London-based fried chicken brand Coqfighter has announced ambitious plans to dramatically expand its delivery network across the United Kingdom. The company, which currently operates five physical restaurant locations exclusively within London, aims to scale its delivery presence to more than 100 sites within the next 18 months, a significant leap enabled by a strategic partnership formed in 2024.
Strategic Partnership Fuels Expansion
Founded in 2014 by Deacon Rose, Troy Sawyer, and Tristan Clough, Coqfighter has built a reputation in the capital for its distinctive take on fried chicken, featuring signature fried chicken burgers, Korean-inspired wings, and loaded fries. The brand’s expansion strategy centres on a collaboration with Growth Kitchen, a company specialising in infrastructure solutions designed to facilitate rapid delivery network growth for food brands.
By leveraging Growth Kitchen’s established network and operational infrastructure, Coqfighter is positioned to extend its reach far beyond its existing London footprint. This partnership, initiated earlier in 2024, provides the operational backbone necessary for Coqfighter to enter numerous new markets simultaneously without the need for traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant development in each location.
Targeting Key Regional Markets
The expansion initiative marks Coqfighter’s first major move into regional UK markets. The company has already identified and earmarked 10 specific locations for initial rollout phases. These sites represent diverse geographical areas across England, indicating a strategy to build a nationwide delivery presence.
The 10 new locations already identified include cities and towns such as Oxford, Bolton, Brighton, Brentwood, Huddersfield, Leigh On Sea, Swindon, Worthing, Tunbridge Wells, and Durrington. This targeted approach allows Coqfighter to test demand and establish operational logistics in varied market environments before potentially scaling further within those regions and beyond.
The Delivery-Focused Model
The decision to focus primarily on delivery sites reflects the evolving landscape of the food service industry, particularly the sustained growth in demand for online ordering and home delivery services. By utilising infrastructure specifically designed for delivery operations, often referred to as ‘dark kitchens’ or ‘delivery hubs’, Coqfighter can achieve a much faster and more cost-effective expansion compared to opening full-service restaurants.
This model allows for optimised kitchen layouts and workflows tailored exclusively for fulfilling delivery orders efficiently. It minimises upfront investment in customer-facing spaces and staff, redirecting resources towards kitchen capacity, speed, and ensuring food quality is maintained during transit.
Ambitious Growth Trajectory
The target of reaching 100 delivery sites within 18 months represents an exceptionally rapid growth trajectory for Coqfighter. Moving from five London restaurants to over a hundred delivery locations nationwide requires significant operational coordination, supply chain management, and marketing efforts to build brand awareness in new territories.
The partnership with Growth Kitchen is explicitly designed to mitigate some of these challenges by providing ready-to-operate kitchen spaces and potentially logistical support, allowing Coqfighter to concentrate on its core product and brand consistency across the expanding network. The success of this rapid expansion will be closely watched as an indicator of the effectiveness of delivery-centric growth strategies for established urban food brands venturing into national markets.
Future Outlook
The aggressive expansion plan signals Coqfighter’s intent to become a major player in the UK’s competitive fried chicken and fast-casual delivery sector. Achieving the goal of 100 delivery sites within the specified 18-month timeframe would significantly increase the brand’s national footprint and accessibility to customers outside of London, fundamentally transforming its operational model from a London-centric restaurant group into a nationwide delivery network powered by strategic infrastructure partnerships.
