What The Pitta!
Family-run UK vegan fast-casual restaurant chain operating five locations across London, Manchester, and Brighton, serving plant-based döner kebabs, gyros, and falafel wraps alongside a growing catering service for events in London and Brighton.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What What The Pitta! does
What The Pitta is a family-run UK vegan fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 2016 by Cem and Roj after they encountered a plant-based döner kebab recipe at Roj's uncle's home in Freiburg, Germany. The company positions itself as the original vegan döner kebab brand in the UK and operates five company-owned locations: Shoreditch/Brick Lane, Camden, and Croydon in London, plus Manchester (Northern Quarter) and Brighton. The legal entity is What The Pitta Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number 10337786).
The core product is a signature döner kebab built on GMO-free spiced soya using a closely held family recipe and handmade flat/pitta bread, supplemented by gyros (vegan döner and wheat-protein chick'n), falafel dishes, sides (fries, onion rings, popcorn chick'n), small mezze plates (hummus, tzatziki, baba ganoush), and desserts (baklava, cheesecakes). The menu is labelled with carbon-footprint data via a Klimato integration. The technology stack is intentionally thin and vendor-dependent: Slerp powers online ordering and catering pre-orders, Magic Stamp handles the digital loyalty programme, and Redbubble distributes branded merchandise. No proprietary software, app, or AI systems are disclosed.
Revenue is generated through three primary streams: (1) direct in-store food sales across five owned locations, (2) catering services for weddings, parties, and corporate events in London and Brighton (with food-truck activity during festival season), and (3) merchandise sales via Redbubble. Customer acquisition relies on earned media (BBC, Channel 4, NME, Metro, Evening Standard), organic and paid social (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok), email and SMS marketing, and retargeting pixels. The customer base is broadly distributed across vegans, vegetarians, health-conscious consumers, corporate event planners, and event hosts, with no enterprise concentration. The company has remained bootstrapped with no external funding rounds disclosed and operates with a lean ~12-person team.
What The Pitta! firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- What The Pitta!
- Legal name
- What The Pitta Ltd
- Website
- https://whatthepitta.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Family-run UK vegan fast-casual restaurant chain operating five locations across London, Manchester, and Brighton, serving plant-based döner kebabs, gyros, and falafel wraps alongside a growing catering service for events in London and Brighton.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
What The Pitta! industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vegan Fast Casual Restaurants
- NAICS
- Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual (THAFABAK)
Keywords
Where What The Pitta! is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
What The Pitta! business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Restaurant Food Sales: Revenue from direct food sales at company-owned restaurant locations. Customers purchase mains (kebab wraps, gyros, falafel dishes), sides, small plates, and desserts in-store or via online ordering.
- Catering Services: Catering for events including weddings, parties, and corporate events in London and Brighton. Offers vegan kebabs, mezze platters, and customisable menus.
- Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise through Redbubble platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Side items priced at £1.50 each |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
What The Pitta! product offering
Product offeringCore offering
What The Pitta! is a UK vegan fast-casual restaurant chain that sells plant-based döner kebabs, gyros, falafel wraps, sides, small plates, desserts, and meal deals across five company-owned locations. Beyond the dine-in/takeaway restaurant business, it offers event catering (mezze platters, kebabs) for weddings, parties, and corporate events in London and Brighton, supported by a Magic Stamp digital loyalty card.
Product overview
What The Pitta is a family-run UK restaurant chain and the self-proclaimed 'Original Vegan Döner Kebab', founded in 2016 and operating across multiple locations (Shoreditch/Brick Lane, Camden, Croydon, Manchester, Brighton). The product portfolio centres on a unified restaurant offering organised into six categories: (1) Mains — the core signature Döner Kebab Wrap, Döner Chipbox/Plate, Döner Gyros, Chick'n Gyros, Falafel Wrap, Falafel & Rice or Fries, Döner & Bulgur or Fries, and Falafel Bowl; (2) Sides — Paprika Fries, Za'atar Fries, Onion Rings, Popcorn Chick'n, Flat Bread, Pitta Bread, and Side Salad; (3) Small Plates — Hummus & Falafel, Hummus, Tzatziki, Mixed Olives, White Bean Salad, and Baba Ganoush; (4) Desserts — Baklava, Lemon Cheesecake, and Caramel Cheese Cake; (5) Meal Deals — the Main + Side + Drink combo; and (6) Services — Catering for events in London and Brighton, and a Digital Loyalty Card via Magic Stamp. All main dishes feature GMO-free spiced soya döner, falafel, or plant-based chick'n alternatives, with carbon footprint data provided via Klimato integration. The company also retails merch via Redbubble.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Döner Kebab Wrap Signature dish featuring GMO-free spiced soya döner pieces in a freshly made bread wrap with mixed salad, hummus, tzatziki, and jalapeño peppers (816 kcal, 37g protein). Sold to dine-in and takeaway customers across all UK restaurant locations.
- Döner Chipbox / Plate Paprika-spiced chips topped with signature vegan döner pieces, mixed salad, hummus, tzatziki, jalapeños, and a sauce of choice (887 kcal, 38g protein). Sold as a main course to dine-in and takeaway customers.
- Döner Gyros Soya pieces marinated in secret spices served in a fluffy pitta with tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, paprika fries, and signature vegan tzatziki with oregano (670 kcal, 24g protein). Sold as a main to dine-in and takeaway customers.
- Chick'n Gyros THIS Isn't Chicken (wheat-protein-based) pieces marinated in secret spices, served in a fluffy pitta with tomato, lettuce, red onions, paprika fries and signature vegan tzatziki. Sold as a main to dine-in and takeaway customers.
