Fat Phill’s set to make its British debut

Having taken the Netherlands QSR market by storm, the UK is about to welcome a growing smash burger brand

Armin Vahabian is no stranger to the food and beverage industry. The founder of burger franchise, Fat Phill’s, grew up in his family’s Iranian restaurant in the Netherlands, initially sitting out back as a child, before joining the workforce.

“Sometimes I joke about literally growing up in the back of the restaurant. I learned how to deal with employees and deal with growth,” he recalls.

It was here Armin (pictured below) gained the necessary insights to creating a successful brand, and in 2019, he opened the first of what would become 15 Fat Phills’ locations across the country.

The menu comprises burgers and sandwiches using premium meats from a dedicated butcher, while bread is baked especially. The burger toppings such as Philly Cheese (referenced in the brand name), fig jam, and smoked pastrami are all accompaniments concocted from Armin’s longstanding love of burgers.

“The whole idea behind the smash burger is that when you press out the juice and you have a high enough heat, you can create a crust around your burger,” he explains. “It’s this caramelised crust that creates the flavour.”

New international territories

Now, having firmly planted Fat Phill’s in the Dutch market, Armin hopes he can transfer the brand to UK, which has similar market characteristics to the Netherlands.

Burgers can be a competitive space, but the business has already secured the backing of Freshly Baked – the master franchisee responsible for Auntie Anne’s expansion in the UK and Ireland.

The hope is that it’ll be able to replicate this success, with the vision to open 100 stores across the country in the next 10 years via franchise agreements. It’s an ambition Armin is already confident about achieving, given that the supply chain has already been replicated in the UK.

“In that respect, you will always be able to build up a bigger business model and that’s always good for franchisees who want to grow.”

Being your own customer

Some of the UK locations are already becoming a reality, but the brand is still on the hunt for more potential business owners. For now, Armin believes the first step to this business ownership is becoming a Fat Phill’s customer.

“For me, the most thing important thing that I want franchisees to do is try the product and decide if this is something that they want to be involved with,” confirms Armin – whose own go-to order is a double cheeseburger with seasoned fries and Fat Phill’s sauce.

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