Oche

About Oche

Based in Norway, Oche is a new interactive, darts-based competitive socialising concept which launched in the UK in July 2022. The business, which is led by former president at TopGolf international Troy Warfield, launched in Oslo in 2019 before expanding to Brisbane and in 2020 to Amsterdam, and opened in Miami last year. It is also planning to launch in Edinburgh’s George Street. The food menu will be inspired by modern European and Asian cooking, and there will be a diverse list of cocktails. The concept is often referred to as ‘gastro gaming’ due to the “importance that the food has on the overall experience”. Warfield said: “Oche combines our technologically advanced gaming experience with exceptional curated dishes from Michelin-trained chefs, inspired by cuisines around the world, perfectly paired with uniquely distinctive cocktails, craft beer and wine. It’s not about the game, it’s about the experience.” Karbon Invest, majority owned by Norwegian IT-investor Jens Rugseth and his family, owns 50% of Oche and last year said it planned to invest more than $35m in the concept during the next three to five years to realise the growth potential of the brand and the international expansion. Oche, which has subsidiaries in the USA, Australia and the US, plans to open six to ten new sites across the globe over the next 12 months. The same month that it launched in the UK, umbrella company The Social Gaming Group (SGG) was set up with the ambition to become “a world leader within the new space of hospitality; competitive socialising and gastro-gaming”. Chief executive, Trond Bastiansen, said: “Because we are a tech company entering hospitality, our ambitions are to be a world leader within the new space of hospitality, competitive socialising and gastro-gaming.” It also launched new shuffleboard concept, Shufl, in Oslo. It is seeking franchise partners to accelerate its expansion plans. In October 2022, Warfield told Propel that SGG was eyeing UK expansion and aiming to double its global footprint next year before growing to up to 100 bars worldwide. Since then, it has opened the first Oche and Shufl under one roof, in Melbourne, and opened Oches in Singapore and Dubai. It is also set to launch in Iceland in 2024.

Why franchise with Oche

• ✓The concept has delivered high profitability margins when allowed to operate “normally” despite the pandemic. Chief executive, Troy Warfield, said: “Oche has global appeal. The Oche proposition, combined with the support of Karbon Invest, will prove vital elements in the global expansion of the brand. I believe Oche is perfectly placed to help lift existing hospitality venues and to significantly increase their revenue and returns as the world emerges from the global pandemic. We look forward to inviting franchise partners from across the globe to help build the Oche brand.” Describing itself as a “tech company in the hospitality space, with a wealth of experience in global expansion and franchising, backed by strong funding, with ambitious international expansions plan for both own venues and franchised”, Oche is a proven concept and profitable business model in a growing space merging entertainment with food and beverage.
• ✓ROI and bottom-line can be significantly better than traditional food and beverage concepts, due to additional revenue stream with lower cost of goods sold (COGS). Award-winning chefs and bartenders lead its training program, complemented by extensive online learning and an operations manual, plus a pre-opening team who will come on-site and assist with training. As a tech heavy company, Oche delivers a comprehensive venue management system, round-the-clock tech support and a sales and marketing toolkit to increase revenue and customer satisfaction. Area development franchise opportunities and multi-unit franchise opportunities are available, with primary focus markets being the US, UK & Ireland, Middle East and Asia. Oche is seeking multi-unit/area developers with experience in the casual dining, bar, fast casual and entertainment industries, while investors and private equity firms seeking profitable investments are also welcome. They must have the capital to invest (5+ units) in territory and fit the Oche values and culture of ambitious growth.