Wicked Fish Franchise: Bring Gluten-Free Fish & Chips to the High Street

Wicked Fish serves 100% gluten-free fish and chips, burgers and dogs from two profitable East London sites.

Premium Gluten-Free Street Food

The Wicked Fish Franchise is one of the more interesting newcomers in British street food. Built around a simple but powerful idea, that fish and chips can be premium, gluten-free and genuinely cool, the brand has built a loyal customer base in East London since launching in 2021. With two profitable trading sites and a proven menu, Wicked Fish is now inviting franchisees to help take the concept to high streets and food markets across the country.

Why the Wicked Fish Franchise Is Different

Most high street fish and chip operators look very similar. Wicked Fish takes a different approach, combining a signature crispy gluten-free batter, homemade tartar sauce and fresh, ethically sourced ingredients with a street food aesthetic that resonates with younger urban customers.

What franchisees get:

Four Ways to Trade

One of the underrated strengths of the Wicked Fish model is that the kitchen footprint flexes. The same menu and prep system can run from a dedicated high street unit, a food court bay, a market stall or an event pitch. That flexibility opens the door to launching on whatever site type fits a franchisee's territory and budget, and to expanding into additional formats once the first unit is settled.

Why Gluten-Free Is the Hook, Not the Limit

Going 100% gluten-free is a deliberate brand choice, not a niche play. Customers who avoid gluten - whether by necessity or preference - have very few high-quality fish and chip options on a typical British high street, and they tend to become loyal regulars when they find a brand that delivers properly. Just as importantly, the rest of the menu still works for everyone else: the batter is crispy, the chips are great and there is no flavour compromise. The result is a brand that opens up a whole new audience without losing the traditional one - a useful position to be in when most competitors are fighting over the same crowd.

A Tired Category, Ready for Disruption

Fish and chips remains one of the most recognised food categories on the British high street, but the format has barely evolved in decades. Most operators look the same, sell the same and lean on the same audience that has been shrinking gently year after year. That's the gap a brand-led, gluten-free, quality-led operator can step into - taking a category with built-in name recognition and giving it a presentation that brings new customers through the door without alienating the existing ones. Wicked Fish has proved the proposition works in two distinct East London settings; the model is now ready to travel.

Two Sites, One Pattern

The current Wicked Fish estate of Hackney Wick and Spitalfields Market gives prospective franchisees something rare in early-stage brands: a chance to walk into two live units and see how the model performs in two different settings. Hackney Wick represents the high-street and locals trade; Spitalfields is a market environment with tourist and weekend footfall. Both are profitable, and the contrast between them is useful evidence that the model is not dependent on a single type of pitch.

Investment Guidance

• ✓ Franchise fee / minimum investment: from £50,000
• ✓ Site fit-out and equipment: additional, varies depending on the unit type and location
• ✓ Working capital: a separate allowance to cover early trading months and initial stock

Training and Support

Wicked Fish provides full menu training, kitchen set-up guidance, supplier introductions and ongoing operational support from the founding team. Because the founders still run their own sites, the support is grounded in current operating reality rather than legacy theory - franchisees benefit from lessons that are being learned and refined in live trade every week.

Who Wicked Fish Is Looking For

Ideal franchisees are food-passionate operators who understand that quality and consistency win in street food. Previous hospitality experience is helpful but not essential, as full training is provided.

• ✓ Genuine passion for food quality - this is a brand built on the product
• ✓ Operator mindset, willing to be in the unit through opening months
• ✓ Comfortable with bold branding and an audience that is younger than the legacy chip-shop crowd
• ✓ Ambition to build out from a first unit into additional formats or sites
• ✓ Local knowledge of where the right pitch sits in your territory

Brand Heritage and Supplier Pedigree

Wicked Fish launched in August 2021 at Queens Yard in Hackney Wick, when the founding team took over a unit from local operator Grace of Wick Burger and brought in a head chef whose CV includes Belgo and Tonkotsu. That chef-led grounding shapes the supplier list too. Fish and lobster come from Borough Market specialist Wright Brothers, free-range meat for the burgers from multi-award-winning butcher Walter Rose and Son, and buns are baked daily by Rinkoffs, an East London bakery trading since 1911. For a franchisee, that pre-built supplier network is a real shortcut, removing trial and error that usually eats the first six months of a new food brand.

UK Industry Context

The fish and chip category sits at an interesting moment. According to Seafish data reported by SeafoodSource, out-of-home fish and chip servings in the UK fell 9 per cent in 2025, with traditional chip shops dropping 22 per cent and pubs down 13 per cent. The story is not all decline. Quick-service restaurant sales of fish and chips jumped 27 per cent over the same period, and workplace and education channels grew 122 per cent. The legacy chippy format is losing ground, but demand for fish and chips delivered through a fresher, brand-led model is moving the other way, exactly where a gluten-friendly street-food proposition fits.

Day in the Life of a Wicked Fish Operator

A typical trading day starts mid-morning with deliveries from the named supplier chain, a prep window for batter and tartar, and a service push that builds from a steady lunch into an early-evening dinner peak. Because the menu is tight and the kitchen footprint compact, two to four staff can run a busy session without the choreography problems that hit broader menus. Service typically closes around 8pm at the London sites, late enough to capture evening trade, early enough to keep the week sustainable.

Interested in exploring more opportunities in this sector? Take a look at other food franchise opportunities available on Franchise Hunt.