You launched Smash + Grab site in December at your London Liverpool Street restaurant. How has it been going?
It’s got off to a flying start. It’s a real operational and customer engagement test, and we’re really happy about how the brand has been received. We’re entrenched in casual dining and have been for a long time, and QSR is a totally different ballgame. It’s exciting because we see Smash + Grab as a concept that could open new doors for us that Honest Burgers would struggle to do so in its classic format. We’ve still got to iron out how the concept takes shape from here, but operationally it’s been a huge win, and customers seem to really like it.
What have your initial learnings been?
Obviously, it’s a new concept and there are teething issues, and we’ve made little tweaks here and there as we’ve gone along. But the big test for this kitchen and this site was operations. QSR lives and dies by operations and what we’re really happy with is the volume we can do. A medium rare patty in an Honest Burgers restaurant takes about seven-and-a-half minutes to grill, while a smash patty takes just one minute and 15 seconds. It’s not a frozen patty, it’s freshly butchered, and the chips aren’t frozen they’re cut from fresh potatoes. QSR for the masses delivers value and speed, but it doesn’t always deliver quality. We feel like we can give all three through this concept.
Tell us about the Smash + Grab menu
We have five smash burger options: Cheese, Bacon, BBQ, Hot, and the ‘Tribute’, as well as cereal-fried chicken, loaded chips and milkshakes. Both the loaded chips and the milkshakes are new products developed specifically for the Smash + Grab brand. We’re dipping our toes in a few areas where perhaps we’ve been a bit slow to jump on board with. To that end we’re also developing a new breakfast menu as well as dessert options. We’re looking at whether things that work at Smash + Grab could work at Honest Burgers and vice versa. We’re very fortunate to have two concepts under our brand that are very complementary to each other.
Why was now the right time to enter the QSR space?
We’ve always been looking at it and it’s something our investors have been very keen on us exploring for some time. We’ve got these very well-trodden systems, a big central support function and an incredible prep kitchen that are the backbone of our model. If we can use those assets and diversify them across other concepts, then why wouldn’t we? QSR is doing very well right now. The trading environment has changed massively in the past five years. It’s very peaky and QSR can capitalise on those peaks and do serious volume, way more then we could ever do in an Honest Burgers restaurant.
What are your expansion plans?
What we like about the concept the most is it’s very versatile and we’re going to explore that, just as we’ve done with Honest Burgers. Our sites are all different sizes and it’s very important to be flexible when trying to get the edge on the property market. We see huge potential for it both nationally and internationally and are hoping to open two to three flagship sites in the capital this year. We want to solidify the brand and show customers what we can do in the QSR space.
As you grow, how do you make sure Smash + Grab doesn’t cannibalise the Honest Burgers brand?
That’s something we’re looking at. Geography is probably an obvious one, but there are cities around the UK that have an Honest Burgers and could have a Smash + Grab too. It services a different need and a lot of that is down to speed.
You recently appointed Kevin Styles as your new CEO. How will this shape the group’s plans going forwards?
Kevin has worked for some amazing brands [he was previously at Jamie Oliver Group] and has done some really disruptive things. He’s got a great marketing background too. The big thing for me is that he’s really brand conscious. Our brand is, in his words, ‘a stroke of genius’, and I’m very excited to see where it can go with someone like him leading it.
