Red’s True Barbecue, the fast-growing smokehouse concept, is readying itself for a step change in growth by putting in place all the necessary structures and appointments needed.
The company, which is led by Scott Munro and James Douglas, has appointed Tortilla founder Brandon Stephens as a non-executive director and identified six “exciting sites which are perfect for the Red’s offering”.
The group, which confirmed it had secured a fourth site in Nottingham, reported that its turnover had increased 70% compared to fiscal year 2012-13, while restaurant-level operating profit rose 102% during the same period.
The chain, which is understood to be embarking on a round of fundraising, said it was confident that it was well on its way to becoming the “UK’s number one barbecue chain”.
Its next restaurant will open in autumn on Queen Street, Nottingham, in the former FOPP Records site. The 5,500sq ft building is set to benefit from a £1.1m refit, and will feature 160 covers with a “typically forward thinking design approach”.
The last 12 months have seen Red’s open a flagship 185 cover restaurant on Albert Square in Manchester, whilst its 107 cover Leeds site continues to perform strongly. Its third site, based in Headingley, Leeds, opens in mid July.
The company said that Stephens’ appointment to the board was key as it eyes rapid growth and would help it to further enhance operations whilst supporting the drive for UK expansion.
Munro said: “In under two years, and with just two restaurants, the Red’s experience has captured the imagination of almost 500,000 believers, introducing them to US style low-and-slow smokehouse cooking. Our casual dining offer, a relentless obsession for an outstanding, authentic product at an accessible price point and complimentary progressive drinks’ matching, all served up with a cool interior design in an atmosphere we’d like to party in, is what’s driving our continued success.
“We’re stoked about Brandon joining the team; his experience, knowledge and expertise comes at an incredibly exciting time for the business, and his valuable input will help expedite our drive to roll out Red’s across the UK.”
Stephens said: “The barbecue space is exploding, with 2014 widely heralded as the year of barbecue and Red’s positioned as the clear sector leaders. I’m thrilled to be working with James and Scott - two incredibly driven and talented individuals - and the great team they have put together as we look to grow Red’s into the national brand that consumers associate with barbecue.”
Red’s recently picked up Best Venue at M&C’s Retailer’s Retailer of the Year Award 2014 for its Leeds site.
