IWD 2024 - Sarah Boyle

A little about your career journey to where you are now.

Whilst at Uni I loved the look of Handmade Burger Co as a business and joined them as a part-time waitress, I found my calling in this site and quickly grew to a full-time Assistant Manager and was later offered to take on the site as General Manager! This was one of the busier sites in the company and I grew alongside the business. I then went on to manage their Flagship venue in the Bullring in Birmingham where I stayed for another 3 years until I was offered my first Area Manager role overseeing 5 of their top-taking sites, I learnt a lot, and began to understand that everybody needed managing in their own way, one size didn’t fit all.  As I grew with the brand it made me realise hospitality wasn’t just a part-time stop gap. I had the hospitality bug!

3 years later, when I got the news that the business was going into administration it landed at a pretty tough time for myself and my partner as they were also one of the owners, but it’s definitely safe to say that the birth of our first daughter Daisy helped us through it. 

After Handmade Burger Co, I took a bit of a break from Hospitality, I looked after my daughter for 14 months and I was offered an opportunity to lead fitness classes for Mothers and their newborn babies, I was attending the classes myself and saw this as a great opportunity to get involved with something I loved as a customer myself! 

When Covid hit I had my second daughter, I took another 9 months out and thought it was time for me to get back to what I really love – Hospitality! I saw the Operations Manager opening with Slim Chickens, an amazing brand brought over from the US by Boparan Restaurant Group, offering lots of stability and opportunity to grow and it just felt like the perfect position for me. Fast forward 2 years, I was offered an incredible opportunity to take on Gourmet Burger Kitchen as Head of Operations! I felt truly honored to be offered this opportunity and have the recognition. 

Biggest career achievement

Moving from Slim Chickens and overseeing 6 sites and growing to HOO of 34 venues at GBK. 

How do you prioritise a task when everything feels like a priority?

It’s about collaborative working. Teaming up with all departments, being hands on with my ops team and truly living and breathing what the brand needs to be! We have a big task ahead, but it’s all about understanding what good looks like and getting the basics right! 

How do you define your leadership style?

My leadership style is very honest, putting our people first, listening to what they need, helping them understand and see from another perspective. Developing them along the way is key for their growth. Leading by example is something I have always stood for. One team creates the dream team!

What inspired you to pursue a leadership role?

I always strive to do my best, and a leadership role felt very natural for me. Having people around me see my potential along the way has helped me to believe in myself and push forward.

What does success mean to me as a business leader?

Having everyone in tune with the brand and having the right teams in place, if you have the right people and set strong standards the success will follow!