Hospitality
Founders of Creams Cafe
Adam Mani and Balal Aqil are the co-founders behind Creams Café, the brand widely credited with pioneering the UK’s dessert parlour movement. They launched the concept in 2008, opening their first location in Southall, West London, with a clear vision: to create a dedicated dessert experience centred on quality, consistency, and customer appeal.
What began as a single site quickly evolved into a high-growth business, driven by strong demand and a differentiated offering. By 2011, the founders had expanded operations to include their own gelato production facility, enabling greater control over product quality and scalability. Creams Café has since grown into a nationwide brand with dozens of locations across the UK, reflecting the founders’ ability to combine operational execution with a clear understanding of consumer trends.
How We Work
Deans Point operates on a simple yet powerful principle: the more guests engage with a hospitality establishment, the more they are rewarded. By staying at participating hotels, dining at affiliated restaurants, and utilisng various services offered by partnered businesses, customers accumulate points that can be redeemed for exclusive benefits and experiences. Deans Point enhances customer satisfaction and fosters long-term loyalty by offering personalized rewards tailored to individual preferences, such as room upgrades, complimentary meals, spa treatments, or even access to VIP events. This innovative program not only incentivises customers to choose specific hospitality businesses but also fosters a sense of community and connection within the industry, promoting collaboration and growth among participating establishments. With its user-friendly interface, versatile redemption options, and seamless integration with partner businesses, Deans Point is revolutionising the way hospitality businesses engage with their customers and elevate their overall experience.
Elevating Your F&B Hospitality Business
At Deans Point, we pride ourselves on being experts in the business of food and beverage hospitality. With a team of experienced professionals from the hospitality and restaurant industry, we collaborate with our clients and venture partners to help them unlock the full potential of their businesses.
Our diverse range of expertise includes providing support to established restaurant brands as they chart their future course, assisting hotel companies with specific asset development, helping farmers and estate owners diversify their offerings, and advising real estate developers on all their options.
Our team members are not just consultants; they are also hospitality leaders in their own right, with extensive global experience and a proven track record of success. We own and operate our own businesses, sit on the boards of many companies, and bring an unparalleled network of contacts to every project we undertake.
We are committed to challenging traditional thinking and defining the right strategy for your business. Using our broad industry knowledge and in-depth research, we provide recommendations that have a tangible commercial impact.
Our approach is designed to empower leaders and equip them with the tools they need to succeed. We are not interested in creating a dependency on our services but rather in providing our clients with the insights and expertise they need to thrive in a competitive marketplace.
International Expansion & Collaborations
Expanding a restaurant business internationally involves a complex process that demands careful consideration of various factors, including brand compatibility, product localisation, and choosing the right operating model or partners. Although the potential benefits are considerable, a strategic approach is essential to succeed rather than relying purely on chance. At Deans Point, we have a wealth of experience supporting hospitality and restaurant brands in expanding globally, and we can offer the same guidance to your business.
Here are some of the areas where we can provide assistance to help you create a successful international expansion strategy:
Market research and analysis
Growth criteria and expansion plan development
Partner identification, evaluation, and selection
Representation and negotiation
Franchise preparation
Commercial & Brand
It is essential to have a brand strategy for your restaurant or F&B concept in order to focus on your customers and occasions that will bring the most value. A brand goes beyond just a visual identity, it should establish an emotional connection with customers, create a strong customer experience, build loyalty, and establish trust. All of these efforts will increase sales and grow your business. At Deans Point, we have worked with many F&B brands to define their brand and create a coherent strategy for growth.
We can support you in the following areas to ensure the success of your brand:
Defining your brand
Conducting market research
Auditing your propositions and providing support for new product development
Auditing your brand and commercial aspects
Conducting value chain analysis
Partner identification, evaluation, and selection
Developing a portfolio strategy
Investments
Deans Point understands that investing in restaurants, food and beverage, or the hospitality technology sector can be an exciting and highly rewarding venture, with high returns of investment possible with the right opportunities. Our experience and insights in the sector, combined with the continuing professionalisation and evolution of the industry, can help make your merger, acquisition, or investment a success.
We have worked with institutional investors, private equity firms, high net worth individuals, and corporations on all kinds of deals related to these areas. Our expertise includes:
Identifying and assessing investment opportunities
Conducting brand and commercial due diligence
Conducting market research and analysis to better understand the investment landscape
Providing pitch support to help secure the best deals
Developing investment documentation and business plans to support your investment strategy.
Growth & Development
The food and beverage sector is competitive, heavily regulated, and operates on thin margins. Scaling a multi-site hospitality brand needs more than a strong concept. It requires consistent operational delivery, robust processes, and an experienced team. We have worked with businesses across the size spectrum, from first-venue entrepreneurs to global brands, drawing on hands-on experience building and scaling F&B operations ourselves.
Areas where we provide support:
Gap and opportunity analysis
Market research and PESTLE analysis
Growth mapping
Operating model analysis
Feasibility studies
Sustainable, impact-led value creation advisory
Inspiration & Learning
Alongside structured advisory, we run interventions designed to bring new thinking into hospitality businesses. These range from one-off engagements to longer-term programmes:
In addition, we provide an array of services that help inject energy and fresh thinking into businesses. These services include one-off interventions, longer-term support, or programs designed to foster team building, understand the market better, and develop strategies to identify opportunities. Some of these services include:
Trend scanning, scouting and foresight
Study tours
Inspiration Sessions
Leadership away days
Conference programme direction
Speaking and moderating events
Design Supply and Fit a-z
Deans Point, your trusted partner in hospitality consulting and machinery & ingredient supply. Our Dubai-based office is your gateway to a world of culinary excellence. We take pride in sourcing the finest products from Italy, the USA, and Turkey, ensuring you have access to the highest quality ingredients and cutting-edge machinery. With our global network and expertise, we streamline the procurement process, guaranteeing the best for your business. Let us help you elevate your hospitality venture to new heights. Explore the world of possibilities with Deans Point - where quality meets innovation.