itsu (''いつ/itsu'' is Japanese for ''when'') is a British chain of

East Asian East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

-inspired fast food shops and restaurants and a grocery company.Moules, Jonathan
"itsu founder nurtures a new generation"
, ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', London, 21 January 2014. Retrieved on 21 January 2014. 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 Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...

branch of Itsu in London, where Litvinenko had dined on the day he was poisoned.

Outlets and expansion

The first itsu restaurant opened in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

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

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. In January 2016, itsu opened its first Northern England restaurant, in Spinningfields, central

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. The chain later opened a branch in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

. 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 Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, US. In February 2023 itsu's Web site listed Brussels and Paris as the only non-UK locations; th
US Web page
was dead.

itsu rocery/h1>
In March 2012, Metcalfe's Food Company, run by Robert Jakobi, launched the itsu brand into retailVince Bamford
"itsu to target retailers with new Asian snacks"
The Grocer, June 2011 under the name itsu rocery

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.

References

External links