Sides, the fried chicken brand founded by YouTube group the Sidemen, has announced plans to open its first Scottish locations in Q1 2026.
Two sites are planned for Glasgow’s St Enoch shopping centre and Livingston Designer Outlet.
The Scottish expansion comes as the business pursues what it describes in press materials as its ambition “to own the hot chicken category in the UK”.
Sides currently operates five UK restaurants at Lakeside in Essex, Bluewater in Kent, Boxpark Wembley, Merry Hill in the Midlands and Manchester’s Arndale.
The hot chicken brand also opened its first international location in Singapore this June.
The Sidemen, who have nearly 23 million subscribers on YouTube, are made up of Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji (KSI), Harry Lewis (Wroetoshaw), Simon Minter (Miniminter), Vik Barn (Vikkstar123), Josh Bradley (Zerkaa), Ethan Payne (Behzinga) and Tobi Brown (TBJZL).
Aaron Moore-Saxton, managing director at Sides, said: “We have a great brand, a great product and we are ready to deliver new growth, starting in Scotland.
“Expanding our footprint into Scotland has been a huge ambition and we are thrilled to bring our unique hot chicken experience to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Livingston, as we meet our ambition of owning the hot chicken category in the UK.”
Moore-Saxton joined Sides earlier this year, bringing experience from Chopstix, Pizza Hut and Itsu.
Founded in 2021 by the Sidemen — the UK’s largest YouTube collective — in partnership with Scottish-based Hero Brands, Sides operates virtual delivery kitchens across the UK and plans to open around 200 locations globally over the next decade.
The menu features hot Nashville-style chicken coated in paprika-spiced oil, crispy corn ribs, waffle fries and mac and cheese bites.
