The public project page for Gastropub 2026 is now live, so the first public expression of this work moves to Built. The central business hypothesis remains open: we have not yet proved the operating model in a live pub.
The current proposition
We are developing an international franchise for independent gastropubs. Each pub keeps its own name and local character while gaining a shared method for commercial development, purchasing, operating routines, systems, organisational learning and location development.
The aim is to help each pub understand its local market, improve its offer for the people it wants to serve, become easier to find digitally, develop sales skills and partnerships, and keep learning from its results. AI and technology should strengthen that work where they create practical value.
What is built
The public project page now explains the initial franchise proposition, the intended local visual direction, what a pub and franchise partner would contribute, and the first collaboration we need to make the concept more practical. The field note “The first yes should make the next one easier” records the shift from a broad ambition to a specific first step with operators, pilot pubs and specialist partners.
The onboarding is framed as a 180-day project: physical adjustments and systems only where needed, onboarding the organisation, and then operating against checkable milestones. Day 90 is for reviewing internal quality. Day 180 is for reviewing commercial development. These are review points, not promises of a particular sales result.
What remains open
We still need to recruit experienced pub operators and suitable pilot locations, test the unit economics, settle fair partner terms, choose systems and suppliers, and learn how much support the franchise organisation must provide. The public page makes the proposition discussable; it does not demonstrate that a pub will become more profitable or that the model can be repeated across markets.
“Built” describes the live project and its initial partner-facing proposition. The operating model and commercial hypothesis remain open for evidence.