Bun fight: the UK’s burger market explained

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when the better burger movement began in the UK. Gourmet Burger Kitchen would probably say 200l, the date it launched its inaugural site in south London. But the term was coined when the category started to really heat up in the early 2010s as then new kid on the block Byron ramped up its expansion and other new home-grown operators - including Honest Burgers, MEATliquor, Patty & Bun and Fat Hippo - entered the fray.

A few years later the then arguably still nascent better burger market was shaken to its core by the arrival of US exports Five Guys and Shake Shack within a few months of each other. Both brands offered top quality burgers but - unlike the majority of UK-born burger concepts - had a fast casual setup allowing them to serve cooked-to-order food quickly.

A little over a decade on, Byron is now but a shadow of its former self - at its pomp it had nearly 70 sites, it now has just eight - and Gourmet Burger Kitchen’s presence has been severely diminished. Shake Shack’s performance has also been a little underwhelming, having only opened 16 sites in the past 12 years since landing on these shores, and players like MEATliquor and Patty & Bun have opened but shuttered sites. Indeed, Five Guys has become something of an outlier, having opened more than 170 stores within the same time line.

Despite this, the burger category continues to generate much buzz and is arguably the busiest it has been in terms of new entrants. This is primarily down to London's new-found obsession with the smash burger, which has led to recent newcomers including Supernova, Supra Burger, SMSH BN, Temper Burger, and Junk (which all have just one site apiece in the capital) as well as brands from overseas coming over here to do pop-ups.

Below we’ve detailed how the UK burger category stacks up today, and what brands to keep an eye on in the future.

McDonald’s

Founded: 1955 (arrived in the UK in 1974)

Number of UK sites: 1,500

Woolwich in southeast London was home to the first UK McDonald’s when it opened in the mid 1970s. Today, the Golden Arches dominates the burger category - it has more sites than all its rivals that are listed below combined - and also has one of the highest shares of eating/drinking out occasions in the UK, alongside high street staples Costa Coffee and Greggs, according to data from Lumina Intelligence. Having kept its prices stagnant for more than a decade, in 2022 the brand raised its prices for the first time in 14 years with a cheeseburger going from 99p to £1.19 and has continued to increase prices with one now costing £1.39, representing a 40% price increase in the past two years. The company has been a leader in technology through the introduction of ordering kiosks and a sophisticated loyalty app. Globally, the company is planning to open about 10,000 restaurants by 2027, including some under its new drinks-focused brand CosMc’s, in what would be the fast-food giant’s fastest period of growth in its history. In November 2023 McDonald’s UK fired 18 workers following a BBC investigation that uncovered hundreds of allegations of harassment at the restaurant chain.

Burger King

Founded: 1954 (arrived in the UK in 1976)

Number of UK sites: Around 500 

Crossing the pond a few years after its arch rival McDonald’s, Burger King has struggled to keep pace but has nonetheless built a sizeable estate. The brand was a leader in the QSR category in the plant-based sector with the launch of its plant-based Whopper at the start of 2020 but has lagged behind in other areas, most notably technology. More recently the company has specified that it intends to drive more digital sales and that 50% of its international restaurants now have self-order kiosks, with 2,000 restaurants set to feature them by the end of 2023. In the UK, the company intends to open at least 60 restaurants over the next two years following £35m in new investment from private equity house Bridgepoint to fund the growth. Burger King UK hailed a strong performance after growing total revenues by 30% to £381.8m in 2023. Like-for-like sales grew by 3%, while operating profit of £13.4m was driven by revenue growth from the existing estate and some 18 new restaurants.

Five Guys

Founded: 1986 (arrived in UK 2013)

UK sites: 172 (174 including delivery kitchens)

Born in Arlington County, Virginia, Five Guys famously refuses to localise its menus, which are focused on beef burgers, kosher-style hot dogs and fries cooked in peanut oil. Having arrived in the UK a little over a decade a go, Five Guys dominants the better burger market on these shores despite having a comparatively high price point (it may be a fast casual joint, but don’t expect much change from £20 for a burger, fries and a soft drink). Earlier this year, the business reported £316.4m in UK revenue for the year ended 31 December 2023, up from £278.6m in 2022. More expansion is planned for the brand, although the pace has slowed down over the past few years. “Five years ago, we had data analytics people tell us we could do 70 UK stores,” says Five Guys Europe CEO John Eckbert. “We built those 70, then another 70, and now we’re doing more.”

