What Giggling Squid does

Giggling Squid, operated through its legal entity Chokdee Ltd, is a UK-based Thai restaurant chain founded in 2002 by husband-and-wife co-founders Pranee and Andy (Andrew Laurillard). The company operates 49 full-service restaurants across England, concentrated in affluent market towns and historic city centres (Guildford, Bath, Cambridge, Windsor, Henley-on-Thames, Stratford-upon-Avon). Its core offering is a Thai tapas-style menu built around sharing sets of four complementary dishes, supported by curries, stir-fries, and à la carte options. Differentiators include distinctive botanical interiors that blend historic UK buildings with Thai-inspired design, and a brand positioned around informal, energetic Thai mealtime culture rather than conventional Thai fine dining. Supporting revenue streams include private dining and events (groups of 14-70), gift cards and e-vouchers (£5-£500), the Giggling Squid Cookbook (77 recipes, £19.99), seasonal menus (Christmas), and a 2024 health-focused Nourish Bowls line (under 500kcal, over 35g protein).

The business model is transaction-based, with revenue generated through dine-in covers, takeaway, and delivery via a Deliveroo partnership (weekday Thai lunchboxes at £9.95). The technology stack is assembled entirely from third-party SaaS platforms: ResDiary for table reservations, OrderSwift for click-and-collect, Bloomreach for email marketing, Feed It Back for customer feedback, and Microsoft Clarity for web analytics. The company has 1,500+ employees and received growth capital from Business Growth Fund in 2015. Operations remain entirely domestic within England, with no international footprint, no disclosed M&A activity, and no external institutional control beyond the founders and BGF.

Name

Giggling Squid

Legal name

Chokdee Ltd

Website

https://gigglingsquid.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Giggling Squid (Chokdee Ltd) is a UK Thai restaurant chain operating 49 full-service sites across England, serving Thai tapas, curries, and sharing dishes to individual diners, families, and corporate event groups since 2002.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Thai Restaurant Services

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)

Keywords

• Thai restaurant chain
• Casual dining
• Thai tapas
• Private dining venues
• Food delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Guildford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices32 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from customers dining at physical restaurant locations across 49+ UK venues, featuring Thai tapas and à la carte menu items
2. Takeaway and Delivery: Takeaway orders and delivery via Deliveroo partnership for lunchboxes (weekdays) and full menu items
3. Private Dining and Events: Private dining bookings for celebrations, corporate events, and Christmas parties with special set menus at premium pricing
4. Gift Cards and Vouchers: Physical gift cards and e-vouchers sold for occasions including birthdays, Father's Day, and general gifting, valid for 1 year
5. Cookbook Sales: The Giggling Squid Cookbook featuring 77 Thai recipes, sold in restaurants, Waterstones, Amazon, and independent bookshops at £19.99

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Giggling Squid operates a chain of 49 UK Thai restaurants offering dine-in service built around a proprietary 'Thai Tapas Sets' sharing concept of four well-balanced dishes. The chain is supplemented by £9.95 weekday lunchboxes delivered via Deliveroo, private dining for groups of 14-70, seasonal Christmas set menus, gift cards, and a published 77-recipe cookbook. Revenue is fundamentally generated by restaurant food and beverage service rather than by technology or third-party products.

Product overview

Giggling Squid is a UK Thai restaurant chain operated by Chokdee Ltd, founded in 2002 by husband-and-wife team Pranee and Andy. The company operates 49 restaurants across the UK offering authentic Thai cuisine in a botanical-themed setting. The core offering centers on Thai tapas-style sharing dishes, curries, stir-fries, and specialty menus including Thai Tapas Sets and Thai Lunchboxes for delivery. Supporting products include the Giggling Squid Cookbook (77 Thai recipes), gift cards/e-vouchers, private dining services at most locations (catering 14-70 guests), seasonal menus (Christmas), and a health-focused Nourish Bowls line. The company also supports charitable initiatives through its Giggle & Give program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thai Restaurant Dining Full-service dine-in Thai restaurant offering across 49 UK locations, with Thai tapas-style sharing dishes, curries, stir-fries, cocktails and botanical-themed interiors.
• Thai Tapas Sets Sharing-style menu offering four well-balanced Thai dishes per set, designed to be enjoyed together at the table.
• Thai Lunchboxes Hot takeaway lunch option with 11 dish choices including Thai Green Curry, Pad Thai and Sea Bass Gra Pao, delivered via Deliveroo.
• Gift Cards and E-Vouchers Physical gift cards and digital e-vouchers ranging from £5 to £1,000, valid for 12 months and delivered via gifts.gigglingsquid.com.
• Giggling Squid Cookbook 77-recipe Thai cookbook inspired by founder Pranee's childhood food memories, priced at £19.99 across retail and restaurant channels.
• Private Dining Private dining room hire at most restaurant locations, accommodating groups of 14 to 70 guests with exclusive areas, private bars and bespoke menus.
• Christmas Menu Seasonal festive menu featuring Thai-inspired dishes including Spicy Goodwill Wings, Royal Red Curry with Prawn Skewers and Festive Sticky Chicken, available late November through end of December.
• Nourish Bowls Health-focussed Thai dishes under 500kcal and over 35g of protein per serving, targeting calorie- and protein-conscious diners.
• Private Events and Parties Event hosting services for celebrations, office parties and larger group bookings, including semi-private dining and exclusive-use venue hire.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,500+ employees serving customers across 49 UK restaurants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Action for ChildrenminorOthersCharity partnership through 'Giggle & Give' initiative. Fundraising included The Giggler alcohol-free cocktail sales, Mount Snowdon climb raising £7K, and £1 from every kids' meal during school holidays. Total raised: £60,000.
• DeliveroocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partner for weekday lunchboxes (Mon-Fri, 12-3pm) and full menu delivery service. Orders placed through Deliveroo platform with delivery radius check.
• GinTingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCocktail partnership featuring GinTing Passionfruit, Mango & Elderflower gin in cocktail recipes and exclusive prize draws. Includes discount codes and cocktail kit prizes.
• ResDiarycoreTechnology or IntegrationRestaurant reservation and booking system provider. Handles table bookings across all Giggling Squid locations. Data stored securely in UK data centres.
• WaterstonesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail bookstore partner for selling The Giggling Squid Cookbook alongside Amazon and independent bookshops.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rosa's Thai: UK Thai casual dining chain with multiple London and regional sites, offering authentic Thai small plates, curries and stir-fries at similar price points. Directly competes for the same Thai-occasion diner across dine-in, takeaway and delivery, with comparable concept positioning to Giggling Squid.
• Thai Square: UK-based Thai restaurant group with multiple London and nationwide sites, offering premium-casual Thai dining including tasting and set menus. Closest direct Thai cuisine comparable to Giggling Squid, particularly around set-menu and occasion dining occasions.
• Turtle Bay: Caribbean-themed UK casual dining chain with ~50 sites, offering shareable small plates, themed interiors and a comparable sub-£15 average check. Competes with Giggling Squid for the same casual themed-dining, group-occasion diner at similar UK high-street and destination locations.
• Busaba Eathai: UK Thai-cuisine casual dining chain founded in 1999 with around a dozen London-centric sites. Most direct Thai cuisine comparable to Giggling Squid, sharing full table service, comparable lunch/dinner price band and an authentic-Thai positioning; smaller scale but identical category.
• Banana Tree: UK pan-Asian casual dining chain (around 30 sites) serving noodles, stir-fries and shareable Asian dishes at similar price points to Giggling Squid, including a Thai-influenced menu mix. Direct competitor for value-leaning casual Asian dining occasions across similar UK regional markets.
• Pho: Vietnamese casual dining chain with ~30 UK sites, focused on shareable noodle and small-plate dining in a casual full-service setting. Adjacent Asian-cuisine casual dining with similar price band, average check, group/family positioning and UK high-street real estate footprint to Giggling Squid.
• Wagamama: UK-headquartered pan-Asian (Japanese-leaning) casual dining chain with ~150+ UK sites operated by The Restaurant Group. Operates in the same casual full-service, shareable-plate Asian cuisine category with comparable price points and dine-in + delivery model, directly competitive with Giggling Squid's Thai proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Itsu: Large UK Asian fast-casual chain (~70+ sites) focused on sushi, noodle and soup bowls at lower price points, with strong delivery and takeaway presence. Broader incumbent in UK Asian casual dining, overlapping with Giggling Squid on health-conscious and lunchtime occasions but operating in a faster, lower-ticket format.
• Pizza Express: One of the UK's largest casual full-service restaurant chains (300+ UK sites), operating family and occasion dining at similar price points to Giggling Squid. A broader incumbent in UK high-street casual dining whose estate overlaps geographically with many Giggling Squid locations, including under-£15 lunch and set-menu occasions.
• Comptoir Libanais: Middle Eastern-themed UK casual dining chain (~25 sites) offering shareable small plates in a botanical, design-led setting at comparable price points to Giggling Squid. Competes for the same themed-casual, group-occasion diner and shares the design-driven, Instagram-credible positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gigglingsquid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gigglingsquid

Compliance2 records

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 Giggling Squid