Naan Staap

Naan Staap has a recognisable proposition that has moved beyond its original East London base. The combination of stuffed naan, karak chai and a café setting gives people a specific reason to visit. The first franchise in Gants Hill and the later expansion into other markets show the concept can be delivered beyond its first site.

• A1, proven and profitable core business, 2.5/5. The brand has traded since 2018, and its estate provides evidence that the café format can be repeated. The brochure’s indicative gross margin and the current listing’s sales forecasts leave the core business’s actual profitability unverified.
• A2, ability to operate for 30 days without daily founder involvement, 2.5/5. A first franchisee, central production and a franchise support structure show some delegation. Public sources do not establish how the network would operate for 30 days without the founder’s daily involvement.
• A3, clear ideal franchisee, 3/3. The recruitment listing describes a full-time, hands-on owner who can manage people, monitor sales and stock, maintain food standards and build a local customer base. That gives candidates a clear view of the job.
• A4, realistic franchisee commercial viability, 2/4. Dine-in, takeaway and delivery provide several revenue routes, and the franchisor publishes investment and sales assumptions. I could not verify representative franchisee profit after rent, staffing, ingredients, delivery charges, royalties and marketing.
• A5, distinctive positioning, 3/3. The business gives naan and chai a central role in the café. Its menu, preparation and visual identity make the offer distinct for both customers and prospective operators.

The key question for a franchisee is how often a customer returns after trying the menu. A store can sell across several parts of the day, but each needs enough repeat demand to support the rent and staffing built into the location.

Naan Staap publishes a practical account of what an operator receives before opening. The public materials cover staff and kitchen training, manuals, shop design, suppliers and operational support. Its central production and supply arrangements also give it a way to keep core products consistent as the estate grows.

• B1, documented operational playbook, 5/5. The brochure explicitly includes manuals and handbooks, while the detailed listing identifies an operations manual, standardised recipes and operating procedures.
• B2, structured onboarding and training, 4/4. The guide describes classroom and on-the-job training at a corporate location, with a trainer supporting the opening. The listing adds kitchen production and point-of-sale training.
• B3, documented brand experience, 4/4. The published model connects training in brand culture and products with standardised recipes, store design, service procedures and operational surveys. Those are concrete ways to maintain a recognisable customer experience across cafés.
• B4, central access to tools and systems, 1.5/3. Manuals, reports, supplier arrangements and point-of-sale support are evidenced. A single franchisee platform bringing all those resources together was not verified.
• B5, launch without constant founder input, 2/4. The brochure assigns responsibilities to a Franchise Manager, a trainer and a fit-out partner. The first independently operated site shows some separation from head office. How much the founder is needed during a typical launch remains unclear.

The combination of documented recipes and supplier arrangements matters because the signature products drive recognition. A franchisee needs to reproduce the menu while managing local staffing, stock and service. The published training and support cover those practical responsibilities.

Launch is the strongest fibre. The current site gives prospects a direct way to express interest, and the publicly available franchise guide describes what happens after that first contact. Together they explain the restaurant offer, the operator’s role, the steps in discovery and the support available before opening.

• L1, clear franchise proposition, 5/5. The materials explain the menu, premises formats, setup range, franchise fee and support. Prospects can see the difference between a single café, multi-site development and an international master licence.
• L2, messaging for the right candidate, 4/4. The UK listing speaks directly to operators who want to work full-time in a people-led restaurant business. It explains the importance of customer service, commercial judgement and following operating standards.
• L3, clear enquiry journey, 4/4. The live form asks for a desired area and investment band. The guide sets out the route from an introductory interview and detailed application to meetings, agreement and site selection.
• L4, structured discovery before acceptance, 4/4. The guide describes reviewing the application, speaking with the franchise team, signing an NDA, reviewing a financial information pack and discussing a territory before heads of terms.
• L5, plan to take the franchise to market, 3/3. Naan Staap has used a dedicated opportunity page, a franchise guide, external recruitment channels and named target markets. The opening in Leicester, a market previously identified for expansion, shows part of that plan in action.

The full Launch score reflects the structure that is publicly evidenced. The cost figures come from different versions of the offer. The £180,000 to £280,000 listing is the clearest current guide to total setup, and the applicable fees and scope would still need to be confirmed for the proposed site.

Naan Staap has opened stores outside its original East London base and has named places it wants to develop. It also has recruitment routes beyond its own website. The weaker evidence concerns what happens inside that recruitment pipeline, from receiving an enquiry through to awarding and opening a site.

• G1, consistent monthly franchise enquiries, 0/5. Several public recruitment routes are live. I found no dated enquiry volumes or evidence of a consistent monthly flow.
• G2, tracking enquiry sources and prospect quality, 0/4. The brand and intermediaries capture prospective franchisee details. Public material does not establish how Naan Staap attributes those enquiries or compares the quality of applicants from each source.
• G3, known enquiry-to-franchisee conversion rate, 0/4. No comparable figures for enquiries, qualified candidates and signed franchisees were found. Store and franchise-outlet totals cannot establish that rate.
• G4, clear territory expansion priorities, 3/3. Propel reported named target markets, including Leicester and Greater Manchester. The live directory markets specific UK areas, and Leicester has since opened. This establishes an evidenced geographic focus.
• G5, recruitment beyond the founder, 2/4. The guide describes a dedicated Franchise Manager and an initial review by the franchise team. Runo and the reported consultant relationship show additional recruitment capacity. The present division of responsibility for qualification, territory awards and final sign-off remains unverified.

The next useful measure is how many qualified operators progress from enquiry to a trading café. That would show whether the brand can repeat the Leicester expansion at a pace the support team can sustain.

Naan Staap can support a café opening with a local event and a product-led offer. Leicester is a visible example, with launch coverage built around stuffed naan and chai. The estate also benefits from a shared store locator and branch-specific delivery listings, giving customers routes to buy after opening.

• AM1, support for local customer enquiries and sales, 5/5. The franchise offer includes launch marketing, local marketing advice and strategy support. Leicester’s opening activity shows that this can reach a specific store.
• AM2, local online presence for every franchisee, 2/4. The brand lists individual branch addresses and contacts. Birmingham and Southend also have location-specific Uber Eats listings. I could not match the online presence to every franchisee because the full operator roster was unavailable.
• AM3, clear continuing local marketing plan, 2/4. The brochure includes local strategy support, social promotion and ongoing business development. A standard local marketing plan or calendar used by every franchisee after launch was not verified.
• AM4, individual franchisee enquiry and performance tracking, 1.5/3. The guide offers access to reports and performance calls, and the live offer includes point-of-sale training and ongoing reviews. Public sources do not establish consistent tracking of customer source, acquisition cost and repeat orders by outlet.
• AM5, customer acquisition beyond referrals, personal networks or founder activity, 4/4. Walk-in trade, takeaway, branch delivery listings, local coverage and central social promotion provide customer acquisition routes that can operate without the founder’s personal involvement.

The strongest visible capability is bringing a café to the attention of people nearby. Measuring how many of those customers return, and through which channel, would make it easier to judge which launch activities create lasting local trade.