Episode #2

Restaurant King

Henry McGovern

Henry McGovern, founder of AmRest, the largest restaurant chain in Europe and now co-owner of Vapiano. After the Berlin Wall fell, Henry left college to seek opportunities in a changing Europe — moving across the world to Wroclaw, Poland where he secured the rights for a Pizza Hut in 1993 and 26 years later owned more than 2,300 restaurants. He is considered among the most successful entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry and we think his story is one of the most remarkable we have discovered.

In this Episode

In this in-depth conversation, Henry discusses how he built AmRest, which became the largest restaurant chain in Europe after leaving college to seek out opportunity in a changing Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He speaks to overcoming substantial roadblocks as the driving force behind his ‘anything is possible’ culture, why he became the Chief Emotional Officer and the reason he believes you aren’t really living unless you have sleepless nights. He provides insight on the power of aggregators and dark kitchens and an evolving restaurant industry post-COVID. Lastly, Henry makes the case for his recent acquisition of the Italian fast-casual global brand, Vapiano.