The Safe Option – Building Gluten-Free Confidence with Sonny Wells, Founder of Sonny’s

In this episode, Chris Fletcher sits down with Sonny Wells, founder of Sonny’s – the soon-to-launch fast-casual food brand with a mission to make eating out safer and more inclusive for people with allergies, especially coeliacs. Sonny shares his personal journey through a difficult diagnosis, what sparked the idea for Sonny’s in Dubai, and how a chance encounter with Sir Richard Branson turned into national visibility and a wave of investor interest.

They talk about why “gluten-free” often isn’t really gluten-free, the lack of trust coeliacs feel in mainstream restaurants, and the operational minefield most hospitality brands face when trying to serve guests with allergens. Plus, Sonny gives a sneak peek into how he’s building a scalable, confidence-first QSR brand—with tech, training, and trust at the core.

💡 Key Topics Covered:

• The painful diagnosis that inspired Sonny’s

• What “truly gluten-free” actually means—and why most brands get it wrong

• The difference between clean, allergen-free fast food and processed options

• His pitch to Sir Richard Branson and winning the “Elevator of Dreams”

• How Sonny plans to scale the business through tech, training, and franchising

• The role of kiosks, face-to-face service, and roving allergen experts

• Challenges with dairy-free cheese and lessons from early advisors

• Why confidence is the brand’s core value—and what that means in practice

• The untapped market of allergy-conscious consumers, and why it’s growing fast

• The vision for Sonny’s in the UK and beyond

🔗 Connect with Sonny:

• Instagram: @sonnystheceliac

• Business Page: @sonnys_food

• LinkedIn: Sonny Wells

💬 Chris’s Take:

“Sonny’s isn’t just a food brand—it’s a confidence brand. It’s answering a real, growing need in hospitality with compassion, energy and commercial smarts.”