Open a Restaurant Franchise

A restaurant franchise lets an operator open a sit-down restaurant, takeaway, bar or café under an established brand, with its menu, suppliers, design and training already in place. In the UK, most published investments run from around £80,000 to £350,000, and the format, from a pizza takeaway to a full-service restaurant with a bar, shapes the site, the team and the licences needed. The list of restaurant franchises above sets out each brand’s published figures.

The UK restaurant market

According to Lumina Intelligence, the UK eating-out market is worth more than £100 billion a year, and the country counts around 26,000 restaurant sites, of which more than 80% are independent. Branded operators are expanding selectively through franchising and regional clusters, while some long-established casual dining chains are closing mature sites, which leaves room for younger concepts with a clear positioning.

How a restaurant franchise works

In a franchised restaurant, the franchisee owns and runs the business, employs the staff and signs the lease, while the franchisor provides the brand, recipes, supply chain, training and marketing in return for an initial fee and ongoing fees on turnover. In a corporate restaurant, the brand owns and operates the site itself. Many chains run both models side by side, and some large groups only franchise to experienced multi-site operators.

Restaurant franchise opportunities in the UK, by format

Casual dining and full-service restaurants

Table service, a full menu and often a bar, typically on high streets, in retail and leisure parks and in town centres. This is the format with the largest team, the longest hours and the highest fit-out cost, and it usually needs a premises licence to serve alcohol.

Pizza restaurants and takeaways

From delivery-led pizza takeaways to sit-down Italian restaurants. Takeaway units are among the most accessible restaurant franchises, with total investments starting at around £100,000, while dine-in formats need more space and staff.

World cuisine and fast casual

Mexican, Indian, Asian, Mediterranean and other cuisines served quickly, with counter ordering, a short menu and a strong share of delivery. These concepts sit between fast food and casual dining, and many younger UK brands recruit first-time franchisees in this space.

Bar-restaurants and wine bars

Venues combining drinks with small plates or a light menu, trading mostly in the evening and at weekends. The kitchen is smaller than in a full restaurant, but alcohol sales make licensing and staff training central to the role.

Dessert, bubble tea and specialist cafés

Concepts built around one category, such as desserts, bubble tea or waffles, trading through the afternoon and evening, often in town centres and student areas. Related formats are listed in the fast food franchises, coffee shop franchises and bakery and pastry franchises sections.

How much does a restaurant franchise cost in the UK?

There is no published average for the sector. Among franchisors that publish a figure, total investments run from around £80,000 for a wine bar or small takeaway to £350,000 for a large restaurant or dessert café, with personal contributions of around £35,000 to £150,000. Initial franchise fees range from about £5,000 to £45,000. The largest costs are the kitchen, extraction, furniture, bar fit-out and the rent deposit.

The remainder is usually borrowed. Lenders commonly expect the franchisee to provide at least 30% of total set-up costs, including working capital, from their own funds. Ongoing costs include fees on sales, a marketing levy, staff, food and drink, rent and business rates: in England, retail and hospitality properties pay a multiplier of 38.2p where the rateable value is below £51,000, and 43.0p up to £499,999.

What to weigh up before opening

Staffing: restaurants are labour-intensive, and wages are one of the largest costs alongside food, so rotas, recruitment and retention weigh directly on the margin.

Site and lease: footfall, visibility and evening trade matter as much as rent, and a site already used as a restaurant can save a large part of the fit-out.

Buying an existing unit: some franchisees take over a trading restaurant from another franchisee, which needs the franchisor’s approval and comes with an existing trading history.

Rules that apply to a restaurant franchise in the UK

Food business registration: according to gov.uk, a new food business registers with its local authority at least 28 days before trading, then receives a food hygiene inspection.

Alcohol licensing: in England and Wales, selling alcohol requires a premises licence for the site and a designated premises supervisor holding a personal licence. Serving hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am requires a late night refreshment licence.

Planning: in England, restaurants and cafés fall within the commercial Use Class E, while hot food takeaways form a class of their own, so converting a unit into a takeaway requires planning permission.