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 fried chicken restaurant, Sides, in none other than Manchester probably means nothing to you. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, 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 opened another in Dalston this November. 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 arrived in Birmingham and the second is coming to Manchester. Specifically, the Arndale shopping centre. From November 25, Mancunian fans of the Sidemen will finally find out if the hype tastes as good as it looks.
Sides at Manchester Arndale 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 1,222 sq ft restaurant will be fitted out in the Sidemen’s signature black and white and the Manchester opening, following the opening of its new restaurant Merry Hill, Birmingham.
Sides is set open its doors at Manchester Arndale on November 25. Queues are to be expected as it’s thought 10,000 people turned up to Sides’ Dalston venue on its first day.
To learn more about Sides head here.