Patty & Bun rolls out Sidechick as delivery-only brand
The fast-casual burger chain opened its Clapham restaurant in March, which joined its estate of nine London and one Brighton sites. It will open on Notting Hill’s Portobello Road next month, followed by Canary Wharf in June.
According to founder Joe Grossman, all sites will capitalise on Sidechick’s strong foundations in delivery by offering its signature chicken dishes as a delivery option.
“It’s essentially a two-in-one,” Grossman told MCA, BigHospitality's sister site.
“Delivery accounts for 20% of our business. The premise of [Sidechick] is that it was built as a delivery concept.”
Grossmann launched Sidechick as a delivery-only concept in 2020 before opening its dine-in debut in Mayfair. With two Patty & Bun openings in the pipeline, he is continuing the search for neighbourhoods where the brand can keep up delivery sales for Sidechick.
“It doesn’t take much to tweak our kitchens to incorporate Sidechick into the Patty bricks-and-mortars.”
The brand is in talks to open more restaurants in London next year as well as a site outside London, but details are being kept under wraps. Grossmann named Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, and Bath as locations the brand may consider in the future.
“There are lots of obvious locations that would be a great fit if we can find the right site. Regional is part of the growth aspect, but it needs to be the right opportunity,” he said.
Consumers can expect new food collaborations with “iconic individuals and cult gems” at the upcoming restaurants.
“We’re not looking to do collaborations for the sake of it. We’re doing things that really turn heads,” Grossman said.
Patty & Bun will also continue their retail business, which includes DIY burger kits, sauces, and other merchandise. Grossmann revealed the chain will focus on making retail a growing part of the business before expanding the collection of items for sale.
“With retail, we moved the brand into the homes of people miles and miles and miles away from any brick-and-mortar sites we had,” he said. “We essentially swapped bricks and mortar for cardboard.”
Owing to difficulties with rising food costs and staff shortages, Grossmann added the brand has 'quite enough to be focusing on right now'. Delivery and menu innovation via partnerships will be key focuses for the brand in its growth strategy.
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