Walking through central London at lunchtime, the usual stream of office workers moves quickly between offices, stations and restaurants. But increasingly, what they are carrying looks different. Alongside burgers, sandwiches and fried chicken are salad bowls, lean wraps and protein-rich meals, suggesting that speed and convenience no longer necessarily come at the expense of healthier eating.
The UK’s healthy fast-food market remains relatively small, but it is becoming a more visible part of the wider food-to-go landscape as consumers place greater emphasis on nutrition, protein and fresh ingredients. The shift is particularly apparent among younger professionals, many of whom are increasingly engaged with health and fitness trends, creating an opportunity for a new generation of operators built around the idea that eating well should be just as convenient as conventional fast food.
Laying the foundations
The healthy QSR category is still dwarfed by established segments such as burgers, fried chicken and pizza. But its relatively small footprint masks a market that has been developing quickly.
Leon is among the longest-established examples. Founded in 2004 by John Vincent, Henry Dimbleby and Allegra McEvedy, the brand was built around the idea of ‘naturally fast food’, with a menu influenced by Mediterranean-style eating and an emphasis on plants and lean proteins. It helped establish the proposition that fast food could be positioned around health and nutrition rather than indulgence.
However, it has not always been plain sailing for the brand. In 2021 it was acquired by EG Group, before co-founder Vincent bought the business back in 2025. Leon then entered administration as part of a restructuring and exited in May 2026 with 43 restaurants, including 23 franchises.
Leon therefore demonstrates that there is a demand for healthier fast food at scale, but its recent restructuring also highlights the difficulty of translating a London-born proposition into a consistently profitable national estate.
A new generation of specialists
The more recent growth has come from operators with narrower propositions and a stronger focus on premium ingredients, customisation and the overall customer experience.
Atis is one of the clearest examples. Founded in London in 2019 by Eleanor Warder and Phil Honer, the brand has built its proposition around build-your-own salad bowls, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients, and plant-forward food. It has expanded from its original Old Street site to locations across London, including Notting Hill, Canary Wharf, Covent Garden and most recently St James’s.
Farmer J has followed a similar trajectory but with a somewhat broader hot-food proposition. Founded by Jonathan and Ali Recanati, the brand opened its first site in 2016 and built its offer around Fieldtrays and Fieldbowls, allowing customers to select a base and protein and construct a meal around fresh ingredients. Following its recently opened site on the Strand, Farmer J currently has 20 locations.
The business has also attracted significant institutional backing. Beringea provided a further investment as part of a £17.5m growth round in 2025, following its £5.5m investment in 2024. Farmer J’s sales grew by more than 55% and EBITDA doubled during 2024, while five new sites were added following the initial investment. The level of investment provides a further indication that healthy QSR is beginning to attract the capital required to move beyond a small, London-focused niche.
A London market?
The concentration of these businesses in London nevertheless raises questions over how far the model can travel. The concentration of healthy QSR operators in London may be less a reflection of limited ambition than of where the proposition is currently best suited. Atis, Farmer J and The Salad Project have all built their estates exclusively in the capital (Farmer J does also have one site in New York), where high-density office populations, affluent consumers and established food-to-go habits provide a natural customer base. The core demographic also overlaps closely with the 20 to 40-year-old working population, a group more likely to be engaged with health, fitness and wellbeing trends while also spending much of the working week in office-based environments.
The return of office workers following the pandemic has therefore provided a particularly favourable environment for these concepts, with central London once again supplying the concentrated weekday footfall on which many of their models depend. The question is whether that proposition translates as effectively into regional cities.
Rather than following the conventional QSR route of expanding from London into the wider UK, some operators appear to be looking towards international cities with similar characteristics. While Farmer J has expanded into New York, The Salad Project has entered Paris, suggesting that these brands may be skipping regional expansion altogether in favour of markets where the same customer base and demand for health-focused food can be found.
Following the US
There is also early evidence that the flow of healthy fast-casual concepts is beginning to work in the other direction. While the number of US operators entering the UK remains limited, their arrival provides an indication of the potential for the category to develop beyond its current London-focused base.
Chicago-born Rōti Modern Mediterranean made its UK debut in 2026 with three delivery-only kitchens in Kentish Town, Shoreditch and Nine Elms. Founded in 2007, the brand specialises in customisable Mediterranean bowls, salads and wraps and was acquired by Edible Brands in 2025. Its UK launch gives the business an initial London footprint without requiring the capital investment associated with a conventional restaurant estate.
The delivery-first approach is notable. Rather than immediately committing to multiple customer-facing restaurants, Rōti can test demand across several London catchments while keeping its physical footprint relatively light. While it is still early days for US healthy fast-casual brands entering the UK, Rōti’s arrival suggests that the market is beginning to attract international concepts.
Beyond the ‘healthy’ label
There is also a wider group of operators benefiting from the same consumer trends without positioning themselves explicitly as healthy brands. Last year Pret A Manger launched a range of salads called Super Plates that are higher in protein than its traditional offer, in keeping with the current health trend for more protein rich foods, and itsu has built its proposition around fresh ingredients, lighter dishes and cuisines that can naturally accommodate healthier eating.
The opportunity may therefore be broader than the relatively small group of businesses calling themselves healthy QSRs. Protein-rich meals, vegetable-led dishes, fresh ingredients and nutritional transparency are increasingly becoming attributes within mainstream food-to-go rather than defining characteristics of a separate category.
