Hey Hot Potatoes,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Hot Potato Newsletter! I hope you have all had a great start to 2026 and have already gotten back into the swing of things. I’ve felt for a little while that Hot Potato has been losing sight of what I set out to achieve at the start and as I’ve reflected and brainstormed, I’ve decided that a refresh was in order. A brand new format. Hot Potato is moving with the times and with that comes a whole new format and layout, which we are debuting in today’s newsletter!

It’s a big change but one I feel that takes Hot Potato into a new and more exciting direction. I would love to get your feedback and thoughts but without further ado, lets get into the first and updated Hot Potato below!

In today’s email:

Read Time: Approx 3-4 mins

🔥 Hot Off The Press 🔥

We take a look at some of the hottest headlines happening right now in UK Hospitality.

Sources: Propel Info, MCA Insight, Restaurant Online

🔥 NEW CONCEPT: BOXPARK founder Roger Wade has launched BoxKitchen – a new generation of modular, container-based commercial kitchens designed to transform the UK events and hospitality industry

🔥 SERIOUS INVESTMENT: The Salad Project has raised £9m to fuel expansion plans, with 6-7 sites in the pipeline and their first international debut in Paris lined up for early summer

🔥 BIG FINANCIAL RESULTS: Daisy Green turned around a loss to profit in their last financial year with an impressive 19% revenue uplift and 44% increase in EBITDA, Fireaway Pizza reported 6% like-for-like sales growth in 2025, with nine stores in the pipeline this year.

🔥 NEW FOODHALL: Dal Dhillon (founder of Coventry brewery Dhillon's Brewery) is launching Elle's – an 8,000 sq ft food hall described as a first for the West Midlands, featuring independent food vendors, coffee and a late-licence bar

🔥 RECORD CHRISTMAS BREAKING TRADING: Urban Pubs and Bars, ETM Group, Little Door & Co, The Cut & Craft Restaurants, Individual Restaurants and Mission Mars all reported their strongest festive performance ever, with some posting like-for-like sales growth of 14%+

Data Bite

According to Barclays, almost half (47%) of consumers say they continue to spend on small luxury purchases that bring them joy, even when making cutbacks elsewhere. Sweet treats and baked goods top the list as the most popular pick-me-ups.

Bonus data bite: Consumer confidence is holding – MCA Insight - Leaders in Eating & Drinking Out Market Insight reports more than 70% of under-35s expect to maintain or grow their spending on eating and drinking out in 2026

Brand Spotlight of the Month - Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

I'm always keeping an eye on US hospitality and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream just caught my attention, for good reason.

Ben Van Leeuwen started with a hand-painted truck in Soho in 2008. Today, they're pulling in up to $300,000+ per day from scoop shops alone.

The Numbers That Tell The Story:

• 10x revenue growth in 7 years

• 100 scoop shops by end of 2025 (up from 10)

• 12,000 grocery stores (Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Kroger)

• 37% store growth, 39% sales growth YoY

But here's what separates them from every other premium ice cream brand:

🔥 Product led marketing - They don't have a marketing budget. Instead, they launch flavours that break the internet. Kraft Mac & Cheese ice cream. Hidden Valley Ranch. Pizza. Flavours to stop you in your tracks.

🥚 Obsessive ingredient quality - While competitors use cocoa powder, they use coverture chocolate. While others stick to 1.3% egg yolk, they use 5-8% for that French-style "toothsomeness." They source chocolate from small Ecuadorian farms and only use Virginia peanuts.

🎨 Culture-first retail - For a decade, there was no corporate team. Ben, Pete and Laura did everything - bookkeeping, store builds and truck repairs. Today they have 65 people at HQ but Ben still drives emergency deliveries at 3am. 'I can't be CEO from an office. It has to be from a store.'

The playbook is simple: Make something so good people can't believe it exists. Make something so weird people have to try it. Never compromise on the fundamentals.

Trend to Watch - Protein Led Concepts

We've seen the trend dominate supermarket shelves and I think it will spill over into hospitality. I have already seen two protein ice cream led concepts and I expect this is just the beginning. Chipotle also announced based off the success of their trials in the US, they have just launched their high protein menu in the UK. One to watch!

My Spicy Take 🔥

Dark kitchens have had their day. When COVID hit and food delivery went mental, there was serious demand for dark kitchens and volume of delivery was big. Now things have settled, operators need to be doing significant volume to make it worthwhile. However whilst they may be dead in the traditional sense, operators I’ve spoken to them still find them as an important resource for two reasons: 1) Prep kitchens in central locations 2) Testing out the demand in a new area and gauging if there is enough demand for a brick and mortar site.

That wraps the first edition of the new format. I've tried to make Hot Potato more useful – less noise, more signal. But I want to know if it's landing.

What worked? What didn't? What would you want more (or less) of? Hit reply – I read every response and genuinely use the feedback to shape what comes next.

Bon appétit,

Max Shipman, Founder, Hot Potato

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