9.00am-10.00am: Registration

10.00am-10.30am: Lucky Voice: Social entertainment brand Lucky Voice currently offers karaoke-based experiences from six UK sites and one in Dubai. It launched a franchise programme in 2024 to seek partners for prime city locations across the UK, Ireland and the Middle East. Business development manager Nick Jones will discuss franchising in the experiential concept market, how the brand’s franchising journey has progressed so far, where it is looking to grow in the UK, how big a karaoke bar brand can grow here and the rise of ‘sober karaoke’ amongst Generation Z.

10.30am-11.00am: Paris Baguette UK: The South Korean bakery café brand Paris Baguette has more than 4,000 stores globally, the majority of which are franchised. It offers a range of premium dishes, ranging from celebration cakes, bespoke baguette sandwiches, locally roasted coffee, French-inspired pastries, and artisan breads. The brand made its debut here in 2022 and opened its first UK franchise store in the autumn of 2024. The company has ambitious plans to reach 200 locations here by 2036. Chief operating officer, Nico Gaillot, and franchise director, Belinda Remarczyk, discuss how the brand has found the UK market, how its first UK franchise store has fared, how it has built a successful estate overseas, how it is progressing on its growth plans here, what point of difference Paris Baguette offers from other bakery café brands and the opportunity for franchisees. 

11.00am-11.30am: Plan Burrito: Former design engineer Stephen Hopper founded Tex Mex concept Plan Burrito in 2015 after finding himself disappointed at high street Tex-Mex offerings. He has since grown the brand to 13 sites across the UK and has ambitious plans to reach 100 locations within the next three years. With locations in London, Whitburn, Loughborough, Hitchin, Guildford, Leamington Spa, Ramsgate, Shrewsbury, Norwich, Canterbury, Southend and Gillingham, its 2025 pipeline includes stores in Nuneaton, further London locations and Swansea. Hopper discusses his new ethical franchise set up and Plan Burrito’s point of difference from the Tex Mex offerings he felt were lacking something when he founded the business, the type of franchise opportunity available, how he plans to accelerate its growth in the coming years, where in the UK the brand is targeting next, how its plans for international expansion are going and how its franchise sites have performed so far.

11.30am-12.00pm: Urban Baristas: The fastest-growing coffee operator in the UK, was founded in London in 2016 and has since expanded to 18 locations across the capital. Co-founder Huw Wardrope has set ambitious plans, with 12 new stores opening this year and a target of more than 50 by next year. He will discuss how plans are progressing to explore opportunities outside of the capital, the success of its franchise openings so far, how its ‘Aussie coffee culture’ offer is a differentiator in the UK market, whether the business could eventually stretch beyond the M25 into other parts of the UK and whether international growth could be on the cards.

12.00pm-1.00pm: Lunch 

1.00pm-1.30pm: SpudBros Express: Viral food sensation SpudBros has partnered with Taster, an international operator and franchisor of quick-service restaurants across Europe, to launch its bricks-and-mortar format, SpudBros Express, with the goal of bringing the concept to high streets across the UK. With more than 500 million monthly views across its social media channels and a shirt sponsorship deal with Championship club Preston North End, SpudBros is rapidly building a powerful brand presence. Andreas Holmsen Von Stalsberg, COO at Taster, explores the scale of the opportunity for SpudBros Express, the next stages of expansion, Taster’s role in driving growth, and strategies for keeping audiences engaged.

1.30pm-2.00pm: Japes: Chicago-style deep-dish pizza concept Japes opened its first franchise store and first regional location in 2024 and currently has four stores. Co-founder Alex Aleksic has previously said that he is aiming to open more than 50 locations in the UK. Alex will discuss how that growth journey is going, his journey from Serbia to the UK and the challenges he has faced along the way, where Japes plans to go next, how using contacts in his home country has helped keep set-up costs low, and why offering Chicago-style pizzas set them apart from other pizza brands.

2.00pm-2.30pm: Wenzel’s: Family-owned bakery brand Wenzel’s has more than 100 bakery stores in southern England and the Midlands and is set to launch a franchise programme for the first time in its 50-year history, as it looks to expand further across the UK. It also this summer launched a summer menu based around viral food trends and paired it with a free doughnut giveaway for anyone named Greg or Gail. Director Dean Russell discusses what was behind the company’s decision to try franchising after half a century, what it is hoping for from the move, what parts of the UK it is hoping to grow into, how it is competing against brands like Greggs and Gails and what kind of franchisee it is seeking.

2.30pm-3.00pm: Coffee

3.00pm-3.30pm: Fat Phill’s: Dutch smash burger brand Fat Phill’s, which has 19 locations in the Netherlands, launched in the UK in December 2024, with a site in Clapham, south London. It has lined up a second UK site, in Wood Hill, north London, and signed a master franchise agreement for Ireland. The company has previously said it sees a runway to 200 sites in the UK. Natalie Van Der Laan, chief operating officer at Fat Phill’s, will discuss the brand’s plan for growth here, where it sees its next locations being, why it has chosen the UK for its first international market, how the QSR scene differs here from in the Netherlands, and why smash burgers have ‘exploded’ as a concept.

3.30pm-4.00pm: Zocalo: Sweden-based Mexican fast-food restaurant chain Zocalo currently has 18 restaurants across Sweden and Denmark, plus one in Ireland. The company has previously said it has “big ambitions” for UK expansion and is now seeking UK area developers. Founder and chief executive Einar Örn Einarsson will discuss Zocalo’s expansion plans in the UK, growing a Mexican brand in Scandinavia, where it is looking to open next, how the UK F&B market differs from its home markets, the success he has seen with other master franchisees, and what type of partner he is looking for in the UK market.

4.00pm-4.30pm: West Cornwall Pasty: West Cornwall Pasty, which was founded in 1998 and still bakes its products in West Cornwall, enjoys partnerships with other retailers at locations such as motorway services, petrol forecourts and railway stations across the UK including SSP, Moto, MFG and Southern Co-op. It also partners with business including Freemans Event Partners, Leicester Tigers RFC, Waitrose and the Union of Students. Head of operations James Crawford and commercial director Nick Anderson will discuss how a pivot in business model in recent years has worked for the company and its franchisees, what its growth plans now looks like, how its retail partnerships are developing, how the concessions sites work for its franchisees and the benefits of its different variety of locations such as retail stores, travel hubs, sporting venues and education campuses.

4.30pm-5.00pm: Doner Shack: Founded in 2018 by Sanj Sanghera and Laura Bruce, Doner Shack has seen rapid international growth since launching its franchise programme in the US earlier this year, signing over 300 development agreements globally. The brand is also expanding at home, having recently launched its UK franchise programme with a multi-site deal in Glasgow, a significant step in its nationwide growth strategy. Jason Steele, Chief Executive of Doner Shack Americas and Europe, will share the company’s plans for the UK and Europe, including how it is choosing new locations as it shifts focus from shopping centres to high streets. He will also outline how Doner Shack is redefining kebabs – transforming what was once seen as a late-night snack into a quality, everyday option, how it will stand apart from competitors and how the key learnings from its rapid US expansion will help it work towards becoming the world’s leading kebab brand.

5.00pm-5.10pm: Concluding remarks