Sweetfin, a chef-driven, California-inspired poke concept, is preparing to grow significantly in 2022 and beyond.
The brand recently announced that the rapidly growing international fast-casual concept Poke House had become its largest investor, setting it up for major expansion in the U.S.
Together, the Californian and European leaders in fast-casual poke plan to open 80 new locations in Europe and the U.S. in 2022 alone. Specifically, Sweetfin plans to open a significant amount of new, corporate-owned restaurants over the next three years. Outside of California, the brand will focus its expansion on Arizona and Texas, but other parts of the U.S. are being looked at, as well.
When it comes to Texas expansion, a spokesperson for the brand said, “DFW is certainly a priority, along with other major markets across the state. However, it is still in the works so hard to say right now what market they’ll open in first in Texas.”
Sweetfin president and co-founder, Seth Cohen, said in a release that the brand was proud to team up with Europe’s leaders in the global poke and plant-based bowl category. “Poke House’s international presence is very strong, and we have been impressed with the growth of their brand and team, as well as the technological investments that they’ve made in their business,” Cohen said. “Through this strategic partnership, we have a goal of tripling our unit count and entering new territories throughout the Southwest and other markets in the U.S.”
CEO and co-founder, Alan Nathan, echoed the same excitement, saying: “This partnership allows us to build infrastructure to fuel our expansion outside of California by adding experienced industry leadership to our Sweetfam. Their creative talent and leadership will help augment our team.”
Aside from opening more restaurant locations, Sweetfin’s new partnership will also allow the brand to integrate elevated technology such as digital web ordering, app ordering, kiosk ordering and an integrated loyalty program into already existing strategies. To further drive growth, the two brands will focus on delivery and digital ordering.
“We are thrilled to enter the American market in partnership with an iconic and beloved brand that has made California-inspired poke a true institution,” Matteo Pichi, co-founder and CEO of Poke House, said. “We’re proud and enthusiastic to have arrived, through this investment, to enter the most important food retail and delivery market in the Western world. Our alliance with Sweetfin represents a new milestone in a journey that has seen us grow at exponential speed. In just three years, we’ve gone from 0 EUR in revenues to over 45 million EUR, we’ve opened more than 70 locations and we’ve seen our team grow to over 800 people. Today, driven by the vision of bringing the iconic poke bowl to every corner of the U.S., we proudly announce our investment in Sweetfin.”
Created in 2015 by Alan Nathan, Seth Cohen and Brett Nestadt, Sweetfin has become well-known for popularizing Hawaiian poke in the U.S. With a 100% gluten-free menu created by former Top Chef contestant Chef Dakota Weiss, the brand takes culinary inspiration from a number of different cultures ranging from Japanese to Korean. It currently operates 14 locations in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County.
Poke House, a European foodtech company headquartered in Milan, Italy, has more than 75 restaurants throughout France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. Its new partnership with Sweetfin brings the group’s location total to 90.
