A 34-site restaurant and pub group that still ran every decision through its founder.
Tom Ashby · Restaurant and pub group · London and the South East · 1,150 staff · since February 2024
Tom approved every site, menu change and general-manager hire. Three of the last five openings ran late and over budget, EBITDA was 6.1%, and his week ran to 68 hours.
Tom's week
68 hours
- Site visits and firefighting20
- Approvals14
- Recruitment8
- Investors and bank6
- Leading the exec team4
- Strategy and new sites6
- Admin10
The operations board, which now owns openings, menus and general-manager hiring.
Feb 2024
Eight site visits, one pattern
Every stalled decision was waiting on Tom.
Apr 2024
An operations board
Four people now own openings, menus and GM hiring.
Jul 2024
One opening playbook
A 16-week plan, owned by the operations director.
Feb 2025
Five openings, all on time
Revenue £47m, EBITDA 9.8%, a 46-hour week.
Twelve months in, from the management accounts.
Revenue
£38m£47m
EBITDA margin
6.1%9.8%
Tom's week
6846 hrs
We'd grown to thirty-four sites on my energy. Ines helped me build a business that could open the next five without me in the room.
Tom AshbyFounder and CEO, Harrow & Pike