Leadership series: Eddy Hackett

From the Royal Opera House to immersive dining.

A conversation with Eddy Hackett, Co-founder of The Lost Estate

Eddy spent 20 years as a professional percussionist. He played with the Royal Opera House and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and he recorded the soundtrack to The Hobbit.

Today he’s one of the three co-founders of The Lost Estate, the London company that recreates real moments from history as nights out with live music, theatre and a tasting menu. Its venues include a 1930s New York jazz club and a Charles Dickens Christmas feast.

Krishnan talks to Eddy about how three classically trained musicians built a hospitality business from a café table in London Bridge. 

They funded it themselves until very recently. Eddy explains why shorter, more exclusive runs are outselling year-long ones, how “secret drop” email campaigns fill seats, and what a music career teaches you about running a company. 

He also talks about bringing in Merlin co-founder Mark Fisher and Greene King’s Nick Mackenzie as investors, the plans for Manchester and the US, and why your phone stays in your pocket all night.