Shereen Ritchie: From LEON to Kuvi Hospitality's Coyo Taco UK Launch

Shereen Ritchie built her career from clearing tables at TGI Fridays at 15 to becoming Group CEO of Kuvi Hospitality, and in this episode of Brave, Bold, Brilliant, she reveals how she did it.

Shereen Ritchie is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Kuvi Hospitality, a London-based hospitality investment platform bringing the best of American restaurant culture to the UK, GCC and wider EMEA markets. Before Kuvi, Shereen was Managing Director of LEON Restaurants, where she led the brand through both its most successful and most demanding period, culminating in LEON's £100 million sale to EG Group (Euro Garages) during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. She then became CEO of Buns From Home, the Instagram-born bakery brand, taking it from six locations to more than 21 sites across London in just 18 months.

Now at Kuvi Hospitality, Shereen is leading the company's first major franchise partnership: bringing Miami cult-favourite taqueria Coyo Taco to the UK, with ambitions for more than 50 locations across the UK and Ireland, plus a shortlist of 10-15 more US restaurant concepts she believes could thrive here next.

She's also Co-Founder of Boardwalk, an industry mentorship programme (launched with Ann Elliott and Christine Martin) dedicated to helping women in hospitality reach their first board-level position.

In this episode, we cover:

How Shereen scaled LEON through the most turbulent period in UK hospitality history

 Taking Buns From Home from 6 to 21+ sites in 18 months

 Why Coyo Taco was the brand Kuvi chose to bring across the Atlantic

 The playbook for translating US restaurant concepts for a UK audience

 Why hospitality's "human element" can't be replaced by AI or social media

 Boardwalk and the fight for more women in hospitality boardrooms

 What success looks like for Kuvi Hospitality over the next 3-4 years