La Brigade opens its 20th restaurant at Vélizy 2

La Brigade has reached its target of twenty restaurants in France ahead of schedule. On 22 September 2026, the self-described ‘carnivore street food’ brand opened at Vélizy 2 in the Paris region, with the Kristy group as its franchise operator. The opening brings the number of restaurants in the network run by independent business owners to nine, according to information published by Franchise Magazine on 28 September.

A milestone reached before the end of the year

At the end of 2025, La Brigade had twelve restaurants in France, including three franchised outlets. The brand was then aiming to reach twenty locations by the end of 2026. The Vélizy 2 opening has therefore allowed it to reach that milestone in September, several months ahead of its announced schedule.

Founded in Paris in 2013, La Brigade began recruiting franchisees in 2022. A winner at the 2025 Révélations de la Franchise awards, it now has a greater proportion of independently operated restaurants in its network: nine out of twenty locations, compared with three out of twelve at the end of the previous year.

Comparing these two snapshots highlights the role of franchising in this stage of growth. The overall network has expanded by eight restaurants, while the number of franchised outlets has risen from three to nine. For those following the franchise sector, this is a tangible development to track in a brand that has only relatively recently opened up to independent operators.

An experienced multi-brand operator at Vélizy 2

The new restaurant is run by the Kristy group. This multi-site, multi-brand operator already manages around ten quick-service restaurants under various brands, including Berliner, Waffle and Columbus Café. This opening adds La Brigade to its portfolio.

The Vélizy 2 restaurant has 140 seats. It therefore combines substantial seating capacity with an operator already experienced in managing multiple locations and brands. The choice of operator is a notable feature of this twentieth location: this is not the group’s first venture into running restaurants within branded networks.

These details describe the Vélizy 2 project, but do not establish a standard format for future locations. The published information gives neither the investment required for this restaurant nor its specific turnover targets. Its seating capacity should therefore not be treated as an indicator of profitability.

Five projects announced, from Strasbourg to Lyon Écully

Following this milestone, La Brigade has announced five projects under development. The published timetable schedules openings in Strasbourg in December 2026, Villeneuve-d’Ascq in February 2027, Aix-en-Provence in April, Nice in June and Lyon Écully in September 2027.

These dates refer to planned openings, not restaurants already trading. They nevertheless outline the next stage of the announced expansion, with several locations outside the Paris region.

The network’s geographical footprint has already changed. At the end of 2025, seven of its twelve restaurants were in Paris or the surrounding Île-de-France region. It now has eight locations in the Paris region and twelve elsewhere in France. Restaurants outside Île-de-France therefore account for the majority of the network.

La Brigade now plans to continue expanding at a rate of seven to ten additional openings a year. This ambition builds on the growth recorded in 2026, but remains a development target rather than a tally of completed openings.

Putting the figures in context

The brand reports network-wide turnover of €18.2 million excluding VAT for 2025 and is targeting €28 million in 2026. The first figure is presented as an annual result; the second remains a target.

La Brigade also reports average turnover of €2.7 million excluding VAT for its larger restaurants. That distinction in format is essential: the figure does not necessarily represent all twenty locations and is not a forecast for Vélizy 2 or for a future franchisee.

Key takeaway for prospective franchisees: reaching twenty restaurants confirms the network’s progress. Before assessing a potential location, it remains essential to request data for comparable restaurant formats and to distinguish between turnover, investment and profitability.