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It’s easy to judge

You may know her name and you have probably seen her face before. SARAH WILLINGHAM has been recognised as one of the “35 most successful women under 35” and described by Raymond Blanc as one of the most successful young people in the food and leisure industry. Jennifer Miller met with Sarah to find out about her career to date and what led her to land the role of ‘industry expert’ on national television

I was quite intrigued to meet Sarah Willingham. I’ve seen episodes of The Restaurant on BBC2 and I’ve read various articles, yet I couldn’t decide what she would be like in person. As an ‘inspector’ in The Restaurant she is portrayed as a no-nonsense businesswoman with strong opinions and, at times, blunt delivery.

As a viewer you are left in no doubt that this woman has very high standards, knows what a customer wants and is happy to share her opinions with others. She is a successful entrepreneur who, from a young age, has known what she wants and has worked hard to get it. Yet, is this actually the case? Or is it only with the value of hindsight that the master plan is revealed?

“That’s actually a really good question,” Sarah smiles. “It is hard looking back to know what you felt and thought at the time, but I have always known that I wanted a large family and that in my 30s I would like to be in a position to control my own time and enjoy that.

“Did I originally set out to build a chain of Indian restaurants? No, I didn’t even set out to own a business in the hospitality sector! But I think that when you can see the big picture, it makes it easy to assess various opportunities as they present themselves.

“In that respect, yes I’ve always had a plan, but the personal desire to have the life that I wanted is the main driver, rather than a particular career path.”

Currently expecting her third child, Sarah started her career working as a waitress while studying. She was working in a bar in France one day per week when an opportunity arose with Planet Hollywood.

“To this day I don’t know why it came about,” admits Sarah. “I was working at the Frog and Roast Beef and the owners were approached by people involved with the opening of the Planet Hollywood in Paris. They needed help as the American operators were having a little trouble adjusting to differences between the French and American cultures.

“My employers didn’t have the time and – for whatever reason – they suggested that there was a girl who worked for four hours on a Sunday who might be able to help. So I worked on the pre-opening of Planet Hollywood in Paris, helping the Americans understand that you simply can’t stop the French having their lunch break!”

After graduating Sarah was offered a role project-managing the opening of Planet Hollywood EuroDisney and then returned to London with the company, focusing on their European openings. This exposure to business development struck a chord and when Sarah decided it was time to move on she sought out brands that she felt had a chance of developing overseas. She approached Pret-a-Manger and Pizza Express. Pret were not looking internationally, but in a stroke of good fortune Pizza Express had just started exploring this form of expansion and Sarah was offered a position heading up international
franchising.

“When you can see the big picture, it makes it easy to assess various opportunities as they present themselves”

“It was a great experience opening restaurants in about 15 countries, but the biggest learning curve was when I went to Tokyo to open a corporately funded operation. It was a fantastic experience taking a site from a single brick to a fully functioning business. Then, on my return to London, I got involved in exploring new directions for the brand such as products in supermarkets and some acquisitions, which is where I came across the idea of a chain of Indian restaurants. I suggested to the board that Pizza Express could do for Indian cuisine what they had already done for Italian, but the response was that they do pizza – not Indian.”

This planted a seed. Sarah had been approached by a number of parties at this stage and had kept turning opportunities down. “I thought about why and realised that I just didn’t see the corporate path as the way for me to go. I knew I wanted a family, flexibility with my diary and that, regardless of maternity leave packages, you end up coming back to a full-time role. It’s not easy to balance the two, so developing my own business seemed like the best way forward.

“I wanted to find a good idea, with great food and strong loyalty, and build in the systems that allow it to grow and thrive. After finding the Bombay Bicycle Club as a potential business acquisition, I left Pizza Express and enrolled in an MBA at Cranfield. This gave me a good support structure to develop the business plan and secure financial backing. It also meant that, if the acquisition failed, there would still be a good foundation for my future in business.”

Eighteen months later Sarah put in a bid for the Bombay Bicycle Club, only to be outbid at the last minute. “I didn’t even know I was bidding against someone else!” Not one to give in lightly, Sarah contacted the other party – Clapham House Group (CHG) – and sought out a deal with them. It transpired that CHG, who at that time owned the Real Greek concept, had the finances but had not yet put a team together. On the other hand Sarah had the team ready to go and just needed the
business. In a win-win situation Sarah took an equity share in the business and became Managing Director of the Bombay Bicycle Club.

“I loved that business,” smiles Sarah. “In fact, I think the key was that we all loved that business. In the three years that I was there, we grew from six to 17 outlets and it taught me a lot about PR and marketing. The delivery business is so different to a restaurant; I remember branding our menus bright pink and making them long and skinny just so that they would stand out among the 35 other offers that are put through people’s doors.”

Sarah had her first child in 2007 while overseeing three brands for Clapham House; how did this fit in with the work-life plan? “I had a fantastic team. Each of the brands had a great MD and I was able to continue working throughout.”

Sarah is no longer involved with Clapham House but has a number of new projects in the wings and is preparing for the filming of the third series of The Restaurant. This enables her to spend a lot of time with her children – but how did it come about?

“I got this call one day from the BBC saying they wanted a woman for a panel on a restaurant show. I couldn’t believe it when they offered me the role. It’s been great fun, but initially it was quite a shock to realise that out of so many hours filming, they make a one-hour programme. You lose control not only over your time and diary but also over how you will come across – the portrayal of your character – that’s very strange. But I was in a good position as it was vital for the show that I came across as an industry expert so that did give me some security. Now I know the executive producer really well – she’s a great friend and I have total faith in the whole team.”

“I was aware that by putting myself up as an industry expert while I was still in the industry meant that people would enjoy critiquing my restaurants even more than normal. It’s so easy to judge people. It’s so much harder to be judged.”

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