Caffè Concerto at 30 with Director Stephano Borjak

As Caffè Concerto marks its 30th anniversary, Director Stephano Borjak speaks to HRC about retaining experienced teams, responding to changing tastes and preserving personal service as the business grows.

From its first Regent Street restaurant in 1996, Caffè Concerto has developed an Italian-inspired dining and patisserie concept built around elegant surroundings, afternoon tea and a menu that spans the day.

The brand has grown over the years from Regent Street to Knightsbridge, Chelsea, the West End, Westfield shopping centres and Victoria Gate in Leeds. It then expanded internationally to the Louvre in Paris, Qatar, Jeddah and Riyadh, among other locations, laying the foundations for a wider hospitality group.

For Director Stephano Borjak, the original ambition was straightforward: to create somewhere that offered more than a quick coffee.

“London needs something high-end, a coffee shop with a nice patisserie,” he recalls telling the Crown Estate when presenting the concept.

That approach has shaped the choice of locations as the business has expanded across London and into international markets. Borjak describes a customer base drawn from shopping destinations, theatres and tourist areas, where a visit might mean afternoon tea, a plate of pasta or simply cake and coffee.

The surroundings have evolved alongside the menu. Borjak says the design team continues to refresh the concept while maintaining its recognisable European influence.

Celebrating the people behind the business

For Borjak, the anniversary is an opportunity to recognise the people who have helped the business reach this point. A celebration at its Oxford Street site this month will focus on bringing together team members, management and supply-chain partners, alongside other guests.

“Without them, we would not have been here for 30 years,” he says of the team.

Recruitment remains challenging, but he describes a business with a substantial core of long-serving employees. Some have stayed for 20 or 25 years, while one colleague has been with Caffè Concerto throughout its three decades.

“We treat them well, we train them well, we pay them well,” says Borjak.

He sees that combination of support, respect and pay as central to encouraging people to stay, in addition to empowering teams to deliver true hospitality to their customers.

Making room for trends alongside the classics

Caffè Concerto’s core offer continues to centre on afternoon tea, fresh pasta and patisserie. Black Forest cake, strawberry gateau and tiramisu have remained part of the range since the early days, classics to anchor the business and the brand.

Alongside those familiar products, the team follows changes in customer preferences and the online F&B trends which come and go. Borjak says Head Chefs and the Operations Manager monitor demand for vegan, gluten-free and high-protein options, while restaurant managers feed specific customer requests back to the management team.

“We’re looking at trends all the time,” he says.

Recent additions have included explosion in Dubai chocolate adjacent products and flavours. However, Borjak describes the trend as having cooled, with the business continuing to introduce other items while retaining established favourites. The approach gives customers something new to discover without losing products they return for.

On social media, he also stresses the importance of showing customers the food they can actually expect to receive. “We’re not using Photoshop images to make it look good,” he says. “They are real pictures of dishes our customers can order.”

An experience throughout the day

The breadth of the menu allows customers to visit for different occasions, from breakfast and lunch to afternoon tea and dinner. Patisserie remains available throughout the day, and guests can also stop for a glass of Prosecco and cake or coffee and dessert.

Live music adds another dimension at selected venues. Borjak describes performances as part of the concept, giving guests something to enjoy with their partners or families during a meal. Some performers have worked with the business for around 15 years, alongside newer artists.

Investing in production while protecting personal service

Behind the scenes, Borjak says technology plays an important role in production and quality control. The business’s central kitchen in Park Royal produces patisserie and food items, with products also supplied to overseas locations for finishing on site.

“We are always investing in technology,” he says, explaining the care required to maintain standards as products move from the central kitchen to restaurants.

In the dining room, priorities are different. Having trialled digital ordering at the table, Borjak places particular value on the conversation between guests and the people serving them, championing a traditional approach to hospitality and service.

“It’s nice to have that human interaction with the waiters and waitresses, for them to come in and talk to you about new dishes and new items,” he says.

That exchange can help a guest decide what to order, whether through a pasta recommendation or a suggestion for a lighter meal. For Borjak, those moments remain an essential part of hospitality and the experience Caffè Concerto wants to offer.

Choosing the right locations for growth

Looking ahead, Borjak says the business is considering further growth outside London, mentioning York and Manchester as possible destinations while continuing to expand in the capital. The business is often asked to expand throughout the UK but the opportunity and the location has to be the right fit.

He acknowledges the pressure of higher raw-material, logistics and labour costs, but says the business continues to invest selectively.

“We’re still investing in the right way,” he says. “We’re carefully selecting areas because our concept is very unique.”

For Caffè Concerto, the next stage of expansion will depend on finding locations that suit the brand and the experience its customers expect. Thirty years on, Borjak’s focus remains on the people, products and personal service that have helped it grow.

Caffè Concerto Chief Executive Maher Al Hajjar commented on the 30th birthday of the brand: “Some customers have known us for decades and others are only discovering us now. I want both to feel included in our celebrations. Thirty years deserves a genuine thank-you shared across our restaurants, and our daily giveaways are one way of placing that thank-you directly into our customers’ hands.

“I am deeply grateful to Stephano, whose vision and determination helped make Caffè Concerto what it is today. As we develop the Caffè Concerto Hospitality Group, we want to carry that same tradition of hospitality from our restaurants and cafés into hotels, bringing together dining, service and an overnight stay.

“Customers often share memories of first dates, birthdays, engagements, family traditions and stays with us, and that is what I treasure most about being in hospitality. In another 30 years, I hope to hear someone say, ‘My parents brought me here, and now I bring my children.’”

Starting on October 22, activities celebrating the brand’s milestone will include 30 Iconic Dishes for 30 Years, special food, drink and cake creations, daily giveaways and live music at selected restaurants. The 30 Iconic Dishes collection has been selected following a review of Caffè Concerto’s original menus, customer favourites and dishes that represent different periods in the brand’s history.

Further details of Caffè Concerto’s anniversary celebrations will be announced through its websites, restaurants, hotel and social media channels.