Meet the winners of CODE’s Happiest Places to Work 2026, in partnership with Planday. 

The 25 businesses below were the ones that stood out for their people practices and policies to our panel of judges: Lorraine Copes, founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality; Lauren Linford, founder of Home Hospitality; Rachel Kerr-Lapsley, managing director at Kelly’s Cause; Justine Murphy, founder of VERiFAIR; Pushpa Reddy, Chief Product Officer of Planday; along with CODE founder Adam Hyman and editor Hilary Armstrong. They did so not with big statements and grand gestures, but with thoughtful, practical initiatives that make a tangible difference to the lives of their people. 

It has rarely been more challenging to run a successful hospitality business. Rising food costs, wage increases, the cost of living and the legacy of Brexit continue to squeeze margins, while businesses are also navigating rapid changes in technology, from new systems to the growing role of AI, alongside evolving expectations around their teams’ right to disconnect. Against this backdrop, the best businesses, whether plucky independents or nationwide groups, local bakeries or luxury hotels, are finding cost-effective ways to support, retain and, above all, inspire their people. 

Read on to meet this year’s overall winner, the winner of our Judges’ Spotlight Award and all the other businesses named among CODE’s Happiest Places to Work, listed in alphabetical order, and discover what they’re doing to make hospitality a better place. 

CODE’s Happiest Places to Work 2026

Overall Winner

Black Bear Burger

Multiple sites, London

Team size: 130 | New entry

The Black Bear Burger philosophy can be summed up as “simple, done well”. They’re referring, of course, to their famous dry-aged, grass-fed British beef burgers – voted the 2nd best in the world – but the philosophy might equally apply to their streamlined operation. Unusually, for a company this size, Black Bear Burger doesn’t have an HR department; its small head office is made up of just founder Stew Down, the operations director and three “home-grown” area operations managers. Rather than imposing policies and processes from the top, the head office exists to support the people running the business day to day. The group now has three bricks-and-mortar sites (Brixton, Exmouth Market and Westfield) and six food stalls across London, grown out of a stall at Broadway Market started by husband-and-wife team Stew and Liz Down. The judging panel was impressed by Stew’s visible, engaged leadership; the trust placed in its people; the high scores for inspiring leadership; and the exceptionally high engagement with the survey. This is a business that keeps things simple, trusts its people and leads from the front. “We care about our colleagues, we care about our guests and we care about what reaches the tables.” 

• One hour onboarding with Black Bear founder, Stew Down, with the first month at the company meaning new recruits get Black Bear Burger culture “straight from the horse’s mouth”. 

• Black Bear Wing Fest – a quarterly competition with a £200 cash prize, open to every team member, not just chefs but waiters and managers too. Every entrant gets £25 to go and eat wings for ‘research’. The winning wing goes on to be one of the next season’s wing specials, served across six sites.  

• Senior managers’ monthly brunches – attendance isn’t compulsory but turn out is good for a chance to take a break from the restaurants and get together to share ideas and problem-solve. 

• A strong focus on succession planning, with junior managers supported to progress into senior roles. Assistant managers are designated “hospitality magic champions”, involved with onboarding, sales, culture and training, alongside their day-to-day operational responsibilities. 

• Autonomy for site-level managers, helping to improve staff retention and, in turn, strengthen retention across the wider operation. 

blackbearburger.com

Winner of the Judges’ Spotlight Award

COR & Ragù

Bristol

Team size: 38 

Mark and Karen Chapman’s two restaurants, COR and Ragù, are the ultimate Bristol indies – shining examples of small businesses that have built their culture around opportunity, genuine care for their people and a strong connection to the wider community. As the group continues to grow, it prioritises stability and long-term careers, with clear progression, cross-venue training, a sustainability focus and a many-pronged approach to workplace welfare. Rather than seeing its size as a limitation, it makes a virtue of it. 

• A personalised rota system is designed to support not just parents and carers but all staff with fixed personal commitments. This includes set days, predictable patterns, protected hours, and school run allowances. Eight parents currently working across COR and Ragù have all been there since the start. Some 86% of staff receive three days off weekly. 

• A comprehensive financial stability package that includes a hardship and emergency fund, responsible early wage access and a transparent pay-rise framework. In addition, the business covers 50% of gym, pool or yoga memberships and 20% of funded therapy or mental health support. 

