FoodStars

What FoodStars does

Encore Kitchens, operated by Encore Spaces Limited (UK company number 15810949, registered at 20-22 Vestry Street, London), is the UK's largest commercial kitchen operator, running 550+ fully fitted kitchens across 25+ locations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, and serving 300+ brand partners with an estimated reach of 10 million consumers. Its core product is private, keypad-secured delivery-only commercial kitchens pre-equipped with extraction, gas, three-phase power, cold storage, and waste management, marketed on a flat-fee membership licence (no revenue share) with all-inclusive pricing that bundles rent, business rates, utilities, wifi, pest control, and maintenance into one monthly fee ranging from £2,200 in regional cities to £3,250 in Central London. The offering is complemented by Central Production Units (500–6,000 sq ft) for multi-brand operators, short-term Day Rate kitchens (£150–£250/day), a Studio Kitchen for content creators (£125–£750), and warehouse/storage plus a Partnerships & Sampling programme that distributes CPG product samples through the delivery network (e.g., 100,000+ Heinz samples via 35 partners in 2024).

The go-to-market blends direct enterprise field sales (securing multi-site contracts with Wingstop, Popeyes, Burger King, Byron, and Haidilao), a self-serve day-rate booking flow for SMBs and caterers, and account managers who onboard tenants onto Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat. Revenue streams include subscription membership fees, usage-based day and studio hire, recurring storage contracts, and managed-services sampling revenue. Tenant profile spans delivery-first startups (e.g., Bronson's Burgers scaling to eight dark kitchens before opening a physical site), mid-market growth brands (e.g., Matteo's Cucina Italiana expanding to Tottenham, Chiswick, and Balham), established QSR and casual-dining chains, and corporate caterers, with vertical segmentation prioritising multi-brand virtual operators, delivery-first startups, and established restaurant groups. Tech stack consists of standard SaaS integrations (Xero for accounting, GoCardless for direct-debit billing, Re-Leased for property management, Supy.io for inventory) and a Member Hub portal offering supplier discounts; there is no disclosed AI, API, or proprietary software platform beyond a 3D virtual-tour experience.

Name

FoodStars

Legal name

Encore Spaces Limited

Website

https://foodstarsuk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Encore Kitchens is the UK's largest commercial kitchen operator, running 550+ fully fitted delivery-only kitchens across 25+ locations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, serving 300+ food brand partners — from delivery-first startups to enterprise QSR chains — on a flat-fee subscription model with no revenue share.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Kitchen Rental / Dark Kitchen Services

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359)

akta.pro primary industry

Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB), Catering Equipment, Rentals & Setup (Non-decor) (HSACAGAL)

Keywords

• Delivery-only kitchens
• Commercial kitchen rental
• Central production units
• Food delivery infrastructure
• Kitchen-as-a-service

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Kitchen Membership Fees: Monthly membership/license fees for commercial kitchen space rental. Pricing varies by location tier (Greater London, Central London, Regional Cities). Fees are all-inclusive covering rent, business rates, utilities, wifi, pest control, maintenance, and communal cleaning. Minimum commitment of one year.
2. Day Rate Kitchen Rental: Short-term kitchen hire at daily rates. Tiered pricing based on duration: £250/day (1-3 days), £220/day (4-7 days), £175/day (8-14 days), £150/day (15-90 days). Fully equipped commercial kitchens with utilities included.
3. Studio Kitchen Hire: Professional kitchen studio rental for content creation purposes. Hourly, half-day, and full-day hire options at £125/hour, £500/half day, or £750/full day.
4. Storage & Distribution Services: Flexible warehouse and storage space rental (250sqft to 6,000sqft) for food businesses needing storage, distribution, or production facilities. Cold storage and distribution capabilities.
5. Product Sampling: Sampling service placing brand products into delivery orders from restaurant partners. Powered by Encore's network of delivery kitchens across the UK, targeting consumers directly in delivery bags.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Encore Kitchens rents fully fitted, plug-and-play commercial kitchens to food brands for delivery-only operations, charging a single all-inclusive monthly license fee with no revenue share. The company operates 550+ private, keypad-secured kitchens across 25+ UK locations in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, with brands typically onboarded within 2-3 weeks alongside support for multi-platform listing (Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat), compliance, and account management.

