Nordsee

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.

Name

Nordsee

Legal name

NORDSEE GmbH

Website

https://www.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

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

• Quick service seafood
• Seafood restaurant chain
• Fish fast food
• Seafood snack bar
• Fish retail counter

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremerhaven

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: NORDSEE earns revenue from franchise partners through initial franchise fees and ongoing royalty payments based on franchisee sales.
3. Supermarket Product Sales: NORDSEE distributes fish products through supermarket refrigerated sections, including products like fish salads, fish creams, breaded fish, and matjes fillets.
4. 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

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Too Good To GocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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.
• LieferandocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery partnership allowing customers to order NORDSEE products for home delivery through the Lieferando platform.
• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery partnership allowing customers to order NORDSEE products for home delivery through the Uber Eats platform.
• WoltcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery partnership allowing customers to order NORDSEE products for home delivery through the Wolt platform.
• Alfred-Wegener-Institut & Hochschule BremerhavenstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch 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.
• SalesforcecoreTechnology or IntegrationSalesforce 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

Broad 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NordseeDeutschland
• Facebookfacebook.com/nordseedeutschland
• Instagraminstagram.com/nordsee_official
• TikToktiktok.com/@nordsee_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nordsee-gmbh

Compliance6 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 Nordsee