Ollie Dabbous partners with Restaurant Associates

Restaurant Associates has announced a new partnership with London chef and Michelin-starred restaurateur Ollie Dabbous, introducing his ingredient-focused approach to sites across the business.

Ollie, known for co-founding and leading Hide in Piccadilly and for earning a Michelin star within six months of opening his debut restaurant, will work closely with culinary teams to evolve menus and strengthen the group’s food identity.

Read more: Ollie Dabbous to leave role as chef patron of HIDE

His philosophy, built around minimalism, seasonality and clarity of flavour, aligns with Restaurant Associates’ existing focus on simple, ingredient-driven cooking.

A shared vision of modern British hospitality

The partnership will see Ollie collaborating with teams across multiple concepts, developing dishes that highlight purity, seasonality and technical restraint. His role will also include mentoring chefs, refining menu structure and contributing ideas across both casual and fine-dining operations.

Adam Thomason, culinary director at Restaurant Associates said: “Having Ollie on board was really exciting because he shared the same culinary vision as us. It was clear during his time at Hide that he is someone who truly stood out. It is an incredible restaurant that delivered exceptional foodie experiences, from the casual offers right through to the premium top-end ones.

“His absolute superpower was that he understood firsthand what our guests needed and how we could make the best food possible. He inspired our chefs, trained them further to create incredible dishes, and he did it all while being an all-round genuinely lovely guy.”

Ingredient integrity at the centre

For Ollie, the partnership offered an opportunity to work with a wider network of chefs who already prioritised quality produce.

He said: “The partnership with Restaurant Associates could not have felt more organic. The chefs were passionate, kind and well-organised. As a company ethos, they respected the integrity of ingredients, serving dishes that celebrated their natural qualities rather than masking them.

“I had the pleasure of working with some of the team recently whilst hosting an exclusive chef’s table experience for one of their clients. What really stood out was that their pursuit of excellence was founded on seasonality, simplicity in presentation and depth of flavour. I was looking forward to contributing fresh ideas across both their casual and fine-dining experiences, getting to know the team and serving some amazing dishes to their clients.”

Strengthening culinary identity across the group

Restaurant Associates said the collaboration marked an important step in its continued evolution. The group’s culinary teams – covering workplace dining, hospitality suites and executive dining rooms – are increasingly drawing on prominent British chefs to bring new techniques, perspectives and flavour profiles into their kitchens.

Ollie’s style, built on precision and subtlety, reinforces the company’s ongoing direction towards cleaner plates, stronger seasonality and a more modern interpretation of British and European cooking.

The partnership will continue across 2025 as teams integrate new dishes, review menu cycles and embed shared culinary training.