Heads up Amelia Dimoldenberg, you’ve got incoming…

Why did the chicken shop cross the border? To make strategic inroads into an established fried poultry-hungry market. Terrible joke, but a great demonstration of how homegrown UAE culinary brands are ruffling gastronomic feathers across the world.

Yes, this is the story all about how, Yolk Brands’ gentri-fried chicken shop flipped the whole bougie fast food game upside down in Dubai, and orchestrated an international expansion to its spiritual homeland, the United Kingdom.

BonBird’s confident stride into the UK cuisine scene will see the brand partnering with City Restaurants Group (of Afrikana and Mowchi fame). The plan is to open 50 outlets over the next five years, with the first five hitting the streets in the first year. But how did this all come about?

What came first, the chicken or..?

BonBird might be the chicken joint of choice for a good time, but it hasn’t been around for a particularly long time. The first store only opened its doors at City Walk in 2023. But it was an immediate success, a clean-cut, zero-fuss upgrade on the bone-in chicken proposition – focusing on quality of produce, a niche-defying range of customisable menu items (get the melt), palate-placating spice-tempering options, and a welcome Tony Montanna-esque attitude towards chicken salt. The colonel never stood a chance.

UK hun?

Every time I use the word ‘elevated’, I immediately feel the urge to go and be sick in a bin, but I feel it’s warranted here. Certain elements within BonBird will be familiar to those of you who have spent time living in London. It’s a Zone 3, Rubicon in the fridge, “what sauce you want on that boss?”, striplight-lit, open-til-late, plastic seat populated, “leave it Dave, he’s not worth it”, football chat, Dimoldenberg-dating-ground, chicken shop… just dramatically elevated. And that is a beautiful thing.

Yolk Brands has already announced international wing-spreading plans for BonBird in markets across the MENA and Asia regions. But perhaps the UK is a more natural choice. It is after all the galine opus of the Founder and CEO of Yolk Brands, Steve Flawith (also the father of the elite UAE burger brand Pickl) – a UK national. Talking about the Brentrance (opposite of Brexit?) expansion plans, Flawith said:

“Bringing BonBird to the UK is a proud moment for myself and everyone at Yolk Brands; it’s a bit like a homecoming for me in many ways. We’ve always believed in the global potential of the brand and this moment validates that vision. In City Restaurants Group we know we’ve found the perfect partner to share in our passion for amazing fresh fried chicken. This is just the beginning and I can’t wait to fulfill our vision for this amazing concept”.

You’ve got to pick the Pickl brand too

Does this mean we might see a parallel UK border charge for ace bun show, Pickl too? It too has made the first furtive steps of international conquest, laying its smashed patties in Bahrain, Egypt, and Qatar. And the UK smashed burger scene has recently started taking off. Inevitable perhaps.

What better demonstration is there of a rapidly maturing food scene, than the export of its state-born concepts to established, competitive markets overseas? And Yolk Brands aren’t the only ones. Check out our guide to the UAE culinary kingpins laying out their wares on the global dining table.

Images: Provided