Side Street Franchise

About Side Street Franchise

Born in lockdown, Side Street launched in 2020 to meet a rising demand for bold, flavour-packed food delivered fast. Starting as a single dark kitchen in Rochdale, it has evolved into a scalable, multi-format franchise brand serving an American-style menu, combining burgers, Nashville chicken, house-smoked brisket and loaded comfort food, with a fast-casual model.

Side Street identified a gap in the market: small towns and underserved urban areas lacking high-quality food options. The brand fills this space, offering its franchise partners a flexible, proven concept with formats including dine-in and takeaway restaurants and dark kitchens with optional collection points.

Side Street’s marketing, menu development, and launch playbooks are delivered by an experienced team, who provide ongoing brand, operations and training support, allowing franchisees to focus on local growth and customer satisfaction.

With high demand, a growing loyal customer base, and a distinctive brand identity, Side Street is expanding across the UK – and it’s looking for driven, hands-on partners to join the movement.

How does the Side Street franchise model work?

Side Street has built a brand for which there’s serious demand, and thanks to a growing network of local franchise partners, it’s answering that call across the UK.

The brand has turned a lockdown-born idea into a nationwide movement by teaming up with franchisees who know their local area and want to bring something fresh to the table. Together, Side Street and its partners are delivering high-quality fast food with a difference.

From fast-casual restaurants to efficient dark kitchens powering delivery-first growth, the brand offers flexible formats to suit your location, ambition, and budget. Whether you’re building a front-of-house brand or scaling through delivery, Side Street has got the blueprint.

Side Street’s promise to franchisees:

You’ll receive:

• Full operational and marketing support from day one
• Smart, lean systems that reduce the grind and increase output
• Menus that evolve – from smash burgers to trending seasonal drops
• A brand built on street-level consistency and nationwide trust

What type of franchisee is Side Street looking for?

Side Street is looking for franchise partners with drive, vision, and hustle.

You’ll bring real-world business experience – ideally having run one or more businesses in the UK – with strong financial know-how and a solid grasp of local marketing and growth. Food or franchising experience is a bonus, but not essential.

What matters more is leadership. You’ll manage a hands-on team, deliver high service standards, and keep operations sharp from day one. You’ll also know your local patch inside out, because success starts with understanding your community.

Side Street is looking for financially ready partners who can confidently open their first store, with ambitions to scale into multi-site operations. While owning property isn’t essential, it can accelerate your opening timeline and streamline the setup process.

Most importantly, all Side Street franchisees must believe in the brand. You should bring energy, professionalism, and a commitment to follow the Side Street blueprint so you can build something that lasts.

Did you know?

Side Street Franchise has an expected revenue of On application after 2 years!

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Financial information

Fast-casual restaurant:

• Estimated total investment: £150,000–£190,000
• Return on investment: 12–18 months

Your investment in a Side Street franchise covers everything needed to get your Side Street restaurant up and running. This includes:

• Franchise fee
• Full shop fit-out
• External & internal signage
• Furniture & fixtures
• Commercial kitchen equipment
• Initial staff training
• Staff uniforms
• Pre-opening labour costs
• Opening stock
• Launch marketing campaign
• Property agent fees
• Legal & professional fees
• Rent deposit
• End-to-end project management
• EPOS system (set-up & installation)
• Contingency allowance

Side Street franchise partners have successfully launched sites with significantly lower initial investments. The figures provided are illustrative and may vary based on unit size, location, and condition. VAT is not included. Details and costs for dark kitchen setups will be shared following the successful establishment of your fast-casual restaurant.

Why is Side Street a good investment?

The UK fast-food scene in 2025 is booming, but it has evolved. Today’s customers want more than speed; they demand bold flavours, freshness, and food that feels authentic. For these reasons, fast-casual is the future, with smash-style burgers and genuine American BBQ taking centre stage.

Burgers remain the UK’s top fast food, making up 31% of all QSR orders – and that number is growing. But tastes have changed: consumers want smash patties with crispy edges, with layers of flavour and premium ingredients. Add in the rise of smoked BBQ, and Side Street offers a distinctive and in-demand menu.

Fast-casual is outpacing traditional quick service, offering restaurant-quality food at speed. Valued at £37.9 billion in 2024, the UK fast-food market is on track for steady growth. Delivery-first habits and app ordering are the new norm, and Side Street’s flexible mix of dine-in, takeaway, and dark kitchens positions the brand perfectly to serve customers wherever they are.

With 2.5 billion burgers sold yearly and consumers willing to pay up to 58% more for premium quality, Side Street is built for lasting success.

What locations is Side Street looking to target?

Side Street has proven its franchise model in London, Manchester, and across Scotland, with more sites set to launch soon. Now, the brand is opening up high-potential territories across the UK for driven investors ready to bring Side Street’s bold flavour and proven concept to their own neighbourhoods.

See Side Street’s recent site launches HERE

What are the franchise terms of agreement and renewal?

Five years with automatic renewal for a further five