Honest Burgers

What Honest Burgers does

Honest Burgers Ltd. is a privately held, UK-based casual-dining restaurant chain founded in 2011 in Brixton, London by Tom Barton and Phil, operating 46 company-owned restaurants across London, Bristol, Cambridge, Reading, Brighton, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool and other cities, with a quick-service sub-brand, Smash + Grab, at Liverpool Street. The chain is built on a verticalised, scratch-cooking model: an in-house butchery performs hand-chopping (not mincing) of British beef to produce patties cooked pink so they 'eat like a steak', supplemented by a central prep kitchen that produces relishes, pickles, sauces and rosemary-salted chips from potatoes sourced from a fifth-generation West Sussex farmer. The Honest Farming initiative supplies regeneratively reared British beef directly from partner farmers, and all chicken is halal.

The company's core product is the made-from-scratch burger menu (beef, halal chicken, plant-based and gluten-free options) accompanied by loaded chips, milkshakes, local craft beers, and children's and breakfast menus, with 40+ local burgers tailored to individual sites. Distribution is omnichannel: eat-in dining, click & collect through the company's own online ordering platform, exclusive delivery via Uber Eats (no longer on Deliveroo), bulk office catering (20+ burger deliveries), private venue hire, and digital gift cards sold via the Honest Shop (processed through Toggle). Reservations are managed through DesignMyNight, and the Honest Insiders Rewards App (launched April 2025) provides a stamp-based loyalty mechanic offering free sides and a free burger at the seventh visit.

Revenue is generated principally from per-cover food and beverage sales across 46 corporate-owned locations, supplemented by corporate catering, private events and gift-card revenue. Pricing is unit-based (£3.50-£14.50 at Smash + Grab; main menu burgers include chips and a side); the loyalty programme is freemium. The company operates the independently disclosed Honest Farming subsidiary as a wholly owned operating arm for its beef supply chain. Headcount is in the 501-1,000 range, and the registered office is at the Menier Building, Southwark Street, London. Capital has been raised via Active Partners ($10.6M, 2015) and a Crowdcube equity crowdfunding round ($3.5M, 2023).

Name

Honest Burgers

Legal name

Honest Burgers Ltd.

Website

https://honestburgers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Honest Burgers is a privately held UK casual-dining chain founded in 2011, operating 46 made-from-scratch burger restaurants (plus a Smash + Grab quick-service sub-brand) across London and major UK cities, serving individual consumers and corporate customers via eat-in, click & collect, Uber Eats delivery, office catering and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Burger QSR (THAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Burger restaurant chain
• Casual dining UK
• British beef burgers
• Fast-casual restaurants
• Made-from-scratch burgers

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue from eat-in dining, click and collect takeaway, and delivery orders through company-operated restaurant locations. Additional revenue from private events, office catering deliveries, and gift card sales through online shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Honest Burgers operates a 46-location UK casual-dining restaurant chain serving made-from-scratch beef, chicken, halal chicken, and plant-based burgers alongside homemade rosemary salted chips, sides, milkshakes, and local craft beers. The company runs its own in-house butchery, prep kitchen, and Honest Farming supply programme, and generates ancillary revenue from the Honest Insiders loyalty app, online click & collect, Uber Eats delivery, private event hire, office catering, and digital gift card sales.

