NEW The AI Restaurant Playbook — 9 chapters of practical AI strategies for restaurant owners. Get your copy →

Twenty Years Running Restaurants.
Now Building Their Digital Side.

Epicurean Digital Consultants was founded in 2024 by Ali Solak, after 20+ years managing 250+ outlets across five countries. The consultancy is new. The operational experience behind it is not.

Book Your Free Strategy Call
Download: 5-Minute Booking Audit Checklist
250+
Outlets Managed Across 5 Countries
20+
Years in F&B Operations & Leadership
11
London Stores Launched in 3 Years (Simit Sarayi)
Start Website Requirements Questionnaire

Two sides of the same business

Running the Venue

Two decades of doing this on the floor, not from a deck.

  • Venue Launch
  • Menu Engineering
  • Staff Training
  • Operational Audits

Filling the Venue

The digital side, built by someone who has run the room.

  • Website Design
  • Local SEO
  • Social Media
  • Email Marketing
  • Branding

Most venues need both sides. Very few people do both.

Our Services

A unique blend of hospitality expertise and digital innovation for modern food businesses.

Explore All Services
The Person Behind the Consultancy

Meet the Founder

Ali Solak β€” Founder of Epicurean Digital Consultants

Ali Solak

Founder & Principal Consultant

Connect on LinkedIn

I didn't start in digital marketing. I started where you are β€” in kitchens, behind bars, managing front-of-house teams, and trying to fill seats on a rainy Tuesday night.

Over 20+ years I've managed 250+ outlets across 5 countries and opened 11 Simit Sarayi stores across London in just 3 years.

Now I combine that hands-on operational experience with modern digital strategy to help independent restaurants, cafΓ©s, and hospitality businesses compete β€” and win β€” in today's market.

Simit SarayΔ± (London)

11 stores launched in 3 years across Greater London

Multi-Country Operations

250+ outlets managed across 5 countries

Full-Stack Hospitality

From kitchen operations to digital transformation

Free Resources

Free Opening Playbooks

Step-by-step guides to launching a cafΓ©, restaurant or pub in the UK β€” free to download.

β˜•

Coffee Shop Playbook

From first idea to first espresso β€” the complete guide to opening a profitable UK cafΓ©.

12 Chapters β€’ Free

Read Free Guide β†’
🍽️

Restaurant Playbook

Business plan to grand opening β€” everything you need to launch a UK restaurant.

14 Chapters β€’ Free

Read Free Guide β†’
🍺

Pub & Bar Playbook

Concept to first pint β€” the complete guide to opening a successful UK pub or bar.

13 Chapters β€’ Free

Read Free Guide β†’
πŸ“„

HospitalityCV

Build a professional, ATS-optimised hospitality CV in under 5 minutes. 15+ role-specific templates from commis chef to hotel director.

Free β€’ No Account Needed

Build Your CV Free β†’
View All Playbooks β†’
Restaurant mobile app in action

Transform Your Restaurant With Custom Mobile Apps

Give your customers the convenience they crave with a branded mobile app. Increase orders, boost loyalty, and drive sales with powerful mobile solutions designed specifically for hospitality businesses.

Explore Mobile Solutions
Your Journey With Epicurean Digital Consultants β€” From Free Consultation to Results and Growth

About Us

I've been in your shoes. Empty tables despite great food. A website that looks nice but doesn't convert. Social media that gets likes but no bookings. A menu that could be more profitable but you're not sure where to start.

I started Epicurean Digital Consultants on a simple idea: the people who fix restaurant problems should be people who've actually run restaurants. I've spent 20+ years in hands-on F&B operations across 5 countries, including opening 11 Simit Sarayi stores across London in 3 years.

Common Problems I Solve:

  • β€’ Websites that look good but don't generate bookings
  • β€’ Social media that gets likes but not paying customers
  • β€’ Menus that aren't engineered for maximum profitability
  • β€’ No clear digital strategy connecting online presence to revenue

I combine hands-on hospitality knowledge with modern digital strategy β€” websites that convert, brands that connect, menus that sell, and marketing that actually brings people through your door.