Taken together, the development of operators such as Atis and Farmer J, the continued evolution of Leon, and the arrival of US concepts such as Rōti point to a healthy fast-food market that is becoming more established. The category remains heavily concentrated in London and has yet to demonstrate the nationwide scale of conventional QSR, but the proposition is becoming clearer: consumers increasingly expect food that is fast and convenient without necessarily being indulgent.
Getting in shape: the market’s key players
Leon
Founded: 2004
UK sites: 40
Founded on Soho’s Carnaby Street over two decades ago by John Vincent, Henry Dimbleby and Allegra McEvedy, Leon draws inspiration from the Mediterranean diet to provide ‘health conscious’ fast food. Growth was slow at first, but Leon eventually grew to around 70 sites before it was acquired by EG Group in 2021. That didn’t go so well, and – following a restructuring – the business is now led once again by Vincent, although its estate has been reduced considerably. Recent developments include a drive to improve quality, new menu items and the appointment of former Pret A Manger executive Julio Santoyo as managing director of restaurants.
Farmer J
Founded: 2014
UK sites: 20
Founded by Jonathan and Ali Recanati, Farmer J is known for its customisable ‘fieldtrays’ and ‘fieldbowls’, with bases including brown rice, sesame cabbage, baby spinach and farmer’s grains, alongside chicken, tofu, lamb, steak and salmon. The brand has accelerated expansion over the past few years, recently hitting 20 sites with an opening on the Strand. Farmer J has also recently expanded into the US with a site in New York.
Atis
Founded: 2019
UK sites: 16
Founded by Eleanor Warder and Phil Honer, London-based salad bowl concept Atis recently opened its largest site to date at The Broadway in St James’s, taking over a 3,600sq ft location seating 60 guests. The company, which offers its customisable bowls alongside smoothies and shakes, moved into catering last year with its Atis Catering Feasts offer across selected locations. Most recently, Atis has announced its move into breakfast, initially launching at the St James’s site before rolling out across further locations from September. The menu includes a build-your-own yoghurt bar and a selection of grab-and-go options, with a full estate rollout planned for 2027.
The Salad Project
Founded: 2021
UK sites: 15
The Salad Project was launched by Florian de Chezelles and James Dare and offers a range of customisable salad options, as well as grain and rice bowls. Sitting at the more premium end of the healthy QSR market, the brand opened its most recent location at London Bridge station, marking its first travel hub site. In January, The Salad Project secured £9m in funding, with Active Partners joining as investors to support its European expansion. The brand has since launched its first international location in Paris. Other recent developments include the opening of its first matcha bar at its Notting Hill site. The Salad Project has set a target of reaching 20 sites by 2027.
Tossed
Founded: 2005
UK sites: 11
Founded by Vincent McKevitt in Paddington, Tossed was probably perhaps a bit too early to the healthy QSR party when it launched back in 2005. The brand, which offers a range of salads, toasted wraps, rice and grain bowls, protein bowls and smoothies, was acquired out of administration in 2020 by Neil Sebba and Angelina Harrisson and has developed its estate across central London. In 2025, Tossed signed its first franchise partner, Goldbean Limited, led by Badar Zaman. The partnership forms part of Tossed’s plans to continue its expansion beyond London, with the brand targeting 50 sites nationwide over the next four years.
Urban Greens
Founded: 2019
UK sites: 6
Urban Greens was launched by university friends Rushil Ramjee, Houman Ashrafzadeh and Yannis Drivas near St James’s Park tube station and offers a range of healthy salad bowls, including salmon avocado, beef Saigon, and shrimp habanero. In 2024, the brand opened a flagship site in Kensington, introducing a breakfast offering for the first time. Urban Greens operates across London, with locations including Shoreditch, Canary Wharf, St Paul’s, St James’s Park and London Wall. The brand has also announced plans for a new site on Tottenham Court Road, due to open in October.
Choppaluna
Founded: 2019
UK sites: 2
Established in Berlin by Nikras Agha and Bijan Azadfard, Choppaluna serves healthy salad bowls with customers able to build their own from more than 60 toppings or choose from a ‘chef-curated’ menu. The delivery- and takeaway-focused concept also serves breakfast options, including scrambled egg bowls, filled rolls and smoothies. Backed by Hero Brands, the company behind German Doner Kebab and Island Poké, Choppaluna opened its first UK site in Bloomsbury, London, in 2020, which is now closed. In 2022 Hero Brands announced plans to open a second location in Glasgow; however, the site never materialised. The brand currently operates sites in Wembley and Holborn.
PICK.YOUR.OWN.
Founded: 2024
UK sites: 2
As the name suggests, PICK.YOUR.OWN. offers a grab-and-go menu of made-to-order salads with ingredients including wild sockeye salmon, regeneratively farmed meats, and seasonal British vegetables. Launched at the tail-end of 2024, the City-based grab-and-go concept promises to revolutionise the daily salad. With just two locations – a second opening in Broadgate in March this year – it’s got some way to go yet to achieve this, but the green shoots are there. Last year the brand secured funding from Frontive Group and Cervus Investments, to help fund its expansion and more sites seem likely. The brand also entered the growing breakfast market with its Broadgate site, introducing a build-your-own breakfast offer for its City worker clientele.