Q&A: Does Rooster Shack Franchise in the UK?

Rooster Shack offers a trendy alternative to the many chicken shop outlets currently in operation. It serves up fresh piri piri and grilled chicken, alongside other tasty meals - but are there any Rooster Shack franchise opportunities? Keep reading to find out. 

If you’ve always wanted to launch your own quick service restaurant business specialising in chicken, Rooster Shack could be the company for you. It sells delicious piri piri and house grilled chicken, as well as wraps, burgers, rice boxes and shakes. The menu includes vegetarian, vegan and halal options too, so most people can find something to suit their diet. 

Rooster Shack’s model is designed to appeal to students, office workers and young families, and its meals can be eaten ‘in’ or ‘on the go’. There are even delivery options, so customers can enjoy the business’s tasty offering from the comfort of their own home. 

Does Rooster Shack franchise?

Yes. Quick service restaurant investors will be pleased to discover Rooster Shack’s franchise opportunity. If you fit the franchisee criteria, you could launch your very own Rooster Shack restaurant. 

History of Rooster Shack

The restaurant concept was dreamt up by the Mamud family several years ago. Imran and his father launched the very first location in Woking, Surrey, back in 2016 in a quiet location near a retail park. 

Although the restaurant occupied a site of just over 500 square feet and wasn’t in the busiest of spots, it attracted a fair amount of customers. In fact, it soon outstripped local competitors on customer review sites and began to welcome diners from as far afield as London. 

With a focus on flavoursome food and great customer service, the Rooster Shack franchise positions itself as a “cooler and more professional alternative” to other fast food chicken outlets.

In 2019, the business welcomed its first franchisee, who launched a location in Aldershot, Hampshire. In the same year, the franchise completed a rebrand and established partnerships with experienced foodservice professionals. Thanks to its hard work, it soon won the Good Food Award for Takeaways. 

"I’d spend time in the kitchen cooking different dishes with my mum and throughout my time at university, I had a number of part-time jobs within the restaurant industry," explained Imran. "These experiences taught me a lot about myself… By 2013, I knew that my only passion was to own my own food outlet. I wanted to create a menu that would use the finest ingredients, offer home-cooked-style food via a quick service concept, and appeal to all age groups.

Starting a Rooster Shack franchise unit

Rooster Shack franchise units are designed to fit into small sites of as little as 500 square feet, so investors can reduce the amount they spend on rent. Ideally, franchisees should aim to set up their business in suburban secondary shopping parades with a middle-class population of residents, students and office workers. 

Becoming a Rooster Shack franchisee: 

The Rooster Shack franchise team is on the lookout for budding investors with experience of business ownership. To pass the application process, you’ll need to be hard-working and committed to business success. You should also have great communication skills and the confidence to lead and inspire a team. 

If you’d like to become a Rooster Shack franchisee, you must be prepared to start out as an owner-operator, working in the restaurant itself until you can increase your workforce. 

The franchise is keen to find entrepreneurs with a long-term growth mindset and the determination to develop their business over time. At Rooster Shack, there are opportunities to expand into adjacent markets with the support of the franchising team.

Running a restaurant can be challenging at times, so a positive, can-do attitude is also essential.

How much you need to invest: 

The minimum investment is £75,000, including £17,500 +VAT in franchisees fees. The total amount you’ll pay is likely to depend on the size and location of your business unit, but should come to around £150,000. 

You’ll also need to pay a two percent advertising fee and five percent royalty fee. 

After two years in business, you should be seeing returns of around £500,000 per year.

What you get for your investment: 

The Rooster Shack franchise team has put many measures in place to help its business owners develop highly successful units. The restaurant chain can offer finance options through third parties, and help with finding and securing a site. New franchisees also benefit from branded uniforms, a high-quality website and a regularly updated menu so they can keep up with industry trends. 

Rooster Shack also continually updates its operations manual, EPOS system and other software packs to make sure franchisees always work efficiently. There is also branded promotional material on offer for investors, as well as the chance to benefit from marketing support and regular conferences. 

The franchise team even provides ongoing monitoring and telephone guidance to make sure all franchisees can access help whenever they need it. 

Launch and run a quick service restaurant business

The franchise industry is home to a huge number of food and drinks businesses, and restaurant chains across the world have seen success thanks to added security offered by the model. If you’d like to launch your own quick service restaurant business, take a look at our selection of high-quality franchise opportunities in the QSR sector. 

The food industry is home to a wide range of businesses, from pubs and fast food outlets to dessert kiosks and mobile food trucks. So, there should be a suitable opportunity for every type of investor. 

You can also find more information on joining the franchise industry in our daily business guides. 

If you’d like to find out more about becoming a franchisee, you can check out our Webinar Recap article to discover more of Imran's fascinating insights.