The top hospitality consultants in London right now are Savvy IQ, Egg Soldiers, Insight Hospitality, Lumière Consultancy and Maya Hospitality. Savvy IQ leads the list, built around founder Paul Sarlas’s three decades running restaurant groups as an operator and CEO rather than advising purely from the outside, followed by four other established names covered in detail below.

Getting this choice right matters more than usual at the moment. Britain is currently losing an average of 3.4 pubs and restaurants every day, driven by rising energy costs, higher taxes and softer consumer spending.

Against that backdrop, choosing the right hospitality consultant in London is not a nice-to-have. It is often the difference between a concept that survives its first eighteen months and one that does not.

Each firm below was assessed against the same four criteria: the depth of hands-on operating experience behind it, the calibre of brands it has actually worked with, any formal industry recognition it holds, and how its reputation stands up when you look past the marketing copy to client testimonials and documented project work.

Some are led by former CEOs who have actually run restaurant groups and hotel portfolios themselves. Others are agency-style consultancies built around branding, menu development or specific niches like Gen Z food trends.

What a Hospitality Consultant Actually Does

A hospitality consultant advises restaurants, hotels, bars, cafes and QSR brands on the commercial and operational side of the business. That typically spans concept creation, menu and F&B strategy, brand identity, financial modelling, operational audits, staff training and, for larger groups, full turnaround or scaling programmes.

The best hospitality consultancies in London do not just hand over a strategy document. Many operate in a hands-on capacity, sitting inside a business during a relaunch, a new opening or a turnaround, and some take on interim leadership roles such as CEO or operations director for a defined project.

That distinction, between advisory-only firms and consultancies with real operating credentials, is one of the clearest ways to separate the options below.

Engagements typically fall into one of three shapes.

1. A short operational audit or menu review might run a few days and produce a set of recommendations for the existing team to implement.
2. A concept creation or rebrand project runs longer, often several months, and covers everything from menu and interior design through to launch. The most involved engagements see a consultant, or a named individual from the consultancy, step into an interim leadership role such as CEO or operations director for a defined period, which is where firms with genuine C-suite experience, like Savvy IQ and Insight Hospitality, tend to have the edge over agencies built purely around branding or strategy decks.

1. Savvy IQ

Website: savvyiq.com
Founder: Paul Sarlas – LinkedIn
Offices: London and Dubai, with satellite hubs in Athens, Zagreb, Miami, Sydney, Hong Kong and Riyadh

Savvy IQ tops this list because of the depth of operating experience behind it, not just advisory credentials on paper. Founder Paul Sarlas spent more than three decades running restaurants before founding the consultancy, starting in Sydney where he owned and grew a group of 12 restaurants, including two “One Hat” fine dining venues.

He went on to become Director Asia Pacific for Hilton Worldwide, overseeing close to 300 F&B outlets across 17 countries, before taking CEO roles with restaurant groups in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UK.

That CEO-level, operator-first background is what sets Savvy IQ apart from firms that consult without ever having run a P&L themselves. It also shows up in current client work. In one recent example, Jeddah-based operator Al Mathaaq appointed Sarlas as CEO to develop two new restaurant concepts, Bahreez and Pan Jan, while also assessing and managing the group’s existing restaurant portfolio.

Savvy IQ’s team reinforces the same pattern.

Senior partners have held leadership roles at Chotto Matte, Soho House, Annabel’s (The Birley Clubs), Home House, Hotel Café Royal, Fortnum & Mason, Corinthia Hotel London, Rove Hotels (Emaar Hospitality Group), Atlantis The Palm Dubai and Jumeirah’s Burj Al Arab, among others.

Across the firm, Savvy IQ reports more than 170 F&B projects delivered and over 45 hospitality concepts developed, spanning hotels, restaurants, bars, QSR brands and cafes.

Services cover concept creation, brand identity, F&B operations, market insights and intelligence, brand scaling, tech and digitalisation, strategic advisory and hotel advisory, making Savvy IQ one of the more full-service options on this list rather than a firm that specialises narrowly in one discipline.

Worth noting: Savvy IQ’s hospitality consultancy operates at savvyiq.com and should not be confused with SavvyIQ.ai, an unrelated US business data infrastructure platform that provides entity resolution APIs for developers. Different company, different industry, similar name.

Best for: Operators who want a consultant with genuine CEO and multi-brand operating experience, not just strategic advice from the sidelines, and who need support across the full lifecycle from concept through to international scaling.

