Over the past couple of decades, the British food scene has changed beyond all recognition. Now, there is more variety than ever. The streets are full of gorgeous artisan coffee shops, well-known restaurant chains and a host of independent pubs and eateries. However, one of the biggest explosions in the UK food scene has been the rise of the gourmet fast food franchise chains! Here, we are taking a look at gourmet fast food chains and why they are so incredibly popular in the United Kingdom.

What is driving this new gourmet fast food trend?

Did you know that a quarter of people in the United Kingdom enjoy eating fast food every single week? Business owners are taking this into account when opening up new eateries and are adapting to this consumer demand. Consumers love the convenience, of course, but they also want the taste and experience that gourmet fast food restaurants have to offer.

Consumers don’t mind spending more for better quality

It appears that there are two particular driving forces in the rise of gourmet fast food franchise restaurants in the United Kingdom. The first is that it British consumers are now more likely than ever to spend that little bit extra if it means they can enjoy better quality or more novel food. Having locally produced, better quality, and well branded products are now what most consumers are looking for, and just in fancy restaurants, but in fast food chains too! You will find that lots of products have been given the gourmet treatment over the past few years, from burgers, to chicken, and even to hot dogs. This is a trend that has been on the rise now for many years and is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

The rise in wellness trends

The second reason why there has been a big rise in gourmet fast food franchise is because of the recent increase the concern for nutrition and wellness. British consumers are now more aware than ever before about what exactly it is that they are eating, whether it was ethically sourced and whether or not the food is healthy. There has been a huge rise in those concerned with not only their own health, but also the impact on the environment too. For example, when Pret a Manger introduced a new focus on eating healthy and organic foods made from fair trade ingredients, they saw a massive 14.5% increase in their sales. What’s more, they launched a Veggie Pret in London as a pop up, however, it became so successful that it is now a permanent fixture there and more and more Veggie Prets are being opened up across the country.

Combining gourmet fast food with franchises

As you can see, if you are looking for your next franchise business venture, investing in gourmet fast food will always provide you with customers. What’s more, the organic and healthy fast food route seems to be the most popular at this moment in time and would definitely be worth considering. This is a trend that does not appear to be slowing down at all.

However, this does not mean that the less healthy options are going out of fashion y any stretch of the imagination! In fact, they still come out on top. It was announced that the UK’s top choice for fast food was the all-American Five Guys burger chain, according to Market Force. As this chain only launched in the UK three years ago, you can see that there is a huge opportunity to jump on new franchise brands entering the UK market. The same Market Force survey found that Pret A Manger won in the coffee and sandwich categories, displaying the huge demand for both.

While many of the gourmet fast food offerings are not necessarily offering healthy food, they still tend to focus on better quality and more varied ingredients, and often less additives and preservatives.

If you are thinking of opening up your very own gourmet fast food franchise restaurant, be sure to contact Start Your New Franchise today for more information on how you can get started and the different food franchise opportunities that we have available.