BigChefs
Multi-brand Turkish restaurant chain operating 136 locations across Türkiye and 10 countries, serving 7 million guests annually via flagship plus Buselik, NumNum, NumNum Streetfood, Academy BigChefs, KONT, and BIGICE concepts. Listed on Borsa Istanbul (BIGCH) since 2023.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersIstanbul
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What BigChefs does
BigChefs is a multi-brand full-service restaurant chain headquartered in Sarıyer, Istanbul, founded in 2007 by Gamze Cizreli in Ankara. The company operates 136 restaurants (123 in Türkiye across 29 cities and 13 abroad across 10 countries), serving approximately 7 million guests annually with a workforce of 1,525 employees. Its flagship brand offers Turkish and world cuisine from breakfast through dinner in a "home-like" atmosphere, complemented by a portfolio of sub-brands: Buselik (modern meyhane concept), NumNum (delivery-focused younger-demographic brand acquired in 2020), NumNum Streetfood, Academy BigChefs (gastronomy education), KONT, and BIGICE (ice cream/dessert). Operational infrastructure includes an integrated central kitchen established in 2017, owned solar generation that neutralizes Scope-2 emissions at company-operated restaurants, and digital ordering systems (QR menus introduced alongside robotic service systems in 2021).
The company makes money through company-operated restaurant sales (transaction-based), franchise fees and royalties (both domestic and across 10 international markets), delivery services launched in 2020, and its multi-brand portfolio. BigChefs went public on Borsa Istanbul Main Market in the first half of 2023 under ticker BIGCH, with the IPO backed by Taxim Capital (40% stake acquired 2016) and Saruhan Tan (40% stake acquired 2009). It serves two primary customer sets: individual consumers across all-day dining occasions (primary) and franchise investors seeking entry into an established restaurant brand (secondary). Strategic partnerships include ETÜDER (sustainability standards, with 65% of procurement currently Safe Food Certified and a target of 95% by 2025) and TIDER (food donation program). International expansion is structured via joint venture agreements covering Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and the USA (signed 2022), with European locations in Frankfurt and Antwerp and CIS presence in Baku, Almaty, Tashkent, Batumi, and Lefkoşa.
BigChefs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BigChefs
- Legal name
- Büyük Şefler Gıda Turizm Tekstil Danışmanlık Organizasyon Eğitim San. Ve Tic. A.Ş
- Website
- https://bigchefs.com.tr
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Multi-brand Turkish restaurant chain operating 136 locations across Türkiye and 10 countries, serving 7 million guests annually via flagship plus Buselik, NumNum, NumNum Streetfood, Academy BigChefs, KONT, and BIGICE concepts. Listed on Borsa Istanbul (BIGCH) since 2023.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BigChefs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Full-Service Restaurant Chain
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fine Dining Restaurants (THAFACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Breakfast & Brunch Fast Casual (THAFABAL), Restaurant Meal & Prepared Food Delivery (CRAFAFAB)
Keywords
Where BigChefs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Istanbul
Offices2 records
Markets served
BigChefs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Company-Operated Restaurant Sales: Revenue generated from company-operated BigChefs restaurant locations serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to guests throughout the day
- Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchise investors pay fees to open BigChefs locations, generating recurring revenue through franchise arrangements both domestically and internationally
- Delivery and Takeaway Services: Launched in 2020 to mitigate COVID-19 impact, delivery services generate additional revenue from food orders
- Multiple Brand Concepts: Revenue from additional brand concepts including NumNum (acquired 2020), Buselik Meyhane, Academy BigChefs (gastronomy education), Kont, and BigICE (ice cream)
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard restaurant dining |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
BigChefs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BigChefs is a multi-brand full-service restaurant chain operator offering Turkish and world cuisine from breakfast through dinner across 136+ locations in Turkey and internationally. The core business encompasses dine-in restaurant operations, franchise operations, delivery services, and a portfolio of sub-brands (NumNum, Buselik, KONT, BIGICE, NumNum Streetfood) and gastronomy education (Academy BigChefs).
Product overview
BigChefs is a multi-brand restaurant chain operator offering a platform of distinct dining concepts. The flagship BigChefs brand provides full-service dining with Turkish and world cuisine across 140+ locations. The portfolio includes NumNum (delivery-focused concept for younger demographics), NumNum Streetfood (street food variant), Buselik (modern meyhane experience), Academy BigChefs (gastronomy education), KONT, and BIGICE (ice cream/dessert). The company went public in 2023 and operates both company-owned and franchise locations across Turkey, Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Buselik: Meyhane (Turkish tavern) experience with modern approach, featuring delicious appetizers and nostalgic songs. Branches in Istanbul, Çorlu, Samsun, Ordu, Manisa, and Muğla.
