Cafe Rouge

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

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

• French bistro dining
• Casual dining restaurants
• Afternoon tea service
• Event and party catering
• Gift card sales

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Big Table Group LimitedcoreOthersCafe 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.
• SedexcoreTechnology or IntegrationAll 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTG 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 TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCafe 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.
• NSPCCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCafe 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 FarmingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommitted 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 CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdhering 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 ParcscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFive 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

Broad 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

• Xtwitter.com/caferougetweet
• Facebooken-gb.facebook.com/caferouge.co.uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/cafe_rouge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cafe-rouge

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 Cafe Rouge