The first Honest Smash + Grab will open at the start of this month, having taken over the group’s Liverpool Street restaurant in London and will be presented as a pop-up.
The restaurant understands the group plans to open its own site soon after, which is likely to have a smaller footprint to better suit the quick service restaurant model.
It follows Honest Burgers, founded in 2011 by Tom Barton and Phillip Eeles, which last year raised nearly £3m to help it “challenge the big guys” in the QSR space with a new concept. The company now has 39 restaurants in England and Wales.
Barton hopes the new concept will allow Honest Burgers to expand into places it previously couldn’t reach, such as transportation hubs.
Plans for the new QSR brand are driven by the success of Honest Burgers’ lighter, cheaper smashed burger and come amid growing demand for Smash burgers.
Earlier this year, Honest Burgers outlined ambitious plans to “quadruple the size of the company” by 2030, following what it described as an “exceptional result” in the first half of 2024, which saw comparable sales grow by 11%.
Profitability also exceeds expectations and EBITDA increased by more than 60%.
“We’ve had a great first half this year, following on from strong performance last year, which shows that demand for quality burgers at great value continues to grow,” says Honest Burgers chief executive Matt Brandon.
