Robert Ancill – CEO The Next Idea

Robert Ancill – CEO The Next Idea

Always creating and always learning

Robert Ancill, the CEO of the Next Idea group is a leading figure in the hospitality and interior design industries. An authority of emerging food trends, foodservice, and design, Robert is well known as one of America’s leading Global Food and Restaurant Consultants. His principles stand staunch as pillars of creativity, first-class client service, and integrity. Robert built the Next Idea from a one client agency to a well-known international boutique consulting group with a broad range of small, medium, and large clients and an enviable project portfolio. The company split in 2016 and operates consulting services under The Next Idea, www.thenextidea.net, and interior design TNI Design, www.tnidesign.com.

Since 2002 The Next Idea Group has grown into a well-known consulting and design brand with multiple service companies covering design, consulting, and business services. It is essentially a consulting agency specializing in high energy, innovative international restaurant concept development, interior design, re-positioning, food trend research forecasting, marketing, and restaurant franchising. Read More

We Must Be Better Than This

I remember learning in horror about the holocaust when I was growing up. While I was never able to understand the depth of the unimaginable terror, I was even less able to understand how no-one spoke up. Yes, during history’s darkest time, there were many acts of heroism, where individuals put their lives at serious risk to protect other human beings, however, these cases were nothing more than a dot in the abyss of the extreme depths of evil perpetrated during that extraordinary period in time.

Roll on to the events of the past week, where we witness yet another human being murdered for no reason other than the color of his skin. 

Again the polarizing issue of race manifests, although this time outrage sparked into nationwide demonstrations and riots, where, yet again the draconian question of why one race of people is treated differently to another, is being tested to the fullest. Read More

How Bad Is It?

First and foremost, let’s be clear: there will be a recovery. The world is not coming to an end, there will be no doomsday, and life will go on. Just like nature, the economy will find a way. So, to those individuals who bought van loads of toilet paper: the chances are that you will need your storage space back much faster than you could ever use said commodity, so now is the time to think about how you can utilize all that tissue for 2020 holiday gifts. Costco will not be refunding!

Nonetheless, the situation is both extraordinary and exceptionally serious. While we can say with conviction that the economy will recover, what we can’t predict is by when and what the collateral damage will look like. Read More

Why Food Delivery is Safer than Shopping during the Covid-19 Outbreak

We have all seen the numerous postings about restaurants closing and offering delivery and pick up only services. Naturally, they are all trying to stay afloat during this very trying time. Nevertheless, there is a very good reason why you might want to consider ordering take out over going to a supermarket.

Naturally, there are community considerations; supporting local businesses and corporations keeps our country working, and while every order is at a micro level, micro multiplied by millions leads to macro.

However, there is possibly a far more important reason to order from restaurants. It’s just safer! Read More

Will We All Be Vegan By 2030?

Consider this: since 2012 to 2020,meat-free meal sales in supermarkets have increased by over 1,100 percent.That’s quite a growth curve for any sector, let alone a category that has literally emerged from dirt.

At a group level, virtually all food types have vegan alternatives.

Meat substitute is possibly the largest category now, led by the Beyond and Impossible brands, along with Amy’s Kitchen, Archer Daniels Midland, and the Blue Chip Group.

The global meat substitutes market was estimated at around $1.6 billion in 2019 with projected revenue to reach $ 3.5 billion by 2026 and CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 12.0% during the same forecast. The vegan market is primarily driven by the increasing demand for plant-based meat products among Millennials and Generation Z, however, all generations have an interest in this new category given the broad appeal and underlying reasons behind this sectors’ emergence. Read More

3 Key Elements To A Well-Developed Restaurant Concept

Aprimary reason attributed to restaurant failure, is poor concept development and subsequent execution.

So what key elements should new restaurateurs focus on to ensure their new restaurant concept has high chances of success.

In this portion of the guide, we discuss in detail three primary elements to consider when drafting out a restaurant concept.

Those 3 key elements being as follows:

  1. A unique selling proposition (USP)
  2. Validation of the concept’s appeal relative to its target market and location.
  3. A clear definition of the concept’s identity.

Read More

What to check for when signing a restaurant lease

Signing a lease for any business is a complicated process, however when renting a  restaurant, the contractual complexity is compounded with the multiple operational and municipal requirements that every restaurant must face.

If we were to give any advice about signing a lease, it would be to first hire an expert and deeply experienced attorney who specializes in this niche property law. Read More