The Hospitality Sector Council, L Marks and the Department for Business and Trade have announced the results of the first Hospitality Innovation Lab with five of the six participating companies securing agreements, extensions, or advanced commercial negotiations. Live trials also identified seven-figure revenue opportunities, while one operator signed an agreement to replace its existing training provider.
Launched in October 2025, the Hospitality Innovation Lab is a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership designed to accelerate innovation across the sector. By connecting hospitality suppliers with both emerging and established operators, the Lab is helping businesses unlock new efficiencies, strengthen resilience and identify scalable growth opportunities.
The Lab brought together UK hospitality operators, including Burger King® UK, Punch Pubs, Bill’s, Prezzo Italian, Azzurri Group, Beckford Group and Lincoln Green Brewing Company, with suppliers working at the intersection of technology and hospitality.
Six companies were selected to test and validate their solutions in live operational environments: Adeci, Cosysense, 1Huddle, Tenzo, Promote and Peckish. The trial phase began on 30 March 2026, with all six suppliers exhibiting in a dedicated feature area at Hospitality Tech360.
The results
Restaurant performance platform Tenzo helped Bill’s increase spend per head by 20p during the trial, equivalent to an estimated £1.03 million annual revenue uplift across the estate. A general manager at the Greenwich restaurant described it as “the first thing in years that actually feels built for me,” with Bill’s now reviewing the next steps for the partnership.
AI-powered forecasting platform Adeci secured pilot extensions with both Azzurri Group and Burger King UK following strong results. At Azzurri Group, the platform predicted daily revenue with 84% to 90% accuracy, outperforming general managers’ forecasts by up to 9%. At Burger King UK, it achieved 90% to 93% accuracy for daily product forecasts—25% more accurate than the existing system and 29% more accurate than managers’ predictions. The next phase will explore using the forecasts to improve labour planning.
Energy management platform Cosysense identified £3,263 in potential savings during its trial with Burger King UK by monitoring energy and utility usage across the restaurant. Following the results, Burger King UK is in talks to extend the partnership with a three-month rollout across a further 10 to 12 sites.
In a standout result for the programme, Lincoln Green cancelled its contract with its previous training provider and signed a formal agreement with 1Huddle, set to begin in July. During the pilot, employees recorded a 100% improvement in skill scores, with 11 team members outperforming their general managers. 84% of employees rated 1Huddle as very or extremely helpful for training, and staff scored it 8.9 out of 10 when asked whether they would recommend it to colleagues, with some describing it as “addictive.” The team has begun integrating 1Huddle into its day-to-day operations.
Anthony Hughes, Founder of Lincoln Green Brewing Company commented:
“The Innovation Lab has been a valuable opportunity for Lincoln Green as an SME hospitality business. Finding innovation that works in a smaller operational environment can be challenging, but L Marks persevered and helped identify practical solutions with real potential.
We have already moved forward with an innovative training platform and are exploring two further trial partners as a result of what we saw through the programme. I would strongly encourage other small hospitality businesses to get involved in future trials. It is a valuable opportunity to see what innovation can really deliver in a practical, operational environment.”
Prezzo Italian has also extended its pilot with 1Huddle, with plans to explore new topic areas and develop additional training games beyond those covered in the pilot phase. 88% of players retained their scores after two weeks, and Prezzo employees noted “I gained more knowledge I can cascade to my team” and “Everything in 1Huddle is in every shift to me.”
AI-powered inventory platform Peckish helped Beckford Group increase stocktake accuracy at The Talbot Inn to 98% while reducing stock counts from 90 minutes to just 29 minutes. Operations Manager Nathan Ashman described the platform as “an absolute no brainer. Time and money saving,” while CEO Dan Brod added: “I was a sceptic. But if it continues to work for us, it’ll be really useful for much of the industry.” Beckford Group has now agreed a phased rollout across three additional sites, with plans to expand across the wider estate.
Daniel Saunders, Chief Executive Officer of L Marks said:
“The Hospitality Innovation Lab has brought operators from across the sector together to test new ideas, challenge assumptions and embrace innovation with an open mind. The journey of this first cohort has been remarkable, from early scepticism to genuine enthusiasm, and we’ve seen in solutions progress to commercialisation with measurable improvements in efficiency, revenue and workforce development.”
Jane O’Riordan, Co-Chair of the Hospitality Sector Council also commented:
“The Hospitality Innovation Lab proves what is possible when government and industry work side by side: practical innovation that helps businesses grow. The opportunity now is to take those learnings beyond the major operators and into the independent businesses that are the backbone of UK hospitality. By backing startups and embracing new technology, we can help the sector improve productivity, strengthen profitability and create more jobs.”
