Newly formed Hero Brands and Dirty Bones partnership to drive UK growth plans

The strategic collaboration aims to extend the NYC-inspired food and cocktail Dirty Bones concept

Utilising Hero Brands’ extensive franchising knowledge and network, talks are already underway with key franchise partners for new Dirty Bones locations to be opened by the end of the year. 

From 2023 onwards, the partnership will enable the brand to increase its footprint through owner-operated sites and via delivery, with multiple locations expected within the coming years. 

The partnership will also see Hero Brands join the board alongside co-founders Cokey Sulkin and Dipak Panchal and early investors Hard Yards Global.

Despite the impact of the pandemic, Dirty Bones opened a new flagship site in 2021, adding to its sites across London and Oxford, as well as expanding its delivery footprint and launching a successful e-commerce brand.

The brand also recently launched its latest bar concept, Roxanne, a hip-hop focused speakeasy.

Cokey said: “We are really excited to have formed a partnership between Dirty Bones and Hero Brands. 

“Hero Brands experience in the franchising space is second to none and we are excited to share a mutual passion for food, music and fashion. 

“This partnership allows us to put a joint focus on creating authentic, good fun dining experiences and we look forward to building a truly global brand, something that we have worked hard to curate over the last few years.”

Hero Brands is focused on building an ecosystem of the brands of the future and is putting together a leadership team assembled from world-leading organisations. With a growing portfolio of innovative fashion, health and media brands, Dirty Bones will be Hero Brands’ first move into the casual-dining space. Its portfolio also includes German Doner Kebab and Island Poké.

Athif Sarwar, chairman of Hero Brands, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside the talented team at Dirty Bones. 

“Hero Brands is dedicated to building brands of the future. People want to have a great and affordable dining experience and be entertained too – our brands respond to this through our ethos of connecting music, food and fashion and we look forward to co-developing this proposition further with the incredible team at Dirty Bones.”