Which Wich

About Which Wich

US hot customisable sandwich concept which has grown to more than 400 sites globally since being founded in Dallas in 2003. Which Wich first entered the UK market in 2018 with a debut store in London’s Covent Garden. In October 2023, it launched a national franchising campaign and built an experienced advisory board to assist with its growth plans. “We’re looking at 30 locations in the immediate three years, and that is a conservative estimate,” Which Wich UK master franchisee Rami Awada told Propel. “We’re going to be taking the brand national - we have the UK rights, and after successfully adapting the brand to fit the UK market, we’re going to be targeting people throughout the territory.”

With a Lebanese background but hailing from Canada, Awada said he arrived in London five years ago with a desire to get into food franchising and initially targeted London “because a lot of the brands expanding from the Americas into Europe come to the UK first”. He added: “We saw a lot of London being dominated by average grab-and-go offerings - I didn’t see any that offered a high quality customisable hot sandwich that had relevance for all dayparts. In my travels within the US, I became very attracted to Which Wich with its brand personality and strong brand differentiation and was excited by the potential to introduce the brand into the UK market.”

In July 2024, Awada said Which Wich is targeting a launch in Ireland. “Due to our success in the US, we have a very well-oiled franchise system and are now looking to take Ireland by storm,” he said. “Through our Ireland master partner, we are looking to open in key towns and cities across the country. Which Wich has spent years perfecting our craft and that means we’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure the nuances between the Irish and USA markets are consistent with delivering a superior experience for every franchisee that joins the Which Wich family.”

In February 2025, Which Wich said it was set to kickstart its UK expansion with a second London site, in Fleet Street, and its debut Welsh site, in Cardiff’s St David’s shopping centre. The Fleet Street site opened in June 2025, followed by Cardiff later that year. Awada said: “We’re building momentum and this is just the beginning of our national growth journey. The new Fleet Street store marks a major milestone in the brand’s UK expansion and showcases the scalability of its modern, multi-channel business model. The brand is currently in discussions for additional UK locations and welcomes enquiries from prospective franchise partners.”

The following month, Which Wich signed a multi-unit franchise agreement with Breaking Brands, which also holds the UK master franchise for US bar brand Coyote Ugly. In September 2025, Which Wich signed with franchise partners who will help it expand into Scotland.

“Edinburgh and Glasgow have thriving food scenes and strong demand for innovative fast-casual concepts,” said Awada. “Our new partners saw the potential immediately and we’re actively seeking more franchisees who recognise the power of our proven model to drive strong sales and repeat traffic.”

In November 2025, Which Wich told Propel it is aiming to open five new UK sites in 2026. A spokesperson said: “The pipeline is very healthy. We’ve signed multi-unit franchisees in Cardiff, Glasgow and Edinburgh, with additional franchisees to be announced for 2026 and beyond, which may include medium and large company groups, some of which operate in travel hubs and service station models. We estimate three or four new franchised stores, plus one new corporate store opening in 2026.”

In December 2025, Breaking Brands founder Steve Lewis said: “The next two sites will be our first Which Wich sites outside of Wales and will be the second and third quarters, with more to follow. We aim to trade these four sites then decide what’s best for us and Which Wich as a group.”

In May 2026, Wael Osman, Which Wich UK’s marketing manager, told Propel believes the UK market “has the potential to support well in excess of 100 locations nationwide over time”, and that “multiple conversations are taking place on expansion opportunities across several key cities”.

He said: “We have seen significant interest in the brand, with multiple conversations currently taking place regarding expansion opportunities across several key cities. Beyond London and Wales, we continue to see strong potential across major regional cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Edinburgh.

“We still believe reaching 30 UK sites within three years is both realistic and achievable, with a short-term target of reaching ten sites within the next 12-14 months. We believe the long-term opportunity for Which Wich in the UK is substantial. Research within our franchise development materials indicates the premium sandwich category has significant headroom for growth, particularly as consumers continue to seek higher-quality, customisable and convenient food-to-go options.

“Based on comparable premium quick service restaurant brands and wider market analysis, we believe the UK market has the potential to support well in excess of 100 Which Wich locations nationwide over time, across high streets, travel hubs, retail destinations and delivery-led formats. The flexibility of the operating model, combined with growing demand for premium fast-casual food and strong delivery and catering performance, gives us confidence in the long-term scalability of the brand across the UK.”

Which Wich’s second Welsh store, at Cardiff Bus Interchange, opened in June 2026, while the company said its pipeline of openings includes, Birmingham, Bristol, Swansea and Glasgow - the latter for its Scottish debut.

Why franchise with Which Wich

• ✓Awada said: “One of our key strengths is the flexibility of our model – you can operate a Which Wich from as small as 500 to more than 3,000 square feet of store space. You can have it as a fast casual store in the high street, as a cloud kitchen, mall location or even a kiosk. We’re now being invited to tender for airport and rail locations. We’ve developed relationships with the major catering marketplaces in London, and after the potential that we witnessed within the corporate catering world, we opened up our direct catering channels and have grown that business by 300% year-on-year for three years.”
• ✓The business said: “Our stores are as uniquely styled as our concept. Which Wich is strategically positioned in the fast casual sector, the fastest growing segment of the restaurant industry. By design, we have eliminated most of the moving parts in typical restaurants. This proprietary system creates maximum efficiency, thereby controlling costs and improving the bottom line. Part of our brand flexibility includes our “Quick Wich” express display counter with our selected range of hot and cold favourite sandwiches for our “Grab and Go” custom-ers. The highly adaptable Which Wich store design is ideal for a variety of location types.”
• ✓These include urban and suburban locations, travel hubs, colleges and universities, stand alone, endcaps and inline retail, shopping malls, food courts, freestanding kiosk, hospitals and virtual kitchens. The company said it offers an industry leading franchise model, successful operations, affordability to open, purchasing power and dedicated support and tools.
• ✓It offers assistance with operations, marketing, supply chain and sourcing, research and development, real estate, design and construction and training. Average start-up costs are £250,000 and Which Wich is seeking experienced F&B partners, or those with a successful business track record in non-food related industries.