Neds Noodle Bar

What Neds Noodle Bar does

Neds Noodle Bar is a UK-based Thai and pan-Asian fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 1998 by James Breslaw and Roberto Marroni. The core offering is a customizable box system in which customers select a base (egg noodles, rice noodles, udon, steamed rice, or vegetables), a sauce from a proprietary recipe library of nine-plus variants, and a filling (chicken, beef, duck, prawns, squid, tofu, vegetables), priced between £8.95 and £10.95 per box. Supporting menu categories include starters, noodle soups, salads, desserts, and beverages, with all meat certified Halal, all food MSG-free, and gluten-free and vegan options offered at no premium. The company operates five UK locations (Southbank London, Shoreditch London, Oxford Westgate, Southampton, Basildon, and Milton Keynes), with the Shoreditch site operating under the franchise model launched in 2019.

The business operates four primary revenue streams: dine-in, takeaway, home delivery (via direct online ordering, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo), and office catering for events of up to 400 guests. Corporate catering clients include Google, Shell UK, Facebook, Twitter, Sony, Red Bull, JP Morgan, St Thomas's Hospital, and Double Negative Visual. The franchise program carries a £20,000 franchise fee plus royalties, with total startup costs of £122,500 to £238,500, and the company provides six-to-eight weeks of in-house operator training. A retail CPG extension was launched in 2020 via Amazon with Neds Signature Sauces (Green Curry as the lead SKU).

Technology infrastructure is operationally modest: induction cooking hardware at newer sites, Livepepper-powered online ordering, EPOS integration, PayPal payment processing, and Google Analytics. There is no evidence of AI/ML systems, external institutional funding, or subsidiary structures. The company is privately held by its founders under the legal entity Neds Noodle Box Ltd (registered in England and Wales, company number 3942837), headquartered at 3E Belvedere Road, London SE1 7GQ.

Name

Neds Noodle Bar

Legal name

Neds Noodle Box Ltd

Website

https://nedsnoodlebar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Neds Noodle Bar is a privately held UK fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 1998, operating five locations that sell customizable Thai/Asian noodle and rice boxes via dine-in, takeaway, delivery, corporate catering, franchise licensing, and Amazon retail sauce sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual (THAFABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Dietary Catering (Halal, Kosher, Vegan, Allergen-Free, Medical) (THAHAKAK), Restaurant Meal & Prepared Food Delivery (CRAFAFAB)

Keywords

• Fast casual dining
• Thai noodle restaurants
• Office catering services
• Restaurant franchise operations
• Asian meal box delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Sales (Dine-in, Takeaway, Delivery): Core revenue from selling noodle boxes, rice boxes, starters, kids boxes, soups, salads, desserts and drinks across 5 restaurant locations plus online delivery orders.
2. Franchise Fees: One-time franchise fee of £20,000 plus percentage of sales revenue as royalty. Franchisees gain tried and tested products, operational training, and ongoing support.
3. Merchandise and Sauce Sales: Signature sauces sold via Amazon and merchandise. sauces launched including Green Curry Sauce available on Amazon.
4. Office Catering: Corporate catering service for office meetings and events, serving up to 400 guests with dedicated group ordering capabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Neds Noodle Bar operates a chain of Thai-inspired fast casual restaurants in the UK, selling fully customizable noodle boxes, rice boxes, kids' boxes, starters, noodle soups, salads, desserts, drinks and beer and wine. In addition to dine-in service, customers can order online for collection or delivery via the brand's own ordering site, Uber Eats and Deliveroo, and the company offers corporate catering for groups up to 400 guests and a franchise program. All food is prepared in front of customers using induction cooking and is MSG-free, with halal, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options available.

Product overview

Neds Noodle Bar is a Thai/Asian fast-casual restaurant chain operating as a single unified concept with multiple locations. The core product offering is customizable meal boxes (Neds Boxes, Rice Boxes, and Kids Boxes) where customers select a base, sauce, and filling. Supporting offerings include starters, noodle soups, salads, desserts, and beverages. The company also sells retail merchandise and signature sauces through Amazon, offers franchise opportunities, and provides office catering services for large events. All meat is Halal, and the menu includes extensive gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Neds Noodle Boxes
• Neds Rice Boxes

Quantifiable outcome

• Deliveries completed within 30-45 minutes of order
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AmazoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNeds signature sauces are sold via Amazon marketplace, allowing customers to purchase and cook Neds dishes at home. Green Curry Sauce was the first sauce launched on Amazon.
• LivepeppercoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party web developer providing online ordering platform integration. Their secure servers handle customer data and online transactions.
• EPOS CompaniescoreTechnology or IntegrationElectronic point of sale system providers enabling order processing and payment handling across restaurant locations.
• UbercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partner for Oxford location enabling food delivery via Uber Eats platform.
• DeliveroocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partner for Oxford and Milton Keynes locations enabling food delivery via Deliveroo platform.
• Brown StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign practice from North London that designed the Oxford Westgate kiosk (K4), using finishes and colours from other Neds restaurants while moving forward with environmental considerations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• itsu grocery: Itsu's retail/grocery range (soups, noodles, sushi in supermarkets) overlaps directly with Neds' Amazon sauce retail expansion. Both extend restaurant brand into home consumption.

Direct peers

• Wasabi: UK Asian fast-casual chain specializing in sushi, noodles, and bento boxes at value price points. Direct competitor in shopping centers and food courts, with strong takeaway and delivery presence.
• Wok to Walk: European/UK Asian noodle fast-casual franchise chain with customizable stir-fried noodle bowls. Operates with a similar franchise model and customer base to Neds, particularly around takeaway and delivery.
• Chopstix: UK Asian fast-casual noodle chain operating predominantly in shopping centers and food courts — near-identical footprint and customer overlap with Neds' shopping-center strategy.
• Wagamama: UK-based Asian (Japanese-inspired) fast-casual restaurant chain with customizable noodle and rice bowls. Closest direct competitor to Neds in terms of concept, menu format (base + protein + sauce), and target customer.
• Pho: UK Vietnamese noodle fast-casual chain. Comparable customizable noodle/rice bowl concept, similar dine-in + takeaway + delivery mix, and overlapping health-conscious customer base.
• Itsu: UK Asian-inspired healthy fast-casual chain with noodle bowls, sushi, and hot food. Competes directly for health-conscious, MSG-free-seeking urban diners and has a much larger footprint and DTC grocery presence.

Broad incumbents

• Yo! Sushi: UK-headquartered Japanese restaurant chain offering noodles alongside sushi and hot dishes. Larger, broader incumbent with overlapping Asian fast-casual positioning but a more diversified menu and dine-in experience.
• Pret a Manger: UK-based fast-casual chain with strong corporate catering relationships. Overlaps with Neds on the B2B catering side (similar blue-chip client list) and on the grab-and-go lunchtime trade.
• Leon Restaurants: UK healthy fast-casual chain. Competes for the same health-conscious, time-pressed urban lunch customer, though Leon's menu skews Mediterranean rather than Asian. Comparable in size and footprint stage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/NedsNoodleBar
• Facebookfacebook.com/nedsnoodlebar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/neds-noodle-box-holdings-ltd

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Neds Noodle Bar