Think Hospitality Consulting named Thought Partner for GRIF 2025 in Dubai

Think Hospitality Consulting was proud to act as Thought Partner for the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) 2025, held in Dubai, leading on programme development and content direction for one of the industry’s most influential investment events.

GRIF has long been recognised as the key meeting point for global restaurant investors, operators, private equity, landlords and advisors. In 2025, Think Hospitality played a central role in shaping the agenda, ensuring discussions reflected the realities of today’s restaurant and hospitality investment landscape, from capital allocation and scalability to brand longevity, technology and evolving consumer behaviour.

As Thought Partner, Think Hospitality worked closely with the GRIF team to curate sessions that went beyond surface-level trend spotting, focusing instead on structural, investable themes impacting restaurants, food-led hospitality and mixed-use developments globally.

The firm’s leadership team were deeply embedded throughout the programme. James Hacon, Managing Partner, hosted and moderated multiple sessions, bringing a strategic and commercial lens shaped by decades of global hospitality experience. Heleri Rande, Partner, contributed to discussions around brand development, international expansion and operational rigour, while Claire Scullion led conversations exploring consumer behaviour, concept differentiation and the intersection of food, experience and culture. Laura Vana hosted sessions focused on wellness, evolving guest expectations and the future role of food and beverage within hotels and lifestyle destinations.

GRIF’s founder, Jennifer Pettinger-Haines, is also a Partner at Think Hospitality Consulting, underscoring the firm’s deep-rooted connection to the forum and its long-standing influence on global restaurant investment discourse. Her vision for GRIF has always been to create a platform where investors and operators can engage in honest, commercially grounded conversations about growth, risk and long-term value creation.

The 2025 edition reflected that ambition clearly. Panels and keynote discussions explored topics including the shift from standalone restaurants to lifestyle districts, the growing role of food and beverage in driving hotel performance, the impact of technology and automation on margins and labour and how capital is increasingly prioritising brands with clear DNA and scalable operating models.

Think Hospitality’s involvement as Thought Partner reinforces its position as a leading strategic advisor at the intersection of restaurants, hotels and investment. The firm continues to work with owners, developers, private equity and operators globally, helping shape concepts, portfolios and platforms that are built for long-term relevance rather than short-term hype.

As the restaurant and hospitality sectors continue to converge, GRIF 2025 demonstrated the importance of informed, experience-led programme leadership. Think Hospitality’s role in shaping the agenda reflects both its influence within the sector and its commitment to advancing the quality of conversation around global restaurant investment.