Itsu
British chain of East Asian-inspired restaurants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
itsu (いつ/itsu is Japanese for when) is a British chain of East Asian-inspired fast food shops and restaurants and a grocery company.[3] The company offers franchises.[4]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast casual restaurant |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Julian Metcalfe |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
Number of locations | 77[1] |
Key people | Clive Schlee |
| Products | Food |
Number of employees | 852 (2020)[2] |
| Website | www |
History
The chain was founded by Julian Metcalfe, co-founder of sandwich chain Pret a Manger, in partnership with Clive Schlee.[5]
In 2006, following the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, traces of the deadly isotope Polonium-210 were found at the Piccadilly branch of Itsu in London, where Litvinenko had dined on the day he was poisoned.[6][7]
Outlets and expansion
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The first itsu restaurant opened in Chelsea, London in 1997. In September 2013, itsu opened its first restaurant outside London, in Oxford.[8]
In January 2016, itsu opened its first Northern England restaurant, in Spinningfields, central Manchester.[9] The chain later opened a branch in Leeds.
As of 2022[update] itsu had 76 restaurants in England, including 54 in London (44 in February 2023), and one in Brussels Airport, Belgium.[10]
In June 2018, the company opened a branch in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, US.[11] In February 2023 itsu's Web site listed Brussels and Paris as the only non-UK locations; the US Web page was dead.
itsu [grocery]
In March 2012, Metcalfe's Food Company, run by Robert Jakobi, launched the itsu brand into retail[12] under the name itsu [grocery].
Partnerships
In January 2014, itsu became the official partner of the Volleyball England Beach Tour,[13] but was not listed on the UKBT Web site as of 2021.[14]
Operations and management
Itsu operates a mix of company-owned and franchised restaurants, with around 80 UK sites reported in 2024 and plans announced to double the estate over time.[15] International locations include Brussels Airport and Paris run with franchise partners.[16][17] The group uses digital ordering kiosks and has trialled greater automation, re-introducing additional staffed tills in 2025 to balance throughput and service.[18][19]