Open Door Policy
After opening a bar and burger shack in the same year, the founder of Dom’s Subs explains why he can’t stop opening new spots.
When the bar underneath Greg Boyce’s Hackney flat closed down last year, he did not spend much time enjoying the peace and quiet. Boyce had already been renting kitchen space downstairs for Dom’s Subs, his cult sandwich spot. Now, for a little extra rent, his prep kitchen by day could become a bar by night.
Open the door to Rasputin’s on any given night and you find yourself not wanting to leave. Staff are welcoming, the vibes are wonderfully silly and fun. Posters of eighties footballers with shaggy hairdos adorn the walls alongside television sets playing old school films. Pints are a fiver, cocktails a tenner, and both slide down alongside £4 hot dogs. After less than six months open, the London Standard crowned it the best bar of 2024.
Boyce had never pulled a pint before doing so in Rasputin's. “I don't know anything about running a bar,” he says, “I'm probably not pricing things correctly or doing things correctly, but it's all working.”
Boyce has already managed to pull off an impressive feat with Dom’s Subs, launching an extremely popular food business in London. The brand now has three sandwich shops across the city, all within a short cycling distance of the first joint on Hackney Road.
Most entrepreneurs would likely leverage the hard-earned recognisability of that brand and continue expanding to more sites. But Boyce seems more focused on doing what he enjoys than making money for the sake of it. Everything he has done so far has been self-funded, save for the occasional crowdfund. He is yet to take on any institutional investment.
The Glaswegian had been running his own coffee shop, Lanark Coffee, for six years when the pandemic shuttered shops. When the restrictions came into place, Lanark morphed into Dom’s Subs, swapping espressos for express sandwich deliveries. It was an overnight success, but he would soon get itchy feet.
“As soon as something works, then it’s job done,” he says, “All the creativity stops with success.” It made him realise that once punters like what you are offering, it is best not to change too much.
When launching a new brand, Boyce follows a tried and tested formula. He has a rough idea of what he wants, and when the time comes, he calls on his most trusted advisors. Or, his “consiglieres” as he refers to them. Together, they create a distinct brand identity with a new menu.
In Mario Puzo’s ‘The Godfather’, consiglieres are the members of the Mafia who offer counsel to Don Corleone. Boyce has three close advisors: his right-hand man, his designer, and his wife, who owns the Hackney-based hand wash company Montamonta.
In late 2024, a few months after opening Rasputin's, Boyce heard that Netil Market in London Fields was looking for a new street food vendor to move in. Again, he jumped at the opportunity. He already had a coffee shop, sandwich restaurant, and bar under his belt. Now he wanted to flip burgers. He made the calls to his consiglieres, and Jupiter Burger promptly opened in December.
He gets the most satisfaction sitting back on opening day, safe in the knowledge that he has launched on time and under budget. As well as opening Rasputin's and Jupiter, Dom’s Subs opened its Cullum Street branch in 2024. It’s safe to say that was a busy year.
He wonders aloud whether it would be a good idea to put new openings on hold this year and focus on profitability. Then, almost immediately, Boyce backtracks, “With so much momentum, why rest on your laurels?”
Photos: Stephen Gell