By Laura McGuire
A restaurant business cannot be run off a spreadsheet, the newly appointed boss of pizza specialist Franco Manca has said, amid a period of widening losses for the UK’s casual dining market.
Marcel Khan, who last week stepped into the role as chief of the sourdough chain, said the firm’s parent organisation, Toridoll, picked him for the role because of his hesitancy to focus on crunching numbers.
He said: “I’m sure there are CEO’s out there who start and finish with their excel spreadsheets..
“I think there was a conscious decision by Toridoll to put a human in charge that cares less about that and more about staff, customers and food.”
Toridoll, a Japanese business, caused shock waves when it announced a £93m takeover of the pizza group and its sister chain The Real Greek.
The move was seen as another blow for the London stock market who in the last 12 months saw a host of companies de-list and seek investment in rival countries.
Khan admitted it was above his pay grade to speculate on the ramifications this could have on the attractiveness of the capital’s stock exchange.
“I am a brand guy not a finance guy,” he said. “I think that is interesting because a lot of leaders come from the finance function.”
Skills aside, Khan, originally from Denmark, is no stranger to having a top seat at some of the country’s most fondly loved restaurants.
He is best known for spearheading the expansion of American diner Five Guys in the UK, and was also the regional managing director of Nando’s for eight years.
Franco Manco will open between 10-12 more sites this coming year as it appears to be benefiting from its accessible price point during a national cash crunch.
Last year, the 15 year-old business, launched a lunch time meal deal which offered punters a pizza and drink for £10.
Unlike rivals who are being crippled financially due to rising costs, the chief said its close knit relationship with suppliers in Europe has managed to keep overheads as low as possible.
“We don’t get greedy with our margins..and it keeps the prices as low as they can be for getting quality products.”
It comes days after fellow pizzeria Papa Johns warned it may close around 100 sites, prompting further worry about the future of the high street.
Khan said it was a “tough year” for the sector but Franco Manca was able to push ahead.
“I think rents will equalise, and you can see that by the amount of vacancies on the high street,” he added.
With ageneral election looming over the hospitality sector, Khan said the biggest change he would like to see is UK VAT brought in line with European levels.
The UK has one of the highest rates of VAT for hospitality compared with European rivals, acting as a drag on its competitiveness.
Khan said that the UK should look at bringing “VAT in line with European levels”.
“But whatever the future governance is, I’d like [the government] to look at making every human in the UK happier..not just certain sectors or socioeconomic strata.”
