From high streets to hotels: Piccolino’s new chapter

For the second consecutive year, privately owned hospitality group Individual Restaurants has reported record turnover, achieving £76m in sales and 4% growth despite what it describes as a “challenging market.”

Now, the company is looking beyond its traditional estate. Alongside new openings and refurbishments, it has branched into hotels for the first time with the launch of Piccolino at Hilton London Tower Bridge, a move it calls a defining step in its brand evolution.

The group, which operates 34 restaurants under the Piccolino, Riva Blu and Restaurant Bar & Grill brands, credits its success to a mix of strategic new openings, extensive refurbishments across its portfolio, and a sharpened focus on what it calls “unrivalled” guest experience and food quality.

Sales across December, a crucial trading period for most, rose 14% compared with the previous year, with like-for-like sales up 8%. It is a performance that positions the group among the UK’s most resilient operators in a sector that continues to face headwinds from inflation and shifting consumer behaviour.

New openings have played a central role in the group’s momentum. Piccolino launched in Marlow, Henley-on-Thames and Chichester, while Riva Blu expanded into Leeds and Hull. At the same time, several flagship restaurants – including Piccolino venues in Sheffield, Virginia Water, Ilkley, Manchester and Birmingham, as well as Opera Grill in Chester – underwent extensive refurbishments.

Earlier this year, the company also diversified its portfolio by launching Forbici, a Neapolitan pizza concept in Manchester, with plans to expand the brand to other UK cities.

Reflecting on the results, chief executive officer Andrew Garton, who joined the business in January 2023, called it “a landmark trading year for Individual Restaurants for the second year running”.

Alongside performance, the group points to investment in people as a driver of long-term growth. Garton said the group was “proud to have invested extensively” in its team, including strategic hires and training and development, leading to “market-leading engagement and an all-time low on staff turnover”. 

He added: “It’s our ambition to further grow the business and invest for the future, through developing our portfolio, bringing new brand concepts to market and entering new markets, both in the UK and internationally.”

That ambition has now extended into a new arena: hotels. This summer, Individual Restaurants opened a Piccolino at Hilton London Tower Bridge, marking the brand’s first ever move into the hotel sector and the start of a partnership that the group describes as mutually beneficial.

The new restaurant, located just steps away from one of the capital’s most recognisable landmarks, has been designed exclusively for its setting. Interiors reflect what the company calls “quiet luxury,” inspired by traditional Italian dining and rendered in earthy tones, terrazzo-style flooring, velvet seating, stone surfaces and a wraparound bar. A terrace provides an al fresco option in the heart of London.

Piccolino’s menu has also been curated with its surroundings in mind. Alongside Italian classics given a modern twist – such as the Burrata Speciale, a trio of burrata-based starters including one paired with Oscietra caviar – guests can find handmade pasta dishes including carbonara, genovese and aragosta. Desserts such as tiramisu and pistachio panna cotta round out the offer.

What sets the Tower Bridge site apart is its exclusive breakfast menu, designed in collaboration with Hilton, Garton says. Alongside Italian-inspired dishes, the restaurant offers continental selections, as well as a full wine, cocktail and soft drinks list.

David Carroll, chief business officer at Individual Restaurants, called the opening “an exciting new chapter in the brand evolution for Piccolino” as the group enters the hotel sector for the first time. 

“This is reflected through the elegant interiors in this new venue,” Carroll added, “exuding an effortless luxury and giving a nod to traditional Italian restaurants through a modern lens that lends itself perfectly to city dining at such an iconic London landmark.”

For Garton, the Hilton partnership was a natural fit. “We wanted to grow, and Hilton was a natural partner. While they’re a huge global entity, we struck up what I’d describe as the true meaning of a partnership – with mutual long-term goals and a strong desire to grow together,” he explains. “The Tower Bridge site provided the perfect opportunity to introduce Piccolino into a hotel environment, meeting the needs of local clients while expanding our brand. Hilton has been very open and collaborative, allowing us to design the restaurant our way. Since opening about five weeks ago, the site has gone from strength to strength.”