Wimpy

Founded: 1934 (arrived in the UK in 1954)

Number of UK sites: 61

Now owned by Famous Brands, Wimpy made its UK debut in the mid 1950s and at its peak operated some 380 restaurants in the UK under its then owner United Biscuits. Today the brand still has a strong geographical spread and is notable for offering table service and serving its food on actual plates. Its offering is more wide-ranging than most of its competitors in the fast food space - options include cod and chips and a full English breakfast - but burgers remain its core product. Wimpy has not had a presence in the US for decades and is now headquartered in South Africa, where it runs close to 500 restaurants.

Honest Burgers

Founded: 2011

Number of UK sites: 39

Founded by Tom Barton and Phillip Eeles in Brixton Market, Honest Burgers is the UK’s most successful home-grown better burger brand by some margin. Backed by investor Active Partners, the business has always put provenance at the very heart of its offering but recently doubled down by overhauling its supply chain through the development of a regenerative farming programme, with the aim of reducing its carbon footprint and the environmental impact of eating beef. Last year, Honest Burgers successfully crowdfunded £3m to enable it to move into the QSR space with a new smash burger concept and expects to open its first site under the new - as yet unnamed brand - by the end of this year.

Wendy’s

Founded: 1969 (first arrived in the UK in 1980)

Number of UK sites: 34 (36 including delivery kitchens) 

Wendy’s has a somewhat chequered history on these shores having retreated from the UK market twice. Having run restaurants here between 1980 and 1986 and then again between 1992 to 2000, Wendy’s returned in 2021 saying at the time that it wanted to open “up to 400 sites”. Three or so years into its third push into the UK market, Wendy’s has rolled back on its UK growth targets a number of times but continues to slowly grow its presence across the K. Launched in Columbus Ohio, Wendy’s has more than 6,700 sites in 30 countries around the world.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

Founded: 2001

Number of UK sites: 28 (30 including delivery kitchens)

Launched by New Zealanders Adam Wills, Greg Driscoll and Brandon Allen in Battersea, South London, at its prime Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) operated more than 60 sites and lays claim to be at the forefront of the better burger movement that would later spawn a number of new burger players. The company was previously owned by Famous Brands but fell into administration in 2020 closing 27 of its restaurants while a further 35 sites were bought for just £6m by Boparan Restaurant Group, its current owner. New Zealand-born chef Peter Gordon oversaw menu development initially and a subtle Kiwi theme continues to run through Gourmet Burger Kitchens eclectic burger offering.

Amigos Burgers & Shakes

Founded: 2011

Number of UK sites: 17

London-centric restaurant group Amigos is run by Kaz (Kasim Akhter) and Wax (Waqas Siddique). Having a established a strong presence in outlying neighbourhoods in the capital the pair recently announced plans to grow to 100 sites in the next five years and is now looking for franchise partners to help them reach their goal. Amigos has a menu that majors on burgers, grilled and fried chicken alongside vegan and breakfast options. The price point is comparable to the likes of Wendy’s with single burgers priced at around £6.

Shake Shack

Founded: 2004 (arrived in UK 2013)

UK sites: 16

Shake Shack crossed the pond just ahead of Five Guys - at the time the two brands were portrayed as going head to head having both launched in London’s Covent Garden -  but hasn’t achieved anything like the latter’s scale. The brand was founded as a hot dog cart by famed New York restaurateur Danny Meyer in 2001 (it expanded its menu and went a few years later) and today operates a little over 400 sites worldwide. The offer is focused on burgers in a soft potato bun, hot dogs, crinkle-cut fries and the eponymous hand-spun shakes. Diverse Dining, which operates Shake Shack in the UK under a master franchise agreement, reported £49m in sales for 2023 in its latest financial results, an increase from £44.2m the year before. Further expansion is planned for the UK amid an ‘improved’ trading landscape with restaurant sales ‘increasing towards pre-pandemic levels’.

