Burger brand Hubbox developing first restaurant in Wales

The six-strong chain, founded by Richard Boon in St Ives, Cornwall in 2003, is developing its first site outside the south west as part of a bid to reach 10-11 restaurants by next year.

Speaking at the Casual Dining Show in London this week, Boon said the burger brand was also eyeing further growth along the south coast towards Bournemouth.

Alex Reilley, co-founder and chairman of Loungers, joined the board of Hubbox as non-executive chairman in 2017 ahead of its planned expansion.

But Boon said he wanted Hubbox - which has sites in Bristol, Exeter, Pentewan, Plymouth, St Ives and Truro - to remain a regional group, and had no desire to reach the 100+ site footprint of other brands.

“We’ve all seen brands grow and they were great when they were small and then they get to 20-30 sites and the margin kicks in and the bean counters take over and you lose what’s great about the business,” said Boon.

“For us it’s about keeping the culture of the business and keeping the product right as we grow slowly. I want to get to 20 first and see how we do.”

Hubbox, which makes all its own burgers and grows its own potatoes in a field in Cornwall, will also launch a new menu with four ‘dirty’ vegan burgers next month to cater to the growing meat-free market.

All sites going forward will be at least 3,000 sq ft, and Boon has purchased the property next to the St Ives restaurant to add another 100-covers.

Hubbox’s 40-cover Exeter site is also set to move to a larger location in the city.

“When we started we didn’t have a lot of money,” said Boon. “[Now] we’re looking at bigger footprints for our stores and we’ll be at 10-11 sites in a year.”