Fat Phill’s franchise

Since its foundation in 2019, Fat Phill’s has developed a reputation for great, quick service food, with eye-catching dishes like their loaded sandwiches, Philly cheesesteak fries, and juicy chicken tenders which are all made fresh to order in front of customers’ eyes. A delicious range of sides from onion rings to chicken wings round out the food offerings, with drinks such as milkshakes and cocktails as perfect accompaniments to complete the experience.

What Fat Phill’s is best known for, however, is its amazing Smash Burgers. Take the Big Belly Burger for example; a sweet bun, oozing with melted cheese, loaded with crispy bacon and – of course – several stacked smash burgers. The best quality beef burgers are smashed down on the griddle and piled up high with other fresh ingredients to create a truly indulgent burger. This process isn’t just useful for a stacking spectacle either, as the thinner burgers cook more evenly and develop a crispy caramelisation that is simply incredible.

Naturally, all of Fat Phill’s fantastic creations inevitably find their way to social media, bolstering Fat Phill’s online presence and tempting more and more customers through the door. With such big, high-quality dishes one may expect to pay a premium, but the menu remains accessible and reasonable priced for everyone. In addition, because all items are made to order, wastage can be kept to a minimum meaning that Fat Phill’s is a smart choice for franchisees looking for great margins.

Fat Phill’s has also received significant recognition within the restaurant industry. It has been recently crowned the fastest growing restaurant brand in The Netherlands by the FoodService Instituut in its Food500 report. Additionally its recent move into the United Kingdom and Germany have equally received assiduous media attention. Always in 2024, Fat Phill’s founder Armin Vahabian has been featured in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in recognition of his outstanding entrepreneurial journey.

Fat Phill’s supports its franchisees in any way that it can so that they can fully focus on their store and customers. As a franchisee with Fat Phill’s you will have a great UK-based support network, with comprehensive guidance at every point in your journey. All franchise assistance is delivered by Freshly Baked, the UK Master Franchisee of global pretzel franchise Auntie Anne’s, which operates over 40 stores in the UK: an experienced group with a strong local structure to support you at every step.

On-going training starts from the initial stages of store design and continues through to marketing, staffing, and budgeting, providing help in the understanding of management and back of house systems. Support also includes:

• Introductions to sources of finance: high street banks, asset finance companies, UK startup loans
• Site selection, approval, and design
• Franchise training and opening assistance
• Training on kiosk, cost-control, and compliance technology
• Access to brand marketing resources, including annual marketing calendar
• Continued product development and innovation across the brand

Setting up a Fat Phill’s franchise site costs on average between £150,000 and £250,000, including the £20,000 franchise fee, while EBITDA is comfortably above 15%. The minimum investment in liquid capital that you need to have as a franchisee starts from approximately £100,000. However, depending on how successful your store is, you can expect to recover your investment in 2 to 3 years. Although much of this success will be dependent upon your performance in the running of day-to-day operations, Fat Phill’s talented support team will be with you at every step of your journey, so you will never feel alone.

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An ideal Fat Phill’s franchisee will have previous experience in franchising, ideally within the Food and Beverage industry, preferably at an operator level. An understanding of the brand is essential, from the commitment to excellent quality of food and customer service to the importance of creating a chilled, relaxing atmosphere for customers to enjoy. Communication skills are also vital, as it is key to relate to Fat Phill’s customers through local marketing campaigns, social media, and in-store experience. Access to prime real estate is also necessary, as is the capability to negotiate favourable rental terms.

Above all else, a prospective franchisee must bring positivity and enthusiasm in actively engaging with the continued growth of the Fat Phill’s brand.

Fat Phill’s is an exceptional opportunity for both individual, multi-site, area hospitality developers to bring something new and exciting to their region. The popularity of smash burgers continues to rise, with the market valued at £5 billion in the UK alone in 2022 and estimated to grow by 26% by 2027.

Fat Phill’s is interested in franchise expansion in all regions, especially in the UK, Europe, and GCC countries. All proposed sites will be evaluated on a case by case basis and assessed for suitability, foot-fall, and potential revenue.

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During a trip to the United States, Armin Vahabian, the founder of Fat Phill’s, visited several deli’s, burger places, and other food venues where he experienced many dishes and products that were not then available in the Netherlands. Given his family background in the world of Food & Beverages, and with 20 years of experience in gourmet restaurants under his belt, these visits planted the seeds of his idea to start a real American burger restaurant in the Netherlands. Following this, in 2019, Fat Phill’s was founded in Amsterdam and embraced an aesthetic of early 90s hip hop combined with a new age industrial style and unique street art.

Today Fat Phill’s operates 15 franchised restaurants across The Netherlands, the majority of which is operated by multi-unit franchisees, some of which are already in their third location. The brand is set to continue this rapid expansion across Europe, with 9 new sites preparing to open in 2024 alone, including the first UK venue in London, which is operated by experienced franchise operator Freshly Baked. Fat Phills is proven to work in high street, mall, travel and drive-thru formats and it is therefore expected to achieve over 100 units in the UK alone over the next few years. Becoming a franchisee means being a part of this contemporary, vibrant, and successful journey.

If you are interested in joining this quality brand and becoming the owner of your own Fat Phill’s diner, please register your interest and request more information below. Current interest in this brand is remarkable, and with multi-unit and area developer options available, you will want to make sure that you don’t miss out on your desired area.