itsu

What itsu does

itsu is a UK-based, privately held food company that operates a dual-channel model centered on healthy, Asian-inspired cuisine. The restaurant channel comprises 83 company-owned locations across the UK serving freshly made sushi, rice and noodle bowls, soups, steamed gyoza, and bao for dine-in and takeaway, with menu items positioned as steamed (not fried) and built around wholegrains, fibre, protein, and greens. The grocery channel, branded Itsu Grocery, distributes frozen, chilled, and shelf-stable products (including frozen gyoza and bao, soup dumplings, Brilliant'Broth ramen broths, the Noodles & Broth instant noodle range co-developed with chef Monica Galetti, Crispy Seaweed Thins, Prawn Cracker Crisps, Zen'Water drinks, Sake Spritz alcoholic beverages, chilled sushi, and cooking sauces) through 12+ major UK and European supermarket chains and on Amazon. The company also runs an Itsu Catering delivery service across London and the UK (minimum £60 order) and operates a mobile loyalty app awarding one 'butterfly' per £5 spent for redemption against food and rewards. The company was founded by Julian Metcalfe (also founder of Pret A Manger) and is headquartered in London, with a UK and European operating footprint and no disclosed proprietary technology platform.

Name

itsu

Legal name

itsu

Website

https://itsu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

itsu is a UK-based healthy Asian-inspired food company operating 83 owned restaurants and a grocery line distributed through major UK and European supermarkets and Amazon, serving health-conscious consumers seeking convenient, freshly made sushi, noodle bowls, and Asian-inspired products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Asian-Inspired Quick-Service Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Freshly Made Grab-and-Go (Sandwiches, Wraps, Salads) (CRAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-Store Sushi & Asian Prepared Foods (CRAHAKAD), Frozen Ethnic & International Meals (CRADADAE), Frozen prepared meals & entrées manufacturing (AFAKAHAA)

Keywords

• Asian-inspired fast food
• Healthy quick service restaurant
• Restaurant chain dining
• Grocery retail food
• Catering delivery service

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Sales: Revenue from 83 Itsu restaurants across the UK serving freshly made Asian-inspired dishes including sushi, salads, soups, noodle bowls, rice bowls, gyoza, and bao for dine-in and takeaway customers.
2. Grocery Retail Distribution: Revenue from selling packaged Itsu products (frozen gyoza, bao buns, noodles, soups, snacks, drinks) through supermarket chains and online retailers across the UK and Europe.
3. Catering Services: Corporate and event catering delivery service with minimum £60 orders, offering sushi platters, rice bowls, noodle bowls, and other menu items delivered across London and the UK.
4. Loyalty App Program: Mobile app-based loyalty program where customers collect butterflies (1 per £5 spend) to redeem for free food and rewards, driving customer retention and frequency.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Itsu operates a UK chain of 83 restaurants serving freshly-made, steamed-not-fried Asian-inspired dishes (sushi, salads, rice bowls, noodle bowls, gyoza, bao, soups) for dine-in and takeaway. The company also distributes a retail grocery range of frozen, chilled, and shelf-stable Asian-inspired products (dumplings, bao, noodles, broths, sushi, snacks, drinks) through UK and European supermarket chains and Amazon, and provides a corporate catering delivery service across London and the UK.

Product overview

Itsu operates as a dual-channel food company offering Asian-inspired, health-focused products through two main channels: (1) Itsu's own restaurants (83 locations), serving freshly made sushi, rice bowls, noodle bowls, soups, gyoza, and bao items that are steamed not fried; and (2) Itsu Grocery, a retail line of frozen, chilled, and shelf-stable products distributed through major UK and European supermarkets. The restaurant channel includes dine-in, takeaway, and catering services with a mobile loyalty app. The grocery channel encompasses multiple sub-brands including Frozen Gyoza & Bao, Soup Dumplings, Noodles Worth Loving (instant noodles developed with Chef Monica Galetti), Brilliant'Broth, Crispy Seaweed Thins snacks, Prawn Cracker Crisps, Zen'Water beverages, Sake Spritz alcoholic drinks, chilled sushi products, and cooking sauces. The company also runs Youth Kitchen, a charity supporting nutrition education for children.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Noodles & Broth: Instant noodle range launched in 2025, developed in collaboration with chef Monica Galetti, featuring hand-folded noodles with traditional Japanese miso broth in various flavours including chick'n ramen, katsu curry, and satay style. Marketed as vegan, gluten-free, and additive-free.

