{"id":3182,"date":"2016-08-22T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.licensedandcateringnews.com\/?p=3182"},"modified":"2016-08-22T09:00:21","modified_gmt":"2016-08-22T09:00:21","slug":"moving-on-up-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lcnonline.co.uk\/moving-on-up-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving on up…"},"content":{"rendered":"
Boojum\u2019s newest restaurant in the centre of Belfast is the highpoint in the Maxwell brothers\u2019 hospitality careers. But David Maxwell tells LCN that it\u2019s only the start of something much bigger\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Belfast brothers David and Andrew Maxwell, who acquired Mexican burrito bar chain, Boojum, just over a year ago, have now opened their largest restaurant to date at Great Victoria Street in the city, with plans for at least one more new outlet before the end of 2016,<\/p>\n The new 3,500 sq ft, 95-seater outlet also marks a re-energised approach by the popular fast-casual brand to servicing the thriving delivery and corporate catering market within Belfast.<\/p>\n For David Maxwell, who spoke to LCN this month, the new opening represents the next step on a 20-year career path that\u2019s taken him to Arizona and back.<\/p>\n His career in hospitality began when he was just 14-years-old, collecting glasses in an east Belfast bar. Eventually, David worked his way up through bar management whilst studying at university in Glasgow, before deciding at the age of 21, that he would like to travel.<\/p>\n He and some friends launched into a tour of the east coast of America, \u201cworking our way from bar to bar and beach to beach\u201d, recalls David. Inevitably, however, the group eventually ran out of money and began to cast around for ways to boost their dwindling funds.<\/p>\n Through an Irish contact in Arizona, the men secured construction work in the state and while they were there, it emerged that their fellow-countryman and employer was keen to invest in a new Irish pub in the region.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a few quid and a few guys who were interested in the proposal and over the next 18 months, we came up with a plan for me to return as the operations manager in the business with an equity share,\u201d recalls David, who eventually moved to the States to open the first of the pubs at Chandler in Arizona in 2003.<\/p>\n By 2008, there were four pubs in the group and David was living in the States full-time to manage the business.<\/p>\n Four years later, David \u2013 who had married in 2007 \u2013decided that the time was right to return to Northern Ireland and start a family after 10 years in the states. His brother, Andrew, who is a well-known figure in Ulster rugby circles, had joined him in America in 2008 and he stayed on there until 2014 to continue managing the Irish bars.<\/p>\n Now, both brothers are involved in the family business at home \u2013 each looks after specific areas of interest but all the important strategic decisions are taken together.<\/p>\n The first business that David got involved with on his return was a day nursery on the Malone Road, Little Hands, Little Feet, which he still owns today:<\/p>\n \u201cBut the plans had always been to get back to my roots in hospitality,\u201d he explains. \u201cAndrew and I were interested in launching our own fast-casual concept and as part of our research, we heard of an opportunity in the city and were excited when we found out that it was Boojum. We were big fans of the concept and held the brand in high regard.\u201d<\/p>\n After raising additional investment through private equity finance, the brothers acquired Boojum in July last year \u2013 at that time, the company had five outlets in all, two in Belfast, two in Dublin and another in Galway. They have since added an additional restaurant to the portfolio in Belfast and Dublin and now employ around 260 people.<\/p>\n \u201cThe business is currently performing beyond our expectations, we didn\u2019t think that we\u2019d get it to this level within this time when we acquired it,\u201d reports David. \u201cThat\u2019s down to hard work by us and by our strong management team who have bought into our vision for the company. Everyone is very excited by the opportunity that\u2019s in front of us, they\u2019ve come together well and that\u2019s made the last 12 months much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n David says that feedback on the new restaurant at Great Victoria Street is \u201cvery positive\u201d. Staff at the venue were greeted by a queue of more than 300 customers when they opened the doors for the first time in July and David says that office workers and tourists in particular have embraced the new business.<\/p>\n That buy-in is essential right from the start, he says:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like opening any other food and beverage operation, you need to deliver sales and control margins and costs. If you can do that and most importantly, people leave with a smile on their face, you should do well\u2026In our business, we aim to be super-efficient. We probably put more people through at lunchtime than any other business in Belfast and to do that, we have to think very systematically. We have to think about even very small marginal gains. How do we speed up the order process? How do we make it simple for customers to order? How do we design the EPOS to make entering sales quicker? These kinds of thing are critical.\u201d<\/p>\n