Big Mamma Group Prepares to Open Its Seventh Restaurant in London

The French-Italian restaurant group Big Mamma continues its growth in London with a new location. According to a news article by Foodservice Equipment Journal dated August 18, 2026, the group plans to open a new restaurant called Edmondo in London’s Bank area in October. If the opening takes place, Edmondo will be Big Mamma's seventh restaurant in London.

The development was first revealed through a job posting published by the group. The Caterer also confirmed in a news article dated August 14 that Edmondo is set to open in the Bank area in the fall, as planned in October. The publication also noted that Big Mamma had requested a statement from the company for more information on the matter.

The new restaurant comes after the group’s last major opening, Barbarella. Big Mamma opened Barbarella in Canary Wharf in 2025. The company's current official website lists this restaurant at 30 South Colonnade.

Edmondo was previously tested in Hamburg

Edmondo is not a completely new brand. Big Mamma Group operates a restaurant of the same name in Hamburg. In the group's current restaurant portfolio, Edmondo in Hamburg is located at Hohe Bleichen 17.

However, it has not yet been disclosed to what extent the London restaurant will replicate the concept from Hamburg. The Caterer also states that the similarities between the two locations are not clear at this stage. Therefore, there is no definitive information regarding the new restaurant's menu, capacity, investment amount, or interior design details.

This uncertainty is significant when considering Big Mamma's operating model. Instead of merely replicating its restaurants in a standard chain format, the group positions them as venues with distinct characters, featuring different decorations and atmospheres. Although restaurants like Gloria, Circolo Popolare, Ave Mario, Jacuzzi, Carlotta, and Barbarella operate under the same group, they are presented with different identities in terms of design and customer experience. The group's official London page also defines its restaurant portfolio through this approach.

The group has reached a scale of 36 restaurants

The Foodservice Equipment Journal article notes that Big Mamma operates 35 restaurants worldwide, while the group's more recent career page states that 36 restaurants have opened in the last 10 years. The company currently operates not only in the United Kingdom but also in markets such as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico. Therefore, the more up-to-date company data was used in the StaffMag text.

The company's growth is not limited to Europe. Big Mamma plans to open its first restaurant in the United States at Juno Beach, Florida, by the end of 2026. According to a report published by Forbes in May, the group will make its first foray across the Atlantic with this location.

What kind of business opportunity does the Bank area offer?

Bank is one of London’s centers for finance and professional services. In such areas, restaurant demand can come not only from dinner but also from weekday lunch services, business meals, corporate events, and group reservations.

In Big Mamma's current strategy for the UK, group reservations and private events are becoming an increasingly visible revenue stream. The company's recent job postings for a separate Head of Sales and Events position for UK & Ireland and its definition of the events/private dining business as one of the growth areas indicate that this channel holds strategic importance for the group.

From this perspective, Edmondo's location in Bank may not only mean new table capacity. Corporate clients, private dining, events, and high-spending group reservations could play a significant role in the restaurant's revenue mix.

The biggest challenge in growth is not standardization, but the team

The impact of Big Mamma's new restaurant openings on the employee side is also noteworthy. The company’s current career postings include kitchen and service positions for London; additionally, training, team development, and career mobility between different countries are offered as part of the recruitment proposition.

One of the main risks in rapidly growing restaurant groups is that the opening of new locations can dilute the experience of existing teams. Standardizing the decoration or menu of a new restaurant may be relatively easy; however, replicating service culture, kitchen discipline, and management staff at the same pace is more challenging.

Stafflink’s view

Big Mamma's seventh restaurant in London is a good example that chain growth is not just about the number of branches.

In our view, the group's main advantage lies in its ability to position each restaurant as a distinct "venue experience" while establishing a scalable operational system in the background. However, the sustainability of this model depends more on team development, intensive service management, and preparing new managers at the right time than on design investment.

The performance of Edmondo in the Bank area will largely be shaped by how well it can establish this balance.