Fat Hippo

Founded: 2010

Number of UK sites: 13 (plus four concessions, three of which are at bowling concept Lane7)

The first Fat Hippo opened in Jesmond and continues to have a strong presence in the north east but can now be considered a national player with sites as far flung as Glasgow, Manchester and Cardiff. The brand made its London debut with a site in Shoreditch in 2022 and now also operates a restaurant in Soho. Most unusually for a better burger player, Fat Hippo recently made a major play for the breakfast market with a new menu focused on breakfast burgers and pancake stacks.  

Hub Box

Founded: 2012

Number of UK sites: 10

Born in St Ives, this exclusively south west-based burger brand had a dozen sites at its peak but ran into trouble a year or so. The business has now been brought out of administration by South West Restaurants, which is led by Hub Box founder Richard Boon.

Gordon Ramsay Street Burger

Founded: 2020

Number of UK sites: 10

Launched at The City’s One New Change development as part of its namesake’s plan to “create a billion-dollar dining proposition”, Gordon Ramsay Street Burger hit the ground running hitting double figures within just a few years but expansion has now tailed off. The menu is expansive, with 11 different burgers on offer including the meme-recalling Idiot Burger (BBQ beef rib, smashed beef patty, smoked cheese, mushroom, tomato and red onion).

MEATliquor

Founded: 2011

Number of UK sites: Nine

MEATliquor might not have a huge estate but it remains one of the UK’s most influential restaurant brands having championed an irreverent, fun and often booze-fuelled approach that injected some much-needed energy into what was at the time a rather staid casual dining scene. The Scott Collins-led group has defied industry norms to, taking on sites in less obvious locations (its original bricks and mortar site was located beneath a multi-storey car park and above a strip club). The brand is London centric but operates regional sites in Brighton and Leeds and also has a pub in south east London’s Forest Hill that incorporates a MEATliquor.

Byron

Founded: 2007

Number of UK sites: Eight

It’s difficult to picture it now but at one point Byron was very much the darling of the better burger scene it played a central role in creating. Founded by Tom Byng, Byron operated close to 70 restaurants at its peak and generated annual sales of £90m. However, in the past decade the group has faced a seemingly endless succession of hurdles, including three separate insolvency procedures, which have slowly whittled away the number of restaurants in its portfolio. It has changed hands a fair few times over the years and is now owned by Tristar Foods, which acquired it in a pre-pack deal last year.

Smashburger

Founded: 2007 (arrived in UK in 2016)

Number of UK sites: Eight

Smashburger expanded quickly in the UK opening seven locations in under two years (at one point it said that it hoped to reach 35 sites by 2020). Expansion stalled towards the end of 2017 but the brand - which was born in Denver, Colorado - recently returned to the expansion trail with a site in Cambridge. Smashburger is operated in the UK by MSG Group, one of the largest Domino’s franchise businesses in the UK, which is led by Moonpal Grewa.

Patty & Bun

Founded: 2012

Number of UK sites: Seven (plus two concessions at Swingers)

One of the OG better burger players, Patty & Bun’s London-centric estate has shrunk a fair bit in recent years but the business has opened some new sites too. In its most recent set of accounts, founder Joe Grossman said that the brand was ‘continuing to focus on the development and expansion’ of its restaurant estate despite swinging to a £2.2m loss in its latest financial results. Patty & Bun said its losses reflected the impact of new openings late in the financial year. Early this year the group opened its first international site, in Dubai.

Black Bear Burger

Founded: 2016

Number of UK sites: Three (six including concessions)

One of a number of burger brands to have made the transition from street food brand to bricks and mortar (it featured on My Million Pound Menu) Black Bear Burger is led by Liz and Stew Down. The pair recently launched a fried chicken side hustle at Market Halls Oxford Street. 

Bleecker

Founded: 2015

Number of UK sites: Three (eight including delivery kitchens and concessions)

Founded by New York native Zan Kaufman as a street food business in 2012, Bleecker recently returned to the expansion trail after a five year hiatus launching a site in London Bridge that was timed to coincide with National Burger Day (24 August).