The winners will be revealed at the Hero & Icon Awards presentation dinner following the Peach 20/20 Leaders’ Summit on Monday 18 November - this year at a new venue, Convene Sancroft in the City of London.

The 10 shortlists published today feature 80 nominations, highlighting the creativity, commitment and innovation that continues to drive the UK’s restaurant, pub, bar, QSR and café sector. They include no fewer than 56 different brands and businesses, eight individual venues and eight industry leaders.

The categories announced today were all voted for by Peach 20/20’s community of senior industry executives, entrepreneurs and influencers - with this year attracting a record number taking part.

Companies with multiple nominations include Arc Inspirations, Big Mamma, Buns From Home, Caravan, Dishoom, Hawksmoor, JKS Restaurants, Mission Mars, Pizza Pilgrims, Red Engine, San Carlo and WatchHouse —and the leaders of many of these operators feature on the individual shortlists too. There are also a clutch of brands new to the listings, in the Newcomer and Emerging Brand categories.

The shortlists are:

Newcomer

Boojum / Diecast / Faber / Forza Wine / Jones The Grocer / Orleans Smokehouse / Pasta Evangelists / Permit Room

Emerging Brand

Brother Marcus / Buns from Home / Chopstix / Fatto a Mano / Lina Stores / Madre / Roti King / WatchHouse 

Best Opening

Albert's Schloss, London / Boxpark, Liverpool / Caravan, Manchester / Carlotta, Marylebone High St / Dishoom, Battersea / Pizza Pilgrims, Euston / Roe, Wood Wharf / The Devonshire, Soho 

Pub Business

Anglian Country Inns / Brunning & Price / Fullers / Heartwood Inns / JD Wetherspoon / Liberation Group / Urban Pubs & Bars / Youngs 

Bar Business

Albert's Schloss / Arc Inspirations / BrewDog / Drake & Morgan / ETM / Inception / Incipio / The Alchemist 

Restaurant Business

Big Mamma Group / Caravan / Dishoom / Flat Iron / Hawksmoor / Ivy Collection / JKS Restaurants / Pizza Pilgrims 

Coffee/Bakery/QSR Business

Buns from Home / Farmer J / Gail's / Greggs / Ole & Steen / Popeyes / WatchHouse / Wingstop 

Experiential Business

BoxPark / Electric Shuffle / F1 Arcade / Fairgame / Flight Club / Lucky Voice / Mercato Metropolitano / Piano Works

International Business

Chotto Matte / JKS Restaurants / Hawksmoor / German Doner Kebab / San Carlo / Sticks’n’Sushi / WatchHouse / Wingstop 

Industry Leader

Nick Collins, Loungers / Roisin Currie, Greggs / Simon Dodd, Youngs / Laura Harper-Hinton, Caravan / Alasdair Murdoch, Burger King UK / James Nye, Anglian Country Inns / Marta Pogroszewska, Gail’s / Shereen Ritchie, Buns From Home

The shortlists for the final five further categories - Sustainability Champion, EDI Champion, Growth Champion, Power Brand and Consumer Choice - will be announced in a few weeks.

The two consumer awards - Power Brand and Consumer Choice - are compiled from guest ratings measured by CGA by NIQ’s BrandTrack survey.

The awards evening on November 18 will be capped with the presentation of this year’s prestigious Peach 20/20 Icon Awards for leaders who have left a lasting mark on the restaurant, pub and bar sectors. The recipients will join a hall of fame of 30 other legends of the industry. There are no shortlists for these awards.

Peach 20/20 co-founder Peter Martin says: “Our shortlists are an inspiring blend of longstanding operators, fast-growing brands, dynamic start-ups, eye-catching venues and brilliant leaders. In particular, the number of new players making the grade and attracting the attention of their industry peers demonstrates that despite tough times the sector is still fostering creativity and innovation - including increasing numbers with international ambitions.

“They should all be very proud of what they have achieved, and they inspire us all. We look forward to crowning our winners on 18 November.”

Peach 20/20 thanks its headline sponsors of the 2024 Hero & Icon Awards: Access, CGA by Niq, Diageo, Fourth, Nutritics, Sona and Zonal