17th Restaurant Manager of the Year 2026 crowned

Joshua Oliver Ndirmbita MIH, restaurant manager at Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire, has been crowned the Institute of Hospitality’s Restaurant Manager of the Year 2026 following an intense day of competition at Hotel Café Royal in London on Monday 2 February. Alessandro Passaglia AIH, restaurant manager at Aviator, Hampshire, was named runner up. Joshua, who finished runner up in the competition in 2025, was announced as the winner by Institute of Hospitality chief executive Robert Richardson FIH MI during the live winner’s reception, following a demanding day of assessed challenges for the 16 finalists Designed to reflect the realities of modern restaurant management, finalists were assessed on leadership and people management, future thinking for hospitality, guest engagement and commercial decision making. The day also included an educational masterclass delivered by Laurent-Perrier Champagne, alongside financial and staffing based challenges. Following the daytime assessments, four finalists progressed to the live final, where they completed two final tasks in front of an audience of industry peers, guests, family and friends, before judges finalised and independently verified the scores and announced Joshua as the Institute’s 17th Restaurant Manager of the Year. Following the announcement, Robert said: “This competition continues to highlight just how skilled and influential [...]