11.

Fireaway
Pizza

Founded: 2016
Sites: 163 (159)

In just seven years Fireaway pizza has grown from one south London site to having more than 150 locations across England, Scotland and Wales (the brand opened its 100th restaurant in February 2022) and is one of the fastest growing pizza brands in the UK. Founded by Mario Allepo, Fireaway operates under a franchise model. In June 2024 the brand debuted its Express format in partnership with forecourt operator Highway Stops Retail. The new smaller footprint format in Gravesend is a first for both the pizza chain and the forecourt operator and will be rolled out to other locations if successful.

12.

Toby Carvery

Founded: 1985
Sites: 152

Typically occupying large sites, Toby Carvery (the name comes from the Toby jug) serves 21 million meals every year and employs around 4,500 staff. Open from breakfast through dinner it is best known for its good value carvery offer as well as Yorkshire pudding wraps and is one of the only businesses in the UK to offer a roast dinner for delivery as well as a click and collect roast service. It is now part of the Mitchells & Butlers portfolio.

13.

Harvester

Founded: 1983
Sites: 151

The now Mitchells & Butlers-owned carvery restaurant brand started life as The George Inn in Morden, south London as a competitor to Whitbread’s Beefeater brand. The brand is firmly positioned as a good value family restaurant. Menu items include steaks, mixed grill, ribs, rotisserie chicken, and burgers. In 2011 the group launched its first app that allowed diner to work out the calories (the brand was the first UK-wide restaurant brand to print dish-by-dish calorie information on menus) as well as the cost of dishes. It now offers a delivery and takeaway service through its app.

14.

German Doner Kebab

Founded: 2016
Sites: 143 (133)

German Doner Kebab is a 100% franchise-owned business, a model that has helped it expand apace across the country over the past seven years. Its key target is the Gen Z customer, which it targets through its Doner 2.0 value range, where items are £5 and under, while innovating the menu with the addition of a Doner Burger, Doner Panini, and Doner Quesadilla. In November 2023 the brand launched its own app, in partnership with Uber Direct, offering delivery from its restaurants across the UK.

15.

Taco Bell

Founded: 1962
Sites: 142 (136)

Brand owner Yum! Brands first attempted to bring Taco Bell to the UK in the 1980s, but its four restaurants closed in the mid-1990s. In 2010 it revived its plans with a site opening at Lakeside shopping centre and has enjoyed better success at its second attempt. In 2022 it opened its 100th UK site following 18 months of rapid growth and is now approaching 150 UK sites. The brand operates more than 7,000 restaurants in total in almost 30 countries.

16.

Pizza Hut

Founded: 1958
Sites: 140 (147)

Pizza Hut’s 140 dine-in restaurants are split evenly between north and south, with 70 restaurants in the south, and 70 in The Midlands, the north and Scotland. The brand operates some 500 venues in total, but the majority are under its delivery arm and are therefore not counted for the purpose of this report.

17.

Zizzi

Founded: 1999
Sites: 140 (136)

Launched in Chiswick by ASK founders Samuel and Adam Kaye, Zizzi was sold to what was then the Gondola Group in 2006 and which was later named Azzurri Group in 2015. Alongside its takeaway offer through delivery partners, it operates a click and collect service from its restaurants and operates the Zillionaires Club that offers perks such as 20% off click and collect. As well as having a significant nationwide presence, the Italian brand has a retail range that includes pizzas, chorizo carbonara, and salted caramel brownies available in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose stores.

18.

Miller and Carter

Founded: 2006
Sites: 123 (121)

Steakhouse brand Miller and Carter expanded rapidly under brand owner Mitchells and Butlers but slowed down once it passed the 100-site mark in 2018. The brand is pitched as a premium steak restaurant having been awarded ‘Masters of Steak’ status from the Craft Guild of Chefs with both 30-day aged and 50-day aged steaks on its menu. In October 2023 it faced criticism for a policy that requires front-of-house staff to ‘tip-out’ up to 2% of gross sales to the kitchen, bar and management.

19.

Beefeater

Founded: 1974
Sites: 115 (175)

The family focused steakhouse has been under the aegis of parent company Whitbread for the past 50 years. The brand expanded quickly in its first 20 years before a period of consolidation in the 1990s and 2000s that saw many of its sites sold to rival Mitchells and Butlers. About a decade ago the brand introduced a new look and has since begun to expand again. In May 2023 Whitbread said it was exploring the potential sale of part of its £700m pub and restaurant arm, including its Beefeater, Bar + Block and Brewers Fayre brands, to focus on its Premier Inn hotel chain but the brands currently remain under its ownership. The group has steadily reduced its numbers over the past 12 months.

20.

Chopstix

Founded: 2006
Sites: 116 (106)

Chopstix was established in Camden Market in 2002 by entrepreneurs Sam Elia and Menashe Sadik and now comprises locations across the UK and Ireland through a mix of company owned and operated locations, and franchise sites run through partnerships with the likes of Sparta Foods, Welcome Break and Applegreen. The brand, which is part of the group that also owns the Yangtze and Chozen Noodle brands, opened its first airport site at Luton Airport in May 2023 and has earmarked travel hubs as locations for future expansion. In October 2024 the company was bought by Switzerland-based operator QSRP for an undisclosed sum. The strategic investment, which saw QSRP acquire a majority stake in the pan-Asian QSR brand, will allow Chopstix to accelerate growth across the UK and Europe, according to its new owner.