Former Gaucho boss Martin Williams is to take over as chief exec of D&D London, one of the biggest high-end restaurant groups in the UK.
The move will see him take charge of brands including Coq d’Argent, Bluebird, German Gymnasium, Quaglino’s and Angler, which holds a Michelin star.
Williams said: “I am delighted to be joining such an amazing group of restaurants, many of which have a phenomenal legacy, which played no small part in my falling in love with the hospitality sector.
“I now look forward to taking stewardship of the company as it enters a new chapter of growth under the new Evolv Collection branding.
“The recent performance results and awards, show the excellent talent and potential of the team who I am excited to join and lead.”
D&D London board director Simon Wilkinson said: “We are pleased to announce that Martin Williams has been appointed as our new chief executive officer. We have closely monitored his career over an extended period and are confident that he will be an asset to our organisation.
“He joins us at a very exciting time for the business. After a focussed period of stabilisation and transformation we are very much looking forward to Martin leading us through the next stage of both organic and acquisitive growth. On the back of a record festive trading period, a strong January and the company’s first major refurbishment for many years, we are well positioned for Martin to evolve and grow the business further.”
Turnover at D&D increased on a like-for-like basis from £129m in 2022 to £133m in its 2023 financial year. EBITDA fell from £11m in 2022 to £5m in 2023.
Williams’ appointment follows a tumultuous few years for D&D, with former boss Des Gunewardena leaving the company in 2022 after 18 years at the helm. David Loewi – the other “D” in D&D – followed him at the end of last year.
The group was acquired by Byron Burgers backer Calveton and Breal Capital in 2024 in a deal worth £60m. Last week D&D announced plans to rebrand the company as “the Evolv Collection”.
A spokesman said: “It is an appropriate time for the company to evolve into its new corporate identity. From our early roots as part of Sir Terence Conran’s pioneering restaurant empire, via D&D London and now into the Evolv Collection, our new name reflects our commitment to a forward-thinking mindset for our collection of iconic venues.”
It also said it will launch Bluebird in the City – a sister restaurant to Bluebird Chelsea – on the site of the 3 South Place Restaurant at the South Place hotel.
D&D operates 20 restaurants across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Paris and New York. Loewi told City AM last year the company has plans to more than double its number of doors, including sites in Europe, North America, the Middle East and the Far East.
Who is Martin Williams?
After graduating from the prestigious ALRA drama school, Martin Williams worked as a professional actor, landing roles in Casualty, ITV drama The Vice, British movie Forgive and Forget and a play at the Crucible.
Upon pivoting to hospitality, he rose to become MD of Gaucho before leaving to set up M Restaurant (the “M” stands for Martin). Williams made a bid to acquire Gaucho in 2014 after it fell into administration. He eventually assumed control in 2019 after Gaucho’s holding company acquired M and merged the brands to form Rare Restaurants, with Williams brought in as chief exec.
During his time at Rare, the group outperformed expectations and opened five new restaurants. He stepped down in October last year after six years in charge. M Threadneedle Street remains a City staple but its sister venues in Victoria and Canary Wharf closed in the aftermath of Covid.
Williams is known as a flamboyant owner with an eye for attention grabbing stunts. During his time at M he offered experiences including a yacht that could be chartered for a meal on the Thames; a six-foot, autonomous robot Champagne waiter; dog-friendly brunches; a hidden member’s “den” complete with a PlayStation and table football; wine vending machines; “steak roulette” evenings where you have a chance to “win” a cut of meat; a petanque pitch; and an annual Young Chef of the Year awards.
Williams is also a food and wine columnist for City AM.
The departure of the two “D”s
Gunewardena and Loewi’s involvement in the company goes back more than 30 years to its beginnings as the restaurant empire founded by Terrence Conran. They took control and rebranded the group almost two decades ago.
Gunewardena told City AM last year his exit was prompted by a disagreement with former private equity partner LDC, who sold their stake in 2023 after a 10 year involvement.
He said: “I had one vision for how to develop the company and the private equity investors had a different vision.
“My strategy was to continue to practise the things that have been so successful since D&D was formed, and prior to that since Conran was formed. In the short term, you have to manage the business as well as you can. And in the long term you continue to stick to your vision: long term players, long term growth.
“That was my strategy. Theirs was more focused on the short term. [When I was at D&D] we had a history of actually never closing a restaurant. We were long term players.”
After Gunewardena’s departure D&D shuttered four restaurants including Avenue and Radici in the capital.