What Big Square does

Big Square (legally Interstrat Limited) is a privately held, Nairobi-based fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 2012 by Morne Deetlefs, operating 11 dine-in and takeaway branches across the city's prime commercial and residential catchments — including Westlands, Karen, CBD, Garden City, Lavington, Kasarani, Mombasa Road, and the Wilson Airport corridor. The menu is anchored on a signature crispy fried chicken recipe and spans burgers, beef and pork BBQ ribs, hand-stretched pizzas, grilled chicken, wings, wraps, salads, breakfast items, coffee, cocktails, and a dedicated kids menu, with a structured weekly promotional calendar (Big Burger Monday, Dabo Dabo Tuesday, BBQ Wednesday, Thursday Big Vibe Breakfast, Big Boy Feast Friday, Weekend Vibes Pizza) used to drive weekday traffic and repeat visits. Pricing spans KES 170 to KES 5,270, positioning the brand from budget items through premium family and sharing platters.

The business generates revenue through three channels: dine-in service at the 11 physical branches, counter takeaway, and same-day delivery across Nairobi via a Shopify-based e-commerce site accepting M-Pesa, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal, Diners Club, and Discover. The company operates without a proprietary mobile app, instead relying on its web storefront, organic social media presence (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn), and an email newsletter with a 5% discount incentive for retention. A single disclosed funding event — a ~$3.99 million investment by Uqalo in March 2018 — represents the only external institutional capital on record; the company otherwise appears founder-owned with no disclosed subsidiaries, partnerships, M&A activity, or awards. The legal entity is registered in Kenya (Interstrat Limited), and operations are confined to the Nairobi metro.

Name

Big Square

Legal name

Interstrat Limited

Website

https://bigsquare.co.ke

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Big Square (Interstrat Limited) is a privately held Nairobi fast-casual restaurant chain operating 11 dine-in and takeaway branches, serving crispy fried chicken, burgers, ribs, pizza, and family platters via dine-in, takeaway, and same-day delivery to Nairobi consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quick-Service Restaurants

NAICS

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Chicken & Wings QSR (THAFAAAC)

Keywords

• Fast casual dining
• Fried chicken restaurant
• Burger restaurant
• Pizza restaurant
• Quick service food

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Direct food and beverage sales through dine-in, take-away, and delivery channels across 11 Nairobi branch locations. Revenue generated from a diverse menu including burgers, ribs, crispy fried chicken, pizza, salads, cocktails, and coffee beverages. Multiple price points from budget items (KES 280) to premium platters (KES 5,270).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Big Square is a fast-casual restaurant chain in Nairobi, Kenya (legal entity Interstrat Limited) that prepares and sells crispy fried chicken, burgers, BBQ ribs, pizza, and grilled chicken across approximately 11 branches, with an additional Shopify-based online ordering channel for direct consumer purchases.

Product overview

Big Square is a fast-casual restaurant chain operating 11 branches across Nairobi, Kenya. The company offers a diverse menu centered around signature Crispy Fried Chicken alongside Burgers, BBQ Ribs (Beef and Pork), Pizza (Standard and Premium varieties), Grilled Chicken, Wings, Wraps, Salads, and various Sides. The product portfolio includes daily promos (Big Burger Monday, Dabo Dabo Tuesday, BBQ Wednesday, Thursday Big Vibe Breakfast, Big Boy Feast Friday), family-style meals (Family Meal, Medley Platter, Chef's Feast Platter), a full breakfast menu, coffee and hot drinks, cocktails and spirits, soft drinks and shakes, and a dedicated Kids Menu. The restaurant operates with dine-in and takeaway elements, offering same-day delivery across Nairobi with online ordering through their Shopify-based e-commerce platform. Payment options include M-Pesa, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal, Diners Club, and Discover.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crispy Fried Chicken Crispy fried chicken served as a core menu item at Big Square's Nairobi fast-casual branches and via online ordering, targeted at individual consumers seeking casual Western-style comfort food.
• Burgers Hamburger offerings served at Big Square's Nairobi branches and via online ordering for individual consumer dine-in, takeaway, and delivery.
• BBQ Ribs Barbecue ribs served at Big Square's Nairobi branches and via online ordering for individual consumer casual dining occasions.
• Pizza Pizza offerings served at Big Square's Nairobi branches and via online ordering, targeting individual consumers and households seeking casual shared meals.
• Grilled Chicken Grilled chicken served as a menu item at Big Square's Nairobi branches and via online ordering, providing a non-fried poultry option for individual diners.
• Shopify Online Ordering Shopify-based e-commerce ordering channel that lets individual Nairobi consumers place food orders from Big Square's menu for delivery or collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.4 out of 5.0 Google rating based on 17,853 reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Artcaffe: Kenyan casual dining and coffee chain operating across Nairobi with a similar pizza, chicken, burger, and all-day breakfast menu; competes for the same middle-class urban occasion.
• Pizza Inn: Pan-African pizza chain with Kenyan operations — direct overlap with Big Square's standard pizza range and family meal deals.
• Chicken Inn: Simbisa-affiliated chicken QSR operating across multiple African countries — comparable positioning as a value-oriented fried chicken-led chain, with regional scale Big Square lacks.
• Galito's: Pan-African flame-grilled chicken QSR with presence in East Africa — directly competes with Big Square's grilled and crispy chicken platforms.
• Debonairs Pizza: Leading African pizza brand (part of Famous Brands) competing with Big Square's standard and premium pizza lines, including in Kenyan expansion markets.
• Java House: East Africa's leading casual dining chain headquartered in Nairobi, serving burgers, chicken, pizza, coffee, and full breakfast — overlapping significantly with Big Square's daypart and menu coverage.
• Burger King Kenya: Global burger QSR expanding aggressively in Nairobi, directly contesting Big Square's burger and value-deal positioning.
• KFC Kenya: Yum! Brands' flagship chicken QSR operating across Kenya with dine-in, takeaway, and delivery — directly competes with Big Square's signature crispy fried chicken in the same Nairobi catchments.

Broad incumbents

• Spur Steak Ranches: Larger, listed casual dining incumbent across Africa with a broader family-oriented menu including burgers, ribs, and grills — comparable to Big Square's family-platter model but at significantly greater scale.

Regional players

• Steers: Famous Brands' flagship African burger chain — comparable casual burger-led positioning though primarily operating in Southern Africa rather than Kenya.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bigsquareke
• YouTubeyoutube.com/hashtag/bigsquare
• Facebookfacebook.com/BigSquareKenya
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-square-kenya
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigsquareke
• Pinterestpinterest.com/bigsquare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Big Square