Bel & The Dragon
Country Inn Group, Home Counties
In 2010 a small group of investors bought a group of four high quality country restaurants with rooms, known as Bel & The Dragon (B&D) for £3.5M.
The partners believed the sites to be in excellent locations and represented great opportunities. On acquisition Bel & The Dragon was losing £1k a day with a run rate EBITDA of twice that.
The team aimed to break even in the first year. Hector joined as General Manager before being made Chief Operating Officer in 2014. He set about creating a brand that was consistent across the Inns; yet retaining the key characteristic of each individual building.
Three additional freehold sites were then added. Turnover for 2016/2017 Budget was £11.5M and EBITDA of £2.5M.
Through a managed Sale Process, the business attracted substantial interest and sold in June 2018. The business and Hector came to have a good reputation as quality food venues with a full calendar of innovative events, impeccable service with a fun atmosphere; with 50 beautiful bedrooms across the 7 profitable sites.
