YouTube collective The Sidemen have announced plans to launch a chain of high street restaurants to support the expansion of their Sides fried chicken brand. All told, the group plan to open 10 restaurants this year, creating around 100 jobs. These will join two existing restaurants already up and running in the London area.
The group, which comprises Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji (KSI), Harry Lewis (Wroetoshaw), Simon Minter (Miniminter), Vik Barn (Vikkstar123), Josh Bradley (Zerkaa), Ethan Payne (Behzinga) and Tobi Brown (TBJZL), currently has 18.5 million subscribers. The members have made no secret of their desire to capitalise on their phenomenal popularity by rolling out consumer-facing brand extensions.
The Sides brand was launched as a delivery only proposition in late 2021 before the first physical restaurants were opened. The third restaurant will open in Harrow, but the locations of the next nine restaurants have not been specified. However the gameplan is for the brand to have a presence across the UK.
The Sidemen have built the Sides brand in partnership Virtual Hero Group, a subsidiary of Hero Brands. Ultimately VHG hope to open 200 sites globally in 10 years.
Commenting on the latest development of the Sidemen brand, Zerkaa said: “The fans have been crying out for more Sides locations, so we are excited to meet the fever pitch demand with more restaurants across the UK. Our first ever high street store will be a special moment for all of us and we cannot wait for everyone to try them as they will be a real celebration of the Sidemen ahead of our 10-year anniversary as a group.”
