Nordsee
NORDSEE is a German fast-food restaurant chain specializing in fish and seafood, founded in 1896. It operates 366 franchise and company-owned locations across Germany, Austria, and other European countries, serving 17 million guests annually via restaurants, snack shops, retail counters, supermarkets, and delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1896
- HeadquartersBremerhaven, Germany
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Nordsee does
NORDSEE GmbH is a German fast-food restaurant chain specializing in fish and seafood, founded on April 23, 1896 and headquartered in Bremerhaven, Germany. The company operates a franchise-oriented system gastronomy model with 366 locations across Germany (308), Austria (31), and other European countries (27), of which 152 are operated by franchise partners. NORDSEE serves approximately 17 million guests annually across roughly 71 million customer transactions and reports worldwide system revenue of €329.3 million (2019 figures). The business is privately held as a subsidiary of NORDSEE Holding GmbH, with no external institutional investment or public listing identified in the source material, and is led by three managing directors (Dr. Raphael Gansch, Andrea Giudici, Kai Bordel).
The company distributes its offering through five distinct sales channels: dine-in restaurants (including the Meeresbuffet concept and the Quick format launched in 1965), snack shops, in-store retail fish counters, supermarket-distributed chilled fish products (since 2015), and delivery via third-party platforms Lieferando, Uber Eats, and Wolt. The core product portfolio spans fish burgers, fish baguettes, wraps, bowls, sushi, and seafood snacks, alongside fresh fish and deli items at retail counters. The technology stack is cloud-based but conventional: Salesforce Sales Cloud for customer data, Google Tag Manager and Analytics plus Meta Pixel for web analytics, Cloudflare for CDN/security, mailingwork for email, and a mobile app with Click & Collect and the myNORDSEE loyalty program (10 fish points per euro, digital stamp cards, missions, birthday and referral boosters). Sustainability is structurally embedded through MSC, ASC, BIO, and Alaska Seafood certifications, the Bundespreis-winning food waste reduction programs (Doggybag-Station, "30% in the last 30 minutes before closing"), and the Mak-Pak macroalgae-based compostable packaging R&D project.
Revenue is generated primarily through point-of-sale transactions at company-owned and franchised locations, supplemented by franchise fees and royalties, supermarket product sales, and commission-based delivery orders. The company employs approximately 3,000 staff directly in its branches plus roughly 1,000 through franchise partners, with about 70% of branch staff working part-time and 74% female; around 175 apprentices are in training across various professions. Strategic posture is currently expansion-oriented, with the company explicitly signaling an "Auf Expansionskurs" (On Expansion Course) agenda, while a 130th anniversary brand activation runs through 2026.
Nordsee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nordsee
- Legal name
- NORDSEE GmbH
- Website
- https://nordsee.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1896
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- NORDSEE is a German fast-food restaurant chain specializing in fish and seafood, founded in 1896. It operates 366 franchise and company-owned locations across Germany, Austria, and other European countries, serving 17 million guests annually via restaurants, snack shops, retail counters, supermarkets, and delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nordsee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Quick-Service Seafood Restaurants
- NAICS
- Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Fish and Seafood Retailers (44525)
- SIC
- Retail-Food Stores (5400), Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Prepared Meat & Seafood Entrées with Sides (Complete Meals) (AFANAFAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Seafood Wholesale (Fresh & Frozen) (AFAIADAD), Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)
Keywords
Where Nordsee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bremerhaven
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Nordsee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Restaurant and Retail Sales: NORDSEE generates primary revenue through sales at its company-owned and franchise restaurants, snack shops, and retail fish counters. Customers pay for meals, snacks, and fresh fish products at point of sale.
- Franchise Fees and Royalties: NORDSEE earns revenue from franchise partners through initial franchise fees and ongoing royalty payments based on franchisee sales.
- Supermarket Product Sales: NORDSEE distributes fish products through supermarket refrigerated sections, including products like fish salads, fish creams, breaded fish, and matjes fillets.
- Delivery Service Commissions: NORDSEE earns revenue through third-party delivery partnerships with Lieferando, Uber Eats, and Wolt, likely through commission arrangements on delivered orders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Apprenticeship compensation for restaurant positions |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels6 records
Nordsee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nordsee operates a chain of quick-service seafood restaurants and fish-based food outlets across Germany, Austria, and other European countries. The company sells fish-based fast food, snacks, retail products, and supermarket items through company-owned and franchise locations organized around five sales channels: Restaurant, Snacks, Retail, Supermarket, and Delivery.
Product overview
NORDSEE operates as a fish fast-food chain restaurant system with over 300 locations across Germany, Austria, and other European countries. The company offers five distinct sales channels: Restaurant (dine-in), Snacks (quick-service takeaway), Einzelhandel (retail counter), Supermarkt (supermarket chilled products), and Lieferservice (delivery via third-party partners). Product portfolio includes fish burgers, fish and seafood items, wraps, bowls, rice dishes, shrimp boxes, desserts, and supermarket products. The company also operates mobile Foodtruck and Food Container units for event catering. NORDSEE positions itself as a fast-casual dining concept focusing on natural, fresh fish with a loyalty program (mynordsee) as a digital engagement add-on.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NORDSEE Meeresbuffet: Full-service fish restaurant concept offering a variety of fresh fish dishes, salads, and beverages for dine-in.
