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New Business Magazine Autumn edition - Cover interview Jillian MacLean MBE

By rotide
Created 02/09/2024 - 16:19
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Growing up in her parents' hotel in the Scottish coastal town of Largs, Jillian MacLean MBE-the driving force behind Drake & Morgan-had hospitality woven into the fabric of her early life. Whether serving breakfasts as a child, running hotels in Scotland, or managing pubs in London, Jillian's deep immersion in the industry provided the foundation she needed to identify and fill a gap in the market with a beautifully female-influenced hospitality offering through Drake & Morgan.

Since the opening of The Refinery Bankside in 2008, Londoners have flocked to the stylish and contemporary bars and restaurants under the Drake & Morgan banner. From The Folly to The Anthologist and The Happenstance, each venue is uniquely thematic and often whimsical, featuring design elements inspired by nature, industry, literature, and beyond.

Listening carefully to the needs of others is foundational for Jillian MacLean. Drawing inspiration from some of the finest restaurant operators in the world, she aims to give people what they want, and didn't know they needed.

Honoured with an MBE in 2013 for her outstanding services to hospitality and awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2024, Jillian is recognised not only for her role in the London hospitality industry's post-pandemic recovery but also for her passionate and vibrant contribution to London's social scene. Jillian talks to Ian Westcott about life in hospitality, inspiration, and the female creative touch.

NB: Can you tell us about your early experiences growing up, and how they may have impacted your path to your hospitality career?

JM: I grew up on the West Coast of Scotland. My parents had a hotel that was initially a B&B (bed and breakfast), where my brother, sister, and I spent most of our lives before going to school, preparing tea, toast, and marmalade ahead of breakfast service. It was amusing to be brought up in hospitality, as I would tell my parents, "There's absolutely no way I am going to be doing this as my career," and yet here I find myself, decades later, and that's all I have ever done.

On the West Coast of Scotland, at the time I was growing up, it was quite common for many people to come up from Glasgow to Largs for the weekend. Lots of tourists came from Northern Ireland for the summer holidays, and we were a very busy place throughout the summer season, so I really grew up in this environment.

NB: You mentioned that you didn't see it initially as your career choice. Were you at all resistant?

JM: Not really. I remember explaining to my parents that there's a big world out there, and there might be a lot of things I would want to do. Naturally, living in a B&B that then became a hotel, you become accustomed to looking after people from many walks of life, which was really quite interesting.

NB: What did your career path look like before starting your own business, and what specific experiences shaped your desire to found Drake & Morgan and ‘go it alone'?

JM: I ran a number of hotels in different parts of Scotland, working with a company called Osprey Hotels. Although I worked for my parents, I felt I could get a good job elsewhere, which was lovely. I went on to be a general manager with them, running hotels around Scotland. Later, at Mitchells & Butlers, I had a long career.

When running the hotels, I had a great boss who had known me since I was quite young. They asked me if I would like to come to London to run some pubs in the city. To be honest, I remember thinking it was like a part-time job. Pubs in the financial area of London closed at 8:30 pm, which seemed very funny at the time. I really enjoyed London, and now my London life has been longer than my Scottish life.

Most of my career was spent at Mitchells & Butlers, where I had great grounding and training. Unfortunately, I was eventually made redundant at the very end of my 30s, and that was probably the making of me. I had always wanted to do my own thing but never had the financial means to do so. A lot of my friends were getting bored of hearing me say, "I can do this; I think I can do this bit better." I met some investors and was very fortunate that my sister lives in California and has been there for a long time, so I had visited on holiday at various times and seen some incredible bars, restaurants, and operators there. One of the things I noticed was the opportunity for big, bright, bold spaces. Drake & Morgan is nothing new; great people are doing things all around the world, so we went to see them.

It was almost born out of frustration. Around this time, you had All Bar One, Slug & Lettuce, and HA HA Bar & Canteen, and I felt there was room for something that felt a bit more accessible and a bit more female-influenced with contemporary design. That's how we got started and managed to raise the money in 2008. Drake & Morgan really started out as a hybrid of influences we had picked up on the East and West Coasts of America initially, but our design should be credited to Sophie Douglas and her team at Fusion Design & Architecture.

NB: How did you arrive at the concept for Drake & Morgan, and what do you feel sets your restaurants apart in the hospitality space?

