Chopstix Noodle Bar has solidified its position as Europe’s largest Asian inspired Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brand, operating over 150 stores through a combination of franchise and equity sites. In 2024 QSRP, the leading European quick-service restaurant platform, made a strategic investment in the Chopstix business to accelerate growth and innovation for both businesses across the UK and Europe.
Chopstix Noodle Bar, founded in 2001 in London, has continued to thrive by adhering to its core principles of operational simplicity and providing bold Chinese flavours to its legion of loyal customers. The brand’s emphasis on making difficult food easy, along with simplified recipes and carefully developed ingredients, has facilitated scalability. The straightforward food prep requirements and improved cost efficiencies contribute to maintaining a strong gross margin.
Over the past four years the brand has significantly expanded its reach, operating in over 150 locations across the UK and Ireland, and opening its first site in mainland Europe setting Chopstix up for international growth. “The average return on investment (ROI) is impressive, with capital investment ranging from £150k to £300k[SD1], depending on the format, and the brand continues to boast a notable profit conversion. The Chopstix offer is very flexible, stores can operate successfully with 200-300 sq ft of space to 2,000 – 3,000 sq ft.
Flexibility, simple operating processes, and ever-growing national awareness means that Chopstix franchisees are having exceptional success with the brand across the UK and Ireland and with a wide array of formats be it in travel hubs, shopping centres, high street stores or in holiday resorts.
A key USP of the Chopstix proposition is speed and efficiency of service, demonstrated by an average transaction time in-store of under a minute. Chopstix has streamlined this process even further in recent years by investing in technology. Adding click and collect and direct delivery functionality to its app, that has been downloaded over 400,000 times, has helped stores bring in even more revenue.
Fundamental to the Chopstix guest experience, and what makes the brand so unique, is the theatre of service. Chopstix’ overall online reputation score is at an all-time high of 4.76 / 5 stars, based on over 32,000 reviews across 2023 and 2024. This is compared to a combined competitor rating of 3.47 based on 12 months of customer reviews.
The brand’s overarching goal is to become the global brand of choice in the Asian-Inspired QSR sector. This vision extends to multi-brand and multi-unit operators with the necessary infrastructure, food and beverage expertise, and a shared passion for the Chopstix journey. The brand is actively seeking committed franchise partners who can contribute to the expansion plan, with a particular focus on those willing to commit to operating fifteen sites or more.