Beefy Boys Opens Seventh UK Restaurant at Former BrewDog Site in Exeter
Award-winning burger chain Beefy Boys opens its first Devon restaurant at the former BrewDog site on Exeter's Queen Street this summer. Read the full story here.
Prajakta Sanjay Warwadkar 
EXETER, May 29, 2026 — The Beefy Boys, the award-winning burger chain that won the UK's Best Burger title at the 2023 National Burger Awards, has announced plans to open its seventh UK restaurant in Exeter this summer, taking over the former BrewDog premises at Unit 12 on Queen Street and creating between 40 and 50 new full and part-time jobs in the city.
The Exeter opening will become the company's most southern site to date and its first Devon restaurant, joining an existing portfolio of locations in Hereford, Shrewsbury, Cheltenham, Bath, Oxford, and Nottingham, alongside two travelling food trucks that serve events across the country. An exact opening date within the summer has not yet been confirmed, but the ownership team has indicated that details of preview events for local diners will be announced in the coming weeks.
The announcement places Exeter firmly on the expansion map for one of the UK's most recognised independent burger brands, a chain that began as a backyard barbecue operation in 2011 and has grown through a combination of competition wins, consistent quality, and a loyal following built across the Midlands and South West.
The Beefy Boys' History and Journey to Exeter
The Beefy Boys was founded in 2011 by four childhood friends, Anthony 'Murf' Murphy, Daniel Mayo-Evans, Christian Williams, and Lee Symonds, who first made headlines when they placed second at the World Food Championships in Las Vegas in 2014. From those competitive beginnings, the group built a restaurant business whose growth has been measured and deliberate, adding locations as demand and opportunity aligned rather than chasing rapid expansion for its own sake.
The chain placed fourth in the World Food Championships in Indianapolis in November 2024 with its Oklahoma Onion Boy burger, a result that maintained its international competitive profile alongside its domestic restaurant growth. The team has also recently published its second cookbook, The Beefy Boys' Great British BBQ, released by Quadrille on May 7, 2026 at £20, extending the brand's reach into home cooking alongside its restaurant operations.
For co-founder Anthony 'Murf' Murphy, the Exeter opening carries personal significance that goes beyond commercial logic. "Exeter has been on our radar for a while. It's an exciting city with a buzzing food scene, and I'm lucky enough to have spent lots of time here, due to some family connections, so it's always felt like somewhere we'd love to be. When the former BrewDog site came up, it just felt like the perfect fit for us," said Murphy. "We're incredibly proud of how far The Beefy Boys has come. Just over ten years ago we were cooking burgers in our back gardens, and now we are opening our seventh restaurant."
What Beefy Boys Will Serve at the Exeter Restaurant
The new restaurant will serve the brand's signature menu, which relies on 100 per cent grass-fed beef sourced from Herefordshire alongside regional ingredients. Featured dishes will include the classic Blueprint Burger and the award-winning Oklahoma Onion Boy, alongside various vegetarian, vegan, and side options. The grass-fed Herefordshire beef sourcing has remained a constant across every Beefy Boys location, a supply chain commitment that connects the brand's Devon debut back to the Hereford heartland where the business began.
The Queen Street site's former identity as a BrewDog bar gives the Beefy Boys a ready-made city centre footprint with strong existing visibility among Exeter's dining and nightlife audience. The Unit 12 premises sits within easy reach of Exeter's main retail and leisure core, positioning the restaurant to capture both lunchtime trade and evening dining crowds.
Exeter Jobs and Economic Impact of the Beefy Boys Opening
The opening is expected to provide a boost to the local economy, with management confirming that recruitment has begun for between 40 and 50 new full and part-time roles in the city. The job creation figure is significant for a single restaurant opening, reflecting the scale of the Queen Street site and the Beefy Boys' operational model, which staffs its restaurants with a team large enough to maintain consistent service quality rather than running lean.
The Exeter opening follows the Beefy Boys' June 2026 launch in Nottingham, where the brand ran a soft-opening programme offering 25 per cent off food bills to local burger testers ahead of the official opening, a community engagement format the team has used at previous locations to refine service before the full public launch.
The Beefy Boys Exeter restaurant will open at Unit 12 Queen Street, Exeter, in summer 2026. Recruitment is now underway and further details on opening events will be announced through the brand's social media channels.
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