What does it actually take to bring one of the world's most iconic restaurant brands back from bankruptcy - and scale it to $2 billion?

In this episode of Supy Talks, host Curran Dye sits down with Phil Broad, Global President of TGI Fridays, to unpack what really went wrong in the US, and what the comeback looks like from the inside - 150 restaurants signed in twelve months, the playbook every employee gets trained on, and a target of $2 billion in revenue and over 1,000 restaurants by 2030. Phil shares three decades of stories from the restaurant floor - from opening TGI Fridays High Wycombe 30 years ago, opening 750 Starbucks stores, to the mop and bucket a friend once handed him as an entire turnaround strategy, and the nurse in Kuwait whose story captures his whole philosophy on trust.

We cover:

✅ What actually bankrupted TGI Fridays Inc. - and why the franchise business never stopped growing

✅ The $2 billion comeback plan

✅ Why picking a franchisee is like picking a bride

✅ The 70/20/10 menu rule that keeps a global brand consistent and local at once

✅ Why sales fix everything

✅ The two metrics Phil actually tracks (neither is EBITDA)

✅ How Fridays runs a 24-hour global operation from three offices

✅ Why your business is not an ATM - the reinvestment philosophy

You'll also hear:

👩‍⚕️ The nurse from Kuwait - the story that reshaped how a manager thought about trust

🪣 The mop and bucket handed to Phil as his entire Starbucks turnaround strategy

🦚 The hidden symbols inside every TGI Fridays - the peacock, the propeller, Abraham Lincoln

🍕 The foot-and-mouth crisis that quadrupled beef prices the week before his London opening

🏆 The World Bartender Challenge returning - with a $10,000 prize

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro & how Phil retired for exactly one day

03:00 - Three decades with Fridays: from High Wycombe to Global President

05:13 - What actually went wrong: bankruptcy, VCs, and the ATM problem

07:19 - Buying back the UK: 24 restaurants with no heating

08:33 - Catch someone doing something right

09:18 - 150 restaurants signed: Japan, Peru, Kenya, Maldives, Mexico

12:23 - Picking a franchisee is like picking your bride

14:00 - Why franchisees choose Fridays: 60 years of systems

16:40 - The brand evolution: smaller formats, AI shuffleboard

18:10 - The World Bartender Challenge returns

19:45 - What Phil looks for in a franchise partner

23:46 - The systems moment: POS, training avatars, and L&D

26:15 - Clustering markets: how global expansion actually works

29:56 - Fridays in your freezer: the retail business

30:59 - The 70/20/10 menu rule explained

33:47 - Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and lessons from every brand

38:47 - The nurse from Kuwait 👩‍⚕️

41:59 - Foot and mouth, quadrupled beef prices, and a blessing in disguise

44:10 - Sales fix everything

46:39 - The two metrics that matter

48:46 - Three offices, three Uniteds: running a 24-hour brand

50:55 - The mop and bucket: fixing Starbucks with the basics

53:04 - The hidden symbols inside every Friday’s

56:57 - The question Phil wishes people asked

59:37 - Why he's not on social media (except LinkedIn)

61:49 - Lead with your heart

64:06 - Quick fire round

68:07 - By 2030, TGI Fridays will…

Connect with Phil Broad via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-broad-9b42b412/

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What does it actually take to keep a globally recognised restaurant brand financially healthy across 500 locations - without running out of cash?In this episode of Supy Talks, host Karin sits down with Dan Jarvis, Head of Finance at Pizza Express UAE, to pull back the curtain on the financial discipline, strategic trade-offs, and operational decisions that keep one of the world's most iconic restaurant brands running.Dan shares the real mechanics behind Pizza Express's growth - from a single restaurant in Soho in 1965 to 500 locations globally, the cash flow system that runs every week without fail, why they deliberately turn off delivery on their busiest days, and the one tomato supplier in Naples that has supplied every single Pizza Express in the world since the very beginning.We cover:✅ Why cash flow matters more than profit - and how to forecast it properly✅ The menu engineering matrix Pizza Express uses to decide what stays and what goes✅ How to scale restaurants globally without running out of cash✅ Why Pizza Express turns off delivery during Friday brunch - on purpose✅ Fixed labor costs in the UAE and the beach club salary war✅ The four-scenario model Dan uses before opening every new restaurant✅ Why average spend per head is an overrated metric✅ If Q4 in Dubai isn't working - it's never going to workYou'll also hear:🍅 Every Pizza Express in the world uses tomatoes from one supplier in Naples - since 1965🐟 The fish pizza that got pulled from the menu (Dan hates fish - the data agreed)🍍 Why pineapple should absolutely not go on pizza💸 Would you rather make £10M profit on £100M revenue - or £10M on £15M?🏖️ How beach clubs are quietly winning the UAE staffing war

