9. Coco Di Mama

Founders: Daniel Land and Jeremy Sanders
Founded: April 2011
Website: www.cocodimama.co.uk

Coco Di Mama makes our list for the second year running as its offering of quality, quick-service Italian food continues to be a hit with busy City workers. Although the Fleet Street area is not exactly short of places to grab lunch, Jeremy Sanders and Daniel Land spotted an opportunity when they saw that amongst all the Pret a Mangers and Eats no-one was offering quality, quick-service Italian food. Since launch in 2011, the business has become a staple of local office workers in the central London area with its high quality food and coffee quickly gaining a stellar word-of-mouth reputation. The mini-chain has also grabbed the attention of investors such as ex-Marks and Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose, who have backed the business with more than £1m to date. The duo opened a third outlet in May this year and have ambitious plans to open another soon; London’s appetite for Coco Di Mama shows no signs of abating.