Eat17 considers launching a franchise model

• Eat17 has seen sales of its new takeout-and-delivered model rise £8,000 a week

• The brand’s chefs have created a new ready-to-go menu including lobster bisque and vegan Thai curries

Eat17 is considering launching a franchise model in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, after saying it regrets not having one in place going into lockdown.

The admission comes as the retail and restaurant business has seen sales of its new takeout-and-delivered model of up to £8,000 a week, having partnered with Snappy Shopper and Deliveroo eight weeks ago.

Co-owner James Brundle branded this performance “relatively successful” following the shutdown of its restaurants situated within its Spar stores in Hackney, Walthamstow, Hammersmith and Bishop’s Stortford.

The team has merged its foodservice and retail businesses in Hackney, with its chefs creating a new range of ready-to-go food for now and food for later: ‘Eat17 homemade’.

The new dishes include chicken and bacon club sandwich, vegan Thai curries and lobster bisque.

In Hammersmith, the business has used its street food vendors to sell food from concession units.

While the restaurant has been closed in Walthamstow, Brundle and his co-owner and step-brother Chris O’Connor took the decision to extend the shop into this area to meet growing demand.

It used the space to stock artisan bakery products, which are made at its Bishop’s Stortford kitchen. The move has seen footfall increase and basket spend rise.

It has also resulted in the retailer supplying other London-based symbol group stores with the bakery goods.

“Maybe this pandemic will mean a new wave of Eat17 franchise startups,” said Brundle. “I would have loved to have had a franchise resource up and running before the lockdown.

“I believe our business model is well-positioned for the new normal, and people will be craving great food and drink within exciting retail concepts as they come out of lockdown. The challenges we are facing force us to be creative and quick to respond and we have seen great ideas come out of this, ideas that also help give back to the community and bring us all closer together.”