Steve Phillips
Operations Director - Busaba Eathai
Starting as a chef in hotels/bars from leaving school at 16. Joining Café Rouge in 1998 as a head chef and opening a new site in Hertford working in many other Café Rouge kitchens. The Whitbread sale gave me the opportunity to move FOH and build my management career to GM in 2 years.
In 2003 I joined TRG and opened the Stevenage branch of Frankie & Benny’s. Successfully opening my unit, and heavy involvement in other openings led me to promotion as Area Manager. After 8 years, I left TRG to join GBK shortly after Yellowwoods (Nando’s owners) purchased the business. Looking after several areas and promoted to Senior Area Manager over a 4-year period. Leaving GBK I joined Levi’s and ran all operations and basic functions to conceive and open the new Caribbean restaurant. After 4 years, I have joined Busaba as Operations Director.
Boring Basics = High Performance
An overview of the systems, processes, attitudes and direction we have given to our teams in Busaba in our first full “turn around” year as a new senior management team. How we weathered the casual dining storm and now consider ourselves a “survivor” Our three year plan, where and how we are doing on it and why I think the “boring basics” are the key to creating high performing teams and outperforming the market.
