British operators expanding into the US are sitting on an advantage they rarely use š
This piece was originally shared on LinkedIn in response to recurring conversations with founders and leadership teams around this topic.
Iām publishing it here as part of an ongoing body of thinking around restaurant strategy, market entry, and operational decision-making.
Major American cities, particularly those with a strong affinity for London, love British brands. American tourism to London continues to grow each year, and visitors are experiencing our best hospitality venues firsthand. They go home wanting more of it.
The London story travels. The heritage, the cachet, the sense of a place with a history. Guests in New York or Miami will pay attention to it.
The problem is how British businesses communicate their desire to partners and landlords. Humble, understated, almost apologetic about where they're from. How very British of us. But commercially, it's leaving something on the table.
When a US brand plans to open in London, they lean into their identity. They tell you exactly where they're from and why that matters.
British brands tend to do the opposite, as if shouting about being from London feels a bit much.
It shouldn't. It's a competitive advantage, and one that I think needs to be made far more of.
The underlying challenge is rarely strategy itself, but how early decisions constrain execution later.
Andrew Jobes is the founder of Jobes & Co., a Dubai-based advisory working with restaurant and hospitality businesses across the Middle East and international markets.