Connect with Dan Jarvis via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-jarvis-acca-35907047/Follow Supy:💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/supy1/📸 https://www.instagram.com/supy.io🌐 https://www.supy.io

In this episode of Supy Talks, we're joined by Matt Crowther, founder of Pug Pubs - the dog-focused pub group in Warwickshire that just won Star Pub of the Year - to talk about what building a concept-led hospitality business actually looks like when you're doing it on instinct, grit, and the occasional expensive mistake.Matt shares the real story behind Pug Pubs: quitting his job the day his wife said she was pregnant, a £100K cheese bar that taught him everything about passion and research, and why "dog friendly" and "dog tolerant" are two completely different businesses.We cover:✅ Quitting your job the day your wife says she's pregnant✅ Why "dog friendly" and "dog tolerant" are not the same thing✅ The £100K cheese bar - and what it actually taught him✅ Running 5 venues with the agility of a solo operator✅ Why mission statements on the wall are mostly nonsense✅ The tech stack that actually matters at the multi-site level✅ Father's Day street festivals, Pug Crawls & building communityYou'll also hear:🐾 Why the dog gets served before the humans do🍺 The barbecue he bought without permission - and the sales that proved him right📉 How many people actually want a cheeseboard on a Tuesday🧠 The moment going from one site to two changes everything📲 Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-crowther-16586919/🐾 Follow Pug Pubs: https://www.instagram.com/pugpubs/🎟️ PugFest 2026: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pugstock-2026-tickets-1983541993498?aff=oddtdtcreatorFollow Supy:💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/supy1/📸 https://www.instagram.com/supy.io🌐 https://www.supy.io

In this episode of Supy Talks, we're joined by Mark Summers, founder of Bubala - the veg-led Middle Eastern restaurant group that grew from pop-ups into one of London's most celebrated multi-site brands - to talk about what scaling a restaurant actually looks like when you're doing it without shortcuts.Mark shares the real story behind Bubala's growth: two years of pop-ups before a single permanent site, a six-week opening at Spitalfields, a coffee machine that took out the electrics on opening night, and a bold decision to drop their set menu price from £46 back to £39 in pursuit of the value perception that built the brand in the first place.We cover:✅ Two years of pop-ups before the first permanent site✅ Why "leave your ego at the door" is the most important rule in restaurants✅ Going veg-led: the margin advantage and the creative constraint✅ Hiring a GM six months before opening - and why it changed everything✅ Winning Happiest Workplace: voted for by the team✅ Tech, Tenzo & All Gravy: how Bubala uses data without letting it run the business✅ Why the most popular restaurant in the world can still go brokeYou'll also hear:🔥 The pop-up disaster that served 150 guests - 3 hours late⚡ How a coffee machine killed the electrics on Bubala's opening night📉 Why going from £30 to £46 on the set menu made no extra profit🧠 The mindset shift that keeps operators calm when everything goes wrong📲 Connect with Mark:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-summers-bubalaWatch the full episode: https://youtu.be/484u4Cnp_Yg

In this episode of Supy Talks, we're joined by Mitz Patel, Global Head of IT Delivery at Soho House, to explore why the biggest barrier to technology adoption in hospitality isn't the tech - it's the people.

Mitz brings over a decade of experience across David Lloyd Leisure, Prezzo Italian, and Soho House, and shares a ground-level view of what actually makes technology stick in operationally complex hospitality businesses: trust, operational empathy, and getting out from behind the desk.

