Pho
Pho is a UK family-run restaurant group operating 40+ casual-dining sites serving Vietnamese street food, with a 98% gluten-free Coeliac UK-accredited menu targeting health-conscious, dietary-restricted and mainstream UK consumers via dine-in, Deliveroo delivery and Click & Collect.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Pho does
Pho is a UK-based, family-run restaurant group operating more than 40 casual-dining sites under the Pho / Pho Restaurants brand, founded in London in June 2005 by Stephen and Juliette Wall. The group specialises in Vietnamese street food and positions itself on health and dietary inclusivity, with a 98% gluten-free main menu accredited by Coeliac UK since 2015, 40%+ plant-based dishes, and 12-hour simmered bone broths. Food is cooked fresh daily in each restaurant; the company does not operate central kitchens and explicitly markets against frozen or pre-packaged alternatives.
The business monetises primarily through in-restaurant dine-in transactions across its UK footprint (London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Brighton and other cities), with secondary revenue from delivery (Deliveroo integration) and Click & Collect (Pho To Go). Ancillary income is generated by digital gift vouchers (£10–£500 denominations sold through the Toggle platform), private event hire at select sites and an international franchise programme offering territorial rights, training and brand marketing. Pricing is à la carte casual dining (£15–£22 weekday set menus, ~£6.95 kids meal) supplemented by targeted discount programmes for students, Blue Light Card holders and families with infants.
The technology stack is non-proprietary and typical of a multi-site restaurant operator: OpenTable for reservations, Toggle for gift cards, Harri for recruitment, and Deliveroo for delivery aggregation. There is no public API or app, no central-booking technology platform and no disclosed AI/ML capability. Headcount is reported at 1,001–5,000, consistent with a 40-site casual-dining estate and its head-office support function. Ownership remains with the founding family, with only one external growth round on record (Livingbridge, $8.16M, July 2012).
Pho firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pho
- Legal name
- Pho Cafe
- Website
- https://phocafe.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Pho is a UK family-run restaurant group operating 40+ casual-dining sites serving Vietnamese street food, with a 98% gluten-free Coeliac UK-accredited menu targeting health-conscious, dietary-restricted and mainstream UK consumers via dine-in, Deliveroo delivery and Click & Collect.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pho industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Asian QSR (Chinese/Thai/Japanese/Korean) (THAFAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Restaurant Meal & Prepared Food Delivery (CRAFAFAB)
Keywords
Where Pho is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pho business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from customers dining at Pho restaurants. Customers can book tables and pay for meals on-site. The company also offers gift vouchers through its e-commerce platform.
- Delivery and Takeaway: Orders placed via Deliveroo for home delivery and Click & Collect for takeaway. Pho To Go service allows customers to order for delivery or collection.
- Franchise Fees: International franchising opportunities where franchisees pay to open Pho restaurants in their territories. The company supports franchisees with training, brand marketing, and operational guidance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kids meal with drink |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Voucher - For my Pho-natic |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Voucher - For the both of you |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Voucher - Family Pho Feast |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Weekday Lunch Menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Harborne Weekday Lunch Deal |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Liverpool Weekday Menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Student Discount |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Blue Light Card Discount |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | BYOB (Baby) Promotion |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Birmingham Restaurant Festival |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
Pho product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pho operates a UK chain of sit-down Vietnamese street food restaurants where all food is cooked fresh daily in each location. The core offering is complemented by a Click & Collect and Deliveroo delivery service called Pho To Go, plus digital gift vouchers sold through a third-party platform and international franchise opportunities.
Product overview
Pho is a UK-based Vietnamese street food restaurant chain operated as a family-run business. The core offering consists of sit-down restaurant dining where all food is cooked fresh daily in each location, complemented by a takeaway and delivery service (Pho To Go) through Deliveroo integration. Additional revenue streams include gift vouchers sold through a third-party platform (Toggle), private event hire at select locations, and international franchise opportunities. The company has grown from a single London restaurant in 2005 to over 40 locations across the UK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pho Restaurant Dining Sit-down Vietnamese street food dining experience at 40+ restaurant locations across the UK. Food is cooked fresh daily in each restaurant kitchen, with no frozen or pre-packaged items. Menu is 98% gluten-free (Coeliac UK accredited since 2015) and 40%+ plant-based.
