Friday Five: the week's top news
- Restaurateur Richard Caring has confirmed he was approached over a possible sale of the Bill's chain last year, but didn't think the group was "dressed well enough to be sold". In an interview with MCA he says the brand "needed a bit of love" but was optimistic about its future.
- Ed Schoenfeld, founder of US brand RedFarm says he "never worried about Brexit" when deciding to open its debut UK site in Covent Garden. "I have enormous confidence in the quality of food we put out and how unique it is, so I took the plunge," he told BigHospitality.
- The Hummus Bros restaurant group collapsed after its owners failed to raise funding to expand away from the high street. A report by administrator's ReSolve Partners reveals the group wanted to move in to branded supermarket products and event catering but investors were hesitant to back the business due to "a number of high profile failures in casual dining".
- Prezzo executive chair Karen Jones says she is on a mission to restore the struggling Italian brand and "make customers love it again". She told MCA's Restaurant Conference the group, which has closed almost 100 restaurants this year, lost its focus on hospitality and "bold" moves were needed to turn it around.
- A restaurateur who oversaw three London sites has been jailed for 14 months after continuing to run companies despite a previous ban. Sarkis Agop Kouyoumdjian, 55, of Kensington High Street, ran Asian fusion site Cocochan and two sites of Middle Eastern restaurant Massis from November 2011 to May 2014. The Insolvency Service says the ruling should serve as a "warning to others".
For more of this week's news, click here.
