Group co-founder Tom Barton tells Restaurant that Honest Smash + Grab’s debut site, which took over Honest Burgers’ Liverpool Street site, has ‘got off to a flying start’ having opened in December, and plans are now being made for further locations.
“We’re looking at sites at the moment and hoping to open two to three flagship sites in the capital this year,” he says.
“We want to solidify the brand and show customers what we can do in the QSR space.”
Plans for the new Smash + Grab QSR brand were fuelled by the success of Honest Burgers' lighter and lower priced smashed burger.
Its launch last year followed a crowdfund in 2023 that saw the group raise nearly £3m to support the development of the concept, which Barton and fellow Honest co-founder Phillip Eeles have previously said will ‘challenge the big guys’ in the QSR space.
“For us this [first site] was a real operational and customer engagement test, and we’re really happy about how the brand has been received,” continues Barton.
“QSR is a totally different ballgame to casual dining. And it’s exciting because we see Smash + Grab as a concept that could open new doors for us that Honest Burgers would struggle to do so in its classic format.
“We’ve still got to iron out how the concept takes shape from here, but operationally it’s been a huge win, and customers seem to really like it.”
Honest breakfast
The Honest Smash + Grab menu centres on a range of smash burgers, loaded chips, chicken tenders and milkshakes.
Both the loaded chips and the milkshakes are new products developed specifically for the Smash + Grab brand, with Barton saying further new additions to the menu are currently being worked on including a breakfast menu and dessert options.
The Honest breakfast menu is expected to feature a range of muffins with options including eggs, bacon and sausage patties.
“We’re dipping our toes in a few areas where perhaps we’ve been a bit slow to jump on board with,” says Barton.
“And we’re looking at whether things that work art Smash + Grab could work at Honest Burgers and vice versa.
“We’re very fortunate to have two concepts under our brand that are very complementary to each other. The same level of care and quality on the ingredient side goes into both.”
Honest Burgers launched in 2011 and now operates 39 restaurants across England and Wales under its core brand alongside its Smash + Grab site.
Last month it was announced that former Jamie Oliver Group chief executive Kevin Styles had joined Honest Burgers as CEO to help steer the group towards its target of quadrupling the size of the business by 2030.
A full interview with Barton will on Restaurant’s Weekender newsletter this weekend. To subscribe, click here.
