--- title: "McDonald’s Franchisee In UK Sells Out and Joins GDK" url: https://burnaze.com/article/3c369035-90bc-438a-bac8-1b5c03aed9a8 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20220615_mcdonalds_franchisee_in_uk_sells_out_and_joins_gdk.html category: "Restaurants" industry: "Restaurants" published: 2022-06-15T12:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:09:13.345Z image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1561758033-d89a9ad46330?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop --- # McDonald’s Franchisee In UK Sells Out and Joins GDK **TL;DR:** Atul Pathak, a successful McDonald's franchisee in the UK, has sold his 43 restaurants and joined German Doner Kebab as a franchisee. The move comes as German Doner Kebab opens its 100th UK restaurant and continues its expansion across the country. *originally published in Franchising.com on 2022-06-15. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20220615_mcdonalds_franchisee_in_uk_sells_out_and_joins_gdk.html).* ## Key facts - Atul Pathak sells 43 McDonald's restaurants - Joins German Doner Kebab as franchisee - GDK opens 100th UK restaurant ## Story ## Mcdonald's franchisee exit - ***McDonald’s franchisee in the UK, Atul Pathak OBE, has sold out at the legacy brand to join the future of fast-casual dining at German Doner Kebab.*** - ***Pathak is one of the nation’s most successful franchisee entrepreneurs and has been operating 43 McDonald’s restaurants and employing more than 3,500 staff for nearly two decades.*** - ***The British Indian businessman makes the move to the fast-casual brand amidst its exciting expansion across the UK.*** - ***Atul Pathak, OBE, said: “I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved in the last 20 years, but it was time to move on and I am ready for my next challenge delving into the future of fast-casual dining with German Doner Kebab.”*** Atul Pathak, OBE, was formerly the UK’s largest McDonald’s franchisee with 43 restaurants throughout the country. However he has now announced a partnership with German Doner Kebab after recently selling his McDonald’s portfolio which he built up during the past two decades. Atul believes the move reflects German Doner Kebab’s position as the exciting fast-casual brand of the future. He said: “It’s exciting to be teaming-up with German Doner Kebab. After nearly 20 years with McDonald's, I decided to sell my business and explore new opportunities that reflected the changes we are seeing amongst Gen Z and Millennial consumers. “It was a great journey to grow from one restaurant to 43 and be the largest franchisee of McDonald’s in the UK. “But, I felt it was time for a new challenge and when the opportunity to partner with German Doner Kebab arose it was a perfect fit for our new ambitions. “German Doner Kebab is at the forefront of a new age of fast-casual dining in the UK. “It is an exciting time to be a part of the brand story and I look forward to playing a key role in strengthening German Doner Kebab.“ ## German doner kebab expansion The partnership with Atul Pathak, OBE, comes as German Doner Kebab opens its 100th UK restaurant. The chain has always prided itself on crafting ‘expectation-defying kebabs’, elevating what is one of Britain’s most-loved takeaways to a new level of quality, freshness, and variety, all wrapped into a superior dining experience. GDK’s food is freshly prepared in front of customers, using open kitchens in all restaurants. An uncompromising focus on quality means GDK uses only premium and lean cuts of meat, fresh locally sourced vegetables, unique signature sauces made daily in each restaurant, and hand-made bread with its crisply toasted waffle pattern. Imran Sayeed, CEO of German Doner Kebab, said: “The arrival of Atul Pathak is a significant moment for German Doner Kebab as we build the fast-casual brand of the future. “He is an established and prominent franchisee who has experience in growing and developing a brand portfolio in the UK. “Atul’s experience in Drive-Thru will also be invaluable as we explore more and develop new formats and concepts for the brand.” ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - Restaurants (sector) - McDonald's (company) - Gen Z (person) - fast casual dining (topic) - German Doner Kebab (company) - uk expansion (topic) - restaurant sale (topic) - franchisee exit (topic) --- Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20220615_mcdonalds_franchisee_in_uk_sells_out_and_joins_gdk.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/3c369035-90bc-438a-bac8-1b5c03aed9a8).