Bodean's BBQ closes Balham restaurant and eyes delivery hub
BigHospitality's sister site MCA reports that the restaurant, which closed this week, was the group’s fifth site when it opened in 2014.
It follows the closure of Bodean's in Muswell Hill Broadway in January.
Founder Andre Blais, told MCA the Balham site had “two really amazing years with no impact on the Clapham unit” nearby, with many attempt to save it.
He said with home delivery a growing factor in the market, it accounted for a third of sales in both Clapham and Balham.
Meanwhile he is looking to grow a delivery hub from Bodean’s central kitchen, in Earlsfield, with the potential to become a specialist supplier under a new brand name.
Blais says: “If you’ve got a third of your sales at whatever percentage that you agree with your home delivery company and furthermore you are putting in another 20% to be put on the top of the listing there’s very little money to be made – I’d say about £1 per £10 of sales which doesn’t cover your variable costs.
“So with rising costs of rents and business rates it was very difficult to sustain profitability”.
Bodean’s BBQ retains six sites, specialising in American-inspired meat dishes including its best performing Tower Hill, Old Street and Soho restaurants.
The business, which Blais launched in 2002, also has a central kitchen, in Earlsfield, Wandsworth, half of which Blais plans to turn into a delivery hub subject to local EHO consent.
Blais says the site has potential to triple capacity and he plans to market a service under a new name supplying “key distributors, or pubs or companies that are providers to our sector like Brakes and 3663 if they take the products on. We will begin our marketing strategy next week”.
Bodean’s pre-tax profits slumped in the year ended May 31 2018 from £1.04m to £264,615 on turnover down from £12.8m to £11.2m.
This article originally appeared on BigHospitality's sister site MCA. For more information or to subscribe click here.
