The UK’s fastest growing hospitality business has appointed a new managing director to head up its franchising division.
Founded by Chairman and CEO Nick Taplin, Black & White Hospitality, whose main shareholder is Marco Pierre White, has now welcomed Brandie Deignan.
Deignan will now oversee the growth of Black & White Hospitality’s franchising business, while ensuring the venues deliver a consistent and high-end service that guests would expect from one of the world’s most famous and charismatic chefs and restauranteurs.
Working for some of the country’s prime corporate businesses, Deignan joins from British Airways Plc where she led the business transformation team, focusing on the food, lounge and in-flight elements of the worldwide carrier, as well as overseeing business change across customer experience and the International Airlines group.
Prior to that, she was Head of Operations for Tesco Plc’s hospitality brands, covering the UK and Ireland with responsibility for the pre and post Giraffe Cafes and Harris & Hoole brand conversions as well as the supermarket giant’s café offering, both the traditional and remodelled versions.
Deignan's impressive CV also includes extensive experience at Whitbread Plc, Travel Lodge Hotels Ltd and the Hilton Group, and made her, according to Taplin, the perfect candidate to take the Black & White Hospitality’s franchising business forward.
With the franchise group passing the fifty restaurants mark by the end of 2018, Black & White Hospitality now has seven distinct brands. It provides hotel owners the opportunity to maximise F&B sales by adding a Marco Pierre White franchise to their restaurant, linking their venue with the famed chef who became the youngest ever person to attain three Michelin stars.
The current portfolio includes MPW Steakhouse Bar & Grill, New York Italian, Bardolino Pizzeria Bellini & Espresso Bar, Wheelers of St James Oyster Bar & Grill Room, Marconi Coffee & Juice Bar, Mr White’s English Chophouse and the new Koffmann and Mr White’s English French Brasserie, which launched October 2018 with Pierre Koffmann working alongside Pierre White once again.
Deignan said, “Black & White Hospitality is a young, dynamic business that is expanding rapidly. It has a very strong portfolio of brands and the business model of aligning the restaurant brands with hotels has proved very successful. Couple that with the most famous chef on the planet and we have an amazing recipe.
“The team is hugely experienced and very enthusiastic which means the business can adapt and react to the fast changing and challenging hospitality sector.
“With fifty venues in our site I’ll be looking to ensure consistency is maintained across all venues which is imperative as we evolve and grow.”
Taplin added, “Brandie comes with a wealth of experience which will benefit hugely our franchising business. We’ve got some really exciting plans and with Brandie’s expertise means we can push ahead.”