Breakfast Club founder seeks managing director to help business realise its potential

The founder of the Breakfast Club is seeking a managing director for the restaurant group after admitting it needs help to "realise its potential".

Jonathan Arana-Morton, who founded the business in 2005, wrote on LinkedIn that he wants the company to more than double in size to 30 sites.

He said: “I need an MD because I’m not quite good enough for us right now. In fact I haven’t been quite up to it for a few years. What 2020 showed me is the weight of responsibility that comes with having the livelihoods of 340 people and their families on your shoulders. You can never take that responsibility lightly. There comes a time when you realise they deserve better than you.”

He added that Breakfast Club’s potential was “off the scale huge” and he needed someone grow the business beyond its 12 restaurants.

“When this plane should be supercharged, I’ve flown it round in circles,” he said.

Arana-Morton described 2021 as an “open goal” and said there was “incredible” opportunity for businesses that survive the pandemic.

He said he is looking for the right person "not whether you’ve been on the hospitality merry-go-round" and encouraged candidates to contact him on LinkedIn.

“You will be given full support by me.  Listen, I know I’m not the the person that can take a business from 12 to 30, my sweet spot was six ‘cafs’, and even if I say so myself I was pretty magnificent back then. I’ll help you keep this business special. But don’t worry about an ego, a protective ‘nothing must change’ founder, I’ve moved on, I’ve realised this is bigger than me now.”

Breakfast Club, known for its long queues, runs 10 restaurants across London and one each in Brighton and Oxford.

The company said last year it was looking to expand after negotiating a further facility with Santander.

In the year to March 2019 it achieved sales of £15.7m and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of £744,000.