Pho

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).

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

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

• Vietnamese restaurant
• Casual dining
• Street food
• Restaurant chain
• Gluten-free dining

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core 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

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coeliac UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Pho 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.
• DeliveroocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPho partners with Deliveroo for home delivery services, allowing customers to order Pho meals for delivery through the Deliveroo platform.
• Emily English (Nutritionist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPho 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 CardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPho 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/phorestaurant
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGDqcT-lxY5urJTYqTszALw
• Facebookfacebook.com/phorestaurant
• Instagraminstagram.com/phorestaurant

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Pho