We cover:

✅ Why tech adoption fails (and it's rarely the software)

✅ Efficient service vs fast service - and why the difference matters

✅ How to bring resistant teams on a technology journey

✅ Testing new tech: the fail fast, learn fast approach

✅ Best-in-class stacks vs all-in-one systems

✅ AI & automation in hospitality: where it's heading

You'll also hear:

🔥 The pen-and-paper moment that sums up all of hospitality tech adoption📱 Why Soho House is building a "menu" of tech options for GMs to choose from

🤖 Robots, intelligent fridges & walk-out payment - what's actually worth trialling

🍕 Why bad Italian restaurant syndrome applies to software too

📲 Connect with Mitz:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitzpatel/

In this episode of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Jackson Versitano, Senior Director of Hospitality at Lightspeed, to break down why hospitality is harder to run (and scale) than retail — and what operators need to get right as they grow.Jackson brings over a decade of experience across retail and hospitality tech, and shares a practical view on scaling: why perishables and tight trading windows make margins unforgiving, why people + technology are the biggest levers, and how data, POS integrations, and AI should be approached without hype.We cover:✅ Retail vs hospitality: what’s fundamentally different✅ Why scaling breaks without strong foundations✅ People + tech: the two biggest levers for multi-site growth✅ Best-in-class stacks vs all-in-one software✅ POS as the “brain” + why integrations matter✅ AI in restaurants: start slow, fix data firstYou’ll also hear:🔥 “Concept + location” as the real starting point📉 Why bad data makes AI risky (garbage in, garbage out)🔌 How plug-and-play integrations support long-term scale📲 Connect with Jackson:   / jacksonversitano9  

In Episode 18 of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Amy Glover, a hospitality marketing, brand, and guest experience leader with nearly 20 years’ experience across some of the UK’s largest hospitality groups.

Amy has held senior roles at Greene King and Mitchells & Butlers, organisations that collectively operate thousands of pubs, restaurants, and hotels across the UK. Her work sits at the intersection of brand, marketing, and operations - helping large, managed estates scale while keeping the guest experience consistent and meaningful.

In this episode, Amy shares the practical systems behind scaling restaurant brands well. Drawing on her experience with Miller & Carter, she explains how clarity, codification, and strong operator relationships make it possible to grow without drifting away from what guests come back for.

We cover:

✅ Why operations aren’t a delivery layer - they’re part of the product

✅ The difference between brand intent and brand execution

✅ How to protect consistency as restaurant estates grow

✅ What actually needs to be codified to scale successfully

✅ Lessons from Miller & Carter on brand, culture, and leadership

✅ How to stress-test ideas operationally before rolling them out

✅ Why alignment beats speed when scaling hospitality brands

You’ll also hear:

🔥 Why brand ownership can’t sit with marketing alone

🛠️ A real rollout lesson from an over-ambitious dessert launch

📉 How misaligned promotions weaken brand recall

🏗️ Why strong foundations matter more than rapid expansion

🤝 How trust between brand and ops teams drives execution

Amy’s message throughout the episode is clear:

Scaling restaurants successfully isn’t about doing more - it’s about building systems that protect consistency, empower teams, and deliver the same great experience at every location.

Whether you’re a COO, Head of Ops, Brand Director, or founder planning your next phase of growth, this episode offers a clear, practical playbook for scaling restaurant brands without dilution.

