Martin Williams, the new CEO of Evolv Collection, the business that was formerly D&D and before that Conran Restaurants, said the project, which will be announced fully in January, will target Orrery, which he describes as a ‘Michelin-level’ restaurant.
Speaking at MCA’s recent Restaurant Conference, Williams said: “We’ve got a really exciting project with Orrery to gain a Michelin star there. To have two stars within the collection is very important.”
Orrery was awarded a Michelin star in 1999 when it was under the stewardship of head chef Chris Galvin but lost it in 2008. At the time it was Conran Restaurants’ only Michelin-starred restaurant.
Evolv Collection currently has one starred restaurant in its portfolio, seafood-focused Angler, which was awarded a star in 2013.
Expansion across the UK and the globe
Williams also said that he planned to further grow Evolv Collection’s presence both in the UK and abroad. The restaurant group will open new restaurants under its Sartoria and Tavern brands in London over the coming months. A second site under the Tavern brand - Paternoster Tavern - opened yesterday (18 November) on Ludgate Hill.
He also intends to revive Japanese restaurant concept Miyabi, that was located in the Great Eastern Hotel.
“We are looking at how we can reintroduce and reimagine that brand and grow it as well,” he said, adding that more would be announced in the second quarter of next year.
In terms of international expansion, Williams said he saw the US as a land of opportunity and is taking the Tavern brand across the pond. Launching in early 2026 at 20 Hudson Yards, Queens Tavern will be the group’s third New York operation, joining its Queensyard restaurant and Guastavino’s events space. Further openings in the US are expected to be on the cards.
“We have a platform for growth in the UK an internationally,” Williams said. “We’re very privileged that we have a US set up, so to add a third in January is very simple for us.
“We’ve got a platform for US growth to do that fairly quickly. And there’s lots of opportunity there.”
Williams also spoke of the potential for some of Evolv’s brands to expand into the Middle East. “We have some heritage brands such as Bluebird and Quaglino’s that everybody wants, particularly in the UAE, where they want the best of London.
“[These brands] were born in London and founded by a knight [of the realm]. It’s a very rich proposition that has amazing growth potential.”
An in-depth interview with Martin Williams will be published next week.