Cafe Rouge
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Cafe Rouge firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cafe Rouge
- Legal name
- The Big Table Group Limited
- Website
- https://caferouge.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cafe Rouge industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual French Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)
Keywords
Where Cafe Rouge is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Cafe Rouge business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Food and Beverage Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling French-inspired cuisine including breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Revenue is generated through dine-in service at restaurant locations across the UK.
- Gift Cards and Vouchers: Sale of physical gift cards and eGift cards for use at Cafe Rouge restaurants. Gift cards are valid for two years from purchase.
- Private Events and Party Bookings: Revenue from hosting private parties, celebrations, corporate events, and special occasions. Cafe Rouge offers private dining rooms and tailored food and drink packages for events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Afternoon Tea - Brunch, Traditional, or Rouge options |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Set Menu - two or three courses |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lunch Menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kids Breakfast Menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kids Set Menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kids Menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Breakfast Menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Classic Afternoon Tea |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Afternoon Tea for Two |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cafe Rouge product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cafe Rouge operates a chain of Parisian-style bistros across the UK serving French-inspired cuisine for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, alongside children's menus, a value set menu/Prix Fixe, private event hosting, and physical and electronic gift cards. The chain is anchored on classic French dishes such as Steak Frites, Moules Marinieres, and Duck Confit, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and is offered through standalone high-street restaurants, a flagship St Katherine's Docks site, and five exclusive locations inside Center Parcs holiday villages.
Product overview
Cafe Rouge is the UK's original French restaurant chain, founded in 1989 in Richmond, London, and now part of The Big Table Group Limited. It operates Parisian-style bistros across the UK, including six Center Parcs locations and a St Katherine's Docks site in London. The core product portfolio consists of all-day French-inspired dining (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), its signature Afternoon Tea offering (available in Traditional, Rouge, and Brunch formats), a Set Menu and Prix Fixe value menu, party and celebration event hosting with private dining spaces, a children's menu, and gift cards. All offerings are anchored by classic French cuisine including Steak Frites, Moules Marinieres, and Duck Confit, with menus accommodating vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dietary requirements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- All-Day French Dining (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner) French-inspired all-day dining menu serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with classic dishes such as Steak Frites, Moules Marinieres, Duck Confit, Croques, Salads, Baguettes and Brioche French Toast, alongside vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Available at Cafe Rouge restaurants across the UK.
- Afternoon Tea French-style afternoon tea available in three versions: Traditional (croque monsieur, fruit scones, clotted cream, cakes), Rouge (baked camembert, charcuterie meats, macarons), and Brunch (mini pastries, smashed avocado, yoghurt and granola). Priced from £12.50 per person with optional bottomless prosecco upgrades.
- Set Menu & Prix Fixe Pre-fixed multi-course dining options including a Set Menu (two courses from £17.95, third course for £3.50 additional) and an evening Prix Fixe (two courses for £14.49, available from 19:30). Availability varies by restaurant location.
- Parties & Celebrations / Private Events Event hosting services for birthdays, hen/stag parties, baby showers and corporate events, offering private dining spaces, tailored food and drink packages, and a dedicated events team reachable via the Group Sales line.
- Kids' Menu Children's dining menu featuring breakfast dishes (all £5.50 served with a drink) and a children's set menu with two courses for £6.50 or three courses for £8.50, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
- Gift Cards Physical and eGift cards available for purchase in restaurants or online at shop.caferouge.com, valid for two years from point of purchase, with balance and expiry date checkable online via showmybalance.com.
Companies that use Cafe Rouge
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cafe Rouge technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cafe Rouge partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Big Table Group LimitedcoreCafe Rouge is owned and operated by The Big Table Group Limited, one of the leading independent restaurant companies in the UK. Big Table Group is a parent business to three main operating companies: Las Iguanas, Bella Italia, and Cafe Rouge, with around 150 locations serving millions of meals annually.
- SedexcoreAll first-tier suppliers are required to be Sedex members and provide due diligence on ethical trading including self-assessment and third-party audits. Big Table Group is also a Sedex member allowing access to supplier audit information and corrective action reports.
- Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)minorBTG requires suppliers to comply with ETI Base Code drawn from UN and ILO standards. Policy covers 14 key principles including prohibition of slavery and human trafficking, safe working conditions, and payment of fair wage.