Products and services

• Itsu Restaurants Chain of 83 UK restaurants serving Asian-inspired dishes freshly made to order for dine-in and takeaway, including noodles, brown rice, dumplings, soups, sushi and salads. Food is steamed not fried and built around wholegrains, fibre, protein and greens.
• Itsu Catering Catering delivery service providing sushi boxes, sharing platters, rice bowls, noodle bowls, soups, gyoza and bao for meetings, events and special occasions. Minimum £60 order, delivery across London and the UK, orders accepted up to 60 days in advance with a 6pm cutoff the day before delivery.
• Itsu Grocery Retail range of Asian-inspired products sold in fridges, freezers and on shelves at supermarkets across the UK and Europe. Includes dumplings and bao, broths and noodles, miso, seaweeds and crispy chilli oil, snacks, drinks, sushi, and cooking sauces.
• Frozen Gyoza & Bao range Frozen dumpling and bao bun product line including chicken, Korean BBQ beef, sizzling pork, vegetable fusion, king prawn, hoisin duck and spicy chicken gyoza, plus assorted bao bun options.
• Soup Dumplings range Frozen soup dumplings available in chicken, vegetable, aromatic duck, Thai-style prawn and spicy chicken variants.
• Noodles Worth Loving (Noodles & Broth) Instant noodle products developed with Chef Monica Galetti, including pots and pouches in flavours such as chick'n ramen, chilli miso, katsu curry, satay style, teriyaki ramen and spicy chick'n. Marketed as vegan, gluten-free and additive-free.
• Brilliant'Broth range Flavourful broth products in classic ramen, chicken ramen and miso ramen variants.
• Chilled & Ready-to-Eat Sushi range Chilled sushi products for retail including spicy tuna and teriyaki chicken sushi tacos and a range of dragon rolls (teriyaki salmon, katsu chicken, vegetable crunch, hoisin duck, California).
• Crispy Seaweed Thins range Crispy seaweed thins in sea salt, sweet soy & sea salt, wasabi and sriracha flavours, sold in single packs and multipacks.
• Prawn Cracker Crisps range Prawn cracker crisp snacks in Original, Chinese, Thai and Japanese katsu curry flavours, available in impulse and sharing pack sizes.
• Zen'Water range Flavoured water drinks in cans and bottles including raspberry & dragon fruit, peach & lychee, lemon & yuzu, cucumber & mint and ginger & lime.
• Sake Spritz range Alcoholic sake spritz drinks in Kyoto blossom and Tokyo citrus flavours.
• Cooking Sauces range Cooking sauces in teriyaki, Korean BBQ and gochujang variants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 83 restaurants operating across the UK

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Monica GaletticoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025Chef Monica Galetti collaborated with Itsu Grocery to develop the 'Noodles & Broth' instant noodle range, creating restaurant-inspired Asian dishes using high-quality ingredients from Japan. The partnership leverages Galetti's culinary expertise to enhance product development and marketing appeal.
• Vitality InsurancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerItsu has a partnership with Vitality Insurance where Vitality members receive discounts on freshly-made Itsu dishes as part of their health and wellness rewards program. Both companies share a passion for making healthier food choices accessible, with Vitality encouraging members to make healthy choices by rewarding their movement with Itsu discounts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pret A Manger: Founded by the same founder (Julian Metcalfe), Pret operates a similar freshly-prepared, health-positioned UK quick-service restaurant chain with its own CPG grocery line. Closest comparable in business model, channel mix, and founder playbook.
• Wagamama: UK-headquartered Asian-inspired noodle and rice bowl restaurant chain operating dine-in and takeaway. Direct competitor for share of stomach in the UK Asian fast-casual category.
• Yo! Sushi: UK-based sushi and Japanese grab-and-go chain with retail CPG products (including at major supermarkets). Direct competitor in both restaurant sushi and grocery sushi SKUs.
• Chopstix: UK-based quick-service Asian noodle chain focused on takeaway and food courts. Competes with Itsu on price-sensitive Asian fast-food occasions.
• Sushi Daily: European sushi grab-and-go and in-store kiosk operator present in supermarkets across the UK and continental Europe. Direct competitor in the chilled-sushi retail channel where Itsu Grocery also competes.
• Leon Restaurants: UK-based fast-casual chain positioned around healthy, natural-food eating. Competes with Itsu on the 'healthier fast food' positioning and similar customer demographics.
• Wasabi: London-headquartered sushi and Asian grab-and-go chain with hundreds of UK locations. Direct competitor in chilled sushi, hot bento, and Asian convenience food across both restaurant and grocery.

Emerging players

• Poke House: Fast-growing poke and Hawaiian bowl concept expanding across Europe. Competes with Itsu's sushi and poke bowl menu in the UK fast-casual segment and overlaps on health-conscious positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Itsu (pret brand grocery competitors - M&S, Tesco Finest): Major UK grocers and their own-label Asian ranges (Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S, Waitrose) compete directly with Itsu Grocery on shelf in the same supermarket aisles, particularly in frozen dim sum, instant noodles, and chilled sushi categories.

Regional players

• Crussh: London-focused healthy grab-and-go chain serving salads, smoothies, and hot pots. Comparable on the health-focused, urban fast-casual positioning and overlapping customer base in central London.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ItsuOfficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/itsuofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/itsu-cp
• Instagraminstagram.com/itsuofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 itsu