Soho’s The Duck and Rice eyes global expansion

Pub and Chinese restaurant, The Duck and Rice in Soho, is currently in talks to secure its first overseas licensing deal.

Conceived by Wagamama founder Alan Yau in 2015, the restaurant said it had now consolidated its position as a London landmark, and is looking at other London locations, the Nordics, mainland Europe and the Middle East as potential markets to expand into.

Director Ted Kennedy said: “The Duck and Rice is a thing of beauty, it appeals to all age groups and especially to millennials who love its great food, popular local pub atmosphere and sense of fun. We have a great management team and they have focused on creating the magic and making guests happy.

“Going forward we expect good sales growth, great margins and robust costs and so we are now ready to push the button on the licensing opportunities available to us.”

He added: “We see opportunities to grow a licensing platform in London, the Nordics, mainland Europe and the Middle East and are now actively assessing potential licensing partners with local geographic knowledge to develop and grow our brand with us.

“The great thing is that, as well as appealing to tourists, The Duck and Rice also appeals to local drinkers and diners making it ideal for hotels and mixed use developers who are keen to see the value of a strong London brand within their schemes and we see real value for all stakeholders with our unique licensing partnerships.”