Gourmet Burger Kitchen

Gourmet Burger Kitchen opened in Battersea, south London, in 2001. It was started by three New Zealanders, Adam Wills, Greg Driscoll and Brandon Allen, with the New Zealand-born chef Peter Gordon shaping the menu, and it is credited with bringing the idea of a “gourmet burger” to London a decade before the city’s burger boom. A light Kiwi theme still runs through the restaurants, most obviously in the Kiwiburger.

The chain changed hands several times as it grew. Clapham House bought it in 2005 and took it to 53 restaurants; Capricorn Ventures, the company behind Nando’s in Britain, paid £30 million for it in 2010; and South Africa’s Famous Brands bought it in 2016 for US$143.3 million. Losses followed, and in October 2020 GBK went through administration and was bought by Ranjit Singh Boparan, with 26 restaurants closed. It now runs a much smaller estate from Birmingham.

Around ten restaurants after the 2020 restructuring, run from Birmingham by the Boparan Restaurant Group.

• MEATliquor (United Kingdom, since 2012). A burger van turned into a dark, loud London bar famous for the Dead Hippie. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Patty & Bun (United Kingdom, since 2012). The London burger joint that names its burgers after TV characters and soul singers. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Quick (Belgium, since 1971). The Belgian burger chain that took on McDonald’s across the French-speaking world. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Honest Burgers (United Kingdom, since 2009). The London burger chain that comes with rosemary salted chips. Also built on beef and cheese.