Q&A: Does Side Street Franchise in the UK?

Cara Squires, writer

Published at 07/03/2022, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 5 min

Q&A: Does Side Street Franchise in the UK? — Photo © QA-Does-Side-Street-Franchise-in-the-UK.jpg

Interested in franchising? Enjoy delicious burgers? Then it’s only natural for you to be asking yourself whether one of Rochdale’s top burger joints, Side Street, franchises in the UK. Keep reading to find out more about a profitable, career-transforming burger restaurant franchise investment with Side Street.

If there’s anything UK consumers universally love, it’s a delicious burger. The takeaway and fast food restaurant market in this country is worth £19 billion and growing [IBISWorld], and you could benefit from the high demand in this market as the owner of your very own Side Street burger franchise.

Does Side Street Franchise in the UK?

If you’re interested in selling Side Street burgers, you’ll be delighted to hear that yes, the quick service restaurant business does franchise in the UK. Side Street gladly welcomes franchisees and pledges never to leave them alone during the franchising journey, so if you dream of providing your local community with outstanding food and an amazing restaurant experience, it’s hard to beat Side Street.

Josh, Yassir and their expert team at the flagship site in Rochdale will be there to support you throughout, you will receive everything you need to hit the ground running with your new venture. - Side Street

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The history of Side Street burgers

Headquartered in Rochdale, the first Side Street opened its doors there in June 2020. It’s been just under two years since then, but in that time the burger business has become highly successful and grown significantly. Offering an ambitious combo of eat-in, take away and delivery options, Side Street was well-equipped to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic rather than fold under the pressure, selling 61,500 burgers in just nine months. The brand has been innovating in the fast food sector ever since.

Now, Side Street is more than ready to expand. Founder Josh is excited to watch his business soar - and to support the success of future franchisees like yourself. As someone who has always been passionate about food and travelling, Josh is experienced in tasting a wide variety of delicious treats - but it was the American burger that stole his taste buds and time. Josh acknowledged the gap in the UK market for quality American burgers, worked to fill this gap and succeeded. His confidence was not misplaced.

Start a franchise in the quick service restaurant industry with a Side Street restaurant

If everything you’ve learned so far about Side Street’s fascinating history and expansion into franchising has you ever more keen to invest, convinced it might be the right fast food franchise for you, keep reading. The three questions answered below will equip you with all the information you need in order to make a fully informed franchise investment with Side Street...

1. How do you go about starting your own burger business with Side Street?

You can register your interest in becoming the owner of your own Side Street business via the franchise’s website, which features a dedicated tab for prospective franchisees. Note, before you do, that the ideal Side Street franchisee doesn’t necessarily need previous restaurant industry experience (though it would be a bonus). Instead, they should be:

Able to work well with others
Willing to follow Side Street’s proven systems/business model/menus
Committed and enthusiastic
Passionate about quality customer service provision
Determined to achieve operational excellence
Focused on uplifting Side Street’s reputation, making it as strong as it is in Rochdale

2. How much do you need to invest?

In order to become a Side Street franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of around £15,000, with a shop fit fee of £60,000. Thankfully, in the words of Side Street, “We have built some excellent relationships with the major lenders who will support potential franchisees with their initial franchise fee subject to their normal lending criteria [and] we have a loan facility in place with The Start Up Loans Company, a UK government lending initiative where new start franchises can borrow unsecured and at a low rate of interest up to £25,000 for the purchase and establishment of the business.”

To contextualist the cost of an investment in Side Street, the average cost of starting a franchise was £42,200 in 2018 [British Franchise Association]. This average is very much that - an average - as the cost of an investment can be impacted by various different factors such as industry of investment and attached brand name. Here are a couple of cost examples from the QSR franchise sector, to place the cost of a Side Street burger joint further:

Street Greek - To become a Street Greek franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £120,000, with franchise fees of £15,000 and a total investment cost of £200,000.
Shoryu Ramen - To become a Shoryu Ramen franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £450,000, with franchise fees of £25,000 and a total investment cost of £550,000.

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3. What do you get for your investment?

At Side Street Burgers we have compiled a training programme to cover all aspects of the business. You will also receive ongoing support and training when needed. We will help you market your business in your chosen area to help with the launch of your Side Street Burgers business with social media support the help spread the word. - Side Street

Side Street franchisees are fully supported from day one, as emphasised above. Beyond the use of the established brand and business model in an exclusive territory, you’ll benefit from a comprehensive training programme and plenty of ongoing support. This support will cover everything from site acquisition to marketing, meaning you’re never on your own when you’re running your Side Street location.

Side Street franchise opportunities are an excellent way to start running your own business

You should now have a more developed sense of whether Side Street is the right QSR franchise investment for you. If you’re still on the fence, continue your research on Point Franchise. Dive deeper into the sector by discovering the top six fast food trends of 2022 and the current state of franchising in the fast food industry, or explore similar investment options like The Butcher and Rocket’s.