The company behind German Doner Kebab and Island Poké will open a restaurant in Glasgow city centre, adding to the venue it opened in Bloomsbury, London, in October 2020.
It will be located restaurant at the old Via Italia site on Union Street close to Glasgow Central Station.
The new restaurant will mark the start of a larger rollout of the Choppaluna brand across the UK, with sites planned for Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, Birmingham and Cambridge following later in the year and further locations to be announced.
Choppaluana was established in 2019 in Berlin by Nikras Agha and Bijan Azadfard (pictured below) and serves healthy salad bowls, with customers able to either create their own from a choice of more than 60 toppings or choose from a chef’s menu. Bowls include prawn quinoa; spring chicken; nacho avocado; Thai prawn; and falafel habibi.
The delivery and takeaway focused restaurant brand also serves a breakfast menu of low-carb, high-energy options such as scrambled egg bowls, filled rolls and smoothies.
“We are excited to be launching a new restaurant in Glasgow, bringing our super-delicious, healthy dining experience of guilt-free indulgence to Scotland,” says Agha.
“Choppaluna will truly revolutionise the healthy eating space in the city, bringing people indulgent healthy options that fit with a fast-paced on-the-go lifestyle.
“It is particularly pleasing to forge ahead with plans to open a new restaurant in Glasgow so quickly after the launch of our first restaurant in London Bloomsbury in October 2020, and in my hometown of Berlin last year. It’s a huge achievement for our team.”
The company says that further growth and franchise recruitment news will come over the next 12 months. Last year the company said it had sold 60 franchise units across the UK in just six months of opening.
“The opportunity is truly resonating with our franchise network within the Hero Brands group and we will work with them to explore opportunities for further growth throughout the UK,” adds Agha.
Hero Brands’ portfolio includes German Doner Kebab, which has 700 franchises across the world, and Island Poké, which has 18 restaurants in London and nine in France. The full estate also includes four dark kitchens across London with further plans to open 23 new restaurants over the next five years, which will treble its current UK footprint.
“Hero Brands is responding to emerging consumer trends and focused on growing the brands of the future,” says Athif Sarwar, Hero Brands CEO.
“Eating-out is changing and younger consumers are demanding a shorter dwell time, great-tasting healthier food and an aspirational experience that is shareable on their social channels.
“Choppaluna responds to this trend and we worked very closely with Nikras and Bijan to develop the brand and a proposition that truly disrupts the healthy eating space.
“Expanding into Scotland is a huge moment for them both and we will now give them unrivalled industry expertise as they forge ahead with their growth ambitions.”
