F&B Insights with Will & Johnny!
Two top industry professionals talk about the opportunities and challenges of retail gastronomy.
Will Odwarka and Jonathan Doughty are among the most experienced F&B experts in the retail gastronomy scene in Europe. In the eighth installment of the ACROSS Discuss series, they discuss what property operators need to change in their approach of arranging F&B services on the basis of the more the better to make a location´s food service lineup truly successful.
Oftentimes, food service at retail locations is one of the working strategies, however, it is not a universal answer for how to draw in the masses. Customers do not visit shopping centers, etc., for their F&B lineup only, therefore, the general idea of just filling up space with more gastronomy services so that it will bring in many more visitors is far from being a viable approach to solve a potential footfall issue for the location. For operators, volume, frequency, and the ability to spend are among the core metrics when establishing a successful lineup for a center, yet they show potential performance in only black and white. So, where exactly do property companies get it wrong when arranging multiple F&B services in one space?
Join us as we delve into this topic.
Will Odwarka
Will Odwarka is the Founder and CEO of Dubai-based firm Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting since 2019, and a member of the ACROSS Advisory Board. He was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. He has 30+ years of experience leading international strategic growth and development, Franchise and partner management, and F&B operations. He successfully opened over 1000+ outlets in over 40 countries for renowned global players such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, Burger King, Costa, and Wendy’s and smaller players like Creamscafe and Coffeeshopcompany. He strongly focuses on international market entry for F&B players, brand and investor scouting, and AI in hospitality in the Middle East and Europe.
Jonathan Doughty
As a highly experienced F&B professional, Jonathan Doughty has worked at all corporate levels, and has held both executive and non-executive board roles, as well as special advisory appointments and acted in training roles. He has extensive experience around the world in hospitality, property, food and beverage and commercial real estate. Having worked remotely, in situ and on demand in over 30 countries, he is recognised as a leading professional in both the foodservice and commercial property industry.