Product overview

Encore Kitchens operates as the UK's largest commercial kitchen operator, providing a portfolio of kitchen and workspace rental services to food businesses. The core offering comprises Delivery Kitchens (exclusive-use, fully fitted commercial kitchens for delivery-only operations) and Central Production Units (large-scale industrial production spaces). These are complemented by Day Rate Kitchens (short-term hire without lock-in), a Studio Kitchen for content creation, Storage facilities for inventory and distribution, and a Partnerships & Sampling programme enabling brands to distribute product samples via the delivery network. All services operate on a flexible-licence model with a single all-inclusive flat fee covering rent, business rates, utilities, maintenance, and pest control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Delivery-Only Kitchens (Commercial Kitchens) Fully fitted commercial kitchens available for exclusive rental, designed for delivery-only operations by food brands. Includes private kitchens with keypad locks, plug-and-play infrastructure (gas, extraction, three-phase power, water, wifi), stainless steel workbenches, walk-in fridges and freezers, and 24/7 access. Priced via an all-inclusive monthly license fee across Greater London, Central London, and Regional Cities tiers.
• Central Production Units (CPUs) High-capacity industrial production spaces for multi-brand operators, streamlining prep, consistency and volume across multiple delivery or retail outlets. Built-to-spec for large-scale operators and used to dispatch food to retail or delivery outlets.
• Distribution Centre Last-mile delivery distribution facilities designed for wholesalers and online distributors, located across Central London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds. Available alongside storage and packing support.
• Day Rate Kitchens Fully equipped commercial kitchens available for short-term rental by the day with tiered day rate pricing (£250/day for 1-3 days, £220/day for 4-7 days, £175/day for 8-14 days, £150/day for 15-90 days). Ideal for events, catering contracts, or one-off development projects, with no lock-in period or minimum term.
• Studio Kitchen Professional kitchen studio designed for content creators, available for hourly, half-day and full-day hire. Includes a fully operational domestic kitchen with island, cooker, sink, fridge/freezer, wooden countertops, plus a sound-engineered dining room and podcast studio.
• Storage Warehouse and storage space at flexible sizes (from 100 sq ft to 6,000 sq ft) across central London and other UK locations, designed for inventory, distribution, and production use including cold storage.
• Partnerships & Sampling A product sampling programme powered by the delivery network, enabling food and beverage brands to distribute samples directly into verified customer delivery orders across 300+ restaurant partners, with targeting by cuisine, location, and audience profile.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% lower upfront costs compared to independent fit-out (£30k vs £1m+)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• HeinzflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024UK-wide product sampling campaign placing 100,000+ Heinz samples directly into customer deliveries through 35 delivery partners. Drove trial and repeat orders for participating restaurant brands.
• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary delivery platform partner. Tenants list on Uber Eats to receive delivery orders from the platform's consumer base.
• DeliveroocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary delivery platform partner. Wingstop ranked in top 10 most-loved brands on Deliveroo. Brands operate delivery kitchens exclusively serving Deliveroo orders.
• Just EatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary delivery platform partner for Encore tenant brands, enabling listing and order fulfilment through Just Eat's consumer network.
• Too Good To GominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFood waste reduction app partner. Encore tenants can list unsold food for sale at reduced prices through the Too Good To Go platform.
• FlipdishminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline ordering platform partner for restaurant brands. Enables digital ordering capabilities for Encore tenant businesses.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• REEF Technology: REEF Technology is a US-based ghost kitchen and urban infrastructure operator that has expanded into the UK and Europe. It offers similar delivery-only kitchen rental alongside last-mile delivery and parking-adjacent real estate, representing a well-capitalized incumbent.
• Kitchen United: Kitchen United is a US-based ghost kitchen operator with shared kitchen facilities for delivery-focused restaurant brands. While primarily US-focused, it represents a comparable infrastructure model and potential international competitive threat to Encore's UK leadership.
• Deliveroo Editions: Deliveroo Editions is the dark kitchen venture operated by Deliveroo, one of Encore's primary delivery platform partners. It competes with Encore by offering aggregator-owned kitchen infrastructure, blending distribution advantage with food delivery scale that Encore cannot match.

Direct peers

• CloudKitchens: Founded by Travis Kalanick, CloudKitchens is the most heavily capitalized ghost kitchen operator globally (raised over $850m) and has expanded into the UK. It offers turnkey, multi-platform-enabled commercial kitchens — directly comparable to Encore's core offering but with vastly superior capital backing.
• FoodStars: FoodStars is a UK-based dark kitchen operator offering delivery-only commercial kitchen space to food brands. It is the most direct competitor to Encore Kitchens in the UK market, operating a similar model of fitted, multi-platform-enabled kitchens rented to delivery-first food brands.
• Local Kitchen: Local Kitchen is a UK-based dark kitchen operator providing fitted commercial kitchens to food delivery brands. It operates a comparable rental model to Encore, though typically at smaller scale, and represents a regional alternative for prospective tenants.
• Karma Kitchen: Karma Kitchen is a UK dark kitchen operator providing delivery-only kitchen space to restaurants and virtual food brands. It targets a similar multi-brand, delivery-focused tenant base to Encore with comparable infrastructure and value proposition.
• Xhoba: Xhoba (formerly KBOX) is a UK dark kitchen operator offering shared and private commercial kitchens to delivery-first food brands. It competes head-to-head with Encore across multiple UK cities with a similar plug-and-play kitchen rental model.

Emerging players

• Treehouse: Treehouse is a UK delivery-only kitchen operator focused on serving virtual restaurant brands. While smaller in scale than Encore, it represents an emerging competitor in the same delivery-first kitchen infrastructure category.

Others

• Flipdish: Flipdish is a direct online ordering platform partner of Encore and provides digital ordering infrastructure to restaurant brands. While not a kitchen operator, it is adjacent to Encore's ecosystem and a partner for tenant brands seeking direct ordering alternatives to aggregators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FoodStarsUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/encore-kitchens
• Instagraminstagram.com/encorekitchens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 FoodStars