• Work experience, youth and community projects are a regular part of the business’s role in Bristol’s wider hospitality ecosystem. Two chef apprentices and six under-18s are currently progressing through early hospitality careers, while six staff have completed WSET Level 2 or 3. 

correstaurant.com, ragurestaurant.com 

Anglian Country Inns

Multiple sites, Norfolk and Hertfordshire 

Team size: 420

A collection of ten rural pubs, restaurants and hotels across Norfolk and Hertfordshire, founded in 1996. Characterised by hands-on ownership from the family that founded it. 

• Happy Cheques – the senior team awards “Happy Cheques” to team members who go above and beyond. The value of the cheque, between £20 and £40, can be used along with staff discount at any of ACI’s sites. 

• MAD (Make a Difference) Awards – a peer-nominated awards ceremony held at the annual staff party. One winner from each site wins a Europe trip. 

• Team members name-checked in a five-star online review get £10 on their staff card (up to £100 per month). Kitchen teams are rewarded for the most five-star reviews for food. 

acinns.co.uk 

Ardent Pub Group

Multiple sites, London

Team size: 150 

A group of three celebrated London pubs (formerly part of JKS), established in 2021, comprising The George in Fitzrovia, The Cadogan Arms in Chelsea, and The Hound in Chiswick. 

• Ardent Pub Group has moved all its communication, learning and onboarding onto one tech platform, eliminating the need for work WhatsApp groups.

• The entire team has private healthcare alongside one-to-one wellbeing sessions. 

• All the chefs got a new pair of Birkenstocks of their choice for Christmas. 

ardentpubgroup.com 

Bancone

Multiple sites, London

Team size: 180 | New entry

JA fresh pasta brand, founded in 2018, and now with six locations across London. Its latest restaurant opened within the iconic brutalist Imperial Hotel in Bloomsbury in August 2026. 

• Each site has a budget allocated to reward their own chosen “Star of the Week” as they see fit, rewarding scores of employees each year. 

• Management apprenticeships give teams not only on-the-job training and operational experience but formal education and a qualification. 

New recruits get a free “mystery diner” lunch on completion of induction.

bancone.co.uk 

BANK and Lapin

Bristol

Team size: 21 

A pair of independent Bristol bistros, founded by restaurateur Dan O’Regan, he of the widely read industry Substack, Notes on a Napkin. BANK, est. 2021, focuses on live fire cooking; Lapin, est. 2025, on French cooking. 

• Management are offered equity in the business as a reward for performance, no cash buy-in required. 

• The entire front of house team has done WSET Level 2 meaning every server now holds a formal wine qualification. 

• Service charge goes through a weekly tronc, pro-rated on hours worked with no hierarchy, so a kitchen porter and a head chef earn tronc on the same basis. 

bankbristol.com, lapinbristol.co.uk 

Bar Douro

London

Team size: 27 | New entry

Two (soon to be three) Portuguese restaurants in London, founded by Max Graham. The third site in Soho arrives in October 2026, ten years after the group’s launch. Its talent is homegrown; many of its current leaders started in junior roles. 

• Annual culture day for the whole team, fully paid, with open strategy discussion and two-way communication across all levels. 

• Direct access to producers through meet-the-maker events with Portuguese winemakers and local suppliers. 

• HR training for all managers. 

bardouro.co.uk 

Boxer Restaurants

Multiple sites, London

Team size: 150 | New entry

It’s not only the critics raving about Jackson Boxer’s restaurants; his team seems sold on them too, experiencing a workplace where they can flourish and learn. The group comprises Brunswick House, Dove, Below and Vesper.

• A zero-overtime culture is the goal. Rather than ask the team to work longer hours, they have created a front of house and back of house support role to plug any gaps. 

• When hiring, the business offers both fixed and flexible rotas to suit the new employee. 

• Regular tastings and training in both food and wine, often with invited suppliers. 

brunswickhouse.london, dove.london, belowsoho.london, vesper.restaurant

Bubala 

Multiple sites, London

Team size: 130 

Our 2025 winner continues to impress with its closed loop feedback culture and focus on mental health, even as it grows (its fourth and largest site, in Covent Garden, is coming soon). 

• Clear career pathways: 81% of management have risen internally. A floor manager role was created as a stepping stone into management. 

