In Part 2 of our special feature where we speak to more of Scotland’s successful multiple operators and who share their stories about new openings, refurbishments and generally making their mark on the trade. There were certainly plenty to choose from. Today we have Bucks Bar Group, West Coast Hospitality, Malones Irish Pubs and Buzzworks.
Bucks Bar Group, Glasgow
Managing Director of the Bucks Bar Group, Michael Bergson opened his first venue Soho in Miller St in Glasgow 2008. This venue is now Thundercat and sits in the portfolio alongside five Bucks Bar’s located in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Michael says, “The success so far is down to team effort. A lot of the team have worked with me since before the first Bucks opened in 2016. With Bucks we’ve created something which we genuinely love and have a passion for – that’s why it works.”
Michael also feels that people wanting to start out in the industry now don’t have the same opportunities as he had in 2008 saying, “It’s tough for people starting out. It’s sad to say but if you are looking to expand there are deals to be made on sites that other people are having to let go. However, I would like to see more opportunities for people that are just starting out.”
There are plenty of plans for Bucks Bar though. Michael adds, “We’ve got a new menu coming to Bucks soon! We wanted to freshen it up as we’re always moving forward, so we’re introducing new wings flavours and sauces. Plus, in the future we would love to see Bucks all over the UK, so watch this space…”
So where does Michael go for a night out? He says, “That’s easy. I’ve got to give a shout out to my dad’s local, The Old Ship Bank in the Saltmarket. It’s a proper family run pub, with great characters, atmosphere, jukebox and a good pint.”
West Coast Hospitality, Ayrshire
Tempura burst onto the Ayrshire scene in late 2020 and has now expanded to two restaurants, the original one in Ayr and one in Prestwick, three takeaways, a production kitchen and a food trailer. Owner Brandon Van Rensburg, opened the business with Mark Blake in the middle of lockdown.
Says Brandon, “People said I was crazy, but look at us now, about to open our 7th venue in Irvine. “I know it sounds like a cliche, but success is down to the team of 65 staff. What delivered on our promise – an amazing working week, good wages and fun at work so the staff turnover is minimal. That’s what has allowed us to get out and expand so quickly. The idea is very simple, it’s quality over quantity. We’re not greedy and we don’t push it to hard, so we’ve got that perfect balance of what works for us and the customer.”
Brandon is incredibly positive about the future saying, “The plan is to keep expanding. We stuck to takeaways for a while as these were the properties that were more readily available, but we’d like to have more restaurants. We’ve covered Ayrshire now and I think our next step will be to look for something nearer to Glasgow. I believe there is plenty of opportunities out there if you are hungry for it and put the work in. We’re a perfect example of that. You need a clever concept and then social media is the key.”
He also credits some of success to previously working with industry giant Buzzworks adding, “Colin Blair taught me everything I know. What they do is exceptional, and, in my opinion, they are the leading hospitality group in Scotland – that’s who you want to strive to be like.” He is pictured receiving his Emerging Entrepreneur Awards from the 2023 SBPA Awards from Colin Blair.
Malones Irish Pubs, Aberdeen
The Keane family’s first venue was Malones Aberdeen which opened in 2009. They have currently grown to nine venues (as well as a pop-up bar business) and employ over 200 staff. Their most recent venue, Malones Leith, opened last year.
Managing Director, Simon Keane, tells DRAM, “We pride ourselves on creating destination venues that provide great entertainment and customer service. Also, as well as having great atmosphere, we also focus on providing good quality food and drink for our customers. Job satisfaction and staff retention is something we really focus on as a group, and we achieve this by creating a fun and professional environment. We also offer staff bespoke training and career progression.
“We are constantly striving to be at the forefront of the industry, so whether that’s spotting trends or offering unique experiences, we are always trying new things and not just relying on our existing business. We have found drinking habits have changed a lot in the last few years, so although we own bars, we don’t just offer drinks in our venues. The future opportunities are all about experiences for us. People need a reason to go out now, so we offer great quality entertainment in various forms. This appeals to a lot more people and results in our customers staying in our venues for longer.
As for the future, Simon adds, “We are actively looking to acquire more venues as well as finding more locations for our pop-up businesses. We also have our own spirits brand, Smugglers Spirits, which includes Smugglers Vodka and Malones Whiskey, and we are looking to get into lot more venues within the trade. On top of this, we are putting a lot of our focus on developing our training platform as we see huge value in investing in our team.”
Simon socialises local to where he lives and recommends The Salisbury Arms in Edinburgh saying, “It’s a great family friendly venue that has a good food and drink selection and most importantly for this time of year, a good size beer garden.”
Buzzworks, Ayrshire
Buzzworks are a hospitality giant in Scotland growing from one unit in 2002, Elliots in Prestwick, to their 20 current venues spanning the country from the west to east. They currently employ over 800 people and have another two units coming very soon.
Co-founder and Managing Director of Buzzworks Kenny Blair tells me their continued success is down to “hard work, constant reinvestment and innovation.” He continues, “There are always opportunities out there no what matter what state the market is in. We are constantly trying to assess what they are at any given time. The P&L of some elements of hospitality has been disrupted by increased staffing costs, the economy, utility costs and inflation and I feel we need to sit back and see that play out a bit. One thing is for sure, people will never stop wanting to go out to eat, drink and have a good time. That’s the constant, so of course there is opportunity.
“Competitive socialising has been very successful as late for some operators. It’s not necessarily something we are looking at, but that has been a real success story. There is no definite answer out there, everyone is trying to get to grips with the current state of the industry after Covid and with todays economic climate before they can see a way forward.
“We have two venues to opening in the future though, one later on this year, and one hopefully at the beginning of next year. We are optimistic, or we wouldn’t be doing it and we do get opportunities all the time, it’s just a matter of picking the right ones.”
When Kenny gets some time to socialise, he says, “I really like to visit Sugo in Glasgow with my family – I’m a big fan of it.”
Read Part 1
