Luke Johnson buys majority stake in contract caterer Yes Dining

It is hoped the serial investor, who has majority stakes in a number of restaurant companies, including Giraffe and Feng Sushi, will help the company expand its offering and develop more of a high street presence.

Yes Dining managing director Chris Mitchell told BigHospitality: "Luke's involvement is really exciting for the company. It's the first time he's been involved in contract catering and we're hoping his expertise can help us grow the business quite quickly."

Brand name​

Mitchell also revealed plans to change the company's trading name to The Genuine Dining Co. in a bid to help build a stronger brand.

“We feel that the name Genuine Dining strongly reflects our commitment and ethos of creating delicious and nutritious food using the UK’s best seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. It is our aim that all our customers will experience a consistent, focused and top quality offering,” he said.

Yes Dining currently supplies catering for a number of businesses including Asos.com and the National Archives in Kew with its main focus on lunchtime catering. It also owns Oakwood House hotel in Maidstone, Kent.

Investment​

Johnson, who helped grow Pizza Express from 12 to more than 250 restaurants in six years, recently acquired a stake in Charlie McVeigh's pub concept the Draft House. He also has stakes in Ego & Rocket merger 3Sixty Restaurants and in Patisserie Valerie and Gail's Artisan Bakery through Risk Capital Partners.

Commenting on his lateset investment he said: “I am hugely encouraged by Chris and his team’s determination to offer something unique within contract catering. Their focus on consistency, quality and top customer service is admirable. The expectation is that with our support and experience Genuine Dining can successfully grow into a niche contract caterer.”