'Posh' chicken restaurant Hen crowdfunding for London expansion
The ‘posh chicken’ concept is hoping to raise £100,000 before Christmas to open six sites in the capital and 15 under franchise by 2020.
Founder Philip Ilic said he wanted to offer ‘like-minded entrepreneurs the ability to open their own Hens across the country’.
“We have a humble year ahead of us – we’re not trying to take over the world,” Ilic told BigHospitality's sister site M&C Allegra Foodservice.
He predicted that the ‘posh’ chicken sector was on the cusp of a boom similar to the rise of the gourmet burger.
“I believe the premium chicken market is about to explode in the fast casual dining market; posh burgers are saturated but there is a lot of room for chicken,” he said.
Since launching on Tuesday the crowdcube page has raised over £18,000 from 54 investors.
It is being supported by a marketing campaign in store and on social media to encourage Hen’s customers to become more involved with the brand.
Ilic said the restaurant had received a ‘great response’ since opening in Brighton in December 2014, and was forecast to return a profit in its second year.
“It’s now time to take our ethical message to the rest of the country and begin building on our vision to become the UKs most loved chicken shop,” he said.
