Caravan Restaurants co-founder Laura Harper-Hinton is confident the business will launch its first site outside the capital next year, with an eye on cities including Manchester, Glasgow, and Cardiff, she tells MCA.
The all-day dining concept recently announced it will launch a new flagship venue – its eighth and largest site – in Covent Garden, likely this October.
While she’s “really excited” for the upcoming opening, Caravan will likely build its presence in the capital through a “couple more” neighbourhood locations, she says.
“We’ve always looked for somewhere in Soho and Covent Garden,” Harper-Hinton explains. “We’ve always wanted to go outside London as well. There are world class, incredible cities in the UK that would be great for us.
“From our perspective, it’s not about a massive rollout or cookie-cutter sites. We want to open in places where we want to hang out.”
All sites in the current portfolio are in like-for-like growth, providing a strong foundation for further expansion, she adds.
Caravan has “always looked” internationally as well, with a Dublin restaurant potentially on the cards further down the line.
“We’ve had lots of interest from Europe and US over the years,” Harper-Hinton continues. “It’s definitely something to consider in the future but no concrete plans.
“Caravan was crafted to be an internationally minded business.”
The focus is also on the coffee side of the business, where the brand is partnering with a “fantastic premium retailer” that will take its coffee to a national scale.
Caravan currently has three store formats: small restaurants, larger spaces, and brewbars. While the expansion strategy is opportunity-led, it will look to grow all three.
Brewbars – or partnerships with existing wholesale accounts – work well from an economic perspective and help increase awareness about the coffee business, according to Harper-Hinton.
Smaller formats would be a good fit for neighbourhood restaurants – potentially with modified venues depending on kitchen size – while large all-day dining spaces are the “heart and soul” of Caravan and would be ideal to launch in a new city.
Partnerships aside from coffee, such as that with kombucha brewer Momo, will also be key.
“We need to limit how many projects we do,” Harper-Hinton adds. “We had a kefir laboratory at one time. It made delicious kombuchas, but it just wasn’t sustainable as the business grew.”
While other projects – like a sourdough-focused bakery – are on the cards, little will change about the core offer.
The menu format will stay consistent as Caravan grows. Harper-Hinton describes it as “internationally focused with something for everyone,” with small plates, large plates, and low- and no-alcohol alternatives alongside a well-sourced wine list.
“The F&B offer is not something we want to change. We might throw in a roaster or two depending on the location.”
The ethos has very much stayed the same since Caravan’s beginnings in London’s Exmouth Market in 2010: innovation, creativity, and well-travelled.
“We didn’t come from a position where we had lots of backing…we’re self-funded so it’s been quite a journey. We didn’t start with grand plans of scaling.
“The King’s Cross site put us on the map. That opportunity was a game-changer.
“We’re global in outlook and cuisine influence – that’s been the core of what we do from day one.”
Avoiding ties to a specific cuisine has helped the brand navigate cost pressures through nimble menu engineering.
While brunch is a big part of the offer, Harper-Hinton says Caravan is a truly all-day concept, with covers split almost evenly across day parts.
“Dinner is a really important day part for us.”
Footfall has declined in some central locations – such as the City and Canary Wharf – but residential areas are performing better than pre-Covid due to work from home.
“You do get peaks and troughs, but we’re working out how we can activate day parts a bit more.”
Aside from changed trading patterns, the business has yet to see a change in covers or spend per head or covers, with proximity to either office areas or affluent neighbourhoods helping maintain trade.
“We tick a lot of dining opportunities for people…but conversion is pressured because of the cost base.
“It does feel like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. We’re making smart decisions about where we open, and value for money is also critical.
“We fought hard to still be here. We went into the pandemic a good robust business and used it to really tighten things up…I feel confident about all the systems and structures we’ve implemented in the last 18 months.”
The winner of MCA’s Sustainability Award at this year’s Retailers’ Retailer Awards, Harper-Hinton describes the business as community-focused and people- and planet-minded.
“Sustainability has always been at the core. It’s difficult to bolt things on after the fact.”
Caravan has implemented a range of initiatives across its business, from using cans for packaging, creating recyclable or fully compostable coffee pods, and reducing milk deliveries to taking beef off the menu in 2015.
“We never put beef back on the menu and we’re not planning to, even in light of regenerative farming techniques,” Harper-Hinton adds. “There’s still a place for sustainable farming and eating beef, but we’ve intentionally always been very veg-focused.”
The business has applied for B Corp certification, while improving its energy consumption and food waste reduction efforts.
“There’s always more you can be doing.”
