ROB WADE

Hospitality businesses that customers love, teams can deliver and the numbers can support.

Discuss a project

Senior Food Operations Leader
| Chef-Operator

More than 20 years across professional kitchens, openings, multi-site operations and commercial improvement.

ROB WADE

Hospitality businesses that customers love, teams can deliver and the numbers can support.

Discuss a project

Senior Food Operations Leader
| Chef-Operator

More than 20 years across professional kitchens, openings, multi-site operations and commercial improvement.

View selected work

What I do

I work with owners and leadership teams to turn food ideas into working businesses, fix operations that are underperforming, expand existing businesses and provide experienced leadership at times of change.

Create and open

I take new food operations from early idea to opening: defining the offer, testing the commercial model and leading the practical work across menus, kitchens, suppliers, recruitment, training and mobilisation.

Create and open

See how

Improve performance

I identify what is holding an existing operation back and lead the changes required across food quality, customer appeal, costs, productivity, standards and management capability.

Improve performance

I identify what is holding an existing operation back and lead the changes required across food quality, customer appeal, costs, productivity, standards and management capability.

See how

Expand an existing operation

I help businesses move from one successful operation to several by making the offer, economics, systems and leadership model repeatable—without losing what customers value.

Expand an existing operation

I help businesses move from one successful operation to several by making the offer, economics, systems and leadership model repeatable—without losing what customers value.

See how

Provide senior food leadership

I step into businesses that need experienced food leadership for a defined period—during an opening, a period of change, a performance problem or a gap in the permanent team.

Provide senior food leadership

I step into businesses that need experienced food leadership for a defined period—during an opening, a period of change, a performance problem or a gap in the permanent team.

See how

How I work

I take responsibility for the work, not just the recommendations.

I establish what the business actually needs, shape a practical response and lead the work with the people who will operate it.

I stay close to the food, team, numbers and day-to-day decisions until the change is working. The client is not left with a report and another project to fit into an already full schedule.

Selected work

Work taken from idea or problem to daily operation.

Fables & Co.

Led menu, food-standard and operational improvement across a group of London wine bars, working directly with chefs and kitchen leaders on quality, consistency and gross-profit performance.

Fables & Co.

Led menu, food-standard and operational improvement across a group of London wine bars, working directly with chefs and kitchen leaders on quality, consistency and gross-profit performance.

Troubadour Theatres & Studio Five

Created and opened the restaurant and bar operation at Wembley Park Theatre, then provided fractional food leadership for five years. Also developed high-volume catering operations across Troubadour’s film and television studio estate.

Troubadour Theatres & Studio Five

Get Plucked & Bite Me Burger

Turned early food ideas into repeatable QSR operations, covering menus, costings, suppliers, kitchen design, systems, training and openings in the UK and UAE.

Get Plucked & Bite Me Burger

Turned early food ideas into repeatable QSR operations, covering menus, costings, suppliers, kitchen design, systems, training and openings in the UK and UAE.

Hobbledown Farm

Created the food offer, operating model, standards and systems for a large family visitor attraction, then supported its operation and multi-site growth over several years.

Hobbledown Farm

Created the food offer, operating model, standards and systems for a large family visitor attraction, then supported its operation and multi-site growth over several years.

Fables & Co.

Led menu, food-standard and operational improvement across a group of London wine bars, working directly with chefs and kitchen leaders on quality, consistency and gross-profit performance.

Troubadour Theatres & Studio Five

Get Plucked & Bite Me Burger

Turned early food ideas into repeatable QSR operations, covering menus, costings, suppliers, kitchen design, systems, training and openings in the UK and UAE.

Hobbledown Farm

Created the food offer, operating model, standards and systems for a large family visitor attraction, then supported its operation and multi-site growth over several years.

Who I work with

I work with owners and leadership teams responsible for restaurants, hospitality groups, visitor attractions, cultural venues and founder-led food businesses. They are usually creating something new, addressing a performance problem or strengthening leadership as the organisation changes or grows.

The setting varies. The common factor is that food matters to both the customer experience and the financial performance of the organisation.

Rob Wade.

I work with owners and leadership teams to turn food ideas into working businesses, fix operations that are underperforming, expand existing businesses and provide experienced leadership at times of change.

Email me at

rob@robwade.co.uk

Call me on

07985 299776

Email me at rob@robwade.co.uk

Call me on 07985 299776

Discuss a project

Stylised line illustration of a running human figure in gold

Contact

Tell me what you are trying to build—or what is not working.

A short initial conversation is normally enough to understand the issue and decide if and how we work together.