Cope became chief executive of the Three Hills Capital Partners-backed burger chain last September having originally joined as managing director the previous year. He had previously worked at Wagamama and at pub and restaurant group at Mitchells & Butlers.
He oversaw the high-profile closures of 19 restaurants across the UK as part of the Byron’s Company Voluntary Agreement CVA. The group now has 55 restaurants in its portfolio.
Cope is the latest in a line of people to leave the business, with chief operating officer Nick Young departing the company in August as part of a reshuffle of Byron’s senior staff. Marketing director Paul Coppin, operations director Lucy Worth, IT director Sarah Andrews and chief people officer Mike Williams have all left within the past 12 months, according to BigHospitality’s sister publication MCA.
Steve de Polo, who was named as Byron’s new managing director in August, has been appointed a director, according to a notification today (3 December) on Companies House.
Speaking a few months ago to The Sunday Times, Cope said that Byron was recovering despite recent warnings about its financial position and was now in growth after seeing “week-on-week improvements” in sales since March.
This story is based on information that first appeared on BigHospitality’s sister website MCA. To subscribe to its breaking news feed, click here