JM: We were very fortunate to have some of our initial investors who were very inspired by New York. We went to meet operators in New York on what we would call innovation trips. It sounds a bit posh, but all it was, was a decent research list of operators, a reasonable flight, and reasonable hotels. These trips inspired us. Now, each time we open a new site, we've had the designers, and the team together take an innovation trip. Places like The Folly and The Anthologist were California-inspired.

My sister has helped us from the beginning. Originally based in San Francisco, she's now in Santa Barbara. We've since always kept a watch on great operators in other parts of the world and been influenced by them, taking a little bit back to Drake & Morgan.

The landlord at The Refinery Bankside was also involved in the Time Warner Building in New York, so when we were pitching for that site, they were very much of the mindset of "this is the kind of thing that we would like." So, we went to New York to get the blueprint and held a lot of focus groups with customers at Bankside when we were developing the offer. Generally, though, you travel, get a great research list together, and define the blueprint and the offer.

NB: From the stylishly industrial décor of The Refinery to the fairytale ambiance of The Fable, talk us through how you create such unique venues while still maintaining Drake & Morgan's distinct DNA.

JM: Our model is leasehold currently, so it starts with a conversation with the landlord. They often know what they want. We also talk to the tenants about their preferences and references. We then use their reference points to produce a bit of a blueprint for where the innovation trips should be.

For example, something like the Heron Tower (now Salesforce Tower), at that time was owned by Gerald Ronson. They'd seen the first four sites we had done. They said to me at the time, "We'd like something Jillian that's a bit more blingy than what you do," as it was all a bit more industrial and brushed back. I gave them some reference points as we were really impressed by Le Gray in Beirut and some operators in Istanbul doing wonderful things with ceramics. So, it really is a collaboration between our team, the landlord, and the feedback from tenants.

Perhaps it's a bit of an overused term, but I would also say "female friendly." I would say our offer is quite female influenced because I was really inspired by a book I read called Inside Her Pretty Little Head by Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts. I'd been at a conference with a guy who had employed these two women who'd gone on to be very successful. They had been at Ogilvy and continued to set up their own business and write this book. It talks about the rising affluence and influence of women and that women are responsible for 80% of purchasing decisions. I bought this for my whole team when we started, as the team that worked on the offer from the beginning was predominantly female. So, we built a bit of that psyche from the book and the knowledge of these fantastic people into our thinking. It's about making it a female-influenced offer where women can feel comfortable. Our model is about 40% pre-booked, and women are generally doing most of the online booking, so we needed to have a place that can reflect that influence and provide comfort for women.

NB: Since opening The Refinery in 2008, you have operated through a recession and a pandemic. What did you learn from these exceptional circumstances?

JM: My team teases me because I typically operate in threes. I think it's about being calm, consistent, and considerate. When we started (during the recession), you had to have a very strong belief in the proposition of what you're doing with customer research and business modelling. It's important to remain considerate to all parties around you, both as a businesswoman and a person. Similarly, through the pandemic, thank God it's behind us now as it was the most horrendous time, but remaining calm was equally important. We're in the bar and restaurant business; it's not about saving lives, so calm and consideration are crucial.

I think language matters, so for every new project, we used a new project name. For instance, during the COVID crisis, we didn't refer to it as COVID; we called the project "Middle Mist." Generally, everyone knows I'm also a bit flower mad, but there are only two of these Camelias locations in the world of this kind, originally from China, one of which is in Chiswick. We have generally always used flowers as project names, but the rare Middle Mist is a unique one. The Chinese word for "crisis" also means opportunity. In California during COVID, I remember talking to my sister about how the language used was "shelter in place" versus the "stay home" messaging in the UK. Even the language of that is softer. I think tonality really matters in how you talk to people.

NB: You are well known for championing women in the hospitality industry. What unique perspectives do you believe women bring to the industry, and have you faced any specific challenges?

JM: Working alongside women for most of my career, three things have really impressed me about them. I generally find them not to have a big ego; secondly, they have great humility; and thirdly, in my experience, women love to collaborate. I have certainly found this within Drake & Morgan. I've found a gentleness and a kind of soft power in working with many women.

I was very fortunate when I was younger to find great support and mentors, not just through family and friendship, but business-wise. I've found women in my career who have been hugely supportive, and I think it's very important to give that back to women and men starting out in the industry. Even now, I have a great mentor who is helping me think through the decade ahead, and that is a really cool thing.

NB: You are famed for being an innovator in the hospitality sector. What does innovation mean to you, and how do you ensure Drake & Morgan always remains relevant in the sector?

