Products from your favourite restaurant or fast food brand are an increasingly common sight in most major supermarkets.

Dubbed “fakeaways”, restaurant brands making their way onto supermarket shelves range from Nando’s and Greggs to high-end brands including Gymkhana, Ottolenghi, which launched its first supermarket range in Waitrose earlier this year.

These brands are in hot demand. We catch up with execs from Ocado, Zizzi, Leon, Nando’s, and Wasabi to explore what is behind this growing trend and what brands are emerging as the front runners.

The popularity of restaurants’ fakeaway options such as Franco Manca pizzas, Gourmet Burger Kitchen burgers and Itsu meals has soared over the past year, according to online supermarket Ocado.

Sales of products such as Franco Manca pizzas, Gourmet Burger Kitchen burgers and Itsu meals have soared 51% at the online grocer over the past year. Ocado has jumped on this demand and grown its restaurant to retail offering by 77%, introducing brands such as Asma Khan and Caravan over the past year.

Ocado chief commercial officer Amit Chitnis says this growing popularity is primarily driven by financial pressure on consumers.

“The rise of the fakeaways trend is largely a result of the cost-of-living crisis, which led many consumers to seek out more budget-friendly ways to enjoy a treat at home,” says Chitnis.

“Our own research found that three quarters (75%) of Brits were more conscious now of their spending on takeaways and meals out than they were this time last year. This changing consumer habit is reflected in Ocado Retail delivery data, which suggests customers are seeking restaurant standards at home, particularly at the weekend.”

Demand for these products peaks at times when shoppers would have traditionally gone for a restaurant meal out, or ordered a takeaway.

For example, it found customers were ordering from brands including Leon, Pizza Express and Gymkhana to be delivered most often on Fridays, while shoppers opt for Nando’s, Wagamama and Yo! Sushi on Sundays.

A throng of restaurants have jumped on the trend at a time when some consumers are cutting back on dining out.

Zizzi retail and grocery director Rachel Hendry says changing consumer spending patterns led the chain to offer this new, more affordable channel for its customers.

“One of the key shifts was the desire for many to replicate the eating out experience more affordably by eating at home.

“Our offer of restaurant quality products in the grocery sector allows customers to access the Zizzi brand and products in this way,” adds Hendry.

However, Leon head of grocery Miriam Rose argues that the trend is not entirely from cash-strapped shoppers choosing cheaper options, but is also from consumers seeking flavours and wanting to experiment with ingredients at home.

She says: “We knew that that there was a demand for restaurant quality food at home and wanted to bring our ethos of naturally fast food to the supermarket shelves, making delicious everyday products using clean ingredients with no preservatives or additives, using ingredients that you’d find in your own kitchen cupboard.”

Bringing restaurant branded products to the supermarket also creates convenience and brings the restaurant experience to customers who might not have access to a branch.

Hendry says it curated its supermarket range so “products are available to people who perhaps don’t have a Zizzi restaurant near them”.

Ocado says Pizza Express and Itsu have proven extremely popular, accounting for two third of sales from all the restaurant brands sold on its website. Customer favourites include Pizza Express classic pizzas and doughballs, and Itsu’s seaweed thins.

Popular high-street takeaway brands such as Leon’s waffle fries and Pret’s frozen croissants are also selling fast, and growing in popularity. Chitnis suggests that customers are seeking convenience and quality, with the shift towards premium and diverse at-home dining options.

Rose says Leon focuses on two factors when deciding what menu items to bring onto supermarket shelves. “We need to consider two things: what are our best sellers and which items can be easily transferred into retail ready packaging,” says Rose.

“Take our GFC [gluten-free chicken nuggets]. We knew they were one of our top selling products and we could work with our supplier to put them in to bags ready for the supermarket shelves.

Zizzi’s Hendry says that it “carefully reviews” its supermarket products to ensure that not only will they sell strongly, but they also offer a point of difference and will attract new shoppers to the category”.

At Portuguese-cuisine restaurant chain Nando’s, head of marketing Abbie Hickman says entering the grocery sector was a natural transition.

“Our Peri-Peri flavour is famous across the globe. In-restaurant, our fans enjoy bottomless sauces from our condiment station, or from taps on our Peri-Peri pumps. By entering the grocery sector, we wanted to showcase the versatility of our iconic Peri-Peri flavour, inspire our customers to flavour up mealtimes, and bring that unique Nando’s feeling into people’s homes too. Grocery is an important part of the business where we are constantly testing and developing our product offering,” she says.

Nando’s ‘Not Available at Nando’s’ campaign launched in 2023.

The South African multinational chain first started selling bottles of Nando’s Pei-Peri sauce in Asda and Sainsbury’s under the name of Nando’s Grocery Company in 1999, before launching a grocery range of marinades, dressings and cook-in sauces in 2004.

However, in 2023 the flame-grilled restaurant brand truly ramped up its grocery offering with a campaign championing not only its full range of iconic Peri-Peri signature sauces but exclusive grocery products that shoppers may not be able to get at home.

Its ‘Not available at Nando’s’ campaign showcased its full line, which now includes a new Peri-Ketchup, which is sold alongside its Peri-BBQ, Garlic Perinaise and Sweet Chilli Jam.

However, Hickman says the campaign, which highlighted the occasion-based versatility of Nando’s grocery products and the convenience of ‘exclusively in supermarkets’ products, is just the beginning of the brands’ venture into the grocery range.

“The appeal of the ‘recreate-at-home’ trend is that it’s accessible and relatable content which people love to see and share with each other. We’ll continue to hero our core Peri-Peri sauces which are not only the foundation to our restaurant experience, but our grocery range too. We’ve got some really exciting NPD coming next year,” Hickman added.

For retailers, fakeaways is an opportunity to invest in and extend their range.

Chitnis says Ocado expects the category to not only become more popular, but also add meal accompaniments like sauces and spices – as Nando’s has already done – as brands look to trade on their signature flavours.

Last week, Wasabi unveiled its new look for its grocery range

“We anticipate that more USA-based restaurant chains could join the UK retail market, as there’s a substantial gap and opportunity for these brands to reach new customers. Alongside this, we are also expecting to see more independent restaurants moving into retail over the next few years. Our goal is to keep expanding our range to cater to changing customer preferences.”

And brands are already ramping up with their own offerings, with the likes of Nando’s, Zizzi and Leon due to drop new products later this year.

Just this week Wasabi revamped its grocery line with a new look for its full grocery range,

The increased investment in the category marks an evolution for the brand and competition for other restaurant vying for a space on the supermarket shelves.

Wasabi grocery marketing manager Annabel Stephens says: “Our tasty new design is an evolution to strengthen and evolve our visual identity and brand touchpoints whilst staying true to our Wasabi roots.”

It’s clear there is much consumer demand to dine on their favourite restaurant and fast food brands at home. Supermarkets and brands alike will be smart to invest and innovate in this fast-growing segment of the market.