Byron

Tom Byng opened the first Byron in London in 2007. He had got the idea while living in New York, when he regularly ate at the Silver Top Diner in Providence, Rhode Island, and the plan was to bring that kind of American hamburger to Britain in a sit-down restaurant. Byron grew with the British gourmet burger boom of the 2010s.

The chain changed hands several times, selling to Hutton Collins in 2013 for about £100 million and to Three Hills Capital in 2017, and reached 67 restaurants in 2018. After that it went into administration twice: in 2020, during the pandemic, when it was sold with about 20 sites to Calveton UK, and again in January 2023, which left 12 restaurants. It also drew protests in 2016 after staff were called to a meeting where immigration officers arrested workers.

Today’s menu is built around two patties made from British beef, the signature Byron patty or a wagyu blend for a supplement, which can go into any burger. The house burger is the Byron with Byron cheese, bacon, Byron sauce and relish; the heavier Dirty Smokey adds pulled beef and a pot of gravy for dipping. The chicken is halal, and there are vegetarian and vegan burgers alongside poutine and tater tots.

About a dozen restaurants in Britain, down from 67 at the 2018 peak.

• Holy Cow! (Switzerland, since 2009). The Lausanne gourmet burger chain built on Swiss beef and Swiss cheese. Also built on beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions.
• Burgermeister (Germany, since 2006). The Berlin burger chain that started in an old public toilet under the U-Bahn. Also built on beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions.
• PNY (France, since 2012). Paris New York: flame-grilled burgers of aged grass-fed beef, with a different exclusive burger in every branch. Also built on beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and cheese.
• Sunset Boulevard (Denmark, since 1996). Denmark’s biggest home-grown fast-food chain: a sandwich shop from Odense that became a burger chain with a béarnaise habit. Also built on beef, bacon, crispy onions and cheese.