Entrepreneur Akshat Tibrewala, 22, is reviving the burger chain Byron with a new menu and revamped restaurants, aiming to make the brand “exciting again”. Tibrewala bought Byron for £2.5 million, which he says he financed with a loan, and has since closed the Covent Garden site, leaving six branches, while interiors have been redesigned.
New menu and fresh look
The new menu features a signature burger made with dry-aged beef, burger sauce, roasted onions, cheddar, shredded lettuce and pickles. Another option, the “Soho”, uses the same patty but with watercress, slow-cooked onions, cheddar, horseradish mayo, gravy and pickled shallots. Other dishes include cheese and leek croquettes, sausage rolls and onion rings. Burgers will start at about £12.
“Everyone forgot about Byron,” Tibrewala told the Standard. “But I believe there’s something there. We’ve totally overhauled the brand and changed everything. We’ve taken it apart and rebuilt it.”
Back to British roots
Tibrewala, a vegetarian, says there is space in the market for a “proper, British-inspired menu”. He says Byron “lost its way” but adds: “I’m confident we can bring it back. We’ve gone back to the beginning — good burgers, fries, and we’ve redesigned the restaurants to feel warmer and more welcoming. They’re more modern.”
He concedes the burgers weren’t up to scratch before. “People have so much more choice now, we have to improve,” and says Byron will lean into its roots, making the most of ingredients sourced here. “We’ll use British beef, cheddar,” says Tibrewala, who was three when Byron opened its first restaurant in Kensington. “It’s quite clear this is a brand that can work. We just have to recapture the magic.”
A checkered past
In its heyday, Byron was one of the most recognisable burger joints in London. George Osborne posted a picture of himself eating a Byron burger while working on the Budget in 2013; three years later the company cooperated with the Home Office on an immigration swoop in which 35 workers were rounded up. “Yes, I’m an immigrant myself,” says Tibrewala. “But my work is in reimagining Byron and relaunching it. We can’t think about the past — just the future.”
Byron has been, for some years now, forgotten. For good reason: its burgers became dry, flabby and boring, and were superseded by new-age brands — Black Bear, Bleecker and co. After Byron’s early foray into stardom, the restaurant never progressed. Tibrewala’s plans are commendable. And, from what I’ve seen, impressive. Is there still room for Byron?