2. Egg Soldiers

Website: eggsoldiers.co.uk
Led by: Stefan Cosser, formerly of The Fat Duck

Of the firms on this list, Egg Soldiers has the strongest formal industry recognition. The consultancy has been named Best Restaurant & Hospitality Consultancy 2024, Company of the Year (Food & Beverage, Small) at the 21st Annual International Business Awards in 2025, and Top Restaurant and Hospitality Consultancy Service in the UK for 2026, all credited directly on the firm’s own site.

Its client roster spans the more recognisable names in the hospitality industry, focusing on brands with multiple locations. Egg Soldiers has worked with EL&N London, Côte, Loungers, Chilango, Elan Cafe, Nando’s, Waitrose, BrewDog, Marks & Spencer and Everyman Cinemas, spanning restaurants, retail food brands and manufacturers.

Loungers co-founder Jake Bishop has credited the firm’s back-of-house transformation project as central to the business the chain is today, and Côte executive chef Steve Allen has praised the team’s role in redefining the chain’s food identity.

Egg Soldiers leans heavily into menu development, concept creation, brand design and trend forecasting through its “Insights Lab,” which runs food safaris and innovation workshops. It is a strong fit for brands focused specifically on food and menu innovation rather than full operational or financial restructuring.

Best for: Multi-location restaurant, cafe and retail food brands that need menu innovation, concept development or trend-led brand work, particularly multi-site operators refreshing their food offer.

3. Insight Hospitality

Website: insighthospitality.net
Founders: Des McDonald and Olivier Lavigne du Cadet
Offices: London and Dubai

Insight Hospitality is the closest comparison to Savvy IQ in terms of leadership pedigree. Co-founder Des McDonald previously served as CEO of the Soho House group, Caprice Holdings and the Annabel’s group, giving the firm genuine boardroom and multi-brand leadership experience rather than purely consultative credentials.

Combined with co-founder Olivier Lavigne du Cadet, the firm states more than 50 years of collective global hospitality experience and has delivered projects across the UK, Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East.

The firm has advised on more than 150 venues, covering concept and brand development, interior design, menu development, marketing, staff training, cost control and operational standards. Recent project work includes advising on the food and beverage concept for Templeton Garden, a new Miiro Hotels property in London.

Insight Hospitality’s positioning sits closer to full-service hotel and restaurant group advisory than to a single specialism, which makes it a natural alternative for operators comparing it directly against Savvy IQ.

The firm also runs an “Off the Beaten Track” content series covering emerging concepts, and its team includes specialists across finance, asset management and operations rather than relying solely on its two founders for delivery.

Best for: Hotel groups and multi-site restaurant operators who want a consultancy founded by former group CEOs with direct experience running large-scale hospitality businesses.

4. Lumière Consultancy

Website: lumiere-consultancy.co.uk
Founder: Ben Floyd

Lumière Consultancy has built its reputation on client-facing brand names rather than industry awards. The firm has worked with Harrods, Zizzi, EL&N and Wentworth Golf Club, and led the relaunch and national roll-out of heritage brand Richoux, a project its client James Hitchen credited the team with delivering on time and to a high standard.

Founded by Ben Floyd with more than two decades in the industry, Lumière offers an end-to-end service spanning concept development, menu engineering, chef training, operational layout, kitchen design and broader business development.

The firm also works internationally across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which is useful for London-based brands planning overseas expansion or international operators bringing a concept into the London market.

Best for: Established or heritage brands going through a relaunch, rebrand or national roll-out, and operators who want a consultancy with a track record of recognisable retail and hospitality names.

5. Maya Hospitality

Website: maya-hospitality.com

Maya Hospitality positions itself at the luxury end of the market, working across premium hotels, bars, restaurants and cocktail concepts. The team states more than four decades of combined experience across experimental bars, Michelin-starred restaurants, luxury hotels and members’ clubs, and counts Shiva Hotels among its clients. Shiva Hotels’ Director of Food & Beverage, Julian Zeneli, has credited the firm’s guidance with refining the group’s team-building process to match its brand standards.

Services span consultancy, branding and experiential activations, with a focus on guest experience design rather than back-of-house operational restructuring. That makes Maya a strong fit for premium and lifestyle-led venues where atmosphere, service standards and brand experience are the primary differentiators, rather than cost control or turnaround work.

Best for: Luxury hotels, premium bars and high-end restaurant concepts that need brand and guest experience expertise rather than operational turnaround support.

