Hey Hot Potatoes,

Welcome to the penultimate edition of the Hot Potato Newsletter of this year! I genuinely can't believe how quickly this year has gone. While London shivers through winter, something fascinating is heating up across the hospitality landscape.

Michelin-starred chefs are making an unexpected move. After spending years perfecting £200+ tasting menus in kitchens with 20+ staff, some of the world's most talented culinary minds are channeling their expertise into something completely different: smash burgers, fried chicken sandwiches and 18-inch pizzas. And the queues are around the block.

We're witnessing a fundamental shift in how culinary excellence reaches consumers. The question isn't whether this trend is real, it's whether it represents the future of how top culinary talent builds sustainable businesses.

In today's newsletter, we explore how four chef-driven brands are proving that Michelin technique and accessible pricing aren't mutually exclusive and whether this shift from stars to street cred is a permanent revolution or just a very expensive phase.

In today’s email: The Fast Casual Revolution: How Michelin-Starred Chefs Are Reinventing Hospitality

Read Time: Approx 4-5 mins

Heard: When Two Michelin Stars Meet Regenerative Beef

Source: The Upcoming / Restaurant Online

Jordan Bailey is no stranger to Michelin stars, working in 4 restaurants with 8 stars between them. Now he's making smash burgers in Borough and Soho. Far from being a step down, it might be his smartest move yet.

The Chef – From Three Stars in Oslo to South London:

Bailey's CV reads like a masterclass in excellence. After the Michelin-starred Elephant Restaurant and two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Sat Bains, he became head chef at Oslo's three-Michelin-starred Maaemo. Then came Aimsir in Ireland where Bailey earned two Michelin stars less than five months after opening, the fastest in Great Britain and Ireland Guide history.

But after years of intricate fine dining, Bailey craved what most chefs secretly want after a 14-hour shift: a proper burger.

The Strategy – Michelin Technique Applied to Street Food:

Rather than compromise on quality, Bailey did the opposite. Heard delivers smash burgers made with aged British beef from regenerative farms (aged for 28 days), English cheese and homemade pickles, nestled within a unique butter-toasted roast potato bun.

The genius move? Bailey spent a year perfecting recipes and touring UK events with the Heard food truck before committing to permanent locations. This allowed him to test, refine and build a following without the risk of a five-year commercial lease.

Unlike typical burger spots, Heard pairs each burger with carefully selected organic wines and craft beers, curated by Bailey's sommelier wife, Majken Bech-Bailey.

The Results – From Borough to Soho in Eight Months:

The 40-cover Borough location opened in March 2025 and proved the concept immediately. By August, Heard announced expansion to Carnaby Street for spring 2026. At £11-15 per burger, Heard is priced competitively but commands premium positioning through a quality offering.

Spring Street Pizza: When a Michelin Star Winner Discovers 48-Hour Fermentation

Source: The Caterer / Hot Dinners

Tom Kemble led Bonhams restaurant to its Michelin star within seven months of opening. His next act? Selling 18-inch New York-style pizzas by the quarter from a railway arch in Borough.

The Chef – From Fäviken to Pizza Perfectionism:

After heading up the Michelin-starred The Pass at South Lodge and earning his star at Bonhams, Kemble worked at Hedone in Chiswick and Sweden's legendary Fäviken. During the pandemic, Kemble began applying fine-dining techniques to something more approachable: pizza.

The Strategy – Italian Technique Meets Accessible Pricing:

Spring Street Pizza's genius lies in its dough. Using the Italian pre-fermentation technique known as Biga and fermented for 48-72 hours, the dough has delicious flavour that is light but loaded with character. It's obsessive technique refinement applied to pizza.

The pricing model is clever: 18-inch pizzas sold by the quarter (from £5), half (from £10), or whole (from £20). The menu balances classics: Marinara and Margherita with elevated options like the New Yorker featuring hot honey and Rebel Charcuterie pepperoni.

The Results – A 19-Cover Arch Generating Serious Buzz:

Located in Arch 32 near Borough Market, the intimate 19-cover venue opened in April 2025. Paired with a curated Italian wine list and cocktails, Spring Street Pizza has found its niche: serious pizza credentials without the seriousness of Michelin dining.

Fuku: David Chang's Fried Chicken Empire That Conquered Sports Stadiums

Source: Nation's Restaurant News / QSR Magazine

In 2015, David Chang; already a culinary icon with two-Michelin-starred Momofuku Ko, launched a spicy fried chicken sandwich concept. Today, Fuku has approximately 15 stadium and arena locations targeting $100 million in annual system-wide sales.

The Strategy – Why Stadiums Are the New Fine Dining:

After cycling through brick and mortar stores, ghost kitchens and food halls, Fuku discovered its winning formula: sports stadiums and arenas. Today, locations include Madison Square Garden, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The stadium strategy makes a lot of sense. It provides built-in captive audiences of thousands, sidesteps traditional restaurant real estate challenges and allows rapid national expansion through partnerships with major foodservice operators like Legends Hospitality and Delaware North.

The Results – A New Playbook for Chef-Driven Expansion:

Fuku has seen real growth story is in venues as opposed to brick and mortar restaurants. Recent additions include Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and FedEx Field in Maryland. The brand now has 15 locations in 15 major stadiums and arenas across the U.S.

Shake Shack: The Blueprint That Started It All

Source: CNBC / NPR

Before Heard, Spring Street Pizza and Fuku, there was Shake Shack. What started as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park in 2001 is now a publicly traded company with approximately 570 locations globally, generating about $1.25 billion in annual revenue.

The Restaurateur – Fine Dining Meets Everyday Dining:

Danny Meyer wasn't a chef but he understood hospitality. After building a fine dining empire including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern and Eleven Madison Park, Meyer saw an opportunity to apply his standards to everyday food. The first Shake Shack recipes were made in Eleven Madison Park's kitchens.

The Strategy – Fine Dining Philosophy at Fast Food Prices:

Meyer's approach was radical in its simplicity: use the same quality ingredients from his fine dining restaurants: Pat LaFrieda beef, recipes tested in Eleven Madison Park's kitchen but serve them quickly and affordably. The hot dog cart ran for three summers before evolving into a permanent kiosk in 2004. Meyer took his time, waiting eight years before opening a second location.

The Results – The $1.25 Billion Validation:

Shake Shack went public in 2015 and Meyer proved that consumers would pay a premium for quality, that fine dining standards could scale and that hospitality worked at every price point. The brand now operates in 32 countries with a market capitalisation in the billions.

Four brands. Four different approaches. One common thread: Michelin-trained chefs and operators are building more sustainable, scalable and more profitable businesses in fast casual than they ever could in fine dining.

If you were a talented chef today, which path would you choose: pursuing Michelin stars or building your own fast casual brand?

In our final edition of the year, we will be reflecting on what has been another busy year and another busy and action-packed year in hospitality, looking at what my key takeaways are and what some of my thoughts are on 2026 for the industry.

Ready for our final edition of the year? Subscribe now to get my key takeaways of 2025!

Bon appétit,

Max Shipman, Founder, Hot Potato

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