Itsu

itsu Limited
TypePrivate
IndustryFast casual restaurant
Founded1997
FounderJulian Metcalfe
HeadquartersLondon, England, UK
Number of locations
77
Key peopleClive Schlee
ProductsFood
Number of employees
852 (2020)
Websiteitsu.com

itsu Limited (いつ/itsu is Japanese for when) is a British chain of East Asian-inspired fast food shops and restaurants and a grocery company. The company offers franchises.

History

The chain was founded by Julian Metcalfe, co-founder of sandwich chain Pret a Manger, in partnership with Clive Schlee.

In 2006, following the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, traces of the deadly isotope Polonium-210 were found at the Piccadilly branch of Itsu in London, where Litvinenko had dined on the day he was poisoned.

Outlets and expansion

itsu, Commercial Street, Leeds

The first itsu restaurant opened in Chelsea, London in 1997. In September 2013, itsu opened its first restaurant outside London, in Oxford.

In January 2016, itsu opened its first Northern England restaurant, in Spinningfields, central Manchester. The chain later opened a branch in Leeds.

As of 2022 itsu had 76 restaurants in England, including 54 in London (44 in February 2023), and one in Brussels Airport, Belgium.

In June 2018, the company opened a branch in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, US. In June 2026 itsu's website listed Brussels as the only non-UK location.

itsu [grocery]

In March 2012, Metcalfe's Food Company, run by Robert Jakobi, launched the itsu brand into retail under the name itsu [grocery].

Partnerships

In January 2014, itsu became the official partner of the Volleyball England Beach Tour, but was not listed on the UKBT Web site as of 2021.

Operations and management

Itsu operates a mix of company-owned and franchised restaurants, with around 80 UK sites reported in 2024 and plans announced to double the estate over time. International locations include Brussels Airport and Paris run with franchise partners. The group uses digital ordering kiosks and has trialled greater automation, re-introducing additional staffed tills in 2025 to balance throughput and service.

References

  1. ↑ "itsu story". itsu. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "Annual report and financial statements for the period ended 31 December 2020" (PDF). Companies House. itsu Limited. 4 March 2022. p. 34. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Itsu Limited overview - Find and update company information - Gov.uk". Companies House. 2 December 1996. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Moules, Jonathan. "itsu founder nurtures a new generation" Archived 25 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Financial Times, London, 21 January 2014. Retrieved on 21 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "franchising". itsu. 5 April 2022. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  6. ↑ Smithers, Rebecca (8 October 2010). "Pret A Manger chief is stacking up healthy profits in lean times". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  7. ↑ Harding, Luke (6 March 2016). "Alexander Litvinenko and the most radioactive towel in history". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  8. ↑ Milmo, Cahal; Osborn, Andrew (8 December 2006). "Litvinenko's associate 'in a coma' as spy murder mystery deepens". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "£1m itsu restaurant to open in Oxford". Oxford Mail. 5 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Shelina Begum (10 December 2015). "itsu picks Spinningfields for Manchester opening". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "itsu locations". itsu. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  12. ↑ Dai, Serena (4 June 2018). "Pret Founder's Asian Grab-and-Go Chain itsu Just Dropped Into Midtown". Eater. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "find an itsu". itsu - eat beautiful.
  14. ↑ Vince Bamford, "itsu to target retailers with new Asian snacks" Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine The Grocer, June 2011
  15. ↑ Charlotte Edwardes, "Mr itsu: Julian Metcalfe on beautiful lean cuisine, why he loves London's hard-working immigrants and his noisy troupe of children and steps Archived 30 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine, "London Evening Standard", 3 February 2014
  16. ↑ "UKBT Partners". UK Beach Tour. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  17. ↑ "Itsu looks to double its UK portfolio". Restaurant. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  18. ↑ "Restaurant chain itsu lands at Brussels Airport". RetailDetail. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  19. ↑ "Asian-inspired restaurant itsu opens first branch in France". QSR Media UK. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  20. ↑ "Itsu's self-service lesson for retailers on what robots do best". Financial Times. 15 February 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  21. ↑ "CHAIN CHAMPIONS 2025: Itsu aims to impress beyond the high street". Foodservice Equipment Journal. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.