The Multi-Concept Hospitality Challenge: Why the Future Belongs to Experience-Led Brands

At this year’s Restaurant Marketer & Innovator, James Hacon hosted a conversation with Markus Thesleff, CEO and Founder at Thesleff Group, exploring one of hospitality’s biggest modern questions: How do you scale hospitality brands globally without losing culture, creativity and identity?

The discussion offered a candid and often provocative insight into the realities of building modern hospitality businesses, from experiential dining and international growth to leadership, culture and the economics of operating restaurants in today’s market.

At the centre of the conversation was the rapid rise of Thesleff Group, now one of London’s most ambitious hospitality operators, with brands including:

• Los Mochis

• Juno Omakase

• Luna Omakase

• Sale e Pepe

• Viajante87

alongside expansion plans across the United States and beyond.

Hospitality Is Competing Against the Entire Experience Economy

One of the strongest themes from the session was the idea that restaurants no longer simply compete against other restaurants.

Increasingly, hospitality businesses compete against every other form of leisure, entertainment and discretionary spending.

As Markus Thesleff explained, consumers today weigh a restaurant visit against:

• Concerts

• Sporting events

• Travel

• Nightlife

• Experiences

• Entertainment

• Even time itself

That shift fundamentally changes how hospitality brands must think.

Restaurants are no longer just places to eat.They are part of the broader entertainment economy.

This is why experience-led hospitality continues to outperform globally.

Consumers increasingly expect:

• Atmosphere

• Emotion

• Storytelling

• Escapism

• Energy

• Occasion value

• Social connection

The brands winning today are often the ones capable of creating emotional memory rather than simply serving food.

Why Experience-Led Dining Is Scaling Faster

The rise of Los Mochis became one of the clearest examples discussed during the conversation.

Initially launched in Notting Hill as a relatively compact concept blending Mexican and Japanese influences, the brand rapidly evolved into one of London’s most talked-about hospitality success stories.

Its second location in the City became one of the capital’s largest and most ambitious restaurant openings in recent years.

Importantly, however, the discussion highlighted that the success was not simply about cuisine fusion or aesthetics.

It was about building emotional connection.

Consumers increasingly seek hospitality experiences that feel:

• Distinctive

• Immersive

• Memorable

• Shareable

• Culturally relevant

The modern guest wants more than functionality.They want a feeling.

Hospitality’s Most Valuable Asset Is Culture

One of the most compelling parts of the discussion centred around people and organisational culture.

Markus Thesleff repeatedly returned to the belief that brands are not logos, taglines or interiors. Brands are people.

The conversation explored how guest perception is ultimately shaped through:

• Human interaction

• Team energy

• Leadership

• Emotional intelligence

• Service culture

• Communication

This is becoming increasingly important in an era where consumers crave authenticity and emotional connection.

Many hospitality businesses still focus heavily on:

• Design

• Marketing

• Product

• Expansion

Yet increasingly, long-term success depends on whether teams genuinely believe in the experience they are delivering.

As the conversation highlighted, the strongest hospitality businesses create cultures where General Managers and site leaders behave more like entrepreneurial custodians rather than operational overseers alone.

The Casual Dining Collapse Changed Hospitality Growth Forever

Another major topic explored was the collapse of the casual dining expansion model that dominated the UK market throughout the 2010s.

Historically, many restaurant businesses focused on rapidly scaling single brands across multiple cities.

But the conversation highlighted how that strategy often resulted in:

• Brand dilution

• Loss of culture

• Reduced operational standards

• Over-standardisation

• Weak emotional differentiation

Increasingly, consumers want concepts that feel individual, emotionally resonant and experience-led rather than formulaic.

This is helping drive the rise of:

• Multi-concept hospitality groups

• Founder-led brands

• High-energy dining concepts

• Experience-driven restaurants

• Lifestyle hospitality operators

Rather than building hospitality factories, many modern operators are now focused on building cultural relevance.

International Hospitality Expansion Is Becoming More Strategic

The discussion also unpacked how international growth strategies are evolving.

Rather than simply chasing geographical expansion, Thesleff Group’s approach focuses on entering markets where customer demand and brand alignment already exist.

This includes expansion plans across:

• New York City

• Miami

• Palm Beach

• Beverly Hills

The conversation reinforced that successful hospitality expansion increasingly requires:

• Brand precision

• Market understanding

• Strong operational infrastructure

• Cultural alignment

• Emotional resonance

rather than simply replicating a format repeatedly.

This reflects a broader shift happening globally across hospitality and lifestyle brands.

Hospitality Is Still One of the World’s Most Human Industries

Despite broader conversations around AI, automation and digital transformation, both speakers remained deeply optimistic about the long-term future of hospitality itself.

The core belief was simple:

Human beings fundamentally still crave physical social interaction.

Technology may optimise systems. AI may improve efficiency. Automation may reshape operations.

But hospitality remains built around human emotion, connection and memory creation.

As consumers become increasingly digitally saturated, physical hospitality experiences may become even more valuable over the next decade.

London Remains One of the World’s Great Hospitality Cities

Although the discussion addressed the significant operational pressures facing UK hospitality, including labour costs, business rates and reduced margins, there was also a strong sense of optimism about London’s long-term global position.

The city continues to attract:

• Global culinary talent

• Innovative operators

• International consumers

• Creative hospitality concepts

• Experiential dining brands

Alongside cities such as:

• New York City

• Mexico City

• Nashville

London remains one of the most influential hospitality ecosystems globally.

However, the conversation also warned that without better long-term support for entrepreneurship and emerging operators, the industry risks losing the next generation of hospitality talent.

The Future Hospitality Winners Will Build Emotional Loyalty

Ultimately, the conversation between James Hacon and Markus Thesleff highlighted a major evolution happening across global hospitality.

The brands most likely to thrive over the next decade are unlikely to be those focused purely on scale.

Instead, the winners will likely be brands capable of balancing:

• Experience

• Culture

• Storytelling

• Operational excellence

• Emotional connection

• Team empowerment

• Community

• Entertainment

As hospitality increasingly competes within the broader experience economy, the brands that succeed will not simply serve customers.

They will build emotional loyalty and cultural relevance around unforgettable experiences.