We’re kickstarting the year with a new appointment – Thom Hetherington – a leading hospitality industry insider and champion of the sector in the North West.
He’ll join us as a monthly columnist for Manchester’s Finest, with his first feature due to be published on Sunday 4th February.
In 2022, Hetherington founded Landing Light and acts as a consultant, commentator and community builder in food, drink, and culture in the North – advising national hospitality operators on their Northern expansion plans, as well as public institutions, major property developers and city councils on food and drink vision and strategy.
Prior to this Hetherington was one of founders of the critically acclaimed Restaurant magazine and the 50 Best Restaurants in the World awards, and latterly built a world class portfolio of hospitality events as the owner of the trade exhibition Northern Restaurant and Bar that he owned for two decades.
Previous bylines include a warmly received restaurant column ‘Gone Dining’ for Business Desk, and his monthly features for Finest will continue to highlight and elucidate the best dining experiences and dishes on menus across Greater Manchester, as he seeks out the finest food and drink on offer and enjoys meals over conversation with other key figures, that glean insights into their respective industries.
Hetherington will also continue his popular monthly ‘petit fours’ round up alongside his column, featuring: “hospitality news and gossip, idle thoughts and insider insights, to engage both diners and operators across the region.”
He said: “I’m delighted to be joining Manchester’s Finest Group as part of their continued upward trajectory. Like me, they are vocal champions of independent hospitality and cultural operators, and as such a significant publication they are the perfect platform for me to share and celebrate the best food and drink operators in Manchester and across the North.
With their huge social media following and highly engaged audience they’ve proven themselves to be active agents of positive change for Greater Manchester and they have the numbers to make national and international brands sit up and take notice. It’s an exciting time to be a part of this landscape and to speak to such a sizable, discerning and growing audience.”
James Barker, Director at Manchester’s Finest Group, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Thom Hetherington to Manchester’s Finest. His exceptional insight and wealth of experience in the hospitality industry align seamlessly with our commitment to delivering top-notch content and valuable information to our audience.
Thom’s presence adds an exciting dimension to our team, and his support will be instrumental in propelling our continued growth as the leading lifestyle platform in Manchester.”
