The Nando’s veteran is bringing his expertise to the exponentially growing restaurant brand.
German Doner Kebab, the operator of 70 restaurants throughout the U.K., Europe, and Middle East, has appointed Rich Collie as the brand’s new head of project management.
Coming off the back of an eight-year career at popular chicken chain Nando’s, Collie will manage the build-out of GDK’s expansion plans throughout the U.K. It recently announced the scheduled opening of 12 new restaurants by the end of 2020, and plans to open a further 40 sites during 2021.
“Our game-changing kebabs are revolutionizing the kebab and we are excited to be bringing Rich into the German Doner Kebab family as we maintain our mission of building the fast-casual brand of the future,” said Imran Sayeed, CEO of German Doner Kebab. “We are currently building further momentum in our plans for growth and have developed a strong growth pipeline with some of the U.K.’s most established franchise entrepreneurs.
“Rich truly strengthens our team and will be a key asset for us as we expand our restaurant footprint and develop the relationships with our multi-unit franchise partners as we forge ahead with our ambitions for growth.”
In his new role, Collie will be responsible for the delivery of new restaurant fit-outs, liaising with contractors and consultants to meet brand standards and launch schedules. He will also be charged with building and maintaining close relationships with German Doner Kebab’s multi-unit franchise partners as they build their respective restaurant portfolios.
“It’s very exciting to be joining German Doner Kebab as it enters a new period of relentless growth,” said Collie. “The brand has truly disrupted the fast-casual space in the U.K. and there is huge consumer demand throughout the country.
“GDK’s growth ambitions are second to none and I look forward to contributing to the success of the business as it matures and brings the German Doner Kebab experience to even more people across the U.K.”
On an international perspective, German Doner Kebab will introduce two new sites to Canada this year, as well as two in Sweden and one in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In total, the concept’s development pipeline consists of 350 franchise units over the next seven years.
