20th August 2023
Sanjeev Sanghera, founder of Berlin fast casual kebab concept Döner Shack, says he has almost completed its repositioning that is “and it is “already “yielding great results”.
The announcement comes six weeks after the Döner Shack completed the acquisition of three restaurants and several territories from its franchisees as it switched to a focus on company-owned expansion.
Sanghera said it would be wrong to force ambitious development on franchisees “knowing returns are much slower than anticipated” in the current climate. Giving an update on the process, he said: “We’re thrilled to share that our brand repositioning of Döner Shack is almost complete. Our focus had been to create a look, feel, menu and price point that resonates with a wider demographic while improving margins. Although it was a tall ask, our cost of sales has decreased since the start of the year thanks to some tough negotiations with suppliers and some clever menu re-engineering. Our strategy, focused on the customer, has already yielded great results. A snapshot in June and July 2023 showed an impressive year-on-year sales increase of 37% at Döner Shack Manchester Arndale and 11% at Döner Shack Trinity Leeds. Plus, after just four weeks of taking over Döner Shack Silverburn, we’ve seen an impressive increase in sales of 22%. Labour for the same period was also sub 26% (as low as 23%) at each of the sites. There is still a bit to go over the next few months as we implement further changes, but we do so with the confidence that our brand will continue to thrive and grow.”
Sangehra lsaid he is also planning to relaunch his enlarged bar in Manchester Corn Exchange, taking over the Döner Haus restaurant site there. Sanghera and business partner Laura Bruce own Döner Haus as well as Döner Shack, but while Döner Shack has grown to five UK locations, Döner Haus has been restricted to two sites. Garten Bar, which the pair operated alongside Döner Haus in the Corn Exchange, is now set to take the Manchester site and grow more than six-fold in size.