Free Resources

Everything You Need to Run a
Profitable Thai Restaurant

Free guides, real data, and practical tools. No paywalls. No signup. Just the information most operators wish they'd had when they started.

Starting Out

How to Open a Thai Restaurant in the UK

The complete guide: costs, licences, FSA registration, staffing, and launch timeline.

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📊 State of UK Thai Food 2026 — Annual Report

1,594 restaurants. 78 cities. Hygiene trends, delivery economics, market gaps. The definitive data report.

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The Real Timeline: Lease → Opening Day
Not the fantasy version. 6 phases, real durations, what goes wrong, and why it takes 22-30 weeks. Thai kitchen specifics — wok stations, extraction, grease traps.
Timeline
How Many Thai Restaurants Are in the UK?
1,594+ restaurants, broken down by region, city, and chain. FSA-sourced data with hygiene ratings. Use it to scout your competition.
Data
City-by-City Market Breakdown
30 UK cities compared: per-capita density, hygiene ratings, dine-in vs takeaway splits, and market opportunity gaps. Find underserved markets.
Data

Costs & Margins

Operating Costs: The Full P&L
Every line item in a Thai restaurant P&L. Food, staff, rent, energy, hidden costs — real 2026 numbers for a 40-cover restaurant.
Data
Thai Menu Pricing Guide
Dish-by-dish benchmarks. What to charge for Pad Thai, Green Curry, Tom Yum — London vs regional. GP targets for every item. The pricing strategy most operators miss.
Guide
Delivery Commissions Compared
Deliveroo vs Just Eat vs Uber Eats — what they actually cost. Real profit per dish after commission. How to build a delivery menu that makes money.
Guide
Wholesale Supplier Directory
28 verified suppliers — nationwide, specialist importers, and online. Ingredient price benchmarks for coconut milk, rice, curry paste & more.
Directory
GP Calculator: Work Out Every Dish
Step-by-step GP formula with real worked examples. Pad Thai, Green Curry on Deliveroo vs dine-in. Menu engineering matrix.
Guide
Revenue & Profit Benchmarks
What do Thai restaurants actually earn? Turnover by size, cost breakdowns, owner take-home, and delivery impact on real profit. 2026 data.
Data
Menu Price Index: Dine-in vs Delivery
Pad Thai, Green Curry, Tom Yum — real prices across 5 cities. Average +22% delivery markup. See who's hiding commission in the menu price.
Data
NLW 2026 Impact Report
What the April 2026 National Living Wage rise actually costs your restaurant. Staffing models, NI calculations, and the £10.5k Allowance explained.
Calculator
Profit Margin Defender
See how delivery commissions eat your margins. Compare dine-in vs Deliveroo vs Just Eat profitability per dish. Stop losing money on every delivery order.
Tool
Wholesale Price Benchmarker
Compare your supplier prices against regional averages. Rice, coconut milk, fish sauce, curry paste — are you overpaying?
Tool

Marketing & Growth

Restaurant Marketing Guide
Master Google Business Profile, optimise delivery platforms, fix local SEO, and get more bookings. Practical 90-day marketing sprint included.
Guide
Hygiene Rating Lookup
Search any UK Thai restaurant by name. See its FSA hygiene rating, inspection date, and location instantly. Free — uses live government data.
Tool
Where Should I Open? City Scorer
Adjust your priorities — budget, competition tolerance, market gap — and see which UK city scores highest for your new Thai restaurant.
Tool
Delivery Profit Calculator
Input your dish price and food cost. See exactly what you net on Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat. Find the markup you need to match dine-in profit.
Tool
Market Entry Report Generator
Select any UK city. Get a complete market analysis: competition, costs, opportunity score, and a written verdict. Print-ready for business plans.
Tool
Supplier Price Tracker
Compare wholesale prices for coconut milk, rice, curry paste & more. See who's cheapest. Stop overpaying for Thai restaurant essentials.
Tool
Competitor Radar: City Intelligence
Pick a city. See hygiene rating spread, who's weak, who's dominant, and where you can compete on quality. Spot vulnerable players.
Tool
Restaurant Valuation Estimator
What's your Thai restaurant worth? Input turnover, profit, location, lease. Get a market value range and effective multiple.
Tool
Staffing Calculator: How Many Staff?
Input covers, service style, and hours. Get exact kitchen + FOH headcount and the real weekly wage bill at 2026 NLW rates.
Tool

Staffing & Visas

Chef Visa Assistant
Check if you can sponsor a Thai chef under the 2026 salary thresholds. SOC codes, going rates, and the real cost of sponsorship — all calculated instantly.
Tool
Sponsor a Thai Chef: Full Guide
Complete walkthrough: qualifying roles, £38,700 salary threshold, sponsor licence costs (£5-6.5k first year), SOC codes, 5-year path to settlement.
Guide
The 2026 Chef Visa Cliff
Why Thai chef recruitment is about to get harder — and what the £38,700 threshold means for independent restaurants. Timelines, costs, and alternatives.
Analysis
2026 Resilience Dashboard
Stress-test your restaurant against predicted NLW hikes and inflation. Model survival scenarios before they become reality.
Tool
AI Survival Guide for Thai Restaurants
How AI is changing restaurant operations — from menu optimization to staffing forecasts. What matters, what's hype.
Analysis

Events & Culture

Thai Festival Calendar 2026
Every Thai cultural event across the UK. Temple celebrations, food festivals, embassy events — filter by city or date. 10 temples, 25+ events.
Calendar
Thai Food Trends UK 2026
Regional Isaan & Northern cuisine rising. Delivery at 40%+ of revenue. Plant-based Thai mainstream. What's hot, what's fading.
Report
Songkran UK 2026
Where to celebrate Thai New Year across the UK. Temple water ceremonies, restaurant promotions, and what to expect at your first Songkran.
Guide
Loy Krathong UK 2026
Thailand's festival of lights in the UK. Float your krathong at temple lakes, watch lantern displays. Includes krathong-making guide.
Guide
All Free Tools
Wage calculator, dish price AI, stress tester, NAP checker — every free tool on thaidata.uk in one place.
Tools

Restaurant Directory

Claim Your Restaurant Listing
Own a UK Thai restaurant? Claim your free listing to add photos, menus, opening hours, and more. Get found by customers searching for Thai food near them.
Free
Browse by City
Find Thai restaurants in your city. 1,594 restaurants across 253 UK towns and cities. Complete with FSA hygiene ratings.
Directory
Competitor Intelligence Hub
50+ platforms analysed: delivery apps, booking systems, POS, marketing tools. Honest verdicts on what's worth your money.
Research