Weekly Digest #2

11.08.2025

👋 Welcome to the Forks & Founders Weekly Bite-Sized Digest a.k.a The Fork’s Lens

Every week, we’re serving up a 2-minute read for F&B enthusiasts building at the intersection of food, drink & hustle.

Expect:
🍴 Sharp insights from startup operators & food makers
📊 Bite-sized industry trends
🛠️ Tools & tips to grow smarter
🔥 Events & tastings worth showing up for

This is for you if you're building a food brand, launching a product, or just hungry for what’s next!

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Let’s build bold things. Now, let’s dig in. 🍽️

📨 The Forks Lens: Weekly #02

Chai, Chains & Chatbots 🤖

🍴 Bite-Sized Insight

“In grocery, growth means being nimble—not just bigger.”

With rising costs pressuring margins, brands and retailers are doubling down on agile formats, sharp execution, and tech-enabled insights.

🔦 Founder Spotlight: Shamil Thakrar, Co-founder of Dishoom

After nearly 15 years of carefully building one of the UK’s most beloved restaurant brands, Shamil Thakrar just secured Dishoom’s first-ever private equity deal with L Catterton (backed by LVMH).

The vision? Retain soul while scaling globally—starting with New York City in 2026.

His take: “Every detail matters—whether it’s a cup of chai or a billion-dollar fund.”

📊 Market Moves & Trends: Hospitality Gets Smarter

Pre-COVID, tech in restaurants was more of a novelty than a necessity. Case in point: in 2019, Wagamama scrapped its digital payment system, saying customers preferred the human touch.

Fast-forward to today, and the script has flipped. Platforms like Yumpingo and StoreKit are now embedded into day-to-day operations, helping restaurants capture smart and dish-by-dish feedback while guests are still at the table. This isn’t about chasing star ratings—it’s about turning real-time data into better food, faster service, and stronger teams.

Yumpingo, now part of Black Box Intelligence, merges POS data, guest sentiment, and online reviews into a single “AI Command Centre” for operators. Nando’s, YO!, and Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza use it to spot trends before they become problems—whether that’s a dip in burger satisfaction or a spike in wait times.

The change is striking: an industry that once dismissed in-the-moment feedback is now building entire improvement loops around it. In hospitality 2025, the table isn’t just where the meal happens—it’s where the insight happens.

📊 Industry Snaps

• 🏪 Lidl overtakes Morrisons in market share

  In a milestone moment for UK grocery, Lidl has leapfrogged Morrisons to become the fifth-largest supermarket. Its winning formula? Relentless store openings, aggressive price leadership during the cost-of-living crunch, and surprising appeal beyond its traditional budget-conscious base. With Aldi continuing to nip at the heels of the Big Four, the duopoly of discounters is rewriting the rules of the supermarket game.

• 🍽️ Dishoom secures PE backing

  After nearly 15 years of organic growth, Dishoom has taken on its first private equity investment from L Catterton—valuing the brand at around £300M. The funds will fuel international expansion, starting with a much-anticipated New York opening in 2026. Founders Shamil and Kavi Thakrar remain in control, promising that the brand’s soul—and its signature chai—won’t be lost in the scaling process.

• 🍔Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio backed Neat Burger enters liquidation

  Despite high-profile celebrity backing and a strong push into the rapidly growing plant-based market, the chain struggled to maintain profitability. Rising operational costs, intense competition, and challenges in scaling their concept contributed to the decision. Customers who loved the brand’s eco-friendly ethos now face the disappointment of closures, while investors reassess the viability of fast-food vegan ventures in the UK.

• 🤖 McDonald’s doubles down on AI

  By 2027, McDonald’s plans to significantly increase its investment in artificial intelligence, doubling its current spend to modernise operations across the globe. The fast-food giant will enhance voice ordering systems, making drive-thru experiences quicker and more accurate. AI will also help with predictive inventory management to reduce waste and optimise supply chains. Personalised menus tailored to individual preferences and dynamic pricing models will boost profit margins, positioning McDonald’s at the forefront of tech-driven food service innovation.

