of a new year. Last year. In January alone, more than 150 people turned to Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) for help with money‑related challenges, receiving financial advice and, where needed, grant support.

 

Our Well-being at Work Report in partnership with KAM last year also revealed that financial challenges are the joint-second most common personal challenge faced by people in licensed hospitality all year round, with 32% of respondents reporting that they struggle with both finances and mental health.

 

As someone who has worked in and alongside the hospitality industry for years, I know how resilient, adaptable and hardworking its people are. But resilience doesn’t mean struggling alone. As 2026 ramps up, my message to our industry is simple: you deserve tools that help you feel more confident and in control of your financial well-being, not more overwhelmed by it. Crucially, those tools already exist and are available free of charge and designed specifically for the uniqueness of our sector.

 

Through the LTC, members of the licensed hospitality community can access ‘Nudge’, a financial education platform, completely for free. Nudge helps you understand your finances and manage your money through features including a financial health check, budget planner and guidance and resources to help prepare for key life changes.

 

Alongside this, our well-being platform continues to be a vital source of information and resources for thousands across the sector. It offers free webinars, podcasts, videos and a list of helpful organisations for guidance on everything from budgeting and improving financial habits to dealing with debt.

 

We understand that talking about finances can be difficult, so in addition to our free 24-hour helpline, anyone in licensed hospitality can access our live chat via the well-being platform. This offers free, confidential advice to help you or your staff work through financial challenges in real time.

 

These resources help address the feelings of isolation that so often accompany financial stress, offering support that feels accessible no matter where you are in your hospitality journey – whether that’s three days into your first shift or 30 years into your career. It’s essential to give people the confidence to address challenges early, before worries begin to build.

 

However, even with the best preparation, unexpected situations can still arise. In those moments of crisis, the LTC may be able to step in with a financial grant to help people regain stability when they need it most. These grants are available year‑round and are designed to support individuals facing sudden hardship, whether that’s a loss of income, a significant household cost, or a challenge affecting the health or well-being of a family member.

 

In 2025 alone, we awarded almost £1m across more than 900 financial grants, providing vital support at the moments when it was needed most. In these unpredictable times, financial uncertainty is going to remain a reality for many in our industry. But with the right tools, guidance and support, that uncertainty doesn’t have to take a toll on your well-being.

 

The LTC is here to help you take control of your financial future. No one in our industry should face financial challenges alone, and with the support available, no one has to.

The Mossy Well in Muswell Hill is a relatively smart and popular JD Wetherspoon that I returned to on Burns Night for its one-week-only haggis burger. The dinner reminded me of my first visit to the pub during its opening week, when I shared a table with an old gent tucking into his evening meal. He informed me the food was not bad, but that he would not be dining there any more than three times per week.

 

Despite this lack of enthusiasm for the food offer, if hospitality businesses had customers like this man who visit multiple times per week, then everything would be hunky-dory across the industry. But this is not the case, and companies are battling it out to boost the frequency of their customers’ visits.

 

At the recent Propel Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit, Mark Bentley, business development director at HDI, revealed the startling statistic that 65% of customer visits to hospitality brands are once-per-year events, thereby highlighting the lack of frequency across the industry.

 

What to do about this situation? It is certainly driving unprecedented activity in loyalty programmes, as well as fuelling the rise of limited time offer (LTO) items on menus.

 

The latter certainly worked with me last week as the haggis burger pulled me into giving a nod to Robert Burns in a Wetherspoon pub on a cold, wet January evening. But it’s in quick service restaurants (QSRs) where the LTO action is really taking hold. 

 

McDonald’s seems to have gone into overdrive recently, with a new “secret menu” among its activity. This involved, in January alone, the return of the Chicken Big Mac, along with The Big Arch, Fajita Chicken One, chili cheese bites, Galaxy Smooth caramel McFlurry and the surf n’ turf.

 

Such activity contributed to LTO use across hospitality growing by 5% in 2025, and they now account for 6% of average fast-food menus, according to Meaningful Vision. It also found 44% of LTO items cost less than £5, which represents a 12% drop in the average price on the previous year.

 

While they pull people into venues these metrics – against an inflationary backdrop – LTOs might not be the greatest thing for margins. They are also a massive contributor to complexity in QSRs, both with the front-end service and the back-end kitchen processes. They also impact the supply chain and boost the potential for waste, with extended menu items requiring many more ingredients. 

 

These are more than enough reasons why LTOs have not been universally embraced by the industry. There are noticeable holdouts. Five Guys had kept the same menu in the UK since it opened its first unit here in 2013 until the recent addition of a single new item – loaded fries. Dave’s Hot Chicken is also pretty concise and has not deviated much from the core, while the California-based In-N-Out Burger is notably famed for its concise and unchanging menu.

 

Another such operator with an LTO-free record is coming to these shores later this year – Raising Cane’s – with a London outpost in the pipeline. It prides itself on having a mere five-item menu comprising chicken fingers, crinkle fries, coleslaw, Texas toast and a single dipping sauce. The last new item to hit the menu was lemonade, in 2007.

 

This has created an incredibly simple and efficient supply chain that helps it keep costs down among other upsides. This straightforward model also provides it with the ability to serve customers in-store at great pace and helps bring a freshness to the offering as the chicken often moves from the fryer to a customer’s plate in a mere 30 seconds. Nothing sits around under heating lamps in its restaurants.

 

The removal of customer indecision at the counter further fuels the throughput of diners and order volumes. It has been calculated that a car moves through a Raising Cane’s drive-thru in only 2.5 minutes, which is 40% faster than McDonald’s and three-times that experienced at KFC.

 

The dichotomy for the QSR industry is that the ideal scenario would be to run with a simple, efficiently concise menu – but there is a need to keep injecting newness via LTOs to tempt customers in store and bump up that essential frequency metric.