Arepa

What Arepa does

Arepa & Co (legal entity: The Cornbread House Ltd) is a London-based restaurant group operating since 2008 in the Venezuelan casual-dining category. The company runs four physical locations across the capital — Bethnal Green (flagship), Haggerston, Brixton, and Elephant Park (opened April 2025) — supplemented by a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer e-commerce store (ShopArepa.com) that ships frozen meals and Venezuelan grocery products UK-wide. The menu centres on traditional Venezuelan fare (arepas, corn-based dishes, empanadas) with newer extensions into gym bowls and vegan options to broaden the customer base.

The business is a multi-channel consumer operation. Revenue is generated through dine-in restaurant sales, private event hire (the Bethnal Green flagship accommodates 150+ guests), aggregator-based delivery (Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat), and online retail of frozen and pantry SKUs. The technology stack is standard hospitality and SMB e-commerce tooling — Shopify, online booking platforms, and aggregator APIs — with no disclosed proprietary systems. The company is privately held, with a headcount of 11-50 employees and no public financial disclosures.

The strategic posture is that of a category specialist expanding organically within a single cuisine niche. Geographic expansion is limited to Greater London; the e-commerce channel is the only UK-wide surface. There is no evidence of external funding, M&A activity, franchise model, or AI/ML capability development in the available data.

Name

Arepa

Legal name

The Cornbread House Ltd

Website

https://arepaandco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arepa & Co (The Cornbread House Ltd) is a London-based Venezuelan restaurant group operating four locations and a UK-wide frozen food e-commerce store, serving consumers seeking authentic Venezuelan cuisine since 2008.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: On-site dining at 4 London restaurant locations offering Venezuelan cuisine including arepas, cachapas, small plates, rice bowls, brunch, and cocktails.
2. Frozen Food E-commerce: Online store selling frozen Venezuelan food products (hallacas, tequeños, pastelitos, shredded beef, arepas, Christmas items) for home delivery across the UK.
3. Third-Party Delivery: Orders placed through Deliveroo, UberEats, and JustEat platforms for delivery to customers.
4. Private Event Hire: Venues available for private hire for birthday parties, weddings, corporate events, and celebrations at all restaurant locations.
5. Gift Vouchers: Digital gift vouchers sold in £30, £50, and £100 denominations, redeemable at any restaurant location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arepa & Co operates a Venezuelan restaurant chain with multiple London locations, providing dine-in service, a frozen food e-commerce range shipped nationwide, third-party delivery, gift vouchers, and private event hire for groups and celebrations.

Product overview

Arepa & Co is a Venezuelan restaurant chain operating four locations across London (Bethnal Green, Elephant & Castle, Haggerston, and Brixton). The core offering consists of traditional Venezuelan cuisine including arepas (gluten-free cornbread), cachapas (sweetcorn pancakes), small plates, rice bowls, and gym bowls, served alongside a cocktail bar featuring Venezuelan-inspired drinks. The business extends beyond dine-in service with a frozen food e-shop delivering Venezuelan food products nationwide in the UK, including traditional items like hallacas (Christmas corn parcels), pan de jamón (Christmas ham roll), tequeños (cheese pastries), shredded beef, and arepas. The e-shop also stocks Venezuelan groceries (Harina P.A.N. flour, confectionery, beverages including Venezuelan rums, Polar beer, and Ponche Crema liqueur) and a cultural board game. Additional services include third-party delivery through Deliveroo, UberEats, and JustEat, gift vouchers, and private event hire at all restaurant locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant Dining
• Frozen Food Range
• Private Event Hire
• Gift Vouchers
• Third-Party Delivery

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the online store for frozen food products, gift vouchers, and restaurant merchandise.
• DesignMyNightcoreTechnology or IntegrationBooking widget provider for table reservations and event bookings at all restaurant locations.
• DeliveroocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery partner for restaurant orders.
• UberEatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery partner for restaurant orders.
• JustEatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery partner for restaurant orders.
• UPScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partner for frozen food orders. Next-day delivery service ensuring orders arrive within 24 hours of dispatch.
• Facebook (Meta)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFacebook pixel enabled for advertising and retargeting purposes.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Busaba Eathai: Thai casual dining chain with multiple London locations, delivery partnerships, and private event hire. Directly comparable multi-site ethnic-cuisine casual dining operator.
• Itsu: Japanese-inspired healthy casual dining chain with multiple London sites, a retail/grocery range, and delivery. Comparable multi-channel, multi-site ethnic-cuisine operator with retail extension.
• Pho: Vietnamese restaurant chain operating multiple UK sites focused on a single ethnic cuisine (pho, banh mi, Vietnamese small plates). Closely analogous niche-ethnic multi-site casual dining model.
• Ceviche (Group): Peruvian restaurant group operating Soho and other London sites with a pisco bar, small plates, and delivery. Direct comparable as a London-based Latin American casual dining operator.
• Rosa's Thai Cafe: Thai casual dining chain with multiple London locations and delivery partnerships. Comparable format and scale of multi-site ethnic-cuisine casual dining in London.
• Comptoir Libanais: Lebanese casual dining chain operating multiple UK sites with similar format (small plates, brunch, cocktails, retail range). Comparable as a multi-site ethnic-cuisine group in London.
• Wahaca: Mexican casual dining chain with multiple London locations, cocktail program, and nationwide delivery. Closest direct comparable as a London-based ethnic-cuisine multi-site restaurant group with delivery and event hire.

Emerging players

• Charlie Bigham's: Premium UK frozen ready meal brand sold in supermarkets and online. Comparable frozen prepared-meal DTC and retail channel at scale, with broader menu than Arepa & Co's ethnic range.
• Cook: UK frozen ready meal brand with nationwide retail and online distribution. Comparable frozen ethnic / prepared meal e-commerce and retail channel, though broader cuisine range and more mature distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Leon Restaurants: Established UK fast-casual chain (now part of EG Group) with a grocery/retail product range sold in supermarkets. Comparable as a UK casual dining group with strong retail extension into grocery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arepaandco

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 Arepa