With an increasing consumer demand for more fun, immersive and experiential dining opportunities, Former CEO of The Fat Duck Group and Disney Executive, James Bulmer talks about his latest project, Park Row, a multi-sensorial gastronomic amusement park in partnership with Warner Bros, and of his vision to bring curiosity, imagination and wonderment to the hospitality sector.
What’s keeping you busy?
We have two new businesses opening in 2021, both of which combine world class food and drink with imagination and great storytelling. Park Row London is our 300 cover, multi-sensorial gastronomic amusement park in partnership with Warner Bros. The first of its kind! The concept is a sophisticated, immersive dining concept that allows the guest to cross the Rubicon into Gotham City. We have created 5 restaurant and bar spaces, including the Monarch Theatre – our halo concept – which uses projection mapping technology to complement our 11-course tasting menu. It’s a truly one-of-a-kind experience and we’re hoping people will love the level of detail and imagination that’s gone into the entire concept.
As a result of the pandemic in 2020 we also launched Wonderland at Home, our boxed sensorial dining experience that is available across the US and UK. This allows us to bring Warner Bros most beloved franchises into people’s homes through elevated in-world dining experiences. So far, we’ve produced a box to coincide with Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which was a huge hit with fans, and future experiences still on the cards include Game of Thrones, Friends and Harry Potter. It’s the perfect introduction to the Wonderland concept for those who live outside of London or can’t travel, and it’s been a fantastic showcase for the talents of our team.
What new ideas or opportunities are set to become part of your future business fabric?
We’d like to develop the Wonderland ethos into something larger, the Academy of Curiosity & Wonderment. This will be a part of the business where we foster innovation and imagination, mixing science, magic, storytelling and consumer needs – the ‘back room’ where we can experiment with our most out-there ideas without fear of failure. As wider men than me have said, if you can conceive of it, you can make it happen!
What are the biggest challenges you are facing right now?
I don’t think they’re uncommon to the rest of the hospitality industry. There have been some seismic changes recently, including Brexit and the pandemic, and these have had a huge impact on things like cash flow, staffing, lease agreements, food prices – the fundamentals of keeping a business afloat at the most basic level. On top of this we’re trying to launch a totally unique and hugely multi-faceted restaurant experience, so we’re having to be incredibly nimble when it comes to any hurdles that come our way (and there are a lot of hurdles!). It’s definitely been the steepest of learning curves, even for a relatively experienced team, but if you can adapt and react, I think it’s more than possible to weather the storm.
Is there anything you know now that you’d wish you’d known at the start of your career?
Everything. This is my third start up and you learn so much from each experience. For me every project starts with the same excitement and vision, but experience is the key to making that journey smoother each time. Reflecting on when I started my first business, people have always wanted to follow me due to my passion, but the challenge is that I didn’t know how to lead. Experience underpins great leadership. The “think clearly under pressure” mantra we live by becomes easier the more experiences you have had, because you have so much more to draw on.
Who have been your most important professional mentors / influencers?
Lord John Birt, a maverick of his time with an incredible strategic mind, a strength of character and calmness in the face of adversity I have never seen before. I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked with him and still keep in constant communication.
And (of course) Roald Dahl; my first influence and strongest memory growing up. From hot milk at bedtime with my parents reading the Twits, this was part of the day was always allowed my imagination to run riot in fantastical worlds. It will come as no surprise Willy Wonka is my hero.
What keeps you motivated?
I’ve never been a person who chases awards. What I care about is the journey and the potential! Where can we take this and how can we keep pushing and innovating? Food is such an exciting industry that really unites people from all walks of life, from our teams at Wonderland right to the end consumer. You can have so much fun with the end product. It’s also so fundamentally linked to storytelling – right from the days where people would gather round a fire, right the way through to the family table. Partnering with Warner Bros has meant incredible things for our reach and has been such a key part of realising the vision for the business on a global scale.
Knowing we’re only just getting started gives me my drive. Even when the journey can feel tough, you know the end point – and the adventure you’ll have along the way – more than makes up for it.
What inspires you?
The people around me – two of the best feelings in business for me are firstly watching excitement spread amongst a group of people as the momentum of a new idea takes hold and secondly being part of the personal growth of an individual. There is a great picture of Gordon Ramsay with his brigade outside his first restaurant in St James. In that team of young, fresh faces were the leaders of the hospitality sector now. Every single one of them. Something I think is always important to try and emulate.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
I don’t believe in guilty pleasures because one should never be ashamed of enjoying something BUT if you asked my team they’d say it’s probably a toss-up between Disney songs and whatever treats happen to be in the office on any given day.
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