Zambrero: Mexican restaurant chain sets its sights on Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham and Gosport
A restaurant chain says it is targeting Portsmouth and Hampshire as part of its expansion plans
A Mexican restaurant chain says it wants to open branches in Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham and Gosport - as it prepares to open its first outlet in Hampshire.
Zambrero is about to dip its toe into Hampshire by opening a restaurant in Basingstoke. It has appointed Sumin Lohani as a development agent responsible for Hampshire, Berkshire and the Isle of Wight and he has targeted opening 30 restaurants in the next four years, with 20 of those planned for Hampshire.
Zambrero says the target areas in Hampshire are Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham, Gosport, Petersfield, Southampton, Winchester, Farnborough, Andover, Eastleigh, Chandlers Ford, Lymington, Romsey, with Basingstoke already lined up for Festival Place shopping centre in May.
Mr Lohani already has franchise experience - he operates eight YO! Sushi franchise kiosks in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and owns the Compasses Inn pub and hotel in Fordingbridge. He has lived in Basingstoke and Winchester and joined Zambrero as a franchise partner last year, taking over an existing restaurant in Reading.
Mr Lohani said: “I am delighted to announce my appointment as a development agent for Zambrero. Having worked with the brand as a franchise partner for many months, I believe it has great growth potential here in the UK. This is a unique opportunity for both new and experienced franchise partners – whether that be single-site owners, multi-site owners or corporate partners - to join a fast-growing global brand. For ambitious entrepreneurs ready for growth, there has never been a more exciting time to get involved.”
The Mexican food chain runs a ‘Plate 4 Plate’ humanitarian scheme, in which every time a burrito or bowl is purchased at any of its restaurants, Zambrero sends a nutritious meal to someone in need in the developing world via its distribution partner, Rise Against Hunger. It says the initiative has donated more than 100m meals in the developing world.
Since launching in London in 2021, Zambrero has 14 restaurants across the UK, in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Reading, Essex and Glasgow. Basingstoke will be the 16th restaurant in its UK portfolio, following a 15th restaurant opening in St Paul's in early May. It has more than 350 restaurants in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA in total.
It says it serves “a modern take on Mexican favourites” with a focus on fresh ingredients, marinades and flavour-packed sauces for customers to tailor to their own taste. On the menu are burritos and bowls, as well as tacos, nachos and quesadillas, with vegetarian, vegan and Halal menu options.