Carl’s Jr Swansea becomes delivery-only following strategic review

Carl’s Jr’s second UK restaurant has switched to a dark kitchen less than a year after its launch following a "strategic review". 

Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), which signed a master license agreement to roll out the US burger brand across the UK and Ireland in May 2024, confirmed to The Caterer that the decision to remove the dine-in experience followed a strategic review of its estate.

The Wind Street outpost is listed as “Swansea (Delivery)” on the Carl’s Jr website, while its 50-cover Cardiff restaurant, which marked the brand’s UK debut in April 2025, continues to operate as normal.

A spokesperson for BRG said: "As BRG continues to develop the Carl’s Jr brand in the UK, we are constantly reviewing how our guests choose to enjoy our food and ensuring our estate reflects those behaviours.

"Our Swansea location has demonstrated significant demand through delivery, making this the right opportunity to evolve the site into a delivery-focused operation. This is a strategic decision by Boparan Restaurant Group, designed to strengthen our long-term growth plans and ensure we’re investing where we see the greatest potential.

"Our Cardiff restaurant continues to perform well as a full-service restaurant, and we’re looking forward to continuing to build awareness and accessibility for Carl’s Jr across the UK."

Carl’s Jr was founded in California in 1941 and is known for its menu of chargrilled burgers, breaded chicken tenders and ice cream shakes.

At the time of its UK debut, BRG said this was “just the beginning” of its plans with more restaurants expected to follow in the near future.

Carl’s Jr operates over 1,600 international restaurants across more than 25 countries.

The chain is one of a host of North American fast food brand to have entered the UK market in recent years, following the likes of Dave’s Hot Chicken, Five Guys, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Shake Shack.

Boparan Restaurant Group also operates the Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Slim Chickens brands, among others.