- The Prince's TrustcoreCafe Rouge is the official restaurant partner of The Prince's Trust. Every coffee sold makes a donation to the Prince's Trust. They work together to place young people in roles within Cafe Rouge and sister companies within The Big Table Group.
- NSPCCcoreCafe Rouge is proud to be an official partner of NSPCC, supporting their fight against child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands. Made a pledge to raise £100,000 to help children who've been abused rebuild their lives.
- Compassion in World FarmingminorCommitted to good animal welfare and working with Compassion in World Farming to ensure higher animal welfare and ethical sourcing is done in an open and honest way.
- Farm Animal Welfare CommitteeminorAdhering to the 'Five Freedoms' principle proposed by the Farm Animal Welfare Committee. Collaborating with suppliers to ensure 100% of eggs used in secondary ingredients are free range by 2022.
- Center ParcscoreFive Cafe Rouge locations operate exclusively within Center Parcs holiday villages (Elveden, Longleat, Sherwood Forest, Whinfell, Woburn Forest). These restaurants are reserved exclusively for Center Parcs guests.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cafe Rouge competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Nando's: Major UK casual dining operator with hundreds of locations. While Portuguese-themed, it competes with Cafe Rouge for the same mid-market family and casual dining occasions at similar price points.
- Wagamama: Pan-Asian casual dining chain operating at similar price points to Cafe Rouge with comparable all-day service. Competes for the same urban, family, and group dining occasions across UK high streets.
- Prezzo: UK-wide Italian casual dining chain with similar menu engineering (set menus, kids menus, party bookings) and price tier to Cafe Rouge. Direct competition for the same family and casual dining occasions, despite cuisine category difference.
- Pizza Express: Large established UK casual dining chain with comparable price points and high-street/restaurant-park footprint. While Italian rather than French cuisine, competes for the same casual-dining occasions and family visits.
Emerging players
- Franco Manca: Growing UK sourdough pizza chain with similar casual full-service format and comparable price tier. Represents the kind of newer, format-disrupting competitor that pressures traditional mid-market casual dining brands like Cafe Rouge.
Direct peers
- Bella Italia: Sister brand under The Big Table Group, operating Italian casual dining restaurants across the UK at comparable price points and format. Same parent scale, same operating model, and similar high-street real estate footprint as Cafe Rouge.
- Las Iguanas: Another sister brand under The Big Table Group, offering Latin American-inspired casual full-service dining across the UK. Shares BTG's centralized procurement, HR, and supply chain infrastructure with Cafe Rouge.
- Brasserie Blanc: UK French brasserie chain founded by chef Raymond Blanc, operating full-service French restaurants with comparable menus, pricing tiers, and dining occasions to Cafe Rouge.
- Bistrot Pierre: Independent UK French bistro chain offering authentic French cuisine at accessible price points. Directly competes with Cafe Rouge on value-positioned French dining and similar mid-market price tier.
- Côte Brasserie: The most direct French bistro competitor in the UK, with ~90 restaurants serving classic French dishes in a comparable all-day dining format. Closest substitute for Cafe Rouge's positioning, price point (£12-£20 mains), and target customer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cafe Rouge social profiles
Digital presenceCafe Rouge financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cafe Rouge leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Cafe Rouge funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cafe Rouge 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 Cafe Rouge
What does Cafe Rouge do?
Cafe Rouge operates a chain of Parisian-style bistros across the UK serving French-inspired cuisine for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, alongside children's menus, a value set menu/Prix Fixe, private event hosting, and physical and electronic gift cards. The chain is anchored on classic French dishes such as Steak Frites, Moules Marinieres, and Duck Confit, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and is offered through standalone high-street restaurants, a flagship St Katherine's Docks site, and five exclusive locations inside Center Parcs holiday villages.
Is Cafe Rouge a public or private company?
Cafe Rouge is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Cafe Rouge founded?
Cafe Rouge was founded in 1989. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Cafe Rouge based?
Cafe Rouge is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cafe Rouge make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are gift Cards and Vouchers and private Events and Party Bookings.
Who are Cafe Rouge's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Nando's, Wagamama, Prezzo and Pizza Express. Franco Manca is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Bella Italia, Las Iguanas, Brasserie Blanc, Bistrot Pierre and Côte Brasserie.
Does Cafe Rouge have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cafe Rouge.
What industry is Cafe Rouge in?
Cafe Rouge's product category is Casual French Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAJ, All-Day Dining Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.