“When you start, you need to believe in your idea. Give it your 100% and surround yourself with good people.”
Jonas Reinholdsson, founder of O’Learys, scaled his restaurant from 1 to 130+ locations worldwide. Carl Jacobs, Apicbase’s CEO, sat down with Jonas to talk about how he built an enduring brand that lasted over three decades.
Listen and-/or watch to Episode 9 with Jonas now! 🎧
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Here’s what Jonas said about scaling a restaurant:
💡 Don’t be afraid to try something new.
If you know you have a great concept, pursue it even if you’re the first of your kind in the market. O’Leary’s was the first Irish-American sports bar concept in Sweden.
🏪 Look like a chain from Day 1.
Establish your brand by putting your logo on napkins, sugar packets, matchboxes, etc. Look professional from the beginning.
🕸️ Keep a good network of people.
It’s easier to open a new concept if you have the contacts to help you. Build a network of great staff – from managers to servers.
📒 Record processes from the beginning.
Anticipate growth by documenting your processes and creating manuals as you build the business.
🛑 Don’t be operational all the time.
Hire great managers so you can step back from the day-to-day operations and focus on growing the business
✨ Grow faster through franchising.
Trademark your name, find good partners, and start scaling your business.
👨💼 Hire experts and get a financial partner.
To scale rapidly, you need a great CEO and a strong investor that will give you stability as you grow.
🤝 Decide how much control you want to keep.
As you grow your business, decide if you want 10% control of 200 restaurants or 100% control of 25.
🍽️ Focus on what the customer wants.
There are no shortcuts to meeting guest expectations. Always delight your customers.
💻 Remain relevant and keep up with the times.
Learn to adapt to trends and take advantage of technology to build a brand that lasts the test of time.
Recommended Podcast: Episode 9 – The Journey of Scaling O’Learys from 1 to Over 100 Locations
