Barbs eyes flagship store after launch of London cloud kitchen

Its founder wants people to know that Caribbean food is not the same as Bajan food.

Barbs plans to open its first flagship brick-and-mortar store next year after setting up a dark kitchen in London in February through a tie-up with online food delivery company Deliveroo, targeting the underserved Caribbean food market in the UK.

The fast-food chain, which celebrates the rich culinary heritage of Barbados — hailed as the “foodie capital of the Caribbean” — was founded last year by Nicc Wright, whose idea for the brand came to him in a dream after a bad snorkeling incident that left him bedridden with a fever.

“I had a vision of a vibrant, modern Bajan fast-food brand that could introduce these incredible flavours to the world,” he told QSR Media. “That was the spark. From there, it became a multi-year incubation project — perfecting the branding, assembling the right team, refining the menu, and ensuring Barbs was ready for prime time before launching.”

Wright spent a lot of time in the island country in the Atlantic Ocean visiting family and friends, before deciding to bring its incredible cuisine to the UK, where it remains relatively unknown.

The global Caribbean food and drink market was valued at $3.2b last year and is expected to grow 7.2% annually to $6b by 2033, according to India-based Business Research Insights. A separate report by California-based Credence Research expects the UK ethnic food market to grow 7.1% annually to $17.7b by 2032.

Barbs takes its inspiration mainly from Chefette, a popular Bajan fast-food chain. Wright said he was also inspired by the “magic” of McDonald's in the 1980s and PizzaExpress in the early 1990s.

The hero dish is Barbs’ fried chicken, which is soaked for 24  hours in a special marinade created by Wright’s 95-year-old grandmother using a special blend of herbs and spices. Another is the Bajan fried fish, seasoned and served with soused cucumber.

Another unique item is Bajan hot sauce. Wright said each Bajan household has its own hot sauce recipe, and theirs is made in-house and follows the same traditional methods in Barbados.

“The UK is familiar with Caribbean food, but not with Bajan food,” he said. “Most people associate Caribbean cuisine with jerk-heavy flavours, but Bajan food is completely different.”

“It is not about overpowering heat; it is about balance, depth, and bringing out the best in every ingredient,” he added.

Wright said that the difference between Bajan and Caribbean cuisine is similar to how Japanese food is compared with other Asian cuisines.

“It is about layering fresh herbs, citrus, and natural seasonings rather than masking flavours with spice,” he said. “That is why even people who do not typically eat Caribbean food are blown away by it when they try it.”

Despite keen interest for Caribbean cuisine and ethnic food, the biggest challenge for them was educating people about how it differs from Bajan food, Wright said.

“Another major challenge is ingredient sourcing,” he said. “Some staples of a traditional Bajan plate, like breadfruit, are not widely available in the UK. We are tackling this by offering it seasonally and in limited quantities whenever we can source it fresh.”

Wright said they are looking at launching brick-and-mortar stores in the UK, but he plans to keep Barbs’ dark kitchen, which lets them reach a far wider delivery area without the overhead of a traditional restaurant. 

“We explored sites in Bromley, Crystal Palace and Dulwich last year and felt that the family nature of the brand fits well in suburban towns like that,” he said. “South London is our home, and it makes sense to grow from where our roots are strongest.”

“That said, if we secure the right funding, some of the city and central London sites we’ve looked at could come into play as well,” he added.

Barbs is building its team for the launch of the flagship store.

“The fundraising environment last year forced us to rethink our initial timeline, but since launching, we’ve come across some exciting opportunities that may yet influence the timing — hopefully without too much delay,” Wright said.