Bundobust is eyeing Nottingham to continue its expansion journey South and will consider Cardiff and Bristol further down the line, founders Mayur Patel and Marko Husak tell MCA.

The concept, which combines vegetarian Indian street food with craft beer, recently announced a new restaurant in Birmingham, slated to open in June. This will add to its estate of two restaurants in Manchester, one in Leeds, and one in Liverpool.

“We think we’re well known up North,” Patel says. “Birmingham will kick off our journey down South.

“Nottingham is the natural next step, then we’re thinking Cardiff and ultimately Bristol, which would be a good fit for us.”

The new Birmingham venue will have more of a “pub vibe without being a pub,” Husak adds. The restaurant will be spread over two floors and cater to not only diners but also have “nooks and crannies for people just looking to have a pint.”

It will serve craft beer from Bundobust’s brewery in Manchester alongside products from local breweries.

The concept is also renewing its focus on the cocktail offer.

“We think the drinks offer is great in every element, but now we’ve become renowned for beer, we’re looking at more emphasis on the cocktail offer,” Patel says. “We have a complete blend in terms of demographics and want to cater to everybody.

“When we opened, we were one of the few people taking beer seriously. Then beer got more and more popular, so we wanted to stay ahead of the curve by combining a brewery and taproom with the restaurant.”

New sites will stick to the core menu of vegetarian Indian street food, with the offer honed through pop-ups prior to the launch of the first permanent site in 2014.

“Some of the dishes from those pop-ups are still on the menu…we think the core of what we offer is what people want.”

Despite implementing a price rise in December and considering another in May, the founders have yet to see any effect on volumes or the sales mix.

“We’re really good value and quality at a good price point, so we’ve done ok.”

While staffing is no longer a major concern, Bundobust is running a sponsorship visa system to recruit international chefs and maintain the authenticity of the offer.