Case Study: James Horler – Executive Chairman, Ego Restaurants

As a 16 year-old with no interest in pursuing any further academic qualifications than his few O Levels, James Horler listed on a single piece of paper the options available to him – a list that included the hotel industry.

He wrote to all the hotels in his home town offering to take up work for the summer with no pay – an offer that was readily accepted by the local Trusthouse Forte hotel, and that led to him gaining a place on their in-house management development programme.

By the age of 25, he had enjoyed a meteoric rise from unit manager to regional director at Little Chef. He then spent three years at Granada Hospitality, before growing Frankie and Benny's from 2 outlets to 65 and developing the brand concept from a diner to a New York Italian restaurant and bar.

In 2001 he raised £28m to buy tapas chain La Tasca, which he sold for £130m in 2007. It was then that he bought a small group of four outlets – Ego Restaurants – along with his executive management team. His team has followed him throughout his various career moves, something which Alan Cutler says “is symptomatic of the loyalty he engenders in those around him.”

James stresses that he would not want to grow a company to such an extent that he was not able to keep in contact with every restaurant. He visits every one of the nine restaurants at least once a week, often managing four visits a day.

He also believes that the recession has forced casual dining restaurants to split along two lines – bigger companies who have taken the route of heavy discounting, and smaller players who have to think smarter about their offering to compete in the increasingly price-conscious market.

James believes that as some chains will struggle in withdrawing their discount offers, it is the responsibility of strategic leaders in restaurant groups like Ego to find ways to reposition their offer in order for customers to perceive it as better value – and empower and motivate their teams to ensure that strategy bears fruit.

Alan Cutler says that James' leadership style is illuminating: “He has never lost the human touch: reveling in how he can provide opportunities for his staff to develop.”

This case study is a shortened version of the full case study, taken from “Aspire to Inspire” – visit hospitalityleadership.com/aspire_to_inspire_book.html for more details.