The Best American Restaurant Franchises in the UK

Becky Martin, writer

Published at 12/02/2019, Updated on 15/02/2023 , Reading time: 8 min

The Best American Restaurant Franchises in the UK — Photo © american-restaurant-franchise-jpg.jpg

American food brands are big business in the UK, whether it's American sweets, chocolate or fizzy drinks, we can’t get enough. One industry that is really dominated by the US is fast food chains. In this article, we will explore the popularity of American restaurant franchises and the top franchising opportunities you can get involved in the UK. Showing you which best American fast food chains are in the UK.

Research suggests that the top five burger chains in the UK are Five Guys, Nando’s, McDonald’s, KFC and then Burger King. With four of these being American brands, the US’s influence on our food outlet preferences is clear. According to more research, McDonald’s is also the third most popular dining brand after Greggs and J D Wetherspoon, and American is the fifth most popular cuisine British people choose when dining out. These statistics demonstrate the extent of our adoration for American fast food brands and how starting your own American restaurant franchise opportunity has the scope to become incredibly lucrative.

Reasons why starting an American restaurant franchise is a good idea

1. In demand

In 2019, Brits ate out twice a week on average. The younger generation (18-29-year-olds) are happy to part with a hefty £88 a week, which is double that of the national average spend. Those surveyed suggested that this was because of a lack of food in cupboards, not wanting to wash up and not being able to cook very well.

Three years later, in 2022, this hasn’t slowed despite the rising cost of living. In fact, fast food chains in the UK is projected to grow with a 2.6% CAGR from 2022 to 2025, reaching £102.8bn in valuation. [Lumina Intelligence UK]

2. No two days are the same

Each day brings new experiences and challenges. Unlike a 9-5 office job, you never really know who’s going to walk through the door and what encounters you’re going to have. This helps keep the role exciting and stops it from getting boring.

3. You can give back to the community

Your restaurant can become the social hub of the community. When you own a restaurant, there is scope to donate food to a local shelter, sponsor a league team and host fundraisers. Charitable behaviour is looked on fondly by consumers too, with 87 per cent saying that they would buy from businesses that support an issue they care about.

Top American restaurant franchise opportunities

1. Five Guys

Five Guys truly cares about the quality of its food, selling Irish beef in its UK outlets and cooking everything from scratch, without the use of frozen ingredients. What’s more, customers can customise their menu choices to their heart’s content, with over 250,000 burgers, hotdog and sandwich topping combinations and 1,000 milkshake flavour combinations.

- Becoming a Five Guys franchisee: If you’re passionate about the fast food industry and are business minded, you are encouraged to apply. To learn more, visit Five Guys' website.
- How much you need to invest: You’ll need to be able to invest between £300,000 and £550,000.
- What you get for your investment: From the very start, you’ll receive all of the technical support you need. On-site training lasts for two weeks and additional support including everything from the grand opening to security.

2. SUBWAY

Subway is a very well-known brand in the UK, but you might not have realised that there are more than 43,000 stores in over 110 countries! This is a huge global business, and it’s looking to expand even more with the help of franchise partners. In fact, the fast food franchise with most locations in the UK.

Becoming a Subway franchisee: Subway is looking for savvy entrepreneurs with a passion for the brand. You should have expertise in the market and display good time management and communication skills. You also need to abide by its procedures and follow the training and site selection processes. Visit its profile page to find out more.
How much you need to invest: In order to be accepted as a franchisee, interested entrepreneurs will need to make a minimum investment of £85,570. However, you can get help with funding from one of Subway’s financial partners, so if you have good credit standing you could get bank loans that cover up to 70 per cent of the cost.
What you get for your investment: In order for you to be able to run your own Subway franchise business confidently, the brand provides a two-week training course that is carried out in one of its many training centres across the globe.

Contact Subway Here

3. Baskin Robbins

Founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, this business has over 7,300 stores across almost 50 countries. Baskin Robbins serves milkshakes, smoothies and fruit creams alongside a huge selection of ice creams.

Becoming a Baskin Robbins franchisee: When you join this franchise opportunity, you’ll be able to tempt customers with Baskin Robbins’ sundaes. Those with a sweet tooth are often excited to choose their own ice cream and add toppings such as hot fudge, marshmallows, roasted almonds, chocolate truffles or fruit. To learn more and sign up, visit its profile page.
How much you need to invest: Franchisees looking for a piece of the action should be willing to make a total investment of £500,000.
What you get for your investment: Investors will get help finding suitable site locations, as well as guidance in operational support, management systems, food safety and health and safety. What’s more, quarterly franchisee meetings provide an opportunity to network with and learn from other franchisees on a regular basis.

