London-based vegan fast food chain Neat Burger is keen to explore expansion outside of London in the UK’s wider cities, according to co-founder Stasi Nychas.
Speaking at the Lunch! Show, he said the brand is happy with its existing estate in the capital, where it operates 9 sites including Camden, Dalston, Soho and its debut in Oxford Circus.
“We’ve got our London market saturated”, he said, adding that it would look at other cities across the country.
The company is also gearing up for further international expansion, joining existing sites in Dubai and New York.
“We’ve managed to take a brand in a relatively unknown market and grow it to the market leader in the UK as well as opening up other stores, in Dubai, soon to be Europe and the US,” said Nychas.
The plant-based chain, founded in 2019, aims to bring “premium, sustainable” burgers to the mainstream.
“What we wanted to do was be an innovative disruptive brand”, he added.
Neat Burger offers a range of salads, burgers, wraps, “but all with sustainability in mind”, using meat-free alternatives.
“Sustainability was a big part, but it was about how can we create something that tastes the same, looks the same, feels the same as meat”, the co-founder said.
Alongside considering its impact on the planet, the brand’s key motivator is making every customer walk out a Neat Burger restaurant “feeling good”, said Nychas.
“I think we have managed to achieve that; our food is fantastic, and our brand and restaurants look amazing.”
Nychas sees Neat Burger as offering a premium QSR experience and is keen to rival mainstream chains such as Shake Shack and Five Guys.
Speaking about how the brand differentiates itself in a competitive area of the market, he said “We don’t necessarily want to compete like for like.”
“We want to offer something different, where someone can get that same nostalgia feeling.
The brand, which counts Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio amongst its backers, says it has been “fortunate enough to have really good investors” to follow its journey.
“Lewis has been an advocate of the brand since day one.
“It’s not a golden bullet but it helps get our name, and brand awareness out there,” Nychas adds.
In the current climate, Neat Burger keeps a sharp focus on running an efficient model and having a strong team on board.
Alongside running discounted meal deals at key times, the QSR model is focused on keeping a lid on prices and retaining a low-cost labour model.
“Labour is a challenge, but it’s a lot better than it was. It’s about getting a variety of people in the right positions.”
Nychas said he is a “big believer in tech”, with the brand using order management system Vita Mojo from “very early on.”
“You don’t want to become too tech focused. You have people that want interaction.
“But you can’t get away from tech, in hospitality you have to integrate it,” the co-founder added.
