January
Richard Caring launches an auction for his share in The Ivy and its sister restaurants, valuing the business at £1bn. The deal, which has yet to officially cross the line a year later, includes The Ivy, The Ivy Café, and The Ivy Brasserie brands as well as The Ivy Asia. Caring also announces that he will be reviving Le Caprice with it opening at The Chancery Rosewood hotel located in the former US Embassy building in Mayfair. In January James Close announced that his two Michelin star County Durham restaurant Raby Hunt will close and that he will be joining Rockliffe Hall as its culinary director, and Greg Marchand called time on his much-loved Covent Garden restaurant Frenchie. Also this month, there were big new restaurant openings announced, including Roe in Canary Wharf from the team behind Fallow, and Agora and Oma, a double opening from David Carter in Borough Market.
February
The passing of Hairy Biker Dave Myers dominated the news early on in February, along with the statistics that restaurant closures had surged to the highest ever quarterly figure in the final quarter of 2023. In the same month vegan fast-food restaurant group The Vurger Co closed its final three restaurants less than a year after being bought out of administration. In more positive news, a number of chefs were celebrating success at the launch of the latest Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland, including Brett Graham’s The Ledbury, which was awarded three stars, Aktar Islam’s Opheem and JKS Restaurants' Gymkhana, which were both promoted to two stars in a major shake up of the Indian fine dining space, and African chef and restaurateurs Adejoké Bakare’s and Aji Akokomi, whose restaurants were both awarded their first star.
March
Having taken its hometown of Bristol by storm, Sandwich Sandwich announces its play into the London sandwich market with a site planned for The City, which opens later in the year with queues around the block. March also saw the opening of Arlington, Jeremy King’s first of three planned projects since the fall of Corbin & King, located on the former Le Caprice site. Long-term Maître d’ Jesus Adorno, who made the move to Arlington, later leaves his role at the restaurant just one month into its opening. Also in March, Jason Atherton announces the closure of Pollen Street Social after 13 years - the Mayfair restaurant later reopens under new brand Mary’s, also operated by Atherton.
April
A number of high-profile restaurants closed their doors in April, including the DC comics-inspired Park Row in Soho, and Monica and David Galetti’s Mere in Fitzrovia, which closed after seven years (it was announced later in the year that The Woodspeen and The Braywood operator WSH Restaurants will open an as-yet-unnamed modern British restaurant at the site). Park Lane stalwart Galvin at Windows also announced its closure after 18 years of trading - it will be replaced by pan-Asian restaurant Shanghai Me at the start of 2025. Chef Niall Keating, who earned two Michelin stars at The Dining Room at Whatley Manor Hotel, announces that he will open Tender at Manchester’s Stock Exchange Hotel.
May
May was all about burgers. Two more smash burger concepts launched in the capital – Supra Burger and SMSH BN – and it was also confirmed that Carl’s Jr would enter the UK market. The cult US burger brand has signed a deal with Boparan Restaurant Group that will likely see it cross the pond at some point in 2025. In non-burger-related news Dishoom launched a bid to overturn a trademark on the right to use the term ‘Ruby Murray’ to describe a curry and Bryn Williams closed his Notting Hill restaurant Odette’s after 16 years of trading. The Welsh chef and restaurateur said he “loved every minute of it” but that now was the time “to move on and explore new adventures”. The Rum Kitchen also quietly shuttered its entire estate and Tom Barnes launched Skof in Manchester.
June
The Ledbury reclaims the title of UK’s Best Restaurant 12 years after it last held the title. Other highlights of the National Restaurant Awards 2024 included Chishuru’s Adejoké Bakare being named Chef of the Year and The Devonshire taking home Opening of the Year (to the surprise of absolutely nobody). Supermac’s triumphs against McDonald’s in a long-running dispute over the use of the ‘Big Mac’ trademark in Europe opening the door to the Irish fast food chain potentially expanding into other European countries. Tom Brown closes his Cornerstone flagship after six years citing the high running costs of a tasting menu restaurant and ‘changing tastes in diners’ preferences’.
July
McDonald’s says it won’t be rolling out the McPlant stateside following an apparently lacklustre trial in two major US cities. Reading restaurant L’Ortolan – which had been overseen by some of the UK’s most high-profile chefs including Nico Ladenis and John Burton Race – closes its doors after 38 years. Liz Cottam also closes her Leeds restaurant Home and the Bonwick family move on from Berkshire’s The Dew Drop Inn. Jeremy Clarkson buys a Cotswolds pub and former D&D man Des Gunewardena unveils plans for a huge multi-facetted hospitality venture within the Olympia London redevelopment.
August
Dishoom crosses the pond for the first time by way of a collaboration with famed New York brasserie Pastis. It is later revealed that the Indian restaurant group is planning a permanent launch stateside. A petition is launched trying to prevent the opening of a Gail’s in Walthamstow Village claiming that the upmarket bakery chain’s arrival posed a threat to the area’s ‘uniqueness’. Mark Jarvis’ Anglo restaurant in Farringdon closes after eight years in business and Pidgin also ‘takes its final flight’. The latter site reopens as Sesta a few months later.
September
After months of delays, it was announced in September that Birmingham-based chef restaurateur Brad Carter would no longer be involved in London restaurant Undercroft. Housed in the crypt of Mayfair’s St George’s Church, the restaurant subsequently opened later in the year with celebrity chef and restaurateur Aldo Zilli leading the kitchen. Elsewhere, TGI Fridays UK owner Hostmore filed for administration, with Breal Capital and Calveton subsequently taking on the American bar and restaurant brand; and after a troubled year the UK arm of Karen’s Diner, the Australia-founded restaurant group known for its rude service and staff with attitude, fell into liquidation amid ‘mounting financial pressure’.
October
October begun with the introduction of the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, a new law requiring businesses to pass on 100% of tips and service charges to staff. The casual dining sector saw some significant movement this month with Brian Trollip promoted to CEO at Dishoom having previously served as managing director at the Bombay-inspired Indian restaurant group; and Martin Williams stepping down from his role as CEO of Gaucho and M and its holding company Rare Restaurants. Williams said he left the company to embark on his next ‘personal chapter’, with a new CEO to be appointed in early 2025. Meanwhile, Birmingham diners said a sad goodbye to Glynn Purnell’s Michelin-starred Purnell’s restaurant, which closed its doors after 17 years trading. The chef cited a combination of economic pressures and the ongoing challenges faced by the hospitality industry as being behind the closure.
November
The restaurant sector spent November licking its wounds as the impact of the Government’s Autumn Budget became clear. Hospitality businesses will be hit by a double whammy of tax increases next year with employers facing a rise in National Insurance contributions (NICs) and a cut in business rates support, alongside a hike to the minimum wage. UKHospitality has warned the Budget will increase the cost of employing a full-time staff member ‘by at least £2,500’, with analysts suggesting the fallout could lead to a further rise of insolvencies across the sector. London’s restaurant scene was also rocked by the news that Ollie Dabbous will step down from his role as chef patron at Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant Hide early next year. Gregg Wallace steps away from his role on MasterChef while complaints made to the BBC regarding historical allegations of misconduct are investigated.
December
December begun with shareholders at Loungers voicing opposition to Fortress Investment Group’s acquisition of the all-day café and restaurant group. While several of the group’s major shareholders have said they will vote for the deal, a sizable contingent has said it will vote against the transaction, which values the c.280-strong group at approximately £338.3m. Over in London’s Notting Hill, it’s all change for Jackson Boxer who announced he would be closing his seafood restaurant Orasay at the end of year ahead of plans to relaunch it under a new concept with a broader offering in early January. “It is not re-inventing the wheel, but re-inventing the restaurant for today’s economy,” he said of the plan. Meanwhile, in central London the year ended with another major player entering the QSR market in the form of Dave’s Hot Chicken. The Nashville-style chicken brand is already proving to be a major hit, with people queuing for hours to try its signature Reaper spiced chicken that’s purported to be so hot that diners are required to sign a waiver before they eat it.