Ron Lynch, the president of US sports bar chain Tilted Kilt, has told M&C the company will target a site in London before rolling its franchised model across the UK to a target 20 sites.
Lynch said the pubs would feature a combination of US and UK craft beers and offer “a televised sports experience beyond anything that is available at the moment”.
He told M&C that the 107 sites currently operated across the US and Canada had attracted a lot of international fans and that Britain had emerged as the most popular location for an international offer. He said the company currently had no aspirations to extend the rollout beyond the UK.
He said he hoped to grow to 20 sites within five years. He said the company currently managed three of its US sites and would be open to discussions on directly managed sites in the UK “if our partners think that is the best way forward”.
He said: “We have built up a loyal following in the US and the time felt right to extend that. The UK is an area where we think there is a lot of interest in our brand and where the common language makes it feasible for us to operate.
“Our focus is on craft beers and I know there is a really strong scene in the UK. It’s totally different from the US, where we are restricted on selling beers from within the state we operate in. The UK gives us an opportunity to offer a really wide range and to showcase all the great beers the UK has to offer.”
On adapting the model for the UK, Lynch said: “There will be some adaptions for the UK market. We have changed some things on the menu Canada to suit that market and we expect to do the same in the UK.”
On why the model would add to the UK pub scene, he said: “Our venues are a lot of fun. They are decorated with bawdy limericks and servers are dressed in sexy costumes. It’s a real experience which I think the British customer will really warm to.” He said he would hope to have 24 beers available on draught and 30-40 TV screens showing sport.
He added: “The model works really well in urban areas so we would ideally look to get a site in London and roll out from there.”
Tilted Kilt is looking for franchisees with considerable experience running a strong, marketing-orientated food related business, with access to a minimum of £630,599 capital per site. Sites will ideally be between 4,000 and 5,00sq ft.
Tilted Kilt sites in the US have average annual revenues of $2.2million. Customers are aged between 25-49 years old, with a ratio of 75:25 male to female guests, and the average spend per head is $16.50. The food/alcohol split is 50/50.
