Coming soon to a city near you is famed Filipino fast food joint Jollibee. The chain is known for its Chickenjoy bone-in crispy fried chicken buckets; Jolly Spaghetti with tomato sauce, chopped hot dogs and melted cheese; and Yumburgers (beef burgers). In a bid to spread its popularity, it's currently in the middle of a £30 million ($41m) UK-wide expansion.
With locations already in London, Liverpool, Leicester, Leeds, Cardiff and Reading, it plans to be in every major city within the next three to five years. Next on the cards is Newcastle, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham. Jollibee will also be growing its presence in Italy, Spain and other parts of Europe.
In the Philippines, where Jollibee first opened in 1978, it’s more popular than McDonald’s and KFC. And with 1300 restaurants across the world, including 70 in North America where new outposts attract huge queues on opening day, we're sure it'll see success in the UK too.
Taco fans, listen up. Already paving its way across the UK, US-based Tex-Mex chain Taco Bell is now at 70 British locations. However, it has its sights set on reaching 200 according to a plan outlined by the brand’s European boss.
It currently has outlets in all corners of the country including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, London, Cardiff, Portsmouth and Plymouth. Major cities Birmingham, Peterborough and Bristol are next on the list.
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Taco Bell's British menu more or less matches its US offering. Expect Mexican-inspired dishes including crunchy beef-filled tacos, cheesy quesadillas, loaded fries, nachos and its iconic Volcano Burrito (a spicy, filling packed burrito) and Crunchwrap Supreme (a protein, bean and salad-filled, toasted tortilla parcel).
If you live in London, Bristol, Birmingham or Reading, you may have noticed branches of US chicken chain Wingstop opening in recent years. That’s because in 2017 the Texas-founded company made a deal with its only UK franchiser Lemon Pepper Holdings to open 100 new restaurants.
There are currently 14 UK sites which are a mix of dine-in and delivery, and mostly based in London. The chain has its sights set on Manchester and Edinburgh as the next locations for new branches.
Wingstop's menu is entirely focused on, you guessed it, bone-in and boneless chicken wings and tenders. There are 10 flavours ranging in spiciness from the mild Lemon Pepper and Garlic Parmesan to the spicy Mango Habanero and Atomic. Pair your wings with a choice of Ranch, Blue Cheese or Honey Mustard dipping sauce.
Haven’t heard of German Doner Kebab? Chances are you will shortly as the Berlin-born kebab chain claims to be the UK’s fastest growing restaurant group. It initially planned to open 25 new branches in 2021, but after a surprise boost in takeaway sales due to the pandemic, the target number was revised to around 50 new outposts.
Arriving in the UK in 2016, German Doner Kebab currently has 72 outlets in places including Birmingham, Bradford, London, Glasgow, Cardiff and Swansea. Belfast, Great Yarmouth, Sheffield, Hull, Romford and Newcastle are in the pipeline.
The chain attributes its success to demand from teenagers who are looking for an alternative to burgers, fried chicken and pizza. German Doner Kebab offers kebabs, wraps, burger buns and quesadillas stuffed with spit-roasted doner meat shavings.
Move over Domino's and Pizza Hut, fast-fired pizza company Fireaway, which launched in South London in 2016, is rounding up a year of rapid expansion which saw it open roughly one restaurant a week. It set out to double its number of UK branches and expects to reach 110 sites by the end of 2021.
You can currently find branches up and down the country from Exeter to Edinburgh, with sites in West Wickham, Cwmbran and Northampton opening towards the end of 2021. Further down the line, it sees itself competing with international pizza players Domino's, Papa John’s and Pizza Hut.
No matter what you order, the price of the pizza is the same. The founder was inspired by sandwich giant Subway, creating a system where customers choose a base, cheese, meat and combination of toppings. Whether you order Napoli (tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, capers and oregano) or Meathead (tomato, mozzarella, chicken, turkey, ham and pepperoni), you pay £8.99 ($12.40).
Although this US mega-chain has 3,400 outposts globally, you’re still not able to find one in the UK. But all that’s about to change as Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is set to launch in London in November 2021, marking the beginning of an expansion plan to reach 350 UK sites in 10 years.
The chicken chain’s flagship restaurant will replace a KFC store at Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, East London. According to Popeyes chief executive Tom Crowley, further UK locations "will be carefully chosen, in communities that echo the Louisianan spirit synonymous with Popeyes."
With a menu matching the one in the US, you can expect bone-in crispy Chicken Pieces, Tenders, Nuggets, Popcorn Shrimp, Cajun Fries and its iconic Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Its meat is marinated in spices for 12 hours to give it its signature spicy flavour.
Still not well-known in the south of the UK, Canadian fast food franchise Tim Hortons, founded by the ice hockey player of the same name, opened up shop in Glasgow in 2017. Now it's making its way into other corners of the country with the aim of being in every major town and city by the end of 2022.
It currently has 34 UK restaurants focused in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Manchester. However, there are 12 opening soon including locations in Belfast, Ipswich, Northampton, Leeds and Gloucester. Making the most of the increased demand for takeout, many of its new outposts will feature drive-thrus. Interestingly, it has no plans so far to move into London.
At Tim Hortons you can pick up coffees, savoury breakfast muffins, burgers and doughnuts. A famous Double Double coffee with two creams and two sugars, and Timbits (iced doughnut holes) are must-orders.
Next read fast food favourites you can easily recreate at home
Love Thai food? So do we. Which is why we’re excited about Canadian-founded, quick-service restaurant Thai Express franchising in the UK. It currently has seven outposts in Leicester, Wembley, Birmingham, Croydon, Thurrock and Guildford. A location in Edinburgh is next on its list.
Here you can get a range of tasty Thai classics such as Tom Yum Soup, Green Curry, Red Curry, Pad Thai, spring rolls and prawn crackers. There are plenty of gluten-free, vegan and halal options, which means its menu is suitable for all. The best part? The kitchen is open so customers can watch as their dishes are prepared.
Following in the footsteps of Five Guys, Shake Shack and Taco Bell, California-born burger chain Carl's Jr. is actively looking for a UK franchisee. Already in Europe (in France, Spain, Denmark and Turkey), it has its sights set on London next, as part of the company's plan to double its international restaurants from 1,000 to 2,000.
Charbroiled burgers cooked over charcoal is what this fancy fast food joint is all about. Popular menu items include The Big Carl (featuring two beef patties, burger sauce, American cheese and a seeded bun), Famous Star With Cheese (a single beef patty, American cheese, salad, burger sauce, mayo and a seeded bun) and Crisscut Fries. But expect prices that are up one notch from McDonald’s and Burger King.
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The fast food choices in the US are second to none, which is why Brits can’t believe their luck that American chain Wendy’s has returned (it hasn't been here since 2001). This year it opened branches in Reading, Stratford, London and Oxford, and it has announced Croydon and Romford are next. The chain plans to grow to 400 restaurants over the next few years.
Not only that, the burger and fries joint has revealed that dark kitchens (delivery-only locations) will be a big part of its operation. It plans to have five to 10 open before the end of 2021, mainly in London, betting Brits enjoy home delivery just as much as they like going out to eat.
If you’re not familiar with the chain, Wendy's is best known for its big breakfast menu, square beef burgers, the Baconator (a hefty beef burger with American cheese, six pieces of crispy smoked bacon, ketchup and mayo), thick Frosty shakes and pigtailed mascot Wendy.