- NumNum
- NumNum Streetfood
- Academy BigChefs
- KONT
- BIGICE
Products and services
- BigChefs Full-Service Restaurant
- NumNum
- NumNum Streetfood
Quantifiable outcome
- 7 million guests served annually
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use BigChefs
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
BigChefs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
BigChefs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ETÜDER (Out-of-Home Consumption Suppliers Association)coreCollaboration with ETÜDER to raise sustainability standards in supply chain. 65% of procurement currently from Safe Food Certified suppliers with goals to reach 80% and 95% by 2025.
- TİDER (Temel İhtiyaç Derneği)minorPartnership with TİDER for food donation program. Excess usable food from daily meal preparation is donated to those in need through TİDER's food banking expertise.
- I-REC (International Renewable Energy Certificate)coreI-REC certification used to neutralize Scope-2 emissions from company-operated restaurants' electricity consumption, supporting BigChefs' sustainability goals.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BigChefs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Yum! Brands: US-listed parent of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell — a global multi-brand casual/QSR operator. Relevant to BigChefs as the structural template for franchise-driven, multi-brand casual dining at international scale.
- McDonald's: Global QSR leader with a large Turkish presence through its local franchisee. Relevant as the dominant incumbent setting customer expectations and labor-cost benchmarks in the same Turkish casual/QSR market BigChefs operates in.
Direct peers
- TAB Gıda: Türkiye's master franchisee for Burger King, Popeyes, Arby's and Sbarro. Comparable to BigChefs as a major multi-brand casual/QSR operator running a franchise-heavy Turkish network at scale.
- Köfteci Ramiz: Long-standing Turkish casual dining chain centered on meatballs and traditional Turkish plates. Comparable to BigChefs in scale, full-service casual positioning, and Turkish consumer base.
- Usta Dönerci: Turkish casual doner chain with company-operated and franchised branches. Comparable to BigChefs on casual-meat positioning, branch economics, and Turkish mass-market customer segment.
- Mado: Turkish heritage brand operating ice-cream parlors alongside full-service restaurants. Comparable to BigChefs for its multi-format brand portfolio and international branch presence.
- Simit Sarayı: Turkish bakery-café chain with significant international franchise footprint across Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. Comparable to BigChefs as a Turkish-origin brand using franchising to internationalize.
- Kahve Dünyası (Coffee World): Turkish-origin café and light-food chain with hundreds of domestic branches and selective international expansion. Closely comparable to BigChefs' multi-brand retail expansion model and Turkish full-service dining playbook.
- Tavuk Dünyası: Turkish chicken-focused casual dining chain with nationwide branches. Comparable to BigChefs as a domestic casual-dining scale player chasing similar customer occasions and price points.
- Baydöner: Turkish casual dining chain specializing in doner and grilled meats, with company-operated and franchised locations across Türkiye. Highly comparable to BigChefs as a domestic, multi-branch casual dining operator with a similar customer occasion set.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BigChefs social profiles
Digital presenceBigChefs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
BigChefs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BigChefs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
BigChefs subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
BigChefs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BigChefs 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 BigChefs
What does BigChefs do?
BigChefs is a multi-brand full-service restaurant chain operator offering Turkish and world cuisine from breakfast through dinner across 136+ locations in Turkey and internationally. The core business encompasses dine-in restaurant operations, franchise operations, delivery services, and a portfolio of sub-brands (NumNum, Buselik, KONT, BIGICE, NumNum Streetfood) and gastronomy education (Academy BigChefs).
Is BigChefs a public or private company?
BigChefs is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was BigChefs founded?
BigChefs was founded in 2007. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is BigChefs based?
BigChefs is headquartered in Istanbul.
How does BigChefs make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Company-Operated Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees and Royalties, delivery and Takeaway Services and multiple Brand Concepts.
Who are BigChefs's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Yum! Brands and McDonald's. Direct peers are TAB Gıda, Köfteci Ramiz, Usta Dönerci, Mado, Simit Sarayı, Kahve Dünyası (Coffee World), Tavuk Dünyası and Baydöner.
Does BigChefs have an API?
No public API is recorded for BigChefs.
What industry is BigChefs in?
BigChefs's product category is Full-Service Restaurant Chain. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAA, Fine Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of THAFABAL, Breakfast & Brunch Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.