• Twice-yearly roundtable sessions that bring together team members from across the business to gather honest feedback from the floor. One measure implemented as a result is paid tronc during annual leave. 

• Managers have neurodiversity training to create environments where everyone can thrive. 

bubala.co.uk 

Clays

Multiple sites, Birmingham and London

Team size: 183 

Clays, the virtual clay shooting experience with four bars in London and Birmingham, hits the target with its team of Clayers. New technology updates the learning and development experience. 

• Clayton, an internal AI chatbot trained on policies, processes, and operational knowledge, giving Clayers instant answers to everyday questions, any time they need them. 

• The Clayers Academy app, a structured learning and development platform for every role in the business, built in response to feedback that not every team member has access to a laptop. Employees can learn on the go, between shifts, on their own terms. 

• Clayers Cuisine, a structured meal programme, served at breakfast, lunch and dinner, that caters to all team members’ dietary requirements. 

clays.bar 

Dough Hands

Multiple sites, London

Team size: 14 

Hannah Drye’s cult pizzeria brand has just two sites – at All My Friends in Hackney Wick and the Spurstowe Arms by London Fields. Drye is consistently inventive within the constraints of a necessarily small-scale operation. 

• Free Service Works trousers on completion of probation. 

• One weekend day off each week for a better work-life balance. 

• Team members with side hustles are encouraged to use the Dough Hands kitchen for prep. 

doughhands.com 

Farro

Bristol

Team size: 17 | New entry

As a small business, this beloved independent bakery in Bristol, recognises that a multitude of small decisions add up to a culture where people feel seen and supported.  

• A four-day week, coupled with a flexible rota, allows the team to take time off without eating into holiday allowance. 

• “Staff Staples” – cost price staples (eggs, coffee, milk etc) ordered via Farro’s POS system, to combat rising food costs.

• A paid supplier trip to Columbia with Triple Co Roast to visit coffee farmers for one front of house employee each year. 

farro.co.uk 

Fatto a Mano 

Multiple sites, Brighton and London

Team size: 162 | New entry

This group of nine Neapolitan-style pizzerias holds tight to its origins as a Brighton independent, celebrating the people that have powered its expansion over its first eleven years. 

• Regular competitions that give team members ownership of their ideas. A case in point: the pizzaiolo who created a winning pizza and the waiter who sold the most won a trip to Naples. 

• Gifts cards and bottles of wine to team members who are mentioned across multiple positive customer reviews. 

• An annual summer party for the entire team across its nine London, Brighton and Hove locations. 

fattoamanopizza.com 

Fowlescombe Farm 

Devon

Team size: 20 | New entry

A Fowlescombe Farm is a long-established regenerative farm, now with a luxury hotel and restaurant, set across 450 acres on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. The surrounding landscape is a wellness resource in itself. 

• Quarterly ‘all hands’ meeting, starting with a family meal and sharing strategic planning openly. 

• Staff have unrestricted access to the farm, grounds, and kitchen garden and are encouraged to enjoy the land. 

• Commuting in a rural area can be challenging: Fowlescombe has introduced a free e-bike loan scheme; after two years, they can keep the bike. 

fowlescombe.com 

Georgian House Hotel 

London

Team size: 48

Georgian House Hotel is a family-run townhouse hotel in Pimlico. It has a strong commitment to its staff, with staff retention consistently around 90% or higher over the past two years. 

• Nearly three quarters of the team speaks English as an additional language, and the hotel offers one hour of English tuition each week with a professional tutor during paid working hours for those who want it. 

• Interest-free loan scheme for employees from commencement of employment as a financial safety net during times of need (e.g. unexpected emergencies, travelcards etc). 

• Consistent rotas prepared two weeks in advance, and scheduled start times facilitate work-life balance. 

georgianhousehotel.co.uk 

Team size: 14 

At a time when ambitious fine-dining restaurants have been under scrutiny, David and Anette Taylor’s destination restaurant near Birmingham has doubled down on leadership training, at junior and senior levels. 

• Grace & Savour has enrolled its second cohort of students (current junior leaders) in the in-house leadership academy. Psychological safety is a focus; all senior leaders have now done a day with Ian Mitchell, head of psychology at Newcastle Football Club. 

• Donation of time, meals and stays to charities that are close to the team’s hearts. 

