OPINIONLeadership

Winston Churchill's role in winning World War II is well known. His launch of a restaurant chain, not so much.

Restaurant Rewind: Churchill's British Restaurants grew to 2,500 locations. Now there's a movement to bring the concept back.

This episode is sponsored by Uber Direct.

Uber Direct

Anyone who’s ever taken a history class covering World War II (or watched more than hour of the History Channel) is likely aware of the crucial role Winston Churchill played in saving Great Britain. His leadership skills and mastery of the English language kept hope alive, even during what he termed the United Kingdom’s darkest hour.

Yet even many Brits don’t know the eloquent statesman also midwifed a 2,500-branch restaurant chain that was feeding 600,000 people a day during the height of the war and the years immediately afterward. The outlets literally helped to keep down-and-out civilians alive.

Churchill, whose enjoyment of food and drink were as celebrated as his oratorical skills, was such a champion of the venture that the public dubbed the outlets Churchill’s British Restaurants.

All new information to you? Then give the episode a listen to learn more.  

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Want your franchisees to get on board with discounts? Give them a break on remodels

The Bottom Line: Franchisors want their operators to cut prices and run deals. They’d get further along if they delayed remodel requirements or other costs.

Financing

It's a buyer's market, but Andy Wiederhorn is (so far) staying on the sidelines

The Bottom Line: Restaurant chains are available at historically low prices if you know where to look. But the typically aggressive chairman of Fat Brands is not buying.

Food

Portillo's Salted Caramel Spice Cake is ready to take on chocolate fans this fall

Behind the Menu: The fast casual’s famous chocolate cake has a seasonal competitor—the first new cake flavor in 20 years.

Trending

More from our partners