Kevin Bacon, the former The Restaurant Group executive and ex-managing director of Jamie Oliver International, has joined the board of Snug Bars, the Hertfordshire-based up-market bar operator, as looks to reach its long-term target of a 20-strong estate.
Bacon, who was a main board director of TRG with responsibility for more than 300 restaurants, including growing Frankie & Benny’s from conception to a 180-strong chain,has been working with the group for the last six months but has now been given a more formal role.
Fry told M&C Report: “He will attending meetings and available on the phone for us to run ideas past him His role is to act as a mentor for us and bring some of the fantastic wealth of experience he has within the sector to bear. We have had two chaps who helped to mentor us previously, who had great experience as managing directors and chief executives but had no connection to this industry. Kevin can offer us some real sector-specific wisdom.”
Bacon recently also joined the board of the Thai Leisure Group (TLG), operator of the Chaophraya brand, which is on the verge of “a significant multi-million pound investment”.
Snug Bars founder Giles Fry told M&C Report last year that the six-strong group was looking to expand to 20 sites over five years with the help of new banking facilities.
It opened its sixth site last May in Hitchin, its first private leasehold; the others are Enterprise Inns leaseholds or tenancies.
The opening included the launch of the group’s new design.
Last September, the group launched a new menu across its six bars focusing on homemade comfort food in its expanding all-day offering.
