A fried chicken restaurant run by 7 YouTubers has opened its first branch after initially operating as a ghost kitchen. See inside.

OSTN Staff

Front of the restaurant in Wembley, BoxPark.
The restaurant is located in BoxPark, Wembley.

  • Sides is a fried chicken food chain that was initially only available on delivery services. 
  • Launched by Youtubers The Sidemen, the first restaurant has recently opened in Wembley, London.
  • They plan to expand to multiple US locations before the end of the year. 
Sides is a fried chicken food chain that launched in November 2021 by a group of seven Youtubers. Until now, it was only available on delivery services.

The front of the restaurant in Wembley.
The restaurant is located in BoxPark, Wembley.

The brand was launched by The Sidemen, a team of YouTubers including KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, Ethan (also known as Behzinga), Vikkstar123, TBJZL, and W2S.

The Sidemen appear in the picture, apart from KSI.
Sides was initially an online delivery service available via Uber and Deliveroo.

Behzinga told Insider they were thrilled to have opened their first branch in Boxpark, Wembley, because: “It’s fast-moving, agile, and thrives online, so it felt like a perfect fit for a brand built by creators.”

A glimpse of the entrance at BoxPark, Wembley.
Boxpark houses various companies on its premises and has three different locations: Shoreditch, Wembley and Croydon.

The cohort works in partnership with Reef, which transforms urban spaces into community hubs that create jobs and bring new goods, services, and experiences to a chosen area.

The shoebox is a signature move.
The XIX Box Chicken, or the “shoebox,” is a signature meal and costs $16.

The menu offers a range of fried food from chicken to loaded waffle fries, including one of the fan favorites: mac’n cheese bites.

The menu as it is shown in Boxpark.
The Sidemen wanted to be more accessible to their fans.

They also offer the XIX Box Chicken or XIX Box Vegan Chicken — otherwise known as the shoebox, which includes a main, a side, a drink, and a dip.

The XIX Box Chicken
The shoebox sells at $16.

The Sidemen wanted Sides to be more accessible for their fans while also appealing to a new audience. “So creating a physical experience that everyone can enjoy was an obvious next step for us,” Ethan said.

An employee is prepping a fried chicken box for a customer.
Fried chicken can be covered with crispy onions, jalapenos, and a dip of choice.

Employees have said that since the restaurant opened, it’s created a frenzy and fans are constantly asking after The Sidemen.

5 employees are standing in Sides' kitchen.
They have between 11 and 19 employees at Boxpark, including part-timers to full-timers.

The option of having both a ghost kitchen and a physical store “is the sweet spot and we’re excited to roll out more physical locations alongside our virtual offering,” Ethan said.

The friers.
Ghost kitchens are becoming very popular as more delivery-only options become available.

A range of vegan sauces are available including BBQ, Louisiana, Teriyaki, Chipotle, XIX Buffalo, Korean BBQ, Garlic Vegan Mayo.

All various dips.
There is a wide range of dips.

There are two burgers, including a vegan option and the option to choose your preferred sauce to go with it.

Chicken Burger (left) and Vegan Burger.
The Chicken Burger (left), and The Vegan Burger.

Two Reef employees told Insider about their expansion plans and ambition to open more stores in various locations in the US by the end of 2022.

Insider's Sam Tabahriti trying one of the fried chicken burger
Insider’s Sam Tabahriti trying the Chicken Burger.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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