20+
Years in F&B Ops
250+
Outlets Managed
5
Countries
Our Full Story
Our Products

We Don't Just Consult β€” We Build

Everything I wished existed when I was running 250+ outlets across 5 countries, built in-house.

πŸ“Š

MenuMargin

AI-Powered Menu Engineering Software for UK Hospitality

Menu pricing is where a lot of margin quietly disappears. We built MenuMargin to bring the pieces together in one place: menu design, food cost tracking, profitability analysis, and allergen compliance β€” so you can see what each dish actually earns before it goes on the menu.

20+ Templates AI Menu Engineering Food Cost Tracking 14 UK Allergens Print-Ready PDFs GP% Analysis
🍽️

For Restaurant Owners

Design stunning menus, track your food costs in real time, and use AI to identify which dishes to promote, reprice, or remove. Decisions made against your own numbers rather than a hunch.

πŸ“‹

For F&B Consultants

White-label menu sharing, client management, consultant-grade insights, and the Boston Matrix analysis your clients expect β€” without the spreadsheet headaches.

Try MenuMargin Free β†’

No card required β€’ Free plan available β€’ Built by Epicurean Digital Consultants

πŸ“„

HospitalityCV

Free AI-Powered CV Builder for Hospitality

I've spent 20+ years hiring in hospitality. I know exactly what makes a hiring manager stop scrolling and pick up the phone. So we built an AI-powered CV builder that gives everyone in hospitality β€” from commis chefs to hotel directors β€” a CV that speaks the language employers actually care about.

ATS-Optimised 15+ Role Templates AI Tailor to Job Free to Start Ready in 5 Minutes
🏒

For Restaurant Owners

Share it with your team as a career development perk. It gives them something to work through and keep.

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ³

For Hospitality Professionals

Build the CV that gets you the interview, not the rejection email. Role-specific templates for chefs, bartenders, managers, hotel staff, and more.

Try HospitalityCV Free β†’

No account needed β€’ Free to start β€’ Built by Epicurean Digital Consultants

πŸ€–

The AI Restaurant Playbook

9 Chapters of Practical AI Strategies for Restaurant Owners

A practical guide to the AI tools worth a restaurant's time β€” from ChatGPT menu engineering to automated review responses. Step-by-step, with copy-paste prompts, cost calculators, and a 90-day roadmap.

9 Chapters 10 Copy-Paste Prompts Menu Calculator Food Cost Tracker 90-Day Roadmap
Get the Playbook → £19.99 Free Preview Available

Written by hospitality operators, not tech consultants β€’ Instant PDF download

From the Blog

Thought leadership on F&B consulting, AI marketing, menu design, and future-proof digital strategies.

AI-Generated Food Imagery

Turn Your Head Chef Into a YouTube Star (With AI Help)

Your chef is your secret content weapon. With a smartphone and a few AI tools, they can become the face of your brand.

Learn how simple behind-the-scenes clips can be transformed with AI narration, auto-subtitles, and intelligent editingβ€”no production team required.

Read Our Blog

AI in Action

Discover how artificial intelligence is transforming restaurant marketing, design, training, and menu development.

Weekly AI Tools for Hospitality

Tools and applications we are currently working with

Each week, we test and curate the most powerful AI tools specifically for restaurants, cafΓ©s, and food businesses. From menu design and marketing automation to customer service and operational efficiency, we work out which tools are worth your money and which are not.

AI Video Generation

Create professional promo videos from simple text descriptions

Dish Photography

Generate stunning food imagery without expensive photo shoots

Explore AI Tools

Still Hungry for Answers?

We’ve got the AI expertise to serve them up.

View Full FAQ →
Free Download

5-Minute Booking Audit Checklist

Find out why your website isn't converting visitors into bookings. This quick self-audit walks through the things that most often stop a restaurant website converting β€” and how to fix each one.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. We respect your privacy.

Ready to Transform Your Food Business?

Book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss how we can help your restaurant, cafΓ©, or food venture thrive in the digital age.

Book Free Consultation Email Us Directly