 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast casual restaurant |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Julian Metcalfe |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
Number of locations | 77[1] |
Key people | Clive Schlee |
| Products | Food |
Number of employees | 852 (2020)[2] |
| Website | www |
itsu (いつ/itsu isJapanese forwhen) is a British chain ofEast Asian-inspired fast food shops and restaurants and a grocery company.[3] The company offersfranchises.[4]
The chain was founded byJulian Metcalfe, co-founder of sandwich chainPret a Manger, in partnership withClive Schlee.[5]
In 2006, following thepoisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, traces of the deadly isotopePolonium-210 were found at thePiccadilly branch of Itsu in London, where Litvinenko had dined on the day he was poisoned.[6][7]
.jpg)
The first itsu restaurant opened inChelsea, London in 1997. In September 2013, itsu opened its first restaurant outside London, inOxford.[8]
In January 2016, itsu opened its firstNorthern England restaurant, inSpinningfields, centralManchester.[9] The chain later opened a branch inLeeds.
As of 2022[update] itsu had 76 restaurants in England, including 54 in London (44 in February 2023), and one inBrussels Airport, Belgium.[10]
In June 2018, the company opened a branch inMidtown Manhattan,New York City, US.[11] In February 2023 itsu's Web site listed Brussels and Paris as the only non-UK locations; theUS Web page was dead.
In March 2012,Metcalfe's Food Company, run byRobert Jakobi, launched the itsu brand into retail[12] under the name itsu [grocery].
In January 2014, itsu became the official partner of theVolleyball England Beach Tour,[13] but was not listed on the UKBT Web site as of 2021.[14]
