Steak frites. It’s been the quiet classic of European bistros for more than a century, timeless, dependable, and familiar. But in 2025, steak frites isn’t just having a moment. It’s having a breakout. And at the heart of this global fixation is a restaurant that’s flipped the script on casual dining: Swiss Butter.
What began as a single-focused concept is now a multi-country phenomenon, with seventeen restaurants across London, Dubai, and Madrid, each packed with customers who know exactly what they’re coming for: steak, fries, salad, bread and a rich, signature sauce that ties it all together.
Swiss Butter isn’t just popular. It’s precise. It doesn’t call itself a steakhouse. It’s not fine dining. It’s not fast casual. In fact, it’s not really like anything else. And in that space between categories, it’s doing something the industry rarely sees: creating a new one.
Founded by Eddy Massaad, Swiss Butter has carved out its own lane by refining and redefining, the steak frites experience. Rather than slotting into traditional categories like steakhouses or casual dining, the brand has created a focused, scalable format built entirely around one perfectly executed dish. The simplicity is intentional, but behind it lies a highly structured model that delivers consistency, speed, and flavour across every location, no matter the country.
In an age where restaurants often chase novelty and eclectic menus, Swiss Butter doubles down on repetition. There are no huge menu changes. No deviations. Instead, there’s an obsession with consistency. Every team is trained through the Swiss Butter Academy. Every plate hits the table with the same configuration. Every bite feels familiar whether you’re in the UAE or the UK.
It’s a business model that shouldn’t work. And yet, it’s thriving.
Steak frites, once considered a dependable staple rather than a standalone concept, has found new life in the Swiss Butter format. The restaurant doesn’t try to reinvent the dish, it just delivers it with relentless focus and a level of operational precision usually reserved for luxury chains or fast food giants. The result? A new kind of mid-tier dining that’s as comforting as it is aspirational.
What’s emerging is not a fleeting trend, but a new format. A category that borrows the familiarity of a bistro, the simplicity of a fast casual model, and the flavour obsession of fine dining, then packages it all into a brand that feels both global and intimate.
There’s power in limitation. And Swiss Butter proves that doing one thing and doing it exceptionally, can be more disruptive than a ten-page tasting menu. In fact, that’s exactly what’s turning heads across the hospitality world. Industry leaders are no longer asking why this is working. They’re asking what it means for the future of dining.
Will we see more “mono-menu” concepts with singular obsessions? Will steak frites evolve into a format in the same way burgers and sushi have? And can simplicity scale without becoming sterile?
Swiss Butter is making a compelling case. It’s not themed. It’s not nostalgic. It’s not chasing foodie trends or viral gimmicks. It’s simply nailed the brief of what a certain type of diner wants: quality, speed, comfort, consistency and above all, flavour.
In doing so, it’s quietly forcing a rethink in restaurant categories. Because when a single dish can inspire brand loyalty, cross-border growth, and global recognition, it stops being just a dish.
It becomes a category.
The Swiss Butter break isn’t just about one restaurant’s rise. It’s about what happens when a classic escapes the sidelines and reshapes the field entirely.
Steak frites is no longer just a plate.
It’s a format. A framework. A movement.
And it’s only just getting started.