Ping Pong ceases trading, closes remaining four sites: The four-strong Ping Pong restaurant business has ceased trading and closed all of its sites in London. Propel revealed last month that AJT Dimsum, the parent company of the Ping Pong, was set for a restructure after filing a notice of intention to appoint an administrator. Ping Pong – which operated sites in Soho, Southbank, St Christopher’s Place and Bow Bells House – had lined up Begbies Traynor to oversee the process. Ping Pong previously also operated sites in Westfield London, Westfield Stratford, St Katharine Dock, Covent Garden and the Wembley Designer Outlet. In November 2022, the business was sold to its existing management team, led by Art Sagiryan, who is the son of the business’ long-time backer, Igor Sagiryan, via a pre-pack administration for a total consideration of £3.21m. For the period from 18 November 2022 to 31 March 2024, the company turned over £16,234,820, with a pre-tax profit of £40,489. The company said: “After 20 unforgettable years, Ping Pong Dim Sum has officially closed its doors. We sign off with immense pride in what we built: a bold, independent hospitality brand that brought affordable luxury, creativity and heart to London’s dining scene. From our biggest years to our most challenging ones, we adapted, reimagined, consolidated and kept going, through shifts in the industry, unexpected hurdles and ever-changing tides. We made it this far thanks to the sheer ingenuity of our directors and the unwavering strength of the incredible people behind the brand. Through every dumpling wrapped, cocktail stirred and campaign launched, we were fuelled by passion and by the loyal support of our guests, who stayed with us, loved us and cheered us on to the very end. To them, we say thank you. You made it all worthwhile. To our collaborators and trusted suppliers, thank you for being part of our journey. Your craft, reliability and shared passion helped shape what made Ping Pong truly special. And to our team, the soul of Ping Pong, thank you. For your resilience, your talent and your ability to turn every shift into something magic. From front of house to kitchen, from office management to sales, operations and our central kitchen, to everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, you’ve shown what hospitality truly means: generosity, dedication and joy in the face of adversity. To recruiters and industry peers: please, keep your eyes open for our exceptional team members. They are creative, skilled, adaptable and have weathered storms most could never have predicted. Hire them. You won’t regret it. To all the brilliant independents still out there: hang in there. We see you. We know how hard it is to offer something thoughtful, soulful and different in a world that doesn’t always make space for that. Keep going, your work matters more than you know. Though this chapter ends, the story continues. And while it’s sad, deeply so, there is beauty in knowing we wrapped everything into it.” Ping Pong was founded in 2005 by restaurateur Kurt Zdesar, with Igor Sagiryan’s backing, and grew to 13 restaurants within four years. Zdesar left in 2007, and the business later closed several unprofitable sites. By the end of 2022, Ping Pong had halved its portfolio from its peak size to six London restaurants and a central production kitchen.

Hundreds booked for Operational Excellence Conference: Hundreds of operators have now booked for this year’s Operational Excellence Conference, which is being held in partnership with Purple Story. The conference – which takes place on Wednesday, 9 July at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings – is designed for operations directors, managers, area managers, site managers and chief executives who want to maximise performance. Operating companies attending include The Restaurant Group, Greene King, Marston’s, Mitchells & Butlers, Papa John's, Punch, PizzaExpress, Wagamama, Burger King, Subway, Amber Taverns, BrewDog, RedCat Hospitality, Five Guys, McMullens, Bill’s, Joe & the Juice, Parkdean Resorts, Soho Coffee Co, Honest Burgers, The Alchemist Bars & Restaurants, Roadchef, Individual Restaurants, Portobello Pub Co, San Carlo, Bubble CiTea, Mowgli Street Food, Peach Pubs, Pizza Pilgrims, Comptoir Group, Wahaca, Beds & Bars, Arc Inspirations, Marugame Udon, Cosmo Restaurants, Flat Iron, Upham Pubs, Incipio Group, Buns from Home, Insomnia Cookies, Timothy Taylors, Caprinos Pizza, Burger Boi, The Beautiful Pubs Collection, Livelyhood, McManus Pubs, Thorley Taverns, Cheshire Pub Co, Tapas Revolution, Berkeley Inns, Le Pain Quotidien, AIM, Treetop Golf, Humble Grape, Temper, Pizza Union, Dakota Hotels, Public House Group, Bao London, Brother Marcus, Urban Village Pubs, Little Door and Co, Grosvenor Pubs, Sandbox VR, Five Points Brewing Co/Whitelocks, Clays, The Cat & Wickets Pub Company, Hasty Tasty, Pi, Silk Rd, Lancaster Brewery, Koya London, Arepa & Co, Shiko Group, The Lost Estate, Crate Brewery, Heidi Bakery, Burhill Group, Jardines UK, Meet Bros, Siren Craft Brew, Blackbird Bakery and The Moat Wrotham. Propel managing director Paul Charity said: “As labour costs soar, lots of companies have responded to this opportunity as they look to get the best out of their teams and maximise performance. This is the largest operational conference in the UK by attendance.” Propel is also launching “parallel sessions” at this year’s conference, which offer the chance to deep-dive into specialist subjects. There will be a chance for teams attending the conference to break away and absorb the parallel sessions. There will be 12 parallel sessions in total, which will run alongside the main conference. For the full speaker schedule and details of the parallel sessions, click here. Tickets are £295 plus VAT for operators and £345 plus VAT for suppliers. There is a 20% discount for operators and suppliers who are Premium Club subscribers. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to book.