Muffin Break

About Muffin Break

Headquartered in Cambridge, Muffin Break is a franchise business of Foodco, which operates small bakery café coffee shops throughout Australia, New Zealand and the UK. It now has more than 420 franchised restaurants worldwide, a. Muffin Break is the sister company of Jamaica Blue, which is also a franchise of Foodco. The Muffin Break concept originated in Canada in the 1970s but was acquired and refined by Foodco. Muffin Break entered the UK market in 2001, with a restaurant in Derby, and now has circa 74 stores over here. Muffin Break made its Northern Ireland debut in March 2023.

In January 2024, Propel revealed that Foodco UK has begun the sale of the majority of its equity stores to its franchisees. Foodco Group chief executive Michael Arbuckle told Propel: “As sites became available to us over the last few years, we took them on in the expectation that franchisees would be interested in them once the post-covid economy had settled down. This enabled us, for example, to open four stores in Northern Ireland in 2023, where previously we had no presence.

“We are now delighted the demand from our franchisees to invest in new Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue stores is such that we are able to franchise all these equity stores. Our franchisees have contributed enormously to increasing revenue by 40% year on year across both of our brands.

“Traditionally, we are positioned in shopping centres and will continue with that site strategy, and we are also now actively looking for more high street locations too.”

In November 2025,

Arbuckle told Propel that FoodCo has the potential to double its UK footprint as it prepared to open its 100th store here, and that Jamaica Blue is “getting good traction” and could outgrow sister brand Muffin Break. Arbuckle told Propel: “Both brands are now fully international and have developed and grown with franchisee investment. Muffin Break is a freshly baked on-site concept, so all the cabinet food is made in the store from scratch. Jamaica Blue also has a full kitchen and but is more contemporary, with a strong made-to-order menu and single origin coffee.

“Jamaica Blue has more ‘hustle’, with a focus on all-day breakfasts and brunch. Both have exciting future growth potential, but Jamaica Blue, because of its unique positioning, is getting greater traction right now, so could outgrow Muffin Break. Provided the return on investment model for franchisees remains solid, we have a number of franchisees willing to expand as landlords recognise our potential.

“We are looking to grow the brands by around 12-15 new stores next year and attract new investment from new franchisee groups. We have a number of multi-store operators who want to continue growing store numbers. I think we can get to 200 stores in the next six to ten years as opportunities in new channels are starting to appear.

“While we are strongly shopping centre based, we are now actively looking at high streets and transport hubs and hospitals, where we already have some stores.”

Store number 100 for FoodCo, a Jamaica Blue in Sutton, south London, is due to open in early 2026. The company also said it will open five new outlets across northern England and Greater London in the first half of 2026 and could expand into Ireland in 2027.

In July 2026, Arbuckle told Propel that FoodCo is “changing tack on store growth” and is in talks for its transport hub debut. He said: “We’ve tended to be opportunity-led for store growth, but we are going to change tack a bit and look to solidify in areas like the Midlands, the south east and Scotland, which have been good for us. We’re negotiating currently with two railway stations, which will be our first transport hub sites. We’re in a golf centre and we’re in a couple of hospitals, so we’re not wedded to our traditional shopping centre model.”

He added: “He said: “With Jamaica Blue, we’re seeing more and more consumers looking to brunch. We fit that market so well and our franchisees have capitalised on that opportunity. Muffin Break just began fitout in Cardiff Bus Interchange. There are markets or channels where one of our brands is more attractive, and some, like Watford, Telford and Maidstone, where we have both Jamaica Blue and Muffin Break. We can move our brands to position ourselves where the need arises.”

Why franchise with Muffin Break

• ✓Current available locations include Blackpool, Bristol, Ilford, Manchester and Woking. Total development costs are £290,000, which include shop fit-out, equipment, general costs, legal fees and a £25,000 franchise fee. Ongoing costs include a franchise fee of 6% of net sales, an advertising fee of 2% of net sales, and an annual management fee of £800 payable after the first year of operation. Other monthly fees are for the online sales portal and POS systems support.
• ✓Support will be received in terms of business planning, training, baking and barista skills, staffing, product presentation and marketing, while Muffin Break will also design each store, manage the construction, supervise the fit-out and equip the store. Previous experience within the food industry is not a necessity, but basic management capabilities are required.
• ✓Experience has demonstrated that a properly operated cafe, with well-managed staff, should turn over a healthy gross profit. Muffin Break has a strong relationship with preferred high street banks, who it can introduce franchisees to. It also has established relationships with suppliers who will deliver directly to stores, with prices negotiated on group buying power.
• ✓At the end of the ten-year franchise term, dependent on the lease terms of the cafe and the franchisee meeting certain requirements, the lease can be renewed. Typically, from signing the franchise to opening the store, will take up to three to four months if a suitable site is available and all legals are in place.
• ✓Muffin Break has developed strong relationships with major retail landlords, allowing it to provide franchisees with highly desirable locations. The company has also established relationships with suppliers who will deliver to store, and prices are negotiated on group buying power.