Casual Dining

McDonald's urged to ditch plastic straws as pressure on restaurant groups grows

29-Jan-2018 By Stefan Chomka

Restaurant groups are coming under increased pressure to ditch plastic straws in favour of more sustainable paper ones as concerns over their damage to the environment grow.

Mark Jarvis to open Stem this spring

29-Jan-2018 By Stefan Chomka

Mark Jarvis, chef-patron at award winning London restaurants Anglo in Farringdon and Neo Bistro, near Oxford Street, will open his third restaurant this spring.

Kricket to launch delivery concept with White Rabbit Fund

29-Jan-2018 By Finn Scott-Delany & Sophie Witts

Indian restaurant group Kricket is to launch its first delivery-only concept in London with the backing of White Rabbit Fund.

Five things to do when selling your business

29-Jan-2018 By Jessica Nugent

Law firm Goodman Derrick LLP shares its five top things to consider if you're looking to sell part or all of your business.

Prezzo is the latest Italian chain facing possible closures

29-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Prezzo looks to be the latest Italian restaurant chain to feel the pinch amid tough trading conditions within the casual dining sector.

Rankin to launch third Temper restaurant

26-Jan-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Neil Rankin’s third Temper restaurant will focus on house-cured meat, pizza, vermouth and “top quality” wine and will open in Covent Garden this Spring.

Family-run chip shop named best in the UK

26-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

A family-run chippy in Yorkshire has been named the best in the UK.

MasterChef finalist closes Soho meatball restaurant

26-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Australian MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Bonny Porter has closed her Soho restaurant Balls & Company after two and a half years.

The Weekender Interview: Andrew Wong

26-Jan-2018 By Joe Lutrario

The chef behind London's most exciting Chinese restaurant on Pierre Koffmann, not going to the cinema, and washing up for his parents in return for Walkman batteries

The Lowdown: Valentine's Day

26-Jan-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Restaurants have a love/hate relationship with 14 February. Read on to avoid a Valentine's Day massacre and come up smelling of roses...

Adam Simmonds set for new role after Test Kitchen closure

26-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Chef Adam Simmonds is set for a new role at a private members' club in Milton Keynes after the closure of his London Test Kitchen pop-up earlier this week.

Friday Five: The week's top news

26-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

From trouble at the Jamie Oliver group to the first UK-made vegan 'bleeding' burger making its way on to menus, we round-up the top stories you might have missed this week.

Latest opening: Greyhound Café

25-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

The beloved Bangkok restaurant is now strutting its stuff in Fitzrovia.

A vegan bleeding burger is launching at Mildreds next month

25-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

British brand Moving Mountains is teaming up with vegetarian restaurant brand Mildreds to launch the UK’s first ‘bleeding’ vegan burger.

Jamie Oliver Group switches meat suppliers after food hygiene investigation

25-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group has sought to reassure customers after the Food Standards Agency (FSA) launched an investigation in to one of its meat suppliers.

Bill's Restaurant will use three refurbished sites to test drive new menus

25-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Bill’s Restaurants has refurbished three outlets to act as concept sites for a menu ‘test drive’.

Amber is the latest operator to choose the East End to make its debut

24-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

A new Middle Eastern small-plates restaurant is opening in East London at the end of the month.

How can restaurants drive loyalty in an era of mass competition?

24-Jan-2018 By Restaurant magazine

The eating out sector is booming, and it's become more difficult for restaurants to cut through the noise and promote loyalty.

Latest opening: Cin Cin Hove

24-Jan-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Lawyer turned restaurateur David Toscano has launched a follow-up to his Brighton restaurant Cin Cin, in Hove. The restaurant has a focus on handmade pasta but will also offer main course-size dishes.

Ex-Pied á Terre head chef to open his first restaurant amid €1.3m hotel revamp

23-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Former Pied á Terre head chef Andy McFadden is opening a restaurant in Dublin early next month.

Famous Cantonese restaurant Poons to make a return to the capital

23-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Sorely missed Cantonese restaurant chain Poons is making a return to the capital in the form of a three-month Clerkenwell pop-up.

"More of a trickle than a torrent": the hospitality sector failing to get senior female executives into top roles

23-Jan-2018 By Georgi Gyton

Hospitality businesses are being urged to sign a charter supporting women in the industry, following findings that the sector is lagging behind in gender diversity.

Former GBK boss flips over to rival Burger King

23-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

The former head of Gourmet Burger Kitchen has joined its fast food rival Burger King as its new chief executive.

Switching the stables for the seaside: The Coopers to launch new concept in spring

23-Jan-2018 By Finn Scott-Delany

The founders of pizza and cider brand The Stable are opening a beachside restaurant, Swim, in Lyme Regis.

Five potato trends for restaurants to watch in 2018

23-Jan-2018 By Patrick McGuigan

From loaded fries to cassava chips, here's five key potato trends that will have implications for your fryer basket in 2018.

BHA and ALMR propose merger to create 'single strong voice' for hospitality

23-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

The British Hospitality Association (BHA) and Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) are proposing a merger to create a new body, UKHospitality.

Jamie's Italian confirms closure of 12 restaurants

22-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group has confirmed it is to close a third of its UK sites as part of a strategic review of the business.

Nando's trials grab'n'go express format in Twickenham site

22-Jan-2018 By Mark Wingett

Nando’s is trialling a new express format, designed to cater for the grab’n’go consumer.

Mark Birchall’s Moor Hall Restaurant is awarded four AA rosettes

22-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

The AA Guide has announced its latest round of AA Rosettes.

The Blue Posts' basement restaurant opens bookings ahead of February launch

22-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

The Blue Posts’ in-house restaurant Evelyn’s Table will open on 8 February.

Legendary chef Paul Bocuse dies aged 91

22-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Celebrated French chef Paul Bocuse has died at the age of 91.

The lowdown: Posh pizza

19-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

These London locations are mixing fine dining with pies and slices.

The Weekender Interview: Hélène Darroze

19-Jan-2018 By Joe Lutrario

The Channel-hopping French chef on her love of armagnac and Staub cocottes and her hatred of espuma and Marmite

Friday Five: The week's top news

19-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

From another raft of high-profile restaurant closures to the latest dining brands heading to the airport, we round-up some of the top stories you might have missed this week.

Opinion

The rise of the restaurant chatbot

19-Jan-2018 By Eloise Sheppard

Smartphones are crowded spaces these days, with some commentators even saying the app revolution is over. Instead, attention has turned to bots, specifically chatbots, which use artificial intelligence to hold automated conversations with consumers.

Crowdfund record breaker The Vurger Co. to open vegan burger site in Shoreditch

19-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Vegan burger group The Vurger Co. is opening its first permanent site in Shoreditch in March.

Tim Allen to take the reins at The Flitch of Bacon

19-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Chef Tim Allