Cuisine is not a constraint
In his own words, he can do any venue front and back of house. Labour percentage, food cost, purchasing, portion discipline and rota logic behave the same way in a sushi bar and in a steakhouse.
THE OPERATOR
Siroosh Bavarsad
More than fifty restaurants, bars and hotels owned, run, managed or leased out. Twenty-one of them run himself, across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Tenerife. He started at fourteen, in an Indian takeaway, and managed restaurants for years before he owned any of them.
SCOTLAND
8 venues
TENERIFE
13 venues
FIRST ROLE
Aged 14
THE RECORD
Glasgow and Edinburgh
Four years managing other people's restaurants before any of them were his. Then a live music bar, a bistro and two serviced apartment businesses of his own. UK VAT, UK rates, UK licensing and UK employment law are not theory to him.
- AmritsarIndian luxury takeawayBearsden, GlasgowMANAGER
- The AshokaIndian restaurantElderslie Street, GlasgowMANAGER
- Cyrus' KitchenIndian and British fusionLynedoch Street, GlasgowMANAGER
- Curry KaraokeKaraoke barElderslie Street, GlasgowMANAGER
- Beresford LoungeLive music barSauchiehall Street, GlasgowOWNER
- City SuitesServiced apartmentsSauchiehall Street, GlasgowOWNER
- The Clock TowerBistroCastle Street, GlasgowOWNER
- Grand Harbour ApartmentsServiced apartmentsLeith, EdinburghOWNER
THE RECORD
Tenerife
Thirteen venues across a resort market, trading as S1 Group. Seasonal peaks, transient staff and no regulars, which is a harder operating problem than it sounds.
- La Casa NovaBoutique hotelLas Cancelas AltoOWNER
- NashiraCocktail barSan Eugenio AltoOWNER
- HadesSports barSan Eugenio AltoOWNER
- CraftBurger barSan Eugenio BajoOWNER
- Downtown SushiSushi belt barAvenida Adeje 300OWNER
- GourmetStreet food venueAvenida Adeje 300OWNER
- La Tasca CanariaCanarian restaurantAvenida Adeje 300OWNER
- Steak 21SteakhouseCalle El JableOWNER
- Urban KitchenAmerican dinerAvenida Playa ParaisoOWNER
- Vino y QuesoWine and cheeseAvenida Playa ParaisoOWNER
- 7 Plates 7 DaysFine diningCalle El JableOWNER
- Tapas BoutiqueTapas restaurantCalle El JableOWNER
PHOTOGRAPH TO COME
One of his own rooms, empty
Shot brief subject: the empty room. Before service, lights up, nobody in it.
PHOTOGRAPH TO COME
An old menu or licence
Archive, not a photograph. The brand's evidence language is documents. Ask him for objects, not pictures.
IN HIS WORDS
“The guest has to knowwhere they are going and why.”
“My experience is varied and this was deliberate from my part. I always wanted to challenge myself. I could easily have replicated a model that worked and doubled down on it. I always wanted to learn new cultures, new food and new challenges. When I do a new project I go in detail and fully embrace the concept. Nowadays people are afraid of embracing their niche and only think about bottom line but what they forget is that by being the best in their niche they will make more. The guest has to know where they are going and why.”
That is the argument for a varied record rather than a deep one. The same economics express themselves differently in a sushi belt, a steakhouse and a takeaway, and someone who has run all three recognises the pattern faster than someone who has run one format for twenty years.
SCOPE
What he does, and what he does not
He works on the business, not in it
Kitchen Standards Days are standards, not cooking. He sets what good looks like and judges whether it is being delivered. He is not on the line.
Marketing is out of scope
He will comment on the room, the atmosphere and the concept, because he is in the building anyway. He does not sell marketing.
Book a call.
Twenty minutes. He will ask about your covers, your labour percentage and your food cost, and tell you whether there is £25,000 in there worth finding. If there is not, he will say so.