Product overview

Honest Burgers operates a portfolio of restaurant and digital service products centered on its core restaurant chain of 46 UK locations. The primary product is the full-service Honest Burgers restaurant, which serves made-from-scratch burgers (beef, chicken, halal chicken, plant-based), sides, milkshakes, and drinks. The company also runs Smash + Grab, a separate quick-service sub-brand focused on smashed burgers, loaded chips, and milkshakes for on-the-go customers, currently at Liverpool Street. Supporting the restaurant products are three digital add-on services: the Honest Insiders loyalty app, an online ordering/click & collect platform, and Uber Eats delivery integration. Additional services include digital gift cards via the Honest Shop and private hire/event catering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Honest Burgers Restaurant Chain Full-service British burger restaurant chain operating 46 locations across the UK, serving made-from-scratch beef, chicken, halal chicken, and plant-based burgers alongside homemade rosemary salted chips, sides, milkshakes, local craft beers, and drinks via eat-in, click & collect, delivery, and online booking.
• Smash + Grab Quick-service burger sub-brand focused on smashed patty burgers, loaded chips, chicken tenders, and milkshakes for on-the-go customers, currently operating one location at 81-82 Old Broad St, Liverpool Street, London, with a streamlined menu and breakfast offering separate from the main Honest restaurants.
• Honest Insiders Rewards App Loyalty and rewards mobile application enabling customers to earn stamps per visit, redeem free sides, drinks, and burgers at set visit milestones, and receive exclusive news and offers; available on iOS and Android via honestburgers.app.link/app-download.
• Click & Collect Online Ordering Digital ordering platform enabling customers to schedule pickup of takeaway orders from any Honest Burgers location via the company's own online ordering system, avoiding delivery charges.
• Uber Eats Delivery Service
• Honest Shop Gift Cards
• Private Hire and Event Catering Full and partial venue hire for private events (birthday parties, corporate events, anniversaries) plus bulk burger catering deliveries for offices and events for orders of 20-500 burgers, available at select Honest Burgers locations via direct restaurant contact.
• Philly Cheese Burger Special Limited-time chef special burger with American cheese, grilled peppers and onions, confit garlic mayo, and pickles served with hot cheddar cheese sauce for dunking; available as Classic Beef, Double Smashed, or Fried Chicken variants during the summer of sport promotion.
• The Honest (National Burger of the Year 2026) Award-winning signature smashed dry-aged British beef burger with thick-cut Wiltshire bacon, homemade beef & onion relish, XL cheese, pickles, and white onion, created by co-founder Tom Barton and crowned National Burger of the Year 2026.
• Breakfast Menu at Smash + Grab Breakfast offering at the Smash + Grab Liverpool Street location featuring breakfast muffins (bacon, egg, sausage, halloumi), hash brown bites, and beverages, served Monday to Saturday from 08:30.
• Kids Menu Kids menu launched across all Honest Burgers locations featuring Chicken Tenders Kids, Beef Kids, and Fritter Kids options, each served with chips and a choice of apple juice, orange juice, or homemade lemonade.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won National Burger Awards 2026 Best Burger in the UK (first year entered)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cribbs Mall / Cribbs CausewaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Honest Burgers is one of the F&B brands expanding the retail and leisure offering at Cribbs Mall in Bristol. Centre director Andy Jackson cited Honest Burgers among recent openings (alongside Pizza Express and Wingstop) as part of efforts to attract younger shoppers (36% of visitors are under 35). The area is benefiting from significant residential development through the Brabazon project projected to increase spend by £60 million and create 30,000 jobs.
• M&G Real EstateminorOthersOwner/operator of Cribbs Mall. Extended ownership at Cribbs Mall and brought in Sovereign Centros from CBRE as dedicated asset managers. Supports F&B expansion including Honest Burgers opening.
• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive third-party delivery partner for Honest Burgers restaurant delivery. Customers can order via Uber Eats for home or office delivery. Note: Honest Burgers is no longer available on Deliveroo.
• West Sussex Potato Farmer (Fifth Generation)coreOthersLong-term supply partnership for potatoes used in Honest's signature rosemary salted chips. Potatoes are sourced from a fifth-generation farming family in West Sussex, supporting the 'Best of British' sourcing ethos.
• Hospitality Tech360minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHonest Burgers executive speaking at Hospitality Tech360 2026 seminar programme at Excel London (March 30 - April 1, 2026) alongside Pizza Pilgrims, Burger King UK, PizzaExpress and others. Session covers AI forecasting, technology choices, and practical implementation strategies.
• Frank's RedHotminorOthersIngredient supplier for Buffalo sauce used in Buffalo chicken burgers and wings. Buffalo sauce is the original hot wing sauce made with Frank's RedHot as it has been since the 1960s.
• Hackney GelatominorOthersSicilian gelato supplier for sundaes. Honest Burgers describes Hackney Gelato as 'a business we admire in East London, making traditional Sicilian gelato the proper way.' Sundaes are built to order with customer's choice of Madagascan Vanilla, Strawberry, or Rich Chocolate gelato.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Byron: UK casual full-service burger chain with regional sites and dine-in/takeaway/delivery. Historic direct competitor to Honest Burgers in the UK premium-burger casual dining category.
• MEATliquor: Long-established UK casual burger chain operating multiple London and UK locations. Closely comparable on multi-site casual burger dining, late-night/event trade, and a similar price band to Honest Burgers' main chain.
• Five Guys UK: US-origin premium burger QSR/fast-casual chain operating ~70+ UK restaurants. Directly competes with Honest Burgers on made-to-order burgers, dine-in and delivery, and similar price points for the same UK adult consumer seeking quality burger experiences.
• Shake Shack UK: Premium burger QSR expanding in London and other UK cities with a similar fast-casual format to Honest's main chain and Smash + Grab sub-brand. Competes directly on burger quality, ingredient sourcing narrative, and urban/transport-hub sites.
• Patty & Bun: UK indie premium burger restaurant group with multiple London sites. Matches Honest Burgers' positioning as a chef-led, sourcing-focused burger brand targeting urban diners; offers very similar menu architecture (smash-style burgers, chicken, sides).
• Burger & Beyond: UK premium burger brand (restaurants and ghost-kitchen delivery) that placed 2nd to Honest Burgers at the National Burger Awards 2026. Directly comparable product, target customer, and urban/UK go-to-market.
• Wimpy UK: Heritage UK burger chain (franchised and company sites) competing in the same burger QSR/casual-dining category. Relevant for trading-comparison benchmarking of UK burger chains though positioned more on value than Honest's premium sourcing narrative.

Emerging players

• Honest Beef / Honest-style indies (e.g. Meat Stack): Smaller UK burger brands named alongside Honest at the National Burger Awards (e.g. Meat Stack Newcastle). Useful as a benchmark for category entrants and emerging indie premium-burger competition.

Broad incumbents

• LEON Restaurants: UK fast-casual chain (now part of a larger group) targeting similar urban UK consumers with a broader naturally-good menu. Comparable on UK multi-site fast-casual footprint, pricing tier, and daypart use cases (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
• Gail's Bakery: UK specialty bakery-café chain with ~100+ sites and a comparable scale and unit-economics profile to a maturing Honest Burgers. Useful comparable for UK high-street casual-dining real estate and same-store economics benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/honestburgers
• Facebookfacebook.com/honestburgers
• Instagraminstagram.com/honestburgers
• TikToktiktok.com/@honestburgers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/honest-burgers-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Honest Burgers