JM: I think it's very important to be creative. I was fortunate to have a good business background and training in the companies I worked for, which provided a core template. Our model is 85% templated and 15% play. It's important to always have that play element where you can try new things. Not everything is going to work. Sometimes you do have to fail fast, but it's crucial to have a vehicle to try new ideas. Some of the best ideas come from our team, as they are from all different parts of the world and are often travelling, so we back people to try new things within the business.

The other thing is to really keep abreast of customer data and trends to understand what people want. It's an experiential world in hospitality currently. People want more and more experiences. We'd never have expected post-COVID that we would be doing filming, premieres, daytime dancing, and DJ'd events. Some have worked brilliantly, others less so.

I think it's important that within our environment, people understand there's a chance that we can play. We will clearly financially model it, but you can try new things. I think in turn that creates a model and ethos that we will be supportive. We have all worked in places where you feel afraid to put forward your ideas, so if I can set the tone and say, "let's try new things," that's a good thing. All while keeping an eye on what the rest of the world is doing, and hopefully, the key to it all is giving people things they didn't realise they wanted.

NB: How do you approach the growth of the business while ensuring not to dilute the Drake & Morgan identity?

JM: I think the big thing is that when we were rolling out pre-COVID, you can get caught up in it all. Things get more expensive, and you require a lot more resources. COVID gave us a chance to step back, look at the business, and return to first principles. There are some things we implemented that were possibly not as profitable as they should be. So, reverting to that template of 85% template and 15% freedom to experiment, we are even more rigorous about that now. It's about backing and financially modelling new things for 6 to 12 weeks, assessing how they will work, and determining if we can get them moving.

We have a fantastic coaching company that has worked at all levels of the business to help us develop the mindset within the company. In essence, always have a growth plan and a culture where people aren't frightened to propose new elements. Ultimately, we must always maintain that core DNA, where what we are is a bar and restaurant business serving great drinks for occasions, breakfast, brunch, lunch, post-work, and private parties.

NB: Who has inspired you in your career, either within the industry or otherwise?

JM: My mum has been a great role model for me. She's a generous Scot with great values and is generous with her time. We were brought up with great values, where part of what we did was all about volunteering as well. She has given me the blueprint that I think I've followed. My younger sister is also a great model of collaboration. I feel very grateful that my mother is alive now and was very excited about going to the Mansion House for the Freedom of London (Jillian was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in July). I feel so grateful she's here to celebrate with me and enjoy it with her. So, I would certainly say my mother and sister.

NB: How do you balance building the business with your personal life?

I think it's about being kind to yourself. Building in time for family, fun, and sports. Probably if I'm honest, when the business started from 2008 to 2010, it was so intense I was certainly an unbalanced person as it all started out. I think one of the things with starting your business a bit later in life is that you really must make that time.

I play a bit of tennis between meetings, lift weights, and for all of it, I am a better person for building these things into my diary. Our Executive Chef Director, Rob Mitchell, has worked with me since the beginning and has always been the first person to tell me if things were off kilter. He is glad that I am leading a more balanced life. I think when you start, you don't have as much time. You are so paranoid that you want it to work, and you are really in it. So, I think I am more mindful of it now.

JM: What advice would you give to any would-be entrepreneur who wishes to follow in your footsteps?

NB: Get a good business plan together. Look at your cash flow model. Get funding in place. Equally important, I'd say, is to find a mentor. Someone outside of your family and friends who has perhaps laid the path before. I think if you talk to people, they can be very generous with their time. The most important thing is to believe in yourself. If you have a great idea and put the framework and business plan behind it, then go for it.

NB: What is next for both Drake & Morgan and Jillian MacLean?

JM: In the business, we have really consolidated post-COVID and are now on a great even keel. We will now look to grow, expanding to more sites, potentially in London and the UK. We feel we have a strong brand and a great proposition, so we will certainly look to grow the business and move to the next stage.

For myself, it's about leading the business and facilitating that growth, but also helping others, which gives me a lot of joy. I have been volunteering in the last few years and have really enjoyed that.

"I think it's very important to be creative. I was fortunate to have a good business background and training in the companies I worked for, which provided a core template. Our model is 85% templated and 15% play."

Timeline  - Jillian MacLean - Drake & Morgan

 

 

 

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https://www.newbusiness.co.uk/articles/entrepreneurs/new-business-magazine-autumn-edition-cover-interview-jillian-maclean-mbe