Byron’s burger chain is being rescued by Gen Z investors

Sunday November 30, 2025 12:51
| Updated:

Sunday November 30, 2025 12:52

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Struggling upmarket burger chain Byron has been saved from a third collapse by a Gen Z entrepreneur, who has taken over the troubled business for £2.5m.

First reported in The Times, the business has been bought by Niyamo Capital, founded by Indian-born investor Akshat Tibrewala, securing the future of the brand which has been battered by rising costs and various scandals in recent years.

The sale comes after Bryon’s former owner, Tristar Foods, said it planned to appoint administrators in September.

The 21-year-old is understood to have injected around £2.5m into the company and taken a majority stake, while London-based private equity firm Calveton UK will retain a minority stake.

The deal also includes Byron’s sister brand Mother Clucker, which sells fried chicken on Deliveroo.

For a younger audience

Tibrewala is planning a major overhaul of his business to appeal to a younger audience by updating his menu, investing in the company’s digital capabilities and expanding into international markets such as Dubai, which has seen an influx of young professionals over the past year.

He told The Times: “What we basically want to do with Byron is look at its identity… and change its image to suit new consumer tastes and preferences, whether it is destroyed. [burgers] or a different concept that is relevant today.”

Tibrewala also acknowledged the growing “British presence” in Dubai, and believes the market will give “recognition to the brand as soon as” it enters the country.

Byron has only seven restaurants after years of problems that saw them go into administration twice and change hands several times.

Hard times

At first, Byron, founded by Tom Byng in 2007, thrived amid the casual restaurant boom of the 2010s, turning over more than £80 million across 65 locations in 2016.

But the business soon became the target of controversy, after chancellor George Osborne tweeted a photo of himself eating a Byron’s burger just hours before announcing £11.5 billion in government spending cuts in 2013.

Critics say the move shows the chancellor is out of touch with workers.

Meanwhile, in 2016, an immigration raid at the Holborn branch office in London resulted in 35 workers being arrested for deportation.

Bryon said at the time it was not aware of any workers using fake documents and was legally required to comply with the Ministry of Home Affairs, but the incident sparked protests and calls for a boycott.

In 2018, the chain came under increasing financial pressure, as costs and taxes on high street businesses skyrocketed, causing Byron to change ownership, the loss of hundreds of jobs, and the number of stores plummeting.

However, Tibrewala still believes “the fundamentals of the business are sound”, as the company makes revenues of more than £11m annually despite its store numbers being greatly reduced.

He said: “We looked at the numbers, we figured that with some operational efficiencies and cost reductions, we could make this happen.

“November was a good month for us.”