What Bunsen does

Bunsen is a privately held, founder-owned fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 2013 in Dublin by cousins Tom and Finn (operating under the legal entity Terra Nova). The company operates 11 owned-and-operated locations — 8 in Dublin (Wexford St., Temple Bar, South Anne St., Ranelagh, Dame St., Baggot St., Blanchardstown, Phibsborough), 2 in Belfast (Hill St., Botanic Ave.), and 1 in Cork (French Church St.) — with no franchising. The core product is a focused menu of hand-crafted burgers (Hamburger, Double, Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger) made from Black Aberdeen Angus beef supplied by FX Buckley, minced fresh daily in each restaurant, complemented by hand-cut fries, milkshakes, and a curated alcoholic beverage list. Bunsen also offers a grilled cheese sandwich, gluten-free bun option, a student meal deal, and online gift vouchers in denominations from €20 to €150.

Revenue is generated through dine-in service, online collection orders (via Toast Tab in Cork), third-party delivery through Deliveroo, and gift voucher e-commerce. Unit pricing is transparent: burgers range from €9.65 to €14.75 in Dublin/Cork and £7.95 to £12.95 in Belfast, with fries at €4.45-€5.95, milkshakes at €6.75, and beer/wine at €5-€7.25 per glass. Distribution integrates several third-party platforms — Deliveroo for delivery, Toast Tab for online ordering, Walkup for queue and table booking, Dojo for reservations, and Google Maps for location services. Bunsen carbon-offsets all beef purchased and sources ingredients locally (buns from Baker Derek in Naas, potatoes from John Madden at Smithfield market). The founders continue to work in the business daily, and the company is privately held with no external investors, parent company, or franchisees identified in available data.

Name

Bunsen

Legal name

Terra Nova

Website

https://bunsen.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Bunsen is a privately held, founder-owned fast-casual burger restaurant chain operating 11 owned locations across Dublin, Belfast, and Cork, serving hand-crafted Black Aberdeen Angus beef burgers, fries, and beverages to end consumers via dine-in, collection, and Deliveroo delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-casual burger restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)

Keywords

• Fast casual dining
• Burger restaurant chain
• Handcrafted burgers
• Casual food service
• Restaurant collection delivery

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Sales: Revenue from customers dining at 11 restaurant locations across Dublin, Belfast, and Cork. Walk-in service with optional table booking via Walkup app. Service charge added to tables of 8 or more.
2. Collection/Takeaway: Online ordering for takeaway collection from any restaurant location. Customer places order online and picks up at selected location.
3. Delivery via Deliveroo: Third-party delivery partnership through Deliveroo platform for customer convenience.
4. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers sold online in denominations from €20 to €150, redeemable in Dublin and Cork locations. Belfast vouchers available by phone.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bunsen operates a fast-casual burger restaurant chain serving a focused menu of handcrafted burgers made from Black Aberdeen Angus beef minced fresh daily in each location, alongside hand-cut fries, milkshakes, and alcoholic beverages. The chain operates 11 dine-in locations across Dublin, Belfast, and Cork, supported by online collection ordering, third-party delivery through Deliveroo, and online gift voucher sales.

Product overview

Bunsen is a straight-up burger restaurant chain operating across Ireland and Northern Ireland. The core offering consists of hand-crafted burgers made from Black Aberdeen Angus beef (minced fresh daily in each location), complemented by hand-cut fries, milkshakes, and alcoholic beverages. The restaurant group operates 11 locations in Dublin, Belfast, and Cork. Additional products include gift vouchers, gluten-free bun options, a grilled cheese sandwich for vegetarians, and a student meal deal. Bunsen uses third-party platforms for delivery (Deliveroo), online ordering (Toast Tab), queue management (Walkup), and table reservations (Dojo).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Burgers
• Fries
• Milkshakes
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Gift Vouchers

Quantifiable outcome

• Burgers carbon offset for every burger sold

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FX BuckleycoreOthersPrimary meat supplier providing Black Aberdeen Angus beef sourced from farms in the Irish midlands, none more than 200km away. The patty is minced fresh every morning using a precise ratio of three different forequarter cuts.
• Baker Derek (Naas, Co Kildare)coreOthersArtisan baker producing hamburger buns daily to Bunsen's specifications. The classic American hamburger bun (Amish dinner roll style) is perfected through extensive testing and produced fresh daily.
• John Madden (Smithfield Fruit Market)minorOthersVeteran supplier of potatoes from Smithfield fruit market, providing quality produce for hand-cut fries.
• DeliveroocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partner enabling customer delivery orders. Orders placed via deliveroo.ie/takeaway/bunsen.
• WalkupcoreTechnology or IntegrationTable booking and queue management system. Customers can book tables and check queue position via the app, receive text notifications when table is ready.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Patty & Bun: London-based premium burger restaurant group with a focused menu of hand-crafted burgers. Directly comparable to Bunsen on product category, customer demographic, and limited-service dining model.
• Shake Shack: Premium burger fast-casual chain with London and Dublin locations. Comparable to Bunsen on focused menu, premium sourcing narrative, and elevated casual dining positioning.
• Wowburger: Irish smash-burger chain expanding in Dublin. Comparable to Bunsen on Irish market focus, fast-casual service model, and pricing band, though more value-positioned.
• Five Guys: US-origin premium burger fast-casual chain expanding aggressively across Ireland and the UK. Closest direct competitor to Bunsen in terms of premium ingredients, focused menu, and dine-in positioning.
• Honest Burgers: UK premium burger chain emphasizing British-sourced beef and rosemary chips. Closely comparable to Bunsen on craft positioning, regional sourcing story, and casual dine-in format.
• MEATliquor: UK burger chain serving craft burgers, fries, and milkshakes in a casual setting. Comparable to Bunsen on menu structure, delivery partnerships, and urban diner positioning.
• Byron: UK-based premium burger chain with similar craft burger positioning, freshly prepared patties, and full-service casual dining model. Comparable on target customer and urban neighborhood site strategy.
• Counter Burger: Irish premium burger chain operating in Dublin, directly competing with Bunsen on the same geography and customer base with a similar focused menu and casual dining format.

Broad incumbents

• Smashburger: Larger US-origin fast-casual burger chain with multi-city presence. Comparable on burger category and casual dining model, but operates at materially larger scale than Bunsen.
• McDonald's: Global QSR incumbent dominating the burger category in Ireland and the UK. Defines the lower end of the price-quality spectrum that Bunsen's premium positioning is benchmarked against.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bunsenburgers
• Instagraminstagram.com/bunsen.burgers
• TikToktiktok.com/@bunsen.burgers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bunsenburger

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Bunsen