Contact Baskin Robbins Here

4. Dunkin’ Donuts

There are over 11,000 Dunkin’ Donuts locations spread across 31 countries, serving more than five million customers every single day. In fact, the franchise sells an average of over 30 cups of coffee every second. It’s also accumulated almost 70 years of experience in the food and drink industry, and is famous among coffee – and doughnut – lovers worldwide.

Becoming a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee: This doughnut franchise is looking for entrepreneurs who are prepared to open at least 20 outlets within a given period. If you think you’re the person for the job, why not get in touch? To learn more and sign up, visit its profile page.
How much you need to invest: This is a big brand, so you’ll need to invest a total of £3 million.
What you get for your investment: It goes without saying that you’ll benefit from high brand recognition and a ready-made customer base. It’s likely that, wherever you set up shop, you’ll find plenty of hungry customers eager to dunk their doughnuts.

Contact Dunkin’ Donuts Here

5. Domino’s

Domino’s is the UK’s leading pizza brand and started with a simple business idea to deliver hot, freshly made pizzas in as short a time as possible. From this humble goal, Domino’s now has over 1,000 stores across the country serving nearly 90 million pizzas every year.

- Becoming a Domino’s franchisee: The business has been able to grow at an extraordinary speed thanks to the franchising model. What’s more, 90 per cent of the franchises in the UK are owned by franchisees who were once employed by the business.
- How much you need to invest: With a total investment of £280,000 you can take part in Domino’s thriving growth and innovative approach to American fast food in the UK.
- What you get for your investment: You’ll take part in a four-week Franchise Development Programme so you know how to run your business confidently.

6. Papa Johns

As a leading pizza delivery chain, Papa John’s offers thick crust pizza, dough-based snacks, drinks and desserts. Founded in the US in the 1980s, Papa John’s expanded into the UK in 2000 and now has more than 5,000 branches across 45 countries worldwide, achieving an annual revenue that exceeds $3 billion.

Becoming a Papa John’s franchisee: Investors looking for a slice of the action do not need previous experience with a food franchise business as long as they are business-oriented and have good communication skills.
How much you need to invest: A minimum investment of £100,000 and £18,500 in franchise fees will be required to get a Papa John’s store up and running.
What you get for your investment: New franchisees will benefit from a six-week training scheme that includes marketing support, as well as a royalty reduction programme and free oven.

Contact Papa Johns Here

7. KFC

The Kentucky Fried Chicken brand is recognised worldwide, with nearly 14,000 restaurants in 112 countries. The first store was opened in the UK in 1965 and now there are 850 locations across the country. Approximately 75 per cent of KFC restaurants are owned and operated by franchisees, who sell 690 million pieces of the Colonel’s secret recipe chicken a year.

- Becoming a KFC franchisee: There are four types of restaurants that you can own as a KFC franchisee. There’s the standard restaurant in city centre locations; the drive-thru for roadsides and retail parks; food courts for busy shopping centres; and express stores for residential areas. The sites have different requirements with varying investment costs.
- How much you need to invest: The initial investment range from £1,000,000 to £2,000,000 to get started and grow from the globally known KFC brand.
- What you get in return: Proven training systems and support network.

8. Pizza Hut Delivery

Pizza Hut is, of course, one of the biggest pizza chains out there. Founded in 1958 in Wichita in the US by brothers Dan and Frank Carney, Pizza Hut arrived in the UK 15 years later in 1973. Pizza Hut Delivery offers consumers the chance to purchase and eat the chain’s pizzas from the comfort of their own homes.

Becoming a Pizza Hut Delivery franchisee: You need to be experienced in retail management to be accepted onto this franchise programme. Pizza Hut has stopped taking in applications, but you can keep checking its website and franchise profile for updates.
How much you need to invest: The investment is between £130,000 and £150,000.
What you get for your investment: In return, you’ll receive day-to-day support from acquisition managers, franchise business managers and business experts. Your royalty fees will contribute to marketing on a national and international scale - so this is one less thing to worry about.

>> Read more:

Top 7 fast food franchises
The Original Fast Food: Our Top Three Sandwich Franchises
Do You Want Fries With That? Our Top 4 Burger Franchises
Be part of the future of fast food with a One Delivery franchise
American Burger: How To Start Your Own American Burger Restaurant
The Yummy Truth About Running a Fast Food Franchise

Start an American restaurant – it’s easy with franchising

UK consumers clearly relish American food staples and can’t resist indulging at an American restaurant franchise from time to time. There are even more restaurant brands in America, including Jimmy John’s and Jack in the Box, but unfortunately, they don’t currently offer franchising opportunities in the UK. Find out if another popular American brand Dairy Queen franchises in the UK in one of our ‘Q&A’ articles.