lunch! 2027

Food-to-go is one of the busiest parts of the UK eating out market, and lunch! is the trade show built around it. Organised by Diversified Communications UK and first held in 2008, the event serves the businesses that sell food and drink for people on the move, from coffee shops and sandwich bars to convenience stores, caterers and the brands that supply them.

The show spent many years at the Business Design Centre in London before outgrowing it and moving to ExCeL London, where it now forms part of the London Food & Drink Festival, a group of co-located trade events that includes The National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show. One trade registration gives access to all of the co-located events, so buyers from neighbouring parts of the hospitality and retail market can cover them in a single trip.

Exhibitors typically include food and drink producers, from established brands to start-ups, together with suppliers of packaging, equipment and technology for food-to-go operations. Visitors include independent operators, contract caterers, supermarket and convenience buyers and travel retail, looking for new products, menu ideas and practical solutions. A free content programme on trends and insight runs alongside the exhibition.

For suppliers, the appeal is direct access to the people who decide what goes into chillers, onto counters and onto menus. New product discovery is a large part of why buyers attend, and tasting is central to the conversation, so sampling is often the heart of a successful stand.