You've got proof of concept in London... So where next?
This piece was originally shared on LinkedIn in response to recurring conversations with founders and leadership teams around this topic.
I’m publishing it here as part of an ongoing body of thinking around restaurant strategy, market entry, and operational decision-making.
I’ve been working with a client whose London site is thriving and is now looking at where to open next.
The first conversation is always broader than people expect.
Yes, you look at headline growth. The US has real momentum in so many states. Seasonal markets matter too. Bodrum is a good example of a place that has moved quickly from interest to serious discussion.
But the decision usually comes down to two harder questions.
Does the concept travel?
And if it does, will the customer be there?
A concept can make sense on paper and still fail because the audience is not there in enough depth, or not spending in the right way.
Once you have those answers, property becomes the filter. That is where ambition usually meets reality.
New York might be ideal on paper, but the right site at the right size and price point is hard to come by. Paris might not have been in your plans, but if the right space is there, you can move quickly.
This is the part that can catch people out. Expansion numbers add up on paper, but in reality, you go where the right site, the right size and the right numbers exist.
Since first sharing this, I’ve seen the same issue surface repeatedly — particularly with businesses entering new markets or scaling too quickly. 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.