• 📈 UK food inflation climbs

  UK food inflation remained steady at 4% in both June and July, with experts warning that it could rise to between 5% and 5.5% by the end of the year. Prices of everyday staples are soaring: burgers have surged 53%, chicken thighs have increased by 13%, and the average household grocery bill may climb by as much as £275 annually. Retailers attribute the upward pressure on prices to rising wage costs, increased taxes, and supply chain challenges. As a result, value-brand lines now account for approximately 80% of promotional spending, as consumers seek more affordable options.

• 🍞 Hovis + Kingsmill to merge

  Associated British Foods, the company behind Kingsmill, is set to acquire Hovis for approximately £75 million, creating a combined 41% market share in branded sliced bread in the UK. This merger will push them ahead of Warburtons, which currently holds around 34%. The deal is expected to generate savings of £30–50 million through operational efficiencies and streamlined supply chains. In addition, the companies plan to invest in developing healthier bakery products, catering to increasing consumer demand for nutritious and sustainable options.

• 🥜 Daylesford Organic recall

  Daylesford Organic has issued a recall of its popular Cacao Double Nut Butter after detecting contamination with small metal fragments identified as ball bearings. The company urges customers to check their purchases and return any affected batches to the store for a full refund. Safety remains a top priority for Daylesford, which is currently investigating how the contamination occurred and reinforcing quality control measures to prevent future incidents.

• 🥃 Diageo profit drop & tariff hit

  Guinness-owner Diageo reported a 28% drop in operating profits year-over-year, citing a challenging global market environment. The company faces an estimated $200 million impact from recently introduced US tariffs on imported spirits, which have significantly increased costs. In response, Diageo is launching an extensive cost-cutting programme aimed at improving efficiency and protecting margins. Despite the setbacks, the firm remains optimistic about long-term growth, driven by strong brand loyalty and innovation in premium and emerging markets.

• 🚀 Deliveroo reports accelerating growth and improved profitability in H1 2025

  Deliveroo has revealed strong performance in the first half of 2025, reporting accelerating growth and improved profitability as the company continues to scale its delivery operations and expand its customer base globally.

• ☕ Black Sheep Coffee inks 31-store franchise deal

  Black Sheep Coffee has signed its largest franchise agreement to date, agreeing to open 31 new stores, signalling an aggressive expansion strategy.

• 💷 Tasty earmarks £3.6 million of £9.6 million funding for acquisitions

  Tasty plans to allocate £3.6 million from its recent £9.6 million funding round to fuel acquisitions aimed at broadening its portfolio and accelerating growth.

• 🌯 Tortilla reports 10% like-for-like growth in July

  Tortilla posted a 10% like-for-like sales increase in July, contributing to half-year revenues of £35.4 million, highlighting strong momentum in its fast-casual Mexican offering.

• 😮Harrods is ending partnerships with Tom Kerridge and Gordon Ramsay

  By the end of August, the luxury store will stop serving outside vendors’ food and focus on in-house produce. Gordon Ramsay’s burger joint and Tom Kerridge’s Fish & Chips, will close by January. Other chefs affected include Calum Franklin and Masayoshi Takayama. Harrods made the change to align with shifting customer preferences and industry trends, as more shoppers seek and share the store’s own food offerings on social media.

💭 The Fork & The Flame

“When you scale thoughtfully, growth doesn’t dilute—it deepens.”

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About Forks & Founders
We believe bold food brands deserve bold support. That’s why we’ve built a collective of seasoned foodies, retail rebels, creative storytellers, and numbers nerds—people who’ve been in the kitchen, the boardroom, and the shop floor. We jump in where you need us most, helping you turn big ideas into bites people can’t stop talking about. Because building a food brand isn’t just business—it’s passion, flavour, and a little bit of chaos. We’re here to make sure it’s the good kind.