If you don’t who KSI or the Sidemen are, we have some news for you… You might be officially old. So the fact that they are about to open their first fried chicken restaurant, Sides, outside of London probably means nothing to you. Don’t worry, we barely know who they are either, but apparently, they’re a big deal. So we’ll do our best to explain.
Sidemen is a British YouTube collective that started in 2013, growing into one of the biggest channels on the platform today. They were all over the news back in September for the Sidemen FC charity football match, which brought some of the world’s biggest YouTube stars to Wembley Stadium. Arguably its biggest member, KSI, is also co-owner of the sports drink PRIME – if you remember the social media frenzy around that!
Back in 2021, the Sidemen also launched Sides, their very own fried chicken brand for delivery only, later expanding into food courts around London. Earlier this year, the group opened its first standalone restaurant in Croydon and will soon open another in Dalston. But the brand’s ultimate aim is to expand across the UK, with as many as 200 sites over the next decade.
The first of these restaurants looks to be coming to the West Midlands. Specifically, Merry Hill in Dudley on November 18 at 6pm. Very soon, Brummie and Black Country fans of the Sidemen will finally find out if the hype tastes as good as it looks. At the very least, the hope is the expansion of this global phenomenon will attract a younger audience to Merry Hill.
Robin Mehta, Sides CEO, said: “Opening the first location of Sides outside of London is massive for all of us. The growth of Sides has been a proud moment and we’re really excited about the space at Merry Hill. Here at Sides we like to say that People will come in for the hype, but they’ll come back for the food, and we’re looking forward to seeing this in action in the West Midlands.”
Sides at Merry Hill will offer a range of fried chicken dishes and plant-based alternatives. Including burgers, tenders, and wings, as well as a selection of sauces, such as classic BBQ, chipotle, or XIX buffalo. The new 2,960 sq ft restaurant will have space for up to 90 diners and will be fitted out in the Sidemen’s signature black and white. To learn more about Sides head here.