Creams Café

About Creams Café

Creams Café is a UK dessert parlour brand established by Balal Aqil and Adam Mani in 2008, with its first store opening in Southall in 2011. It has grown to more than 100 restaurants, offering a broad dessert menu alongside newer savoury options. The business is majority-owned by Pistachio Holdings and has developed flexible formats for high streets, supermarkets, transport hubs and other busy venues. It opened a franchise training academy in Nottingham in 2022 and has worked with Tesco and Park Garage Group on alternative locations. Recent developments include Creams Direct delivery, the Sweet Rewards loyalty programme and its Froffle toast product. In 2026, Creams announced master franchise agreements for Greece and Cyprus and a separate agreement for the US, with first overseas openings planned rather than confirmed. The group is pursuing further UK growth through cafés, kiosks and pop-ups.

Why franchise with Creams Café

• ✓Choose from full cafés, compact kiosks and grab-and-go pop-ups to suit different trading locations.
• ✓Join a recognised UK dessert brand with more than 100 restaurants reported across its network.
• ✓Access site selection, bespoke store design, equipment, shopfitting and project management support.
• ✓Train through a dedicated academy and receive help with recruitment, marketing and product control.
• ✓Reach customers through dine-in, takeaway, delivery and the brand’s own loyalty and ordering channels.
• ✓Explore new locations in supermarkets, transport hubs, shopping centres and education campuses.

Investment breakdown

Minimum investment	£275,000
Maximum investment	£365,000
Franchise fee	£15,000
Management service fee	6%
Marketing contribution	1-2%
Agreement term	On request

What's expected of a franchisee

Property requirements

Creams Café offers three formats. Standard cafés require high-visibility units of approximately 1,500-2,000 sq ft, serving dine-in, takeaway and delivery customers within a 15-minute radius. Creams Kiosks operate from prominent premises of around 800-1,200 sq ft, while Pop-Ups are grab-and-go outlets for high-footfall settings such as shopping centres and stations. The franchisor supports site selection, store design, fit-out and equipment, but lease and technical requirements are not specified.

Training and support

Creams supports franchise partners from site selection through launch and ongoing operation. Assistance covers location finding, store design, shopfitting, equipment and project management, plus recruitment, training and marketing. The company opened a dedicated training academy in Nottingham in 2022 and offers management training. Continuing support includes product control and business development, although training duration and the frequency of site visits are not disclosed.

Operational requirements

Creams franchisees manage dessert-led outlets offering dine-in, takeaway and delivery by format. Responsibilities include food preparation, staffing, customer service, hygiene, stock control, local marketing and finances. Café and kiosk formats are designed to serve customers within a 15-minute delivery radius; pop-ups focus on grab-and-go trade. Product and operational support is provided, but staffing, hours and supply rules are not specified.

Experience required

Creams welcomes prospective franchise partners, including independent business owners. Applicants should be prepared to manage a customer-facing food business, lead teams and maintain the brand’s product and service standards. It provides management training, recruitment help and ongoing support. The supplied information does not set out mandatory hospitality experience, minimum net worth, liquid capital requirements or owner-operator rules.

Territory availability