Slim Chickens

About Slim Chickens

Boproran Restaurant Group (BRG) owned chicken tenders, wings and sandwiches concept with more than 100 US outlets, plus circa 75 in the UK and one in Kuwait. The company claims to have 800+ units in development, with an average unit volume of £3.4m and sales growth of 35%. Established in 2003, it started franchising in the UK in 2018. In March 2022, the company started trialling the use of fully automated service robots at its Guildford restaurant - programmed to engage with guests, take orders and deliver dishes. If successful, they are set to be rolled out across the BRG estate. It has also partnered with partnered with Bourne Leisure to roll out its Slim Chickens brand in UK holiday parks.

In July 2022, BRG announced plans to be operating 350 Slim Chickens branches in Britain in the next few years. This will include sites in shopping malls, leisure parks, high streets and drive-through locations, as well as food courts at 150 Sainsbury’s stores, which BRG has a brand partnership with. In August 2022, BRG began a new partnership with Tesco with the opening of a Slim Chickens in a Tesco Extra in Redditch.

In October 2022, BRG secured Slim’s first franchise partner in Ireland, with one of Starbucks' longest licensed partners, OCO West End, opening Slim’s 30th site, and first in Ireland, in Belfast that same month. It has started identifying sites in Germany, France and Spain and has also lined up a debut site in Scotland.

In July 2023, BRG opened its first international Slim Chickens concession, in Turkey’s Istanbul airport and said it is looking to expand the brand across Europe, as it seeks partners in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany. In October 2023, Haven managing director Simon Palethorpe said the business would be looking at rolling out more Slim Chickens units as its sites. That same month, Slim Chickens signed up Norwich-based Starbucks franchisee KBeverage to aid its expansion here. BRG signed deals to launch Slim Chickens in Germany and Poland in 2024, alongside a 24-month development pipeline for Slim Chickens in the UK.

In October 2024, Slim Chickens franchisee KK Restaurants opened the brand's first UK drive-thru, and its first outside the States, in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. In February 2025, BRG said it has up to 16 sites in build for its Slim Chickens brand and plans further growth in Europe in the second half of this year, including more transport hub sites after winning a series of airport tenders.

In June 2025, Tom Gordon, co-founder and chief executive of Slim Chickens, told Propel that the opportunities in the UK and Europe for the business are “boundless”. He added: “We started with one test case store in the UK more than six years ago and we now have in excess of 70 - that speaks for itself and we couldn't be happier with the results.”

In September 2025, BRG said it is planning to open 50 new Slim Chickens sites across the UK, Ireland and Europe confirmed for 2026, including three new drive-thrus opening in the first quarter. The following month, BRG said it would be opening its first drive-thru in mainland Britain - a Slim Chickens in Chester. In February 2026, the first Slim Chickens in Ireland opened, beneath Lane7 in Dundrum Town Centre.

In July 2026, BRG partnered with TRG Concessions to open the first UK airport site for Slim Chickens at Heathrow. The opening follows TRGC'’ appointment as BRG’s preferred partner for UK airport openings for at least the next five years and represents the first Slim Chickens site delivered under that expanded relationship, with additional sites already on the horizon. Slim Chicken’s Heathrow menu will feature both breakfast and all-day dining options. Richard Pigott, managing director at Slim Chickens UK, said: “The opening of Slim Chickens at Heathrow Terminal 3 is a huge milestone for the brand as our first airport location in the UK and the third across Europe. We’re excited to be partnering with TRG Franchise to bring the full Slims experience to travellers from around the globe and can’t wait to welcome guests through the doors. This opening also reflects the continued strength of the relationship between TRG Franchise and BRG, building on our existing partnerships across other BRG brands and extending that success into Slim Chickens.”

Why franchise with Slim Chickens

• ✓Slim Chickens offers support in operations, development and construction, training, marketing and finances. In terms of operations, it offers dedicated field support, ongoing business plans, operational reviews and territory development. In terms of development and construction, it offers trade area analysis, site selection, and approval and a full project management system/process. In terms of training, it offers comprehensive franchise and management training, management system programmes and ongoing support. In terms of marketing, it offers pre-opening and grand opening marketing plans, ongoing field marketing support and strong PR. In terms of financial support, It offers financial templates, franchise back-office support, string vendor partners and accounting systems integration. Start-up costs are £450,000, with a minimum total investment of £750,000. Initial franchise fees are £50,000 for five stores and £17,000 per store on grand opening. The ideal partner will have an appetite for multiple units and could be an existing experienced branded F&B franchisee looking to diversify their business, or an investor looking to create their own business with a proven food brand. A Slim Chickens franchisee will sign a development agreement to open five stores within four years within their trade zones.

Investment breakdown