And its founder Daniel Spinath has outlined his global plans for the next few years.
The rapidly expanding CrepeAffaire Group has announced ambitious plans to open 50 new franchised stores during the next three years. The quick service restaurant group, which currently has outlets in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, operate a total of 25 businesses worldwide.
Founded 17 years ago, CrepeAffaire specialise in crêpes, coffees, juices, waffles, milkshakes and pancakes, while offering a takeaway and delivery service. And according to founder Daniel Spinath, the company is on track to open 10 new franchised sites in the UK by the end of 2022. They also expect to add 10 more international outlets to their portfolio by next autumn.
The company has its headquarters in London, and Spinath said: “We’re excited about our growth prospects with existing and new partners. The recent re-opening of our London Luton Airport store, with The Restaurant Group, is only the start of a string of new partnerships. This month we will open our first unit in Oxford Summertown, which will happen in conjunction with a major new hotel development.
“Meanwhile, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, our Saudi partners Fawaz Al Hokair have successfully opened five new CrepeAffaire units during the last 12 months. And we are also on track to open an additional eight units in the region by the autumn of 2022. We are thrilled to be receiving huge levels of interest and are now working on exciting new projects in Europe and other territories. This includes the roll-out of our low footprint and low capex (capital expenditure) brand Crepe & Roll.“
Asked to describe his brand’s market identity, Spinath explains: “Our sweet and savoury crepe menu is highly relevant and versatile. We offer wholesome meal and snack options that includes vegan choices. Combined with our top-notch coffees and juices, we have a brand that appeals to an ever-growing fan base of people aged between eight and 88. And we are open for breakfast, lunch and into the evening.”
CrepeAffaire‘s formats range from traditional café locations to kiosks and food trucks, with Spinath adding: “Our packaging solutions are perfectly positioned to take advantage of the ever-expanding delivery markets. This gives us a wide client reach at low incremental investment.”
And he stressed that The Group’s franchise expansion in the UK is a key priority: “In a crowded market, we’ve built a solid reputation as a unique concept with huge family appeal. Our units are easy to operate and lend themselves to multi-channel exploitation, including e-commerce. On the whole, there’s plenty of scope for growth and we’ve earmarked numerous locations for prime franchise operations.”
For those interested in taking on a franchise with CrepeAffaire, Spinath is keen to point out that the brand offers a wide flexibility of formats, with lower than normal overheads and the opportunity to select a top-class site.
He remarked: “Because of London’s extreme real estate costs, CrepeAffaire quickly discovered the importance of space utilisation with our early locations. Our systems avoid the costs, as well as space requirements, required to fit full kitchens and complicated hood ventilation systems. Moreover, our new Crepe & Roll brand requires no water or drainage connections whatsoever. This makes it a highly attractive concept in high footfall locations where space comes at a premium.”
As for becoming a business partner at one of their international sites, most overseas markets have no branded chains that focus solely on crepes. Therefore Spinath adds: “We see this as an opportunity to become the leading crepe concept to fill this gap.”
About: CrepeAffaire is the leading European fast casual crepe concept. It is present in malls, retail travel centres and high street locations, with operations in the UK, Netherlands, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Its menu includes a variety of sweet and savoury crepes, waffles, coffees and juices, which are available throughout the day. In 2017, the company launched fully gluten-free and vegan options, and is currently rolling out its ‘grab and go concept’ titled Crepe & Roll.
