For Harts Group, the key to getting Mexican restaurants right was to maintain an authentic food offer and fierce focus on supply and quality.
CEO Sam Hart and former chief design officer James Hart appeared at MCA’s Restaurant Conference earlier this month, speaking to delegates about the success behind concepts such as El Pastor and Barrafina.
Sam Hart discussed how El Pastor was ahead of the curve when it came to Mexican food trends in the UK, but pointed out that cultural interest in Mexico continues to grow.
“When we started, Mexican food was its infancy in the UK and Europe, but was and has been massive in the States for many years,” he said. “It’s more complicated than it seems to produce at a decent level. It’s a difficult marketplace to get into for people who don’t have the right knowledge.
“With some exceptions, Mexican restaurants have tended to not be good enough or the successes they could have been.
“UK travel to Mexico is growing at the rate of 25% a year, so there’s significant cultural interest, part of which is food.”
Keeping it authentic and avoiding the Tex-Mex version of the cuisine was a priority for Harts Group, with James Hart adding that relationships with suppliers were painstakingly built to ensure authenticity and quality.
“We were happy to go out there and drive across bandit country to make relationships with farmers,” he added. “It takes that amount of confidence in what you’re doing. That keeps you ahead of the curve.”
El Pastor at Battersea Power Station
The group’s latest venture will open in Battersea in spring 2024, with a design inspired by the industrial feel of the venue and the work of Mexican artist Diego Rivera.
“We saw it very very early on in its development before the tube and power station itself,” Sam Hart said. “Six or seven years later we felt it was finally the right time for us to get down there.
“The area is flying now. People are doing extremely good numbers. We were waiting for the right timing and right site.”
He revealed the site may have another “small project that will stand alongside El Pastor”, the result of the success of a cluster-like strategy.
The Harts Group estate is segmented into clusters in Borough, Coal Drops Yard by King’s Cross, and Soho.
“From an ops point of view, we’ve found success in finding an area we’re incredibly enthusiastic about.”
The Borough and Coal Drops Yard clusters
The Hart brothers also discussed the importance of believing in a development in the long term. While two of its clusters had different journeys – with Borough already home to a medley of restaurants, and Coal Drops an up-and-coming development at the time – they believed both held opportunities.
“We really understood what makes Borough tick,” James Hart said. “The footfall, the residential, the tourism…we had a feeling some things could be added to an already vibrant mix of restaurants.
“We’re firmly in the camp of having restaurants next to other great restaurants.
“We took the view that if we were going to survive lockdown, we might as well do some really good property deals at the time.”
“People have traded so well down there for so long,” Sam Hart added. “Every landlord is now trying to convert every scrap of land to more restaurants without considering the extra amenities that might draw people in.
“So there’s a little bit of a risk of oversupply. But it’s such a vibrant area and we’re delighted to be there.”
Coal Drops Yard, meanwhile, took a few years to “hit its stride”, but has since found its place on the map, he said. Its ample outdoor space helped drive footfall post-pandemic, with restaurants like Parrillan – with large, sheltered outdoor area – were key in bringing people in.
“We had the perfect Covid restaurants – they were designed for it,” Sam Hart explained. “We were enthusiastic about the well-curated things going on [at Coal Drops]. The people had a long-term view of how to build value into an area.”
