Acorn Awards 2026: Elliot Harrison, Dishoom

Age 29

Position Learning technology manager, Dishoom

Nominator Tom Stroppel, head of learning and development, Dishoom

Elliot Harrison is reshaping how hospitality teams learn using technology, storytelling and smart design.

Harrison started his career at Indian restaurant chain Dishoom in 2019 as deputy head bartender, co-leading a team of 27 bartenders serving more than 11,000 guests weekly. When the pandemic hit, he moved over to the learning and development (L&D) team to lead its digital output. His first job was to help transform Dishoom’s Covent Garden café into a studio to create staff training films. 

Harrison has played a central role in modernising learning and development across the business, having a direct influence on more than 2,200 team members. Furthermore, when he returned from a creative sabbatical in 2023 at the prestigious National Film and Television School, he brought a fresh, cinematic approach to training, replacing traditional formats with story-led content designed for a modern workforce.

He has led the roll-out of Dishoom’s learning and communications platform, achieving 99% compliance and generating more than 68,000 monthly logins, as well as helping introduce an in-house AI tool that handles more than 7,000 monthly queries from teams during service. He has also redesigned Dishoom’s onboarding procedure, combining digital tools with workbooks and in-person learning, which has reduced new starter turnover by 30% and been used for more than 200 internal promotions in the past year alone.

He has also shared his knowledge, turning his expertise over to his colleagues and training them to create and manage their own content, increasing the number of authors by more than 300% and removing the ‘bottleneck’ of central L&D.

His work ensures teams can confidently deliver Dishoom’s complex offer, from mastering the ingredients behind more than 150 dishes to understanding brand storytelling and service standards. The result is consistent delivery across sites and a 92.5% guest satisfaction score, as well as Mystery Diner scores being at an all-time high.

Elliot actively supports Dishoom’s charity partnerships, working with organisations including Magic Breakfast in the UK and Akshaya Patra in India, both of which deliver meals to children in need. He has also hosted school groups in Dishoom cafés and visited partner schools in Mumbai, strengthening his understanding of the social impact hospitality can have beyond the restaurant floor. 

This blend of creativity with commercial focus is setting a new standard for learning in hospitality – practical, scalable and built around people.