From Popeyes and Wingstop to Slim Chickens and Raising Cane’s, American restaurant brands are rapidly reshaping Britain’s high streets.
New data and expert insight from Kalibrate, a global location intelligence firm, has revealed some of the fastest-growing American restaurant brands are expanding across the UK at a quicker rate than several of the established giants.
Popeyes opened 118 UK locations in the last two years, while McDonald’s added 59 over the same period, according to analysis from Kalibrate and ChainXY.
While Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway and McDonald’s may spring to mind as the key players dominating the UK fast-food scene, the smaller, lesser-known brands have quickly emerged to meet a growing demand.
Rich Wilcox, Vice President of EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) at Kalibrate, suggests this growth is being driven by consumers increasingly seeking brands that sit between traditional fast food and casual dining, where visitors can have a more premium experience without the price tag of a restaurant meal.
What brands are entering the UK market with a bang?
The UK food market has become far more competitive in recent years. New entrants are rapidly gaining market share, forcing established operators to rethink expansion plans, optimize portfolios and focus much more closely on site selection, Mr Wilcox explained.
Alongside established American restaurant giants, a new generation of fast-casual brands are rapidly expanding across the UK, particularly chicken-focused outlets that are capitalizing on changing consumer demands around quality, experience and value.
“I think everyone’s seen all of these new brands coming in over the last five years or so,” Mr Wilcox said. “Five Guys was probably the first; they exploded after coming over from the US.
“And then we’ve seen the likes of Shake Shack, Slim Chickens, we’re hearing Raising Cane’s (Chicken Fingers) are coming into the market, Jimmy John’s subs are going to be entering later this year, Wingstop, Popeyes, I could keep going on.
“All of these international, predominantly American, businesses are starting to grow and, in some cases, explode in the UK.”
The growth figures underline the scale of this trend. Five Guys opened 177 new UK sites from September 2024 to September 2026, according to data supplied by Kalibrate.
Meanwhile, Popeyes, one of the newest American chicken chains to make its way to British shores, followed with 118 new locations over the same period. Wingstop followed with 82 new UK outlets, and Slim Chickens also added 73 restaurants.
By comparison, McDonald’s opened 59 UK locations during the same two-year period while Burger King opened 17 new sites. KFC recorded a net decline of 25 stores after opening 37 sites and closing 62. Subway also saw a net reduction of 49 sites.
The findings suggest that consumers are increasingly gravitating toward fast-casual brands that offer a more premium dining experience. This shift may help explain why newer entrants are outpacing some long-established chains.
But what’s triggering this change?
Demand, the cost-of-living crisis and new ways of dining
The lines between different dining models are starting to “blur” in the UK, Mr Wilcox said, creating a “chaotic” landscape for the UK food market as “the competition is coming from so many different directions”.
However, the brands appearing to have the most success are currently sitting in a sweet spot between quick service, fast-casual and premium ranges.
Using McDonald’s and Five Guys to compare, Mr Wilcox explained how the former sits at a lower price point where customers get “a consistently decent burger”, where for the latter chain, diners expect to pay “double, to triple, the price” – although, it is worth noting McDonald’s is operating from a larger, more mature estate.
While some brands are still striving to keep costs down for consumers, others are “doubling down” on their premium offers, and the result tips their service into a fast-casual dining experience.
“Families are becoming more and more conscious of their spending with the cost-of-living crisis,” Mr Wilcox said.
“Instead of going out to a restaurant for dinner, families are going to a Five Guys because it’s a premium experience but not at the cost of a sit-down meal. That’s where these fast-casual concepts start to emerge.”
Why some American brands thrive while others stall
Entering a new market can go one of two ways. While brands like Five Guys and Slim Chickens are outperforming some of the American giants in the UK, other brands haven’t taken off so smoothly.
“Success in one market doesn’t guarantee success in other, and there are some examples of US brands which have found the UK market more challenging than expected,” Mr Wilcox said.
“Then you’ve got Five Guys, Slim Chickens, Wingstop – they all seem to be doing quite well. There’s a lot of hype around the new (Slim Chickens) locations, their Arndale store in Manchester is one of their star sites globally.
“They’re not just randomly choosing locations, they’re choosing these flagship sites, like Manchester, to really create a bit of a groundswell, then they start to open other smaller stores.”
The importance of location intelligence
As competition intensifies, understanding where customers live, work and spend their time has become increasingly important for restaurant brands looking to expand efficiently and avoid costly site selection mistakes.
“If you’re entering a new market, your first location is absolutely critical,” Mr Wilcox said.
“Your second, third, fourth and fifth sites are just as critical because you need to create that buzz, that brand presence, that excitement and that differentiation from the competition.
“Beyond that, it becomes a case of scaling consistently, making sure you’re continually selecting the right locations. Lots of brands need help to make the right decisions in terms of where to select sites, and you’re only as good as the last site you opened.
“You have to be executing almost perfectly every time. That’s where location intelligence becomes invaluable, helping brands make the right decisions from the very first site all the way through national expansion.”