- NORDSEE Quick
- NORDSEE Snack Shop
- NORDSEE Foodtruck & Food Container
- myNORDSEE
Products and services
- NORDSEE Restaurant
Quantifiable outcome
- 17 million annual guests and 71 million customer transactions (2019)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Nordsee
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Nordsee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Nordsee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.
- Too Good To GocorePartnership to reduce food waste by selling overproduced NORDSEE food at reduced prices through the Too Good To Go app. Customers can purchase surplus food at discounted rates and pick up at NORDSEE locations, reducing waste while offering affordable options.
- LieferandocoreThird-party food delivery partnership allowing customers to order NORDSEE products for home delivery through the Lieferando platform.
- Uber EatscoreThird-party food delivery partnership allowing customers to order NORDSEE products for home delivery through the Uber Eats platform.
- WoltcoreThird-party food delivery partnership allowing customers to order NORDSEE products for home delivery through the Wolt platform.
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut & Hochschule BremerhavenstrategicResearch partnership for the Mak-Pak sustainable packaging project, developing compostable and potentially edible packaging from macroalgae (seaweed). The project received funding from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
- SalesforcecoreSalesforce Sales Cloud CRM system used for customer data management, organizing sales and communication processes, and customer relationship management. Data stored on Salesforce servers with EU-US Data Privacy Framework certification.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Nordsee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Burger King: Major QSR competitor in Germany with similar price architecture and franchise model. Comparable on quick-service operations, delivery platform partnerships, and loyalty program design.
- McDonald's: Global QSR incumbent with the largest German footprint. Comparable on quick-service operational model, multi-channel distribution (dine-in, kiosk, delivery, app), and franchised real estate base.
- KFC (Yum! Brands): Global QSR chain with a meaningful German footprint. Comparable as a single-protein (chicken) specialist operating in the same casual eating-out occasion as Nordsee.
Direct peers
- Long John Silver's: U.S. seafood-focused QSR chain specializing in fish and shrimp meals. Closest international analogue to Nordsee's fish-centric quick-service model, though predominantly U.S.-based and operating a different brand positioning.
- Captain D's: U.S. seafood QSR chain with ~500 locations offering battered fish, shrimp, and combo meals. Directly comparable on menu architecture, price point, and quick-service seafood category leadership.
- Fish & Co: Singapore-headquartered seafood casual-dining/QSR chain with international locations. Comparable fish-centric menu and franchise-style international expansion model.
Regional players
- Peter Pane: German burger casual-dining chain with strong DACH presence. Comparable on German casual-dining positioning, dine-in experience, and delivery partnerships.
- Marché (Mövenpick Group): European casual-dining/specialty restaurant operator with roots in German-speaking markets. Comparable on European multi-country casual-dining footprint and specialty food positioning.
- Hans im Glück: German premium burger casual-dining chain with ~90+ locations. Comparable as a German-market casual-dining competitor competing for similar dine-in and delivery occasions.
Emerging players
- Dean & David: German healthy fast-casual chain with bowls, salads, and wraps. Comparable on QSR-adjacent menu (bowls, wraps) and growing DACH footprint targeting health-conscious urban consumers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Nordsee social profiles
Digital presenceNordsee compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Nordsee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nordsee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Nordsee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nordsee 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 Nordsee
What does Nordsee do?
Nordsee operates a chain of quick-service seafood restaurants and fish-based food outlets across Germany, Austria, and other European countries. The company sells fish-based fast food, snacks, retail products, and supermarket items through company-owned and franchise locations organized around five sales channels: Restaurant, Snacks, Retail, Supermarket, and Delivery.
Is Nordsee a public or private company?
Nordsee is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Nordsee founded?
Nordsee was founded in 1896. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Nordsee based?
Nordsee is headquartered in Bremerhaven, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Nordsee make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Restaurant and Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees and Royalties, supermarket Product Sales and delivery Service Commissions.
Who are Nordsee's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Burger King, McDonald's and KFC (Yum! Brands). Direct peers are Long John Silver's, Captain D's and Fish & Co. Regional players are Peter Pane, Marché (Mövenpick Group) and Hans im Glück. Dean & David is listed as an emerging player.
Does Nordsee have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nordsee.
What industry is Nordsee in?
Nordsee's product category is Quick-Service Seafood Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANAFAI, Prepared Meat & Seafood Entrées with Sides (Complete Meals), with a secondary code of AFAIADAD, Seafood Wholesale (Fresh & Frozen). Its NAICS code is 42446 and its SIC code is 5400.