OakNorth has officially announced a new £10.75 million loan facility to support the continued expansion of Rosa’s Thai, one of the UK’s leading authentic Thai casual dining brands.
Founded in 2012 by husband-and-wife duo Alex Moore and Saiphin Moore, the company has evolved from a single restaurant into a major nationwide hospitality operator. Rosa’s Thai currently manages a portfolio of 47 locations across the United Kingdom, including 30 restaurants concentrated throughout London. The brand has established a strong reputation for delivering authentic Thai cuisine in a relaxed and accessible dining environment while maintaining operational consistency during a challenging period for the broader hospitality industry. The financing reflects OakNorth’s continued focus on supporting growth-stage businesses with strong operational fundamentals and long-term expansion potential, particularly within sectors such as hospitality, leisure, and consumer services.
Financing will support refinancing and nationwide expansion plans
According to the companies, the £10.75 million facility will primarily be allocated toward two strategic objectives. The first component involves refinancing existing debt obligations in order to strengthen Rosa’s Thai’s overall balance sheet and improve long-term financial flexibility. The second objective centers on supporting the company’s ambitious site expansion strategy, which includes opening new restaurant locations across high-performing regions throughout the UK. The expansion comes as demand for differentiated casual dining experiences continues recovering despite broader economic pressures impacting the hospitality sector.
Rosa’s Thai also operates as a key portfolio holding within the Rising Stars fund managed by TriSpan. The fund specializes in scaling high-growth restaurant and food and beverage concepts and includes several major hospitality brands such as Pho, Mowgli Street Food, Flat Iron, and Thunderbird Fried Chicken. The backing from OakNorth provides Rosa’s Thai with additional liquidity and operational flexibility as it accelerates its national growth trajectory.
Leadership highlights resilience within the hospitality sector
Executives from both organizations emphasized that the transaction reflects continued investor confidence in hospitality businesses capable of demonstrating operational resilience, customer loyalty, and disciplined expansion strategies. For OakNorth, the deal reinforces the bank’s broader strategy of providing tailored financing solutions to established businesses operating in sectors often underserved by traditional commercial lenders.
“Rosa’s Thai is a high-quality, well-established brand with a clear growth trajectory and strong customer proposition. Despite a challenging backdrop for the hospitality sector, the business has demonstrated resilience and continued demand, underpinned by an experienced management team and the support of a highly credible sponsor in TriSpan.”
– Senior Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth, Stewart Haworth
The transaction also highlights the growing role digital and specialist lenders are playing within hospitality financing, particularly for multi-site operators seeking flexible capital structures capable of supporting rapid growth.
OakNorth continues expanding its position in growth-stage business lending
OakNorth has built a strong reputation for financing entrepreneurial businesses across sectors including hospitality, real estate, and leisure through its data-driven lending infrastructure. Unlike many traditional banks that have reduced exposure to hospitality lending following recent economic volatility, OakNorth has continued actively financing scalable operators with strong unit economics and resilient customer demand. The Rosa’s Thai transaction further strengthens OakNorth’s position as a major alternative lender supporting growth-focused businesses throughout the UK market. As hospitality brands increasingly pursue regional expansion and operational modernization, access to flexible growth capital is becoming a critical competitive advantage for scaling restaurant operators.
About OakNorth
OakNorth is a digital bank focused on providing customized lending solutions to entrepreneurs and growth-stage businesses across the United Kingdom. The company utilizes proprietary data and technology infrastructure to deliver flexible financing solutions for sectors including hospitality, leisure, and commercial real estate. OakNorth has become one of the UK’s leading growth lenders by supporting businesses seeking expansion capital and long-term operational scaling.
