Bassam Elia

Co-Founder
Chopstix Group

Sam Elia and Menashe Sadik are the co-founders of CHOPSTIX, the UK’s leading Asian Quick Service Restaurant. Both immigrants to the UK, Sam and Menashe met while working in a London restaurant in 1988, becoming firm friends, and eventually brothers-in-law, as Sam is married to Menashe’s sister. In 2001, they started a small business together on Camden Market in London, selling fish and chips, £1 pizza slices, kebabs and falafels. After a local entrepreneur caught their eye with the product he was selling out of his car boot, they soon added Asian food to their offer, and the beginnings of a concept started to take shape. In 2002, after scraping together the funds from friends and family, Sam and Menashe secured a prime location on Oxford Street, in London’s West End. Through a clause in the rental agreement, they were told they couldn’t sell pizza in their new store, so took a leap of faith, ploughing their energies into the Asian offer. Chopstix Noodle Bar was born. Marking its 20th anniversary this year, Chopstix has grown to more than 80 sites across the UK and Ireland, serving fast, fresh, tasty Pan-Asian cuisine at a mix of company owned and operated locations, and franchise sites run through partnerships with the likes of Welcome Break, Applegreen and Haven. In addition, the business also has relationships with delivery partners Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats. In a period of rapid growth, Chopstix will open at least twelve new sites in the UK and Ireland in 2022, with further expansion opportunities in Europe and the Middle East. Through a brand extension programme, the business is also looking to launch a range of cooking sauce pots in retail, as well as instant noodle pots which will be sold in vending machines.