Browns Restaurants
Encyclopedia
Browns Restaurants is a British
chain of restaurant
s, mostly located in the south of England
.
Browns was the first hospitality venture established by millionaire Jeremy Mogford, who in 1973 invested £10,000 (of which £2,500 was borrowed from his father) in the first Browns Restaurant and Bar in Brighton
, East Sussex
. He established a chain of seven restaurants, mostly in university towns such as Bristol
or Cambridge
, with an annual turnover of £15 million. In 1996, Mogford sold the Browns chain to Bass Brewery for £35 million.
Mogford was regarded as one of the industry's best and most enlightened employers, which was reflected in a low staff turnover rate, and saw Mogford and his restaurants used as a case study in a hospitality and entrepreneurship text book illustrating commitment to employees. In addition, Browns was profiled in a widely-used capacity management
study by Deterministics Inc. for Cornell University
's Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly journal.
The chain now consists of fifteen restaurants – in Bath, Brighton
, Bristol
, Cambridge
, Edinburgh
, Birmingham
, Leeds
, Bluewater, Oxford
and Windsor
, and six restaurants in London
.
Brown's Restaurant
in Bristol is a listed building that has previously been the City Museum and Library and also the University Refectory and Dining Room.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chain of restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s, mostly located in the south of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Browns was the first hospitality venture established by millionaire Jeremy Mogford, who in 1973 invested £10,000 (of which £2,500 was borrowed from his father) in the first Browns Restaurant and Bar in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. He established a chain of seven restaurants, mostly in university towns such as Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
or Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, with an annual turnover of £15 million. In 1996, Mogford sold the Browns chain to Bass Brewery for £35 million.
Mogford was regarded as one of the industry's best and most enlightened employers, which was reflected in a low staff turnover rate, and saw Mogford and his restaurants used as a case study in a hospitality and entrepreneurship text book illustrating commitment to employees. In addition, Browns was profiled in a widely-used capacity management
Capacity management
Capacity Management is a process used to manage information technology . Its primary goal is to ensure that IT capacity meets current and future business requirements in a cost-effective manner. One common interpretation of Capacity Management is described in the ITIL framework...
study by Deterministics Inc. for Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
's Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly journal.
The chain now consists of fifteen restaurants – in Bath, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Bluewater, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
, and six restaurants in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Brown's Restaurant
Brown's Restaurant
Brown's Restaurant is on Queens Street, Bristol. It is currently occupied by the restaurant chain of the same name, Browns Restaurants.It was built between 1867 and 1871 by Foster and Archibald Ponton. It was constructed with yellow brick with red brick decoration and limestone dressings, and has...
in Bristol is a listed building that has previously been the City Museum and Library and also the University Refectory and Dining Room.