📲 Connect with Amy:   / amy-glover-93821954  

In Episode 17 of Supy Talks, we sit down with Rayhan Aleem, Founder of Alpha Pro Partners, to unpack one of the most frustrating paradoxes in hospitality:Why do restaurants with full dining rooms still go broke?Rayhan has advised hundreds of F&B operators across Dubai, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and beyond - and he’s seen firsthand how poor visibility into numbers can quietly destroy even the busiest restaurants. In this episode, he breaks down the financial blind spots, operational leaks, and cultural dynamics that drain profit long before founders realize what’s happening.From food cost ownership to supplier price creep, from wastage to fraud, from ERP myths to the realities of Dubai rents - Rayhan explains why “revenue” is a vanity metric and visibility is the only real protection an operator has.We cover:✅Why restaurants with strong sales still operate at a loss✅The Triple-30 rule - and why many operators never reach 10% net profit✅How to use weekly visibility to prevent monthly disasters✅Wastage, shrinkage & unrecorded loss: the silent killers of COGS✅Who actually owns food cost: the chef, the cost controller, or finance?✅Why cost controllers exist in the GCC (and what their role should be)✅When FIFO makes sense - and when it wastes more money than it saves✅The truth about Dubai leases, fit-out timelines & turnover rent✅Why ERPs fail operators (and what modern systems do better)You’ll also hear:🔥How poor visibility turns accountants into “defensive firefighters.”📉How supplier prices quietly rise without operators noticing🛠️Simple controls to prevent fraud before it hits the P&L📊What investors really expect from early-stage F&B founders🏗️How processes - not passion - determine which restaurants surviveRayhan’s message throughout the episode is clear:Busy restaurants don’t fail because of food. They fail because they fly blind.Visibility into operations, costs, and margins isn’t optional; it’s the difference between a thriving brand and a quiet shutdown.🫱🏻‍🫲🏽Connect with Rayhan:   / rayhanaleem

In Episode 16 of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Tom Stanley, Founder & CEO of William Stanley & Co - a restaurant operator-turned-accountant whose team supports 600+ hospitality businesses across the UK, US, Middle East and beyond. From Soho House to Big Mamma Group, Tom has seen the inside of more P&Ls than most operators will in a lifetime — and he’s refreshingly honest about what really drives profit.Across the episode, Tom breaks down the realities of rising wage costs, why “best-of-breed” tech stacks beat all-in-one, and the operating systems you need in place before you scale from two sites to ten.We cover:✅ The three levers great operators obsess over (and how often to review them)✅ The £200k stockroom audit: controls, accountability and transparent food cost✅ Labour in 2025: structuring sections and rotas without hurting service✅ Why menu engineering is better than hard upsells✅ Best-of-breed tech stacks (“LEGO bricks”) that scale with you✅ Weekly rhythms for making P&Ls usable ✅ When central kitchens pay back — and when they don’t✅ UK expansion hotspots (Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol) and global watch-outsYou’ll also hear:🔥 Why private dining often beats retail as a new revenue stream📊 What “healthy” food cost looks like by concept — and why many now manage to a ~60% combined food+labour envelope🛠 Simple controls that stop waste, errors and theft before they hit the P&L🤝 How tight operator–vendor relationships solve problems faster than any feature list🏗 The single biggest prerequisite to franchising without chaos: a replicable operating systemWhether you’re an FD, COO or multi-site operator planning your next five openings, this conversation is a masterclass in turning numbers into decisions — and decisions into profit.📲 Connect with Tom: williamstanley.co | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmhstanley/

In Episode 15 of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Ahmad Azmi, Managing Director of Sophia Café and a rising leader in Dubai’s specialty coffee scene.

Ahmad’s career path has been anything but typical: from cabin crew at Etihad, to area manager of 17 Chili’s locations, to building one of the city’s fastest-growing hospitality groups.

Along the way he’s tackled everything from cutting food costs and managing supply chain complexity, to opening 12 franchise locations in three months — all while building a people-first culture.

We cover:

✅ How Chili’s “school of ops” shaped Ahmad’s leadership style

✅ Lessons from scaling to 17 branches without today’s tech tools

✅ Cutting food costs from 52% by fixing wastage, errors, and theft

✅ The challenge of rapid franchising and ensuring consistency

✅ Why attitude matters more than CV in hiring

You’ll also hear:

🔥 The fryer story that taught Ahmad to be friendly, fair, and firm

📊 How a 100k ordering mistake changed his approach to forecasting

🛠 The simple system he still uses today from his Chili’s training

Whether you’re scaling a restaurant group or love hearing real stories of growth, this episode is packed with practical lessons from one of MENA’s most ambitious operators.

📲 Connect with Ahmad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-jamal-azmy-922ba9107/