London sushi brand The Sushi Co, which is led by former large-scale Papa John’s franchisee Raheel Choudhary, is aiming to grow to 30 stores by the end of 2025.
Choudhary co-founded The Sushi Co in 2022 with Sama Varanand Reddy, a former Pizza Hut franchisee operations manager, after selling his own 61-strong Papa John’s franchise to Drake Food Service International the previous year.
The fast-growing The Sushi Co has since expanded to 21 sites – the majority of which are in London, alongside two regional outposts in Essex, in Brentwood and Colchester.
The company is now seeking franchise partners to help it realise its ambition of opening at least nine new stores over the next six months.
Choudhary said: “All of our management team has worked in the industry or have previously been franchisees in the food industry for many years. We really understand what franchisees need from a franchisor, and we have invested in a business model designed to support growth.”
Haran Thushiharan, head of operations at The Sushi Co, added: “We have expanded rapidly since start-up, sharing our love of sushi with the introduction of our live sushi kitchens throughout London and beyond. Over the past few years, we have perfected our fresh, flavoursome sushi made in minutes for customers to enjoy in one of our sit-down restaurants, on the go or delivered at home.
We are now inviting applications from business professionals looking to invest in a proven franchised brand operating in one of the fastest growing sectors in the quick service restaurant industry.”
The Sushi Co has hired franchise consultant Anthony Round, a former head of franchise development at both Domino’s and Pizza Hut, to help with its partner search.
Round, who is also a former business development manager with Papa John’s and director at German Doner Kebab; said applications for both single and multi-unit franchises are being sought. The Sushi Co’s most recent openings were both in London, at 64 Rosslyn Hill in Hampstead and 403 Green Lane in Haringey.