• Developing talent by creating new roles such as a new beverage programme manager role for their restaurant manager who is passionate about non-alcoholic drinks and foraging. 

hamptonmanor.com 

Jeremy King Restaurants

Multiple sites, London

Team size: 275 | New entry

The professionalism and attention to detail that define the guest experience at Jeremy King’s restaurants are equally evident in the way teams are treated at Arlington, The Park and the recently revived Simpson’s in the Strand. 

• A “wellbeing day” policy, with employees given up to five paid wellbeing days a year, for their mental or physical wellbeing, has increased trust and encouraged honesty. The antidote to absenteeism. 

• The Kings Award – a peer recognition programme designed to celebrate employees who impact others through genuine altruism. Since its introduction, more than 90% of employees have either submitted a nomination or been nominated.

• Proprietor’s Forum – an interactive question-and-answer session hosted by Jeremy King, attended by employees from across the business and part of the onboarding journey. Designed to break down traditional hierarchical barriers. 

jeremykingrestaurants.com

Kricket

Multiple sites, London

Team size: 143 | New entry

Will Bowlby and Rik Campbell’s group of modern Indian restaurants in London with a fifth site, in Covent Garden, on the way. 

• Annual ‘Wild Garlic Outing’ every April when all the restaurants close for a team get-together. The day includes foraging in Sussex, a pub lunch and a lock-in back at Kricket in Brixton. 

• A trip to India for employees reaching five years at Kricket. Sixteen team members joined Will and Rik on the last trip in 2024. 

• Free mortgage advice from specialist advisors who visit Kricket’s sites to talk team members through the mortgage process.   

kricketrestaurants.com 

Tonkotsu

Nationwide

Team size: 312 | New entry

Founded in 2012, Emma Reynolds’ and Ken Yamada’s ramen specialist now has 19 restaurants nationwide, from London to Birmingham, Bath to Cardiff. 

• The Japan Grant, introduced in 2025, is a £1,000 grant for general managers and head chefs to spend on a trip to Japan. 

• Team members get an extra two-week holiday on their fifth anniversary; four weeks on their tenth. 

• A tailored learning and development programme for all levels, which includes Shu Ha Ri, their in-house programme for assistant managers, now in its third year, based on a traditional Japanese concept describing the three stages of learning (“Learn, detach, transcend.” 

tonkotsu.co.uk 

Survey, scoring & judging process

Once registered, a company received a survey and questionnaire to complete.  

The survey

The survey was filled in anonymously by team members who were asked 10 questions to assess different aspects of their happiness in their workplace. The questions asked respondents to score out of 10 how strongly they agree with statements. For example: “I have sufficient opportunities for team socialising and bonding” and “I am paid correctly and on time”. Companies’ scores for each question were averaged and carried forward to the judging panel. 

We also generated an Advocacy Score by asking respondents how likely they were, out of 10, to recommend their workplace to others. The Advocacy Score that you see listed under each company is the average score from those surveyed.

Companies of 50 people or fewer must have achieved 50% participation in the survey from their team. Companies of 51 people or more must have achieved 40% participation in the survey from their teams. Companies that did not meet the required participation were not carried forward to judging.

The questionnaire

The questionnaire allowed the company the opportunity to detail policies and initiatives that they have implemented to create a happy workplace. Companies were asked to demonstrate how they are innovating and helping drive people policies in the industry forward, as well as evidencing the impact of the policies they have implemented. 

Judging

Our panel of industry judges* then convened to decide on the final 25. Our judges, who all bring different experiences and diverse backgrounds to the table, were looking for businesses that above all recognised their people as their most valuable asset. They wanted to find businesses that are inclusive, welcoming to people of all ages, races, genders, and sexualities. They looked for those offering opportunities for meaningful work to all, well rewarded, and with clearly defined pathways for career progression. They sought out innovators that look inside and outside of the industry for solutions, tailored to the unique demands of hospitality. They wanted to see leaders who not only talk to their people but listen, ready to be surprised by what they hear. In short, our judges asked: what does a genuine, modern hospitality business look like?

You can now register your company here to participate in Happiest Places to Work 2027.

Our judging panel

In partnership with

At Planday, we believe great teams are built with intent — which is why we’re proud to support this list for the third year running, celebrating the businesses getting it right.

As part of our support, any business that switches to Planday before the list launches can receive 50% off their first six months – exclusively for the CODE network.