American quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands are becoming an increasingly familiar part of the UK’s eating-out landscape. Some are now established names, while others are opening their first restaurants and building their presence from the ground up.
Behind that expansion is a significant people challenge: finding the talent to turn ambitious growth plans into a successful UK operation.
Jordan Collins, who leads TalentPool’s hospitality and QSR recruitment, has supported brands including Wingstop, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack and Five Guys, particularly across Procurement, Supply Chain and Technical functions. His experience highlights how a brand’s stage of growth shapes both the people it needs and the way it needs to recruit them.
Introducing the opportunity behind the brand
For a US business entering the UK, recruitment often starts before the role itself is discussed.
Candidates may know little about the brand, its scale internationally or its ambitions for the UK. That is particularly true when a business has yet to open its first restaurant here.
At this stage, recruitment becomes as much about explaining the business as assessing the candidate. What makes the proposition compelling? How credible are the expansion plans? Who is leading the business, and what will joining at this point mean for someone’s career?
A well-known name in the US does not automatically translate into recognition among UK candidates. Helping people understand the opportunity behind the name is an essential part of attracting the right talent.
Finding QSR leaders who can build and deliver
One of the biggest hiring challenges is finding people who can balance long-term thinking with the practical demands of an early-stage operation.
A Procurement or Supply Chain leader may need to plan for a much larger restaurant estate while personally resolving the challenges facing a handful of sites today. They need to be comfortable setting direction, building supplier relationships and getting involved in the detail.
Experience within a large, established operator can be valuable, but it is only part of the picture. Businesses also need to understand how someone will perform with a smaller team, fewer resources and processes that are still taking shape.
The strongest candidates are excited by the opportunity to build a function and take responsibility for making it work.
Hiring for the next stage of UK growth
Different expansion plans require different experience.
Opening a first UK restaurant presents a different challenge from scaling an existing estate, supporting franchise partners or expanding into additional European markets. The pace of growth, operating model and geographical footprint all influence the people a business needs.
Early hires often need breadth, adaptability and confidence making decisions without an established playbook. As the restaurant estate grows, the business may need deeper specialisms, additional management layers and more developed systems.
That makes it important to look beyond the immediate vacancy. A successful appointment needs to meet today’s demands while helping prepare the business for its next stage.
It also requires an honest conversation about how the role will evolve, so both the business and the candidate understand what success will look like.
Making the career opportunity tangible
For candidates, joining a lesser-known brand can initially feel like a bigger risk than moving to an established UK operator.
Part of Jordan’s role is helping them assess that decision with a clearer understanding of the business: its leadership, investment, growth plans and the scope of the role.
For the right person, joining early can offer meaningful ownership, direct access to senior decision-makers and the chance to shape a function as the business grows. Those opportunities become much more compelling when candidates can see what they will be responsible for and how their career could develop.
Being open about the challenges matters too. Candidates need a realistic picture of the pace, resources and expectations they will encounter.
Turning expansion plans into operational strength
As American QSR brands build their UK presence, the people behind the operation will be central to their success.
Across Procurement, Supply Chain and Technical, that means finding leaders who understand the UK market, can navigate the relevant European requirements and are comfortable working in a fast-moving business.
The right people bring the judgement to plan ahead, the flexibility to adapt and the willingness to get involved when it matters. Hiring them at the right stage helps give a growing brand the foundations to deliver on its ambitions.
Planning a UK launch or building your team for the next stage of growth? Get in touch with Jordan Collins to discuss how TalentPool can support your hiring across Procurement, Supply Chain and Technical.