Itsu Franchise

24th July 2021

Itsu, the healthy Asian food chain founded by Julian Metcalfe, has agreed to open the brand’s second franchise restaurant with the Savvi Dining Group

The new restaurant, due to open in late September, will be located at Food Central, the recently completed £168m expansion to Leicester’s Fosse Park shopping and leisure destination.

Itsu recently partnered with the team behind Pizza Hut Restaurants to launch its first franchise. As part of that tie-up, Itsu will open a 160-seater restaurant in the former Pizza Hut premises in the Reading Gate retail park, in early August.

At the new Leicester Itsu, customers will have the choice of enjoying “grab-and-go” takeaway options or, “more leisurely”, in-store dining. The restaurant will seat up to 78 customers and will operate with extended opening hours.

Aaron Moore-Saxton, partnerships director at Itsu, said: There is a growing consumer demand for healthy food that can be enjoyed either on the go, or in restaurants, and we are ideally placed to help organisations looking to expand into this market. We have the capability to combine a high volume of customers, mid-market pricing and the opportunity for strong returns. We are embarking on an ambitious expansion strategy and are receptive to enquiries from experienced franchise operators who can demonstrate an ability to operate at scale, across multiple sites, replicating the Itsu customer experience and upholding the values of our brand.”