The Sushi Co

About The Sushi Co

London sushi brand The Sushi Co was founded in 2022 by former large-scale Papa John’s franchisee Raheel Choudhary with Sama Varanand Reddy, a former Pizza Hut franchisee operations manager, after selling his own 61-strong Papa John’s franchise to Drake Food Service International the previous year. The fast-growing company has expanded to 35 sites by the summer of 2026, with plans to reach 100 sites by 2030.

Choudhary said: “All of our management team has worked in the industry or have previously been franchisees in the food industry for many years. We really understand what franchisees need from a franchisor, and we have invested in a business model designed to support growth.”

Haran Thushiharan, head of operations at The Sushi Co, added: “We have expanded rapidly since start-up, sharing our love of sushi with the introduction of our live sushi kitchens throughout London and beyond. Over the past few years, we have perfected our fresh, flavoursome sushi made in minutes for customers to enjoy in one of our sit-down restaurants, on the go or delivered at home. We are now inviting applications from business professionals looking to invest in a proven franchised brand operating in one of the fastest growing sectors in the quick service restaurant industry.”

In July 2025, the company secured a site in Cambridge as it looks to ramp up its regional expansion. That same month, the Sushi Co franchisee Sunny Rahim said he is planning to grow his London estate with up to three more openings this year. Rahim already operates four of the brand’s sites in the capital - in Waterloo, Victoria, Notting Hill and Holborn. He was previously an operations manager at Papa John’s under Choudhary.

In August 2025, Choudhary told Propel he is aiming for ten new sites a year but will do so much more when its first out-of-company franchisees come on board. “Our internal target is ten new company stores a year, and when we get some new franchisees on board, we will see further acceleration of that,” Choudhary said. “We eventually see a one-to-three ratio of company to franchise stores, and we could even dilute some of the equity stores. We have Walthamstow, Basildon, Sidcup, Worthing, Redhill, Hendon, Cambridge, Dalston and Islington all confirmed - so we’ll pass 30 sites this year and should be on 40 by the end of next year - and that’s just ones we’re opening as a company.

“We’ve had enquiries from further afield in the UK, and even Dubai and Saudi Arabia. But we want to cover the white space in London and the south east first, and then slowly move north - we’re careful with our geography being such a young business, we need to grow our structure first. The overseas interest is exciting, but we need to make sure we have a solid proposition in the UK first.”

In November 2025, The Sushi Co opened its first dual concept site with sister brand Smashio, a smash burger business, in Basildon. Franchisee Saikumar Nunna said: “Smashio is owned by some of the same management team as The Sushi Co, so it made sense to create a single outlet, where the space is shared. Team members have been trained so they can move between brands to look after customers depending on demand. Bringing two quite different concepts together under one roof means we have every chance to grow our customer base.”

The following month, head of operations Haran Thushiharan said there is the potential to grow Smashio alongside The Sushi Co. He said: “We are looking forward to seeing the reaction from our first branded store at Basildon, and we'll be monitoring the success of that very closely, but we are hopeful that we will be able to open future dual branded locations.

“Our focus is primarily on the Sushi Co brand, but where we see opportunities, we will always be looking out for them for Smashio because we believe there is good growth potential in building a recognisable smash burger brand in the UK. There are clearly operational efficiencies and benefits of having dual-branded sites, but we think the two are a good combination because, still, for a lot of people, they haven’t necessarily eaten out in sushi restaurants before.

“So, it is almost like we’re using Smashio as a gateway into The Sushi Co brand. In some areas of the UK where sushi is still seen as a novelty, Smashio could well be their way into The Sushi Co, or sushi for the first time.”

In January 2026, The Sushi Co opened its first dark kitchen, in Manchester, and in August 2026, it expanded further into the north west with an opening in Liverpool for its 36th site overall - with further expansion in the region being eyed.

Head of operations Haran Somasekaram Thushiharan said: “This opening marks an exciting new chapter for us. Our partnership with Junaid and Pradeep is about much more than one store in Liverpool. Together, we have ambitious plans, and we look forward to bringing many more The Sushi Co stores to the north.”

Why franchise with The Sushi Co

• ✓Average start-up cost is £170,000 to £200,000 plus VAT, with a minimum personal contribution of £100,000. The company is looking for multi-site and individual operators and is open to discussions with experienced operators regarding international openings. It offers competitive fees, a low initial franchise fee, a fully tested business model, strong cashflows, industry leading ROI, full training and support, national marketing and turnkey opening of stores.
• ✓The company said: “From investment in technology to the provision for site sourcing, store fit out, training, turn-key opening of stores and marketing, all the correct building blocks have been put in place to enable franchisees to maximise potential in this growing market. We are a people-first business.
• ✓“As we continue to increase the number of live sushi kitchens on high streets around the country through franchising, we are looking for the right type of people to join our journey and realise the potential of giving all the sushi lovers out there a different option when it comes to satisfying their sushi craving. Full guidance, support and training are all on the menu from our leadership team who have many years of experience in franchising. “