However, operating within a hotel has required some adjustments, Garton admits. “It’s quite different. The hotel’s number one mission is to serve breakfast to its guests, so we work to Hilton’s specifications there. At the same time, we offer our own à la carte Piccolino menu throughout the day. It’s a full-service partnership, from in-room dining to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Communication is key – we make sure the menus and service are aligned so that it works for both parties.”

The collaboration has also influenced design. Garton adds: “The brand remains Piccolino, but the aesthetics and design in this hotel location are distinct from some of our standalone sites, reflecting an evolution of the brand in a new environment.”

While integrating into a Hilton property posed no major surprises, Garton acknowledged the need to adapt. “Nothing unforeseen, but there are always requirements – such as meeting events or private hire – that come with being part of a hotel,” he says. “These are things we’re familiar with, and we’ve adapted our business around them. The most important factor is relationship management: although we’re a standalone business, we’re also part of the hotel team. Operating collaboratively ensures both sides succeed.”

Garton found that the hotel partnership has also broadened Piccolino’s reach. “Having guests quite literally living above the restaurant gives us a strong base of diners and deeper interaction with an international audience. It builds brand awareness among a wider demographic, while also helping hotels meet the challenge of providing high-quality lunch and dinner – something many hotel operators struggle with.”

The chief executive shares that its performance so far, in the early days, have shown promise. While Garton hasn’t provided concrete numbers, the Hilton Piccolino is said to be exceeding expectations. “Our top priority is delivering Hilton’s breakfast offer to the highest standard, and then developing the other days,” he says. “The first six weeks involved a lot of learning, since this model is new to us, but with the right partners in Hilton we’re very positive about the future.”

Given this strong start, the Hilton Tower Bridge site is unlikely to be the last of its kind. “Hilton is the first major hotel partner we’ve launched with, and there is potential to expand further should both sides want to,” Garton says. “We’re also in discussions with other hotel groups where we believe we can add value. This isn’t just about growing the Piccolino brand. We have other concepts we’re exploring, and partnerships like this also open the door to international opportunities beyond the UK.”

Regardless of Individual Restaurant’s future partnerships, Garton maintains that consistency of brand will be central to its strategy. “We deliver to our usual brand standards through our existing infrastructure and teams. The only real difference is breakfast: we serve Hilton’s specifications for hotel guests, but also provide a Piccolino breakfast for walk-in diners,” he says. “Once breakfast service is finished, the restaurant operates entirely as a Piccolino. It’s still very much our brand, just in a hotel setting.”

The company’s broader growth plans also reflect a balance between ambition and sustainability, according to the chief executive, with them being seen as an important growth channel. “To March last year we delivered around 4% growth, and partnerships like this create new opportunities without relying solely on our existing model,” he explains. “That said, we’re selective: we don’t want to work with hundreds of partners, only those where there’s a genuine mutual benefit. We’ll also continue growing our core and newer brands, such as Riva Blu and Forbici, which could feature in future collaborations.”

Looking ahead, Garton points to both domestic and international expansion. He notes: “As a family-owned business with no bank debt, we grow on our own terms. Our philosophy is to become a bigger and better business not by racing to hit arbitrary targets, but by investing wisely in our core operations and making strategic choices. 

“Over the next 12 to 18 months, we expect to expand internationally, grow turnover beyond £100m, and add to our portfolio of brands. We’re also open to acquisitions or partnerships where they make strategic sense. Ultimately, it’s about sustainable, thoughtful growth.”

With further hotel partnerships already planned for 2025, the Piccolino at Hilton London Tower Bridge serves as a blueprint for how Individual Restaurants can evolve through collaboration while maintaining its brand identity.

For Hilton, the partnership strengthens its food and beverage proposition at a prime London site. For Individual Restaurants, it marks the start of a potentially transformative new chapter.

As Garton concludes: “It’s our ambition to further grow the business and invest for the future, through developing our portfolio, bringing new brand concepts to market and entering new markets, both in the UK and internationally.”