Bobby Hashemi: Coffee Republic, Pizza Union, and the case for going slow

Challenger Chats is back with a vengeance🔥! Trust us when we say, this one is a cracker (or more like a spicy diavolo)... as we sit down with Bobby Hashemi, founder of Pizza Union, one of London's most-loved pizza brands 🍕 and co-founder of Coffee Republic ☕, the brand that helped kickstart the UK's coffee shop revolution in the 90s..

From leaving Lehman Brothers to co-founding and subsequently floating Coffee Republic, then crossing over to private equity, Bobby has been there, done that, and has got the t-shirt. Now, twelve years into building Pizza Union, his philosophy has shifted - he's convinced that slowness, not speed, is the real founder superpower.

Bobby shares his journey - the highs, the hard-won lessons, and why doing it in a more considered way the second time round means doing it better.

Guest: Bobby Hashemi, Founder, Pizza Union
Host: Adam Spencer, Tamweel Capital

🔑 Key takeaways

🐢 Slow is a superpower. Bobby's single biggest lesson from doing this twice: the ability to say no, and to grow only as fast as the business needs to, beats chasing scale for its own sake.

🍕 Simplicity is the moat. Pizza Union sells 15 pizzas and three salads — full stop. That focus is what lets it undercut the market on price without cutting quality.

🧑‍💼 Founders aren't always managers. Bobby's candid on this: the skills that build a business aren't the same skills that run one, and that's fine.

📍 Site selection is the real risk. Not financing, not marketing — it's picking the right four walls. Bobby's rule of thumb: could the site plausibly do 10x its annual rent in sales?

🤖 AI is a thought partner, not (yet) an operator. Useful for a lean, founder-led business like his; he's happy to let bigger players test kiosks and AI ordering first.

❤️ Success looks different at 55 than at 35. Financial milestones gave way to a simpler measure: health, honesty, and doing work he loves.

⏱️ Chapter timestamps

01:14 | 🇮🇷 Growing up in Iran, and a smuggled Big Mac
04:56 | 💡 The real "lightbulb moment" — and starting Coffee Republic
07:31 | ☕ The first site nearly flops (and a lucky break next to Vogue House)
08:40 | 👫 Building the business with his sister, Sahar
12:23 | 📸 Fame, scrutiny, and life as a public-company founder
15:21 | 🔁 Crossing over to private equity with Luke Johnson
19:32 | 🎯 Advice for founders considering private equity
21:15 | 🍕 Where the idea for Pizza Union came from
25:14 | ❓ Why pizza, and why now
26:15 | 💰 Keeping prices low without cutting quality
27:58 | 🛎️ The case for counter service
29:30 | 🔄 Doing it again: more cautious, or more confident?
31:56 | 🐂 Growth discipline vs. speed — the In-N-Out Burger playbook
36:38 | 🗺️ Site selection: the real make-or-break decision
40:48 | 📊 The KPIs Bobby actually watches
44:24 | 🤖 Where AI fits into the business today
49:43 | 😅 The hardest part of being a founder-CEO
52:44 | 🔮 Will Pizza Union still look the same in 20 years?
54:56 | 🧭 The long-term plan for Pizza Union
56:12 | 🌙 What keeps him up at night
57:37 | 🐢 The best advice he's been given: "slowness is a superpower"
59:04 | ⚡ Quick-fire round
1:03:09 | 🌟 Has his definition of success changed?
1:04:08 | 🔜 What's next for Bobby and Pizza Union

Links:

Our fantastic show producer is Fina Charleson. Find out more about her work at https://www.finacharleson.com

Pizza Union: https://www.pizzaunion.com/

Bobby Hashemi: http://www.unionven.com/people.html

Sign up for Tamweel News and Insights: http://eepurl.com/dPXN3z

Challenger Chats is back with another deep dive into the world of game-changing brands! This time, we sit down with Steve Grocutt, founder of Cornish Bakery, to uncover the incredible story behind one of the UK’s fastest-growing bakery brands.

With a firm belief that “Bakery is the new Coffee Shop”, Steve has built a business that has redefined what a bakery is, does and can be. Cornish Bakery is a modern bakery creating beautiful, welcoming, community spaces where people can relax, connect, and enjoy exceptional, freshly made food and coffee.

From its humble beginnings in Mevagissey, Cornish Bakery is growing fast with a current trading estate of 66 stores and counting, in bustling tourist hotspots, charming market towns, and vibrant city centres across the country. Its formula? Authenticity, quality, and a deep understanding of what today’s customers want.

Steve shares his journey - his bold vision, the lessons learned along the way, and what it takes to build a standout hospitality brand that is shaking things up on the high street. In this episode we explore:

✅ The origins of Cornish Bakery and what inspired Steve to start
✅ The challenges of scaling while maintaining quality and culture
✅ The secret ingredient behind Cornish Bakery’s success

✅ How he dealt with letting go of the reins and transitioning from ‘Founder CEO’ to ‘Founder Investor’
✅ What’s next for the brand and its continued expansion

If you’re passionate about entrepreneurship, hospitality, or simply love a great brand and founder story, this episode is not to be missed!

Links:

Fairgame: https://thecornishbakery.com/

Sign up for Tamweel News and Insights: http://eepurl.com/dPXN3z

Our fantastic show producer is Fina Charleson. Find out more about her work at https://www.finacharleson.com

Roll up, roll up to the latest instalment of Challenger Chats, the podcast that showcases the movers and shakers behind the UK's best and brightest Challenger Brands. We’ve made it to the very satisfyingly numbered Episode 2, of Season 2…

In the hot seat is none other than Richard Hilton. A brandophile through and through, he started his career by hawking his CV to the advertising agencies on New York’s Madison Avenue, eventually returning to the UK to found ground-breaking gym brand Gymbox, followed by one of London’s busiest competitive socialising venues Fairgame. Richard has raised debt, mezzanine and equity finance, bought out his investors (twice!) with the war scars to back it up. We have a wide ranging chat covering the worlds of brand marketing, entrepreneurship, fundraising and Richard’s development as a CEO and leader.

Dial up the volume, kick back and enjoy!

Links:

Fairgame: https://www.wearefairgame.com/

Sign up for Tamweel News and Insights: http://eepurl.com/dPXN3z

Our fantastic show producer is Fina Charleson. Find out more about her work at https://www.finacharleson.com