Parkdean Resorts inks deal to roll out Thunderbird Fried Chicken across venues

Holiday park operator Parkdean Resorts has made a deal with Thunderbird Fried Chicken to open an initial two sites at its venues in Camber Sands, Sussex, and Trecco Bay, Bridgend, this month.

The plan is then to roll out the offer across additional parks over the coming year. The concepts will trade under the Thunderbird Fried Chicken name, offering a menu of the brand’s typical dishes, with Parkdean Resorts overseeing the full management of the sites.

Paul Gilchrist, chief executive of Thunderbird, said: “We’re excited to be expanding the Thunderbird business through this franchise, with the opportunity to open Thunderbird sites outside of London for the first time. In Parkdean Resorts, we’ve found a partner that fundamentally gets what we’re about as a business and I have complete faith in their systems and people to meet and deliver the stringent quality control standards we set for Thunderbird.”

Steve Richards, chief executive at Parkdean Resorts, said: “This move represents the wider intent across the business to continually improve the quality of our food and beverage offer, giving our guests an unrivalled choice and experience when they visit us. Thunderbird is a young, exciting brand that has perfected an outstanding product, which we’re absolutely certain will be a hit with our guests. Our people are the driving force behind the business and our point of difference; in Thunderbird we’ve found a company with true synergies in this area and I’m excited to see where this agreement takes us.”

Parkdean Resorts is the UK’s largest operator of caravan, lodge, cabin, glamping and camping holiday resorts. The company recently announced a £70m investment in its business nationwide to install new accommodation, renovate facilities and upgrade existing caravans and lodges.

This will include investment into the Camber Sands and Trecco Bay parks to provide new luxury accommodation options, activities including high ropes and virtual reality zones, and facility upgrades such as new swimming pools, pop-up food stands and outdoor dining spaces.

Thunderbird Fried Chicken, founded by Matt Harris and led by Gilchrist, has been backed by private equity firm Trispan since January 2019 and has six sites across London, with further openings lined up this year.