Steve founded Dubai’s homegrown award-winning burger brand, Pickl, in 2019 with one aim – to offer fresh, fast food using the finest ingredients. Following the success of Pickl opening 15 restaurants in the UAE plus two in Bahrain, he is now taking his food philosophy to the next level by introducing Yolk Brands, a group of the UAE’s finest homegrown fast casual and quick service restaurants.
In addition to Pickl, Yolk Brands consists of BonBird, another Dubai-born concept Steve designed from the ground up. As with Pickl, it focuses on elevating fast food (this time fried chicken) to new levels and providing guests with a fresh, high-quality experience using only the finest ingredients. With two locations opened this year (City Walk and JLT) and a third in Motor City coming in October, its quick rise mirrors Pickl.
Hailing from Dorset in the United Kingdom, Steve brings more than 18 years of experience to his role. Having worked in the industry since he was a teenager, Steve’s wide-ranging career has seen him gain a holistic understanding of the F&B sector. He spent his formative years in the kitchen, starting from washing pots and pans before working his way up to become a high-end chef in the New Forest. When transitioning to managing restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, Steve earned the insight that has seen him conceptualise and open restaurants across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Before launching Pickl, Steve was the Head of Strategy for the Appetite and 1762 Group in the UAE.
It made it all the sweeter when Yolk Brands acquired 1762 earlier this year. From employee to employer, Steve is determined to return 1762 to its former glory (and beyond), refreshing and reinvigorating the brand from the bottom up.
Dubai has been his home for the past eight years, and Steve is proud to be at the helm of one of the city’s leading homegrown restaurant groups. Championing the people of Dubai and providing them with opportunities to grow alongside Yolk Brands’ concepts has always been at the forefront of his overarching strategy for the group, leading to 2022 being hailed as the “Year of the People” internally.
Aside from the success of his restaurant brands, Steve’s greatest success is always surrounding people. Unlike most hospitality groups and individual restaurants, Yolk Brands has always had a 5-day work week instead of the six, which is standard in this region. Steve believes that work-life balance is vital to a group’s success.
Steve has made it his mission to improve the welfare of delivery riders in the region. Since its inception, every Pickl has had a Riders Area for our hardworking delivery drivers to relax, get some water, and get out of the UAE’s intense heat while awaiting their orders. He even extended this policy in Summer 2022 to include delivery riders from companies that don’t work with Pickl in a bid to help as many people as possible. Few regional restaurants offer such facilities, with many even putting up signs forcing riders to wait outside.
Global expansion is next on the agenda, with a plan to make Pickl and BonBird some of the UAE’s greatest international exports. Pickl has already launched in Bahrain and signed an agreement to launch in Qatar at the turn of the year, with the likes of Kuwait, Oman, KSA, and Egypt soon to follow. BonBird has also attracted international franchise interest, and the brand has been built with it in mind.
