Faucet Inn to launch KuPP and Babel restaurants in Scandinavia

Speaking at the Casual Dining Show in London Lesa Kleidon, head of brand at KuPP, said a “small” Babel was opening in Oslo, Norway at the end of March as a way to “test the water”.

She added that there was a site in the pipeline to open KuPP in the region in early 2019.

Faucet Inn launched Nordic-inspired KuPP,​​ an all-day restaurant and cafe with a retail element, in London in 2015. It has since expanded to Exeter, Southampton and a standalone site above John Lewis in Oxford.

The menu ranges from smoked meatball sandwiches to Gravadlax and Smörgåsbords showcasing Scandinavian-inspired produce.   

“We’ve had quite a few conversations with people wanting us to open KuPP in Scandinavia,” said Kleidon.

“What the UK does do really well is provide the consumer with something they feel safe with. A lot of people have a few places where they like to go consistently. It’s quite different in Scandinavia, they don’t do casual dining like we do so I think they find it quite attractive. It’s also a bit more informal, it’s not just a restaurant, but a space you can use in lots of ways at different times of the day.”

KuPP has also exchanged on another site with John Lewis in Leeds, and Kleidon said the flexibility of the concept meant it could open in other stores either as a cafe, restaurant or standalone site.

Faucet Inn founder Steve Cox opened Babel in Clapham Junction as his first hospitality venture in 2000. 

The Faucet Inn group now owns 11 pubs and bars including the Neighbourhood brand, which has sites in London and Southampton.