- Pho To Go
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% of menu is gluten-free, accredited by Coeliac UK since 2015
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Pho
Customer profileSegments7 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Pho technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Pho partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Coeliac UKcorePho has been accredited by Coeliac UK since 2015. This accreditation involves random audits and food testing to ensure gluten-free standards are maintained. Pho's main menu is 98% gluten-free and clearly states which items contain gluten.
- DeliveroocorePho partners with Deliveroo for home delivery services, allowing customers to order Pho meals for delivery through the Deliveroo platform.
- Emily English (Nutritionist)minorPho partnered with nutritionist Emily English to promote the health benefits of their food. Emily endorsed Pho as a 'nutritionist approved takeaway' and shared her favorite Pho meals, including Pho House broth, Green Papaya Salad, and Prawn and Pomelo salad.
- Blue Light CardminorPho offers a 20% discount to Blue Light Card holders through the official Blue Light Card scheme. This covers NHS staff, police, fire service, and other eligible emergency workers and armed forces personnel.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pho competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Itsu: UK Asian QSR/limited-service chain specialising in healthy, nutritionally positioned sushi, rice bowls and noodle soups. Directly comparable to Pho on Asian cuisine, health-led positioning, urban UK footprint and delivery-led GTM via Deliveroo.
- Leon Restaurants: UK fast-casual chain serving 'naturally fast food' with a strong health and nutritional-positioning narrative. Closely comparable to Pho on healthy-eating branding, allergen/dietary awareness, and delivery + dine-in omnichannel mix.
- Franco Manca: UK sourdough pizza casual-dining chain owned by Fulham Shore. Comparable to Pho on casual-dining model, regional rollout, mid-market pricing and health/ingredient-quality brand positioning.
- Zizzi: UK Italian casual-dining chain with national footprint and similar dine-in/delivery model. Direct competitor for the same UK casual-dining occasion and middle-market price point as Pho.
- Wagamama: UK-headquartered Asian casual-dining chain serving Japanese-inspired ramen, rice bowls and curries across 100+ sites. Closest like-for-like peer to Pho in cuisine category, casual-dining service style, multi-channel UK footprint and demographic targeting.
- Pizza Express: Iconic UK casual-dining Italian restaurant chain with several hundred sites. Comparable in casual-dining service, high-street/shopping-centre real estate strategy and broad UK family/couple demographic.
- Nando's: UK-headquartered peri-peri chicken casual-dining chain with 350+ restaurants. Comparable to Pho in scale, dine-in service model, UK national footprint, family-friendly marketing and multi-channel (dine-in, delivery, click & collect) operations.
- Turtle Bay: UK Caribbean-themed casual-dining chain with ~50 sites. Comparable in casual-dining service, UK mid-market pricing, regional city rollout strategy and weekday-lunch promotional tactics.
- Côte Brasserie: UK all-day casual-dining brasserie chain with 80+ sites. Comparable in UK casual-dining category, regional rollout, family/lunch occasion targeting and mid-market price positioning.
Emerging players
- Wasabi Sushi & Bento: UK Asian QSR/limited-service chain with ~70 sites focused on sushi and bento boxes. Comparable in Asian cuisine category and UK urban delivery-led GTM, though positioned more as grab-and-go QSR than sit-down casual dining like Pho.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pho social profiles
Digital presencePho compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Pho financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pho leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Pho funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pho M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pho
What does Pho do?
Pho operates a UK chain of sit-down Vietnamese street food restaurants where all food is cooked fresh daily in each location. The core offering is complemented by a Click & Collect and Deliveroo delivery service called Pho To Go, plus digital gift vouchers sold through a third-party platform and international franchise opportunities.
Is Pho a public or private company?
Pho is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Pho founded?
Pho was founded in 2005. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Pho based?
Pho is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Pho make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are delivery and Takeaway and franchise Fees.
Who are Pho's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Itsu, Leon Restaurants, Franco Manca, Zizzi, Wagamama, Pizza Express, Nando's, Turtle Bay and Côte Brasserie. Wasabi Sushi & Bento is listed as an emerging player.
Does Pho have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pho.
What industry is Pho in?
Pho's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAAAF, Asian QSR (Chinese/Thai/Japanese/Korean), with a secondary code of CRAFAFAB, Restaurant Meal & Prepared Food Delivery. Its NAICS code is 72251 and its SIC code is 5812.