This is the 84-seater, Fulham Palace Road flagship store of Roosters Piri Piri, part of the street food-inspired fast casual behemoth, currently taking the UK by storm.
Serving a range of freshly grilled Piri Piri chicken, gourmet burgers, Lebanese and Mexican-inspired pittas, satay skewers and handmade salads, accompanied by Aviko’s new premium Superlong Fries, the chain has set its stall out on a remit of what it calls ‘changing fast food for good’.
With a current estate of 28 franchised sites, and growing fast, (growth is forecast to reach 100 sites by 2013) the spirit of the ethical entrepreneur, instilled by owner and CEO Khalid Mirza is evident in every part of the operation.
“I have two main business philosophies,” says Khalid, sitting in the restaurant talking as the bustling lunchtime trade comes and goes. “Treat everybody the way you want to be treated, and don’t sell what you don’t want to eat.”
Khalid, not only expects this type of attitude to exude from his staff, he also demands the same shared principles from his suppliers, which is why he chose to work with Aviko.
“There are three key reasons we chose Aviko. The people, of course, make the company and the team have always been incredibly supportive – we have a great relationship,” said Khalid. “Secondly Aviko always delivers on its promises – they are proactive as opposed to reactive, which is very important to us. Lastly, and most importantly, is quality. To my mind, they are the best in the UK. Their Superlong Fries are a great product and have been proving incredibly popular with our customers.”
Matthew Barratt is the manager at Roosters Fulham Palace Road, having left a managerial role at McDonalds to join the burgeoning high street player. “We’ve been very busy; working at McDonalds, a lot of the operational skills are transferrable, but Roosters has a completely different feel – the passion for quality and authenticity comes straight from the owners of the company. They’re very hands-on and choose their suppliers carefully.”
With the foundations already laid for new Roosters Piri Piri sites outside of their traditional southern UK heartland, yet more customers will get to experience the Roosters welcome and the quality of the food, on which their name and reputation is being made.
The two companies will continue to work together, with Aviko proactively developing new products, perfectly suited to the needs of Roosters as it grows exponentially.
“We’ve grown, but we now want to cement our own identity,” added Khalid. “2013 will be a big year, but, as we expand, I want to make sure that the heart stays in the business. It’s all about maintaining the quality.”