Born in 2022 in a small premises on Sagués street, Barcelona, Deleito has become in just four years one of the most recognizable gastronomic brands among the Catalan Gen Z. Festivals, pop-ups, viral videos, collaborations with influencers and a digital community that goes far beyond burgers have driven the growth of the company founded by Rai Recoder, Alberto Gras and Gerard Moreno.
Last Thursday, the company presented its 2025 results: 4.2 million euros in turnover and the forecast to reach six million this year. The next day, Recoder met us at Deleito's offices, still immersed in the landing in Madrid with five new openings and with one goal in mind: to turn the brand into a chain with 40 franchises before 2030.
— You closed 2025 with 4.2 million euros in turnover, and this year you want to reach six million. Where should this growth come from?
— Above all from new openings and from further boosting pop-ups, festivals and large events. It is a line that is working very well for us and that already represents a significant part of the turnover.
— You are now starting the summer season, the festival season. What does it mean for your business?
— Going from having, for example, 80 workers to almost 300. Operationally it is very demanding, especially having a small office structure. But over the years we have learned very well which are the spaces where the brand works.
— Which ones are they?
— Festivals and events with young or family audiences. The Godó, the Canet Rock or Ítaca, for example. These are perfect contexts because people are having a good time, they are hungry and they see Deleito as a safe bet. In the end, within a festival, you compete with many catering proposals, and having a recognized brand helps us a lot.
— Now you are also making the leap to Madrid.
— Yes, we have just opened five new Deleito locations. We have worked during part of 2025 and 2026 to achieve a standardization of processes within the company, to turn it into a franchisable company. We believe that, in the operational field, we have reached excellence, and that we have a consolidated brand, so the package can be sold to other operators who can exploit the territory where we do not reach.
— Is Madrid just the beginning?
— Yes. Our goal is to reach about 40 franchises before 2030.
— Forty?
— Yes, even though this does not mean that we will only grow with franchises. We would also like to continue opening some of our own locations in cities that we find interesting.
— When you say interesting cities, are you talking about London, Paris...?
— We don't have to go that far. Maybe we'll open in Reus before London [laughs]. But yes, obviously we want to grow at a national level and, in time, internationally as well.
— What markets do you have on your radar?
— Valencia for sure. And then we'll see. This 2026 is a year of validation: to check that the model works in Andorra, Madrid and in some other city before really accelerating.
— Why bet on the franchise model now?
— Because opening a Deleito costs at least 300,000 euros. And with this model, the partner assumes the investment and we provide the brand, the operations and the know-how.
— And Andorra has been the pilot test.
— Exactly. And it has gone very well. The partner is happy, and so are we. This has given us confidence to accelerate and take this step in Madrid. This year is the time to build solid foundations, see that the model works well and thus in 2027 hit the accelerator.
— You were born in 2022. All this has happened in just four years... And you almost no longer speak like a startup.
— It's true. [laughs]
— You speak more like a large company.
— Because in the end we are. We have had a very startup part in terms of creativity and speed of growth, but we are still a restaurant. And restaurants have very clear rules, and in the end you have to make money.
— Although you have raised capital.
— Yes. We have done two rounds, one at the beginning, and a big one was the three million last year. It allowed us to grow very fast.
— But now the discourse is much more about profitability.
— Totally. Now we want to grow well. Use everything we have built these years to make a solid, sustainable and profitable company.
— Is it not the time, then, to do big communication campaigns, like launching Deleito burgers to Barça players during the 2025 parade?
— We want to continue communicating, but from another perspective. During the first years we overinvested in marketing because we needed to build a brand. Now we want every euro invested to have a return. Specifically, that every euro invested in marketing, returns 50.
We have gone from building a brand to thinking about profitability, about generating profitability. The actions we take today have to be much more focused on generating business.
But the style remains the same. The Barça parade campaign is a good example: we threw hamburgers at the bus and the players started eating them right there. Lamine Yamal, Fermín, Gerard Martín, Cubarsí… The video went viral, with millions of views, and the cost of the action was minimal.
— And this year everyone copied you.
— Yes [laughs]. This year everyone was throwing things at the parade.
— Deleito has never wanted to sell only hamburgers, right?
— No. We were clear about this from day one.
— What did you want to sell, then?
— A brand. A community. An experience.
— And what is this experience?
— We want to emulate the feeling of being in heaven. That's why our claim is "Welcome to heaven." It's not just the hamburger, which obviously has to be good. It's also the packaging, the place, the music, the festivals or the collaborations. We have tried to build our own universe and move away a bit from the more classic American burger to take it towards a more Mediterranean sensibility.
— It's almost more of a cultural brand than a gastronomic one.
— Yes, and this is deliberate. We always say that in ten years Deleito should be able to sell anything beyond hamburgers.
— Even clothes?
— We would love to. A thousand times we have thought about doing drops of t-shirts or caps. But right now we have too many open fronts.
— But are you exploring other lines of business?
— Yes. We are venturing into the world of retail. We are studying taking some Deleito products to supermarkets or convenience stores.
— Are you talking to any supermarket?
— Not yet. Now we are researching products and looking to industrialize some of our products, such as potatoes or meat.
— You are also promoting a more social aspect.
— Yes. In a month we will launch a charity hamburger against cancer and we will allocate a part of each hamburger sold to the Fero Foundation, which is one of the most important foundations in the fight against cancer that has a very important research part here in Barcelona.
— Why was it important to take this step?
— Because goodness is one of the values we want to promote as a brand. We have all experienced cancer up close and we wanted to do something real, not just say it.
— When you started in 2022, did you imagine yourselves here?
— At a business level, you dream much faster than things actually happen. But at a brand level, honestly, I think we have exceeded all expectations.
— What surprises you the most?
— Normalizing certain things. The other day I was talking to Marc Gasol, at an AIJEC event, and he told me that we were doing very well, that he had friends who were fans of Deleito, that I should call him. If they had told me that four years ago, I wouldn't have believed it.
— By the way, World Burger Day will be soon. On International Pizza Day, we asked different chefs what Barcelona pizza would be like. And now, I ask you: what would a Barcelona burger be like?
— We'd better ask Alberto.
[And, yes, we go to Alberto's office, former Masterchef 8, and co-founder of Deleito].
— Alberto, what would the Barcelona burger be like?
— The Barcelona burger would have to be traditional, but open to the world, with a touch of innovation and going from the mountain to the sea. A good option would be to start with a mushroom fricandó burger, continue with a little melted havarti cheese on top (the famous cheese of the Barcelona bikini) and finish with a spicy touch, with the sauce of the Barceloneta bomba.