The Athenian

About The Athenian

Greek street food restaurant group The Athenian was founded in 2014 by Tim Vasilakis. In 2023, the company partnered with multi-brand kitchen business, Growth Kitchen, and in August 2024, told Propel The Athenian has since opened 70 locations with its partner, taking its estate to 80 in the UK - including six physical locations - which it operates alongside 12 overseas sites in Spain and the Middle East.

“We’ve only been franchising for a year but rolled out a lot in a short period of time,” Vasilakis said. “We have two new openings a week for the rest of the year, so we will have 100 by next year across the UK, with a further 80 here under agreement with Growth Kitchen. The majority of them are delivery-only, although some are store front, and we want to do more of them. In places where we are currently delivery only, like Manchester for example, we want to get a store front as well. Greek food is completely unsaturated outside London, so there is real growth potential. We have good coverage in England but want to get into Northern Ireland, plus the main towns in Scotland and Wales. We’ve started looking at other markets too, and we’re hoping to go into the US.”

In January 2025, Vasilakis said The Athenian had passed 100 physical and dark kitchen locations and would open 100 more in 2025. Vasilakis added: “Our Athenian Owl is soaring higher than ever, reaching more people with our authentic taste of Greece. We’re immensely proud of how far we’ve come in such a short time.

In November 2025, Vasilakis told Propel he believes the then 130-strong business can double the size of its UK estate in the medium term through a mix of delivery kitchens and bricks and mortar sites. He said: “The partnership with Growth Kitchen allows us to move quickly - we can feasibly do two or three a week, and it allows us to try different areas without it being too much of a risk. We operate out of around 120 sites with Growth Kitchen but there’s still plenty of room to grow. I believe we can double in size in the UK in the medium term. We’re looking at Birmingham, Sheffield and then in London places such as Balham, Bermondsey and Canary Wharf.”

Tom Gatz, co-founder of Growth Kitchen, said the aim was to have The Athenian operating out of between 180 and 200 of its sites by the end of 2026. “We’re looking at that those towns and cities with populations of 30,000-plus,” he added. “There’s still some parts of London, plus the Midlands and the north where we’re looking to build a presence with the brand.” Vasilakis said trading in 2025 has been “okay”, although it has been “a struggle at times”.

Why franchise with The Athenian

• ✓Fit-out costs are from £50,000, with expected EBITDA of 20%-30%. Growth Kitchen said franchisees can expect £7,000+ per week from in-person sales, and £10,000+ per week from delivery. They can also expect anywhere between £400,000-600,000 in annual sales from dine-in customers alone. The company said its strong profits are underpinned by world-class training and hands-on support. It offers a high-street ready storefront that drives high footfall and a streamlined menu and efficient kitchen setup.
• ✓It said: “Our little owl has flown since 2014; growing from a humble market stall to a small network of locations in next to no time. From that very first day on the market stall it’s always been about food, the Athenian way. Nothing but the best ingredients, freshly and lovingly made to order right there in front of you, for a big hit of taste and flavour. Souvlaki, gyros and plant-based alternatives. We source everything from our partners in Greece as well as locally, so we know where every single ingredient comes from. No cut corners, no compromises.”