How I Got Here: Anton Soulier
Why restaurants?
I started my career in finance but I’ve always been passionate about food so I moved to Deliveroo as one of the first employees in the French business. At Deliveroo I worked with lots of brands and restaurant owners; it was during this time that I noticed how restaurants weren’t reimagining and designing their menus for the delivery experience. It really helped me see the pain points from a restaurateur perspective and spot the opportunity to reinvent the taste and experience of delivery food. And so Taster, a delivery-first restaurant group, was born in 2017.
Tell us something you wish you had been told at the start of your career?
Never sell yourself short.
What’s your favourite restaurant or group of restaurants (besides your own)?
In London, my favourite restaurant is Primeur in Newington Green. But I also spend a lot of time in Paris, and I always try to eat at Le Clos Bourguignon, one of the last traditional brasseries, when I can. Learning from other restaurant groups is also really important to me. In the franchise world I think Wingstop is a good case study of the modern franchise - they’ve built a strong brand by placing a huge emphasis on having a big digital presence and deploying delivery kitchens.
What motivates you?
Collaboration. Especially when it means partnering with top chefs like Jamie Oliver. I want to change the way people look at delivery food by building brands that resonate with foodies, create a community, and become embedded in popular culture. Working with the best food talent around is a huge part of this.
What keeps you up at night?
Like anyone in the industry right now, the impact of inflation and the cost of living is at the forefront of my mind. It’s a huge challenge balancing the success of our franchise partners’ operations with inflationary pressures, but we’re doing everything we can. We now have 120 partners in more than 80 cities, so our economy of scale is really strong. We’ve also invested a lot in click & collect which allows our partners to earn bigger profit margins whilst customers access our menus at lower price points.
Which colleague, mentor or employer has had the biggest influence on your approach to the restaurant business?
The hundreds of restaurant owners I met during my time at Deliveroo. During those sales pitch meetings I was always in the dining area gazing at the kitchen. It was almost a sacred place and I knew I wanted to be on the other side one day.
What's been your best business decision?
Understanding that you can’t be good at everything - this has allowed Taster to be 100% focused on creating iconic food. Rather than having to focus on the logistics side of delivery or the cost involved with the dine-in experience, we can ensure that we’re sourcing ingredients from the best suppliers and delivering eye-catching collaborations with the best chefs and food talent, like Jamie Oliver.
And the worst?
After we launched Taster and saw how popular Vietnamese spring rolls (or ‘nems’ in France) were, I almost opened a spring roll factory. I realised quickly that I wasn’t cut out for manufacturing - a lucky escape I think.
What’s your signature dish to cook at home?
Pot au feu - a staple family dish in France that I’ll always return to.
What time do you wake up?
6:00am.
What are you currently reading?
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
What was your dream job growing up?
Meteorologist.
Favourite holiday destination?
The first time I really fell in love with street food was when I travelled to Vietnam in 2008. I became obsessed with Pho. It was a great inspiration. Fast forward to 2017 and I was working the kitchen pass ensuring that Taster’s first brand, Mission Saigon, was making it out for delivery to hungry Parisians.
What piece of advice would you give to those looking to climb the rungs in the business?
Spend as much time in kitchens and restaurants as possible and be obsessed by the customer. Every decision is focused on the best outcome for our franchise partners and customers - whether it’s improvements to our tech or sourcing new suppliers to solve issues flagged by customer feedback.
If you could change one thing about the restaurant industry today, what would it be?
Waste. 600,000 tonnes of food is wasted by the hospitality sector in the UK alone every year. We’ve been really successful at minimising waste at Taster because all our franchise partners are equipped with our tech - including an algorithm that accurately predicts the right amount of ingredients to order and prepare for each of their restaurants’ dishes on a daily basis.
Bio
Born in Paris, Soulier received a master's degree in Finance at NEOMA Business School and began his career in finance before moving to Deliveroo for three years - most recently as deputy GM of the French business. Whilst working with restaurant owners at Deliveroo, Soulier spotted a new opportunity – creating digitally native food brands that are scaled using tech and are centred around the customer, focusing on experience, quality, variety and speed of service. Taster was born in a tiny kitchen in the 11th arrondissement in Paris, where Soulier and the team created and delivered the first Mission Saigon Vietnamese Bo Bun in 2017. The business now spans four countries and 80 cities across Europe, and has raised over $50m to date. Taster currently has six brands, prepared by 120 franchise partners across Europe.
