Chef Grant was honored to be invited for a 6 month consulting engagement with Hakkasan Group in September of 2019. Hakkasan Group is a worldwide hospitality company with luxury establishments across five continents. Their remarkable restaurant portfolio includes Yauatcha, Sake No Hana, Herringbone, Casa Calavera, and Searsucker. For eight months he diligently applied his cumulative knowledge of the culinary arts and marketing to assist in their global expansion and increasing revenue.

Michael Ryan-Southern the Chief Financial Officer of Hakkasan Group commented, “We are delighted to welcome Grant into Hakkasan Group’s leadership team. Grant has an impressive culinary background and a proven track record of success, making him the most qualified candidate for this role as we enter a new stage of growth for the company.”

Deciding to boldly strike at the booming market of Saudi Arabia, Chef Grant strategically organized the opening of Yauatcha, the Cantonese dim sum teahouse. It is located inside the iconic Al Faisaliah Mall – Mode producing a once in a lifetime experience for VIP guests. The pre-opening private dinners in February 2020 included influencers, VIPs, media, Embassadors, and even distinguished members of the Royal Family who stayed past midnight to enjoy the new hotspot in Riyadh. With the bar-raising cuisine offered and carefully innovative design plan, the city gained a sophisticated enclave away from the busy city and spectacular food that continues to draw in new customers. Yauatcha fed the dominate, younger population’s desire to partake in Western trends and fit perfectly into the local Saudi Vision 2030 making it incredibly profitable.

During his first three months with the Hakkasan Group Chef Grant was able to save the company 1.2 million in labour by streamlining operations and putting controls in the warehouse. His US projects with the company incorporated casual concepts and made them extrodinary while saving extra expenses. The calculated beverage and wine menus formed by MacPherson controlled waste and inventory to globally bring the company to modern times. Hakkasan Group’s restaurant portfolio now contains eleven highly fruitful worldwide locations following the design plan that Chef Grant laid the groundwork for.