Giggling Squid to grow to 30 restaurants by 2019
The group, which was founded in Hove in 2009, will open a further six restaurants in the south and west of England this year.
Following recent openings in Wimbledon and Bath, the chain will also launch in Beaconsfield, Cheltenham, Chichester, Harpenden, Bishop’s Stortford and Windsor.
It has also introduced new informal lounge areas with a separate ‘bar bites’ menu in some of its bigger sites.
Despite many independent and chain operators struggling with tough trading conditions on the high street, Giggling Squid appears to have survived the casual dining downturn.
“All our restaurants are ahead of last year apart from one, which is an amazing result,” says co-founder Andy Laurillard.
“Recent openings have been particularly successful, proving that demand for our offer is stronger than ever. We look forward to bringing our fresh take on Thai food to more people as we spread our tentacles at an accelerating rate.”
Laurillard and his wife Pranee founded Giggling Squid in 2009 with the ambition of creating the UK’s first major Thai restaurant group.
In 2015 the group received a £6.4m investment from the Business Growth Fund to accelerate its expansion.
The company previously said it was aiming to open 70 sites by 2022.