Comparing the Top London Hospitality Consultants at a Glance

Consultancy	Founded/Led By	Standout Strength	Notable Clients	Best For
Savvy IQ	Paul Sarlas	CEO-level operating experience, global office network	Al Mathaaq (Jeddah), Chotto Matte, Soho House alumni team	Full lifecycle support, from concept to international scaling
Egg Soldiers	Stefan Cosser	Formal industry awards, menu innovation	EL&N London, Côte, Loungers, Chilango, Nando’s	Menu and food-brand development
Insight Hospitality	Des McDonald, Olivier Lavigne du Cadet	Former group CEO leadership	Miiro Hotels (Templeton Garden)	Hotel groups and multi-site operators
Lumière Consultancy	Ben Floyd	Recognisable retail and hospitality brands	Harrods, Zizzi, EL&N, Richoux	Relaunches and national roll-outs
Maya Hospitality	N/A	Luxury and guest experience focus	Shiva Hotels	Premium hotels and high-end concepts

How Much Do Hospitality Consultants in London Charge?

Fees vary considerably depending on scope and the seniority of the consultant involved. Industry pricing guides put UK hospitality consultant day rates at roughly £300 to £1,000 or more per day, with larger projects often moving to fixed-scope packages, monthly retainers or percentage-based fees tied to results.

A short operational audit will sit at the lower end of that range, while a full concept launch or an interim CEO-style engagement, of the kind Savvy IQ and Insight Hospitality both offer, will command a significantly higher investment given the seniority and risk involved.

How to Choose the Right Hospitality Consultant

Not every hospitality consultant is the right fit for every business, and the firms on this list specialise in genuinely different things. A few factors are worth weighing before you commit.

Operating experience versus advisory-only experience. A restaurant consultant who has personally run a P&L, opened multiple sites or held a CEO title carries a different kind of judgement than a consultant who has only ever advised from the outside. Neither is automatically better, but the distinction matters for high-stakes projects like turnarounds or new market entry.

Track record in your specific category. A consultancy strong in luxury hotels is not automatically the right choice for a QSR roll-out, and a firm built around menu innovation is not the right partner for an interim operations turnaround. Match the consultant’s documented client list to your category, not just to the word “hospitality” in their bio.

Awards and reputation, treated as one signal among several. Formal recognition, like the awards Egg Soldiers has picked up, is a useful data point, but it should sit alongside client testimonials, the specific brands a firm has worked with, and direct references from businesses similar in size and scope to yours.

Winning awards in the hospitality industry is a costly affair for business, both in terms of time and money. The cost of submission can run into hundreds of pounds, and there’s no guarantee of even winning an award.

Scope of service. Some consultancies, including Savvy IQ and Insight Hospitality, cover the full range from concept creation through to hotel advisory and brand scaling. Others, like Egg Soldiers and Maya Hospitality, are more focused on specific disciplines such as menu development or guest experience. Decide whether you need one partner end to end or a specialist for a defined piece of work.

Most hospitality consultants work across more than just restaurants. The firms covered here also advise hotels, bars, cafes, food halls and QSR brands, so the right question is not whether a consultant works with your venue type at all, but how many comparable projects they have actually delivered in it.

Geographic reach, if it applies to you. If you are planning to take a London concept abroad, or bring an international brand into London, firms with an established international office network, such as Savvy IQ’s presence across the Middle East, Europe and Asia Pacific, or Lumière’s project work across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will have relevant infrastructure and local knowledge that a purely UK-focused consultancy will not.

Final Thoughts

London’s hospitality market is unforgiving right now, and the gap between operators who get outside expertise and those who do not is widening.

The five consultancies covered here approach the problem differently: Savvy IQ through genuine CEO-level operating experience across multiple brands and territories, Egg Soldiers through award-recognised menu and concept innovation, Insight Hospitality through former group CEO leadership, Lumière Consultancy through recognisable retail brand roll-outs, and Maya Hospitality through luxury guest experience design.

Before signing with any hospitality consultant in London, a few things are worth doing:

• Ask for direct references from clients in your specific category, not just a generic testimonial
• Confirm whether the engagement is advisory-only or includes hands-on, interim leadership involvement
• Clarify pricing structure upfront, whether that is a day rate, a fixed project fee, or a retainer
• Check the consultant’s track record on projects of a similar scale to yours, not just their biggest name-drop

Get that groundwork right, and the right hospitality consultant can be one of the better investments a struggling or growing operator makes this year.