- Falafel Wrap Home-made falafel balls seasoned with authentic spices in freshly made bread, with mixed salad, hummus, and jalapeño peppers (870 kcal, 26g protein). Sold as a main to dine-in and takeaway customers.
- Falafel & Rice or Fries Homemade falafel served with fluffy rice or fries and a colourful mixed salad. Sold as a main to dine-in and takeaway customers.
- Döner & Bulgur or Fries Signature döner pieces with homemade Mediterranean spices served with fluffy bulgur or fries and a mixed salad including olives, pickled peppers, hummus, tzatziki and a sauce of choice. Sold as a main.
- Falafel Bowl Mediterranean falafel bowl with homemade falafel balls seasoned with spices and herbs, topped with fresh vegetables, creamy hummus and dressing of choice. Sold as a main to dine-in and takeaway customers.
- Main + Side + Drink (Meal Deal) Combo meal pairing any main dish with a choice of side and drink. Sold as a bundled offering to dine-in and takeaway customers.
- Catering Service Vegan catering service for events in London and Brighton, offering vegan kebabs, mezze platters and other plant-based dishes for weddings, parties, and corporate events. Eco-friendly packaging used. Orders placed via Slerp for Brighton store. Food truck also available for festival appearances during June-July.
- Digital Loyalty Card (Magic Stamp) Digital loyalty card delivered via the Magic Stamp app, allowing customers to collect stamps with each main meal purchase and redeem rewards such as free fries for first-time stampers.
Quantifiable outcome
- First vegan döner kebab brand in the UK
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use What The Pitta!
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
What The Pitta! technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
What The Pitta! partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Magic StampcoreDigital loyalty card partnership via Magic Stamp app. Customers download the app, search for What The Pitta, and collect stamps with each purchase to earn rewards like FREE FRIES with first stamp.
- SlerpcoreOnline ordering platform for catering orders and direct food orders. Used for both online ordering/pickup and catering pre-orders via whatthepitta.slerp.com
- HeinzminorCollaboration with Heinz to create the VFC (Vegetable Fried Chicken) burger, featured on Eat Drink Sleep website.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
What The Pitta! competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- By Chloe: US-origin plant-based fast-casual chain that previously operated in the UK. Comparable as a vegan fast-casual brand with multi-unit retail presence and a D2C restaurant model.
- Neat Burger: UK-based plant-based fast-casual burger chain with multiple London locations and a similar D2C restaurant model. Directly comparable as a vegan/plant-based fast-casual operator competing for the same UK consumer occasion.
- The Vurger Co: London-based plant-based burger brand operating across dine-in, delivery, and grocery. Overlaps with What The Pitta on plant-based fast-casual positioning and UK vegan consumer targeting.
- German Doner Kebab: Multi-national döner kebab chain. Competes in the same core dish category (döner) with broad UK retail presence, though it is not vegan-focused — relevant as the dominant mainstream player WTP challenges within kebabs.
- Temple of Seitan: London-based vegan fried-chicken specialist with dine-in and delivery. Competes for the same plant-based fast-food occasion and vegan-curious customer base as What The Pitta.
Broad incumbents
- Leon Restaurants: Established UK fast-casual chain with a broader Mediterranean-inspired menu including vegan options. Comparable as a scaled UK fast-casual operator serving a similar lunch/dinner occasion with health-conscious positioning.
- Pret a Manger: Large UK/international fast-casual chain with a meaningful vegan menu range. Competes for the same health-conscious, time-pressed UK lunch occasion, though broader and far more scaled.
Regional players
- Rooster Piri Piri: UK high-street quick-service chain. Comparable as a UK multi-location fast-casual operator, though focused on Portuguese grilled chicken rather than plant-based.
Others
- THIS (This Isn't Chicken): UK plant-based meat brand whose products (e.g., THIS Isn't Chicken pieces) are used in WTP menu items. Comparable as an enabling plant-based protein supplier within the same UK vegan ecosystem.
Emerging players
- Herbivorous: UK plant-based food brand offering products via grocery and foodservice. Partially comparable as a UK plant-based brand, though more on the packaged/CPG side than the restaurant side.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
What The Pitta! social profiles
Digital presenceWhat The Pitta! financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
What The Pitta! leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
What The Pitta! funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
What The Pitta! 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 What The Pitta!
What does What The Pitta! do?
What The Pitta! is a UK vegan fast-casual restaurant chain that sells plant-based döner kebabs, gyros, falafel wraps, sides, small plates, desserts, and meal deals across five company-owned locations. Beyond the dine-in/takeaway restaurant business, it offers event catering (mezze platters, kebabs) for weddings, parties, and corporate events in London and Brighton, supported by a Magic Stamp digital loyalty card.
Is What The Pitta! a public or private company?
What The Pitta! is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was What The Pitta! founded?
What The Pitta! was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is What The Pitta! based?
What The Pitta! is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does What The Pitta! make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Restaurant Food Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services and merchandise.
Who are What The Pitta!'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are By Chloe, Neat Burger, The Vurger Co, German Doner Kebab and Temple of Seitan. Broad incumbents are Leon Restaurants and Pret a Manger. Rooster Piri Piri is listed as a regional player. THIS (This Isn't Chicken) is listed as an others. Herbivorous is listed as an emerging player.
Does What The Pitta! have an API?
No public API is recorded for What The Pitta!.
What industry is What The Pitta! in?
What The Pitta!'s product category is Vegan Fast Casual Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAK, Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722515 and its SIC code is 5812.