Thunderbird Fried Chicken backed by TriSpan

24-Jan-2019 - Last updated on 27-Apr-2021 at 12:10 GMT

Thunderbird founder Matt Harris (L) and Marcel Khan

London street food brand Thunderbird Fried Chicken has received an investment from private equity group TriSpan to support its expansion.

The funding will allow Thunderbird, which currently trades out of Dinerama in Shoreditch and Giant Robot in Canary Wharf, to open a standalone restaurant at Brixton Village in February 2019.

The deal sees Marcel Khan, former operations director at Five Guys in the UK, France, Spain and Germany join as chief executive with immediate effect.

He will support Thunderbird’s founder Matt Harris, who founded the concept as BBQ Lab in 2015.

Both have the backing of a senior team including non-executive chairman Ivan Schofield (ex-Itsu CEO), Brandon Stephens (founder of Tortilla Mexican Grill), Ian Edward (non-executive director of Hippo Inns, Pizza Pilgrims, and Seafood Pub Company) and TriSpan partners Robin Rowland (former YO! Sushi CEO) and Joseph-Patrick Dib.

Rowland and Dib say: “There is a huge gap in the market for quality fried chicken and wings – a trend whose time has finally come.”

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

TriSpan, which has invested in over 30 restaurant groups worldwide, bought a majority stake in the UK’s Rosa’s Thai Café last year.