OINK

About OINK

The origin of OINK begins with two Berwickshire livestock farmers, pig farmer Adam Marshall and sheep farmer Andrew ‘Sandy’ Pate, who wanted to bring quality natural product from the farm to the city. Starting at the farm, they began offering a hog roast sandwich, and this move into catering proved so popular that the hog roast sandwich began making an appearance at the Castle Terrace Farmer’s Market in Edinburgh in 2001.

As their fame spread, Marshall and Pate were able to acquire a shop in Edinburgh’s Victoria Street, which opened in the summer of 2008. The name came about after a brainstorming session, with the brand stating that its light-hearted name helping to generate attention and set it apart from the rest. The success of the first OINK shop led to a second shop in Canongate opening in 2013, and a third in Hanover Street following in 2017.

The simple premise was that the team would cook a hog each morning, and keep serving rolls with a selection of sauces throughout the day until there was no more hog left. The Scotsman has described it as “the perfect place for a budget lunch”. OINK was also shortlisted in the finals under the Takeaway of the Year for the South East category at the Food Awards Scotland 2018.

Oink Franchise Ltd. was set up in January 2018. The franchise currently operates three shops, with a fourth due to open in Belfast soon.

How does the OINK franchise model work?

The team at OINK state that hog roasts are rising in popularity across the UK, although there are many producers that aren’t providing high quality product. Currently the reputable butcher and farmer-owned operations are usually found at food fairs and markets, while there are substandard imitations in the marketplace that do not pay close attention to the importance of the skills and ingredients involved in creating a quality hog product. When it comes to prospective franchisees looking to sell premium hog roast fare, the OINK team are confident that no other company can offer the quality, brand, systems, or support that comes with franchising with OINK.

As important as the retail store will be to the franchisee, OINK also offers a wide range of potential additional revenue streams from outside catering. There are opportunities to partner with corporate clients, food festivals, private functions, and any other outdoor cultural events.

As well as the franchise fee, an OINK franchise owner will need a working capital of between £20,000 and £30,000 to cover the initial costs to get the business up and running, pay deposits, rent, buy equipment and hire staff.

A store fit-out starts at £60,000, but that price will vary depending on the size of the store and its seating capacity. There are options vary from a retail store, complete with ovens, and a van capable of transporting the pigs to the store and events, to a retail store with an external lock-up for ovens, storage, refrigeration, preparation are, etc. and a van capable of transporting the pigs to the store and events. Either of those options come with a catering trailer for outside events.

 

What support and training do you get from OINK for your franchise fee?

The franchise fee covers an exclusive territory, a five-year franchise agreement with a chance to renew free of charge, and the OINK operations manual — a book of how everything works containing all of the OINK company secrets.

Full training in how to run an OINK business will be given. This comprises three days in Edinburgh at the OINK store and at the farm, followed by two days with the franchisee when they launch their business. For the launch you will also be supported in marketing and in putting together a launch marketing plan.

Ongoing support includes a website and social media account - the brand has found social media to be a powerful tool to engage with its customers and market the business.

What are the management fees charged by OINK?

The management service fee at OINK is 6 per cent of turnover, paid weekly. A marketing service fee of 2 per cent of turnover is also paid weekly, which covers ongoing support and marketing activity to build brand awareness nationwide.

How much can you expect to earn from an OINK franchise?

According to the brand, its mission has always been to showcase its quality pork and demonstrate that if you start with the best ingredients and understand how to cook them, then often the simplest food can be the tastiest. OINK states that its average weekly customer numbers are 1,783 per store, and average weekly sales amount to £9,236 per store.

How does the OINK hog roast franchise promote its branding?

OINK has a range of clothing merchandise, including hoodies, polo shirts, t-shirts, tracksuit bottoms, shorts, boxers, knickers, and woolly hats. The brand also produces a set of postcards, notecards, and a print by Tamsin Thomson.

 

What is OINK looking for in its franchisees?

The team at OINK state that there’s a lot more to the business than serving mouth-watering hog rolls and accepting money from customers. In order to become an OINK franchisee you will need to be organised, people oriented, committed, hard working, a good manager, and a passionate foodie.

As an OINK franchisee it is also important to be able to follow its business model. As important as the retail store will be to the OINK business, it also important not to forget that there is huge additional potential revenue from a well targeted campaign to attend and even partner with corporate clients, food festivals and other country, culture, music and sporting events. The team at OINK would be delighted to discuss the opportunity with anyone who fulfils that criteria.

What areas of regions of the UK is OINK looking to franchise in next?

You will need to find retail premises not too far off the beaten track. All of the OINK locations in Edinburgh have a complementary mixture of retail and residential property around them. Needless to say, footfall is a crucial factor. The Size and layout of a store can be discussed at a later date, as OINK is not looking to operate in enormous units. Although, franchisees will require sourcing a location that is large enough to store and cook the pigs - this could be commercial or at home, depending on your property.

What are OINK’s terms of agreement and renewal?

OINK offers a five-year franchise agreement, renewable at no extra cost should both franchisee and franchisor wish to do so.

How in-demand are hog roast restaurants in the UK right now?

The OINK team states that while no business or industry is truly recession-proof, many in the food-to-go sector come pretty close. The first OINK opened in 2008 just as the last recession was getting under way, and the company quickly found that while people were watching what they spent, they were still very happy to pay for quality and value.

An NPD Group report in 2018 revealed that casual dining visits were up in the UK by 7 per cent, compared to the year up to June 2017 - the equivalent of an additional 35m visits. “Casual dining restaurants remain one of the key growth stories in Britain’s OOH (out-of-house) foodservice market,” said Dominic Allport, insights director with the NPD Group.

An earlier NPD report predicted that the number of consumers choosing to eat out will grow substantially by 83m visits, while deliveries will grow by 101m by 2019. Delivery is seen as a significant catalyst in the British foodservice industry, while footfall growth will be mainly driven by breakfast and lunch visits.

How can I get started on setting up my own hog roast franchise?

You can begin your franchise journey with OINK with a trip to Scotland. To find out more, or to request further information on franchising with OINK, click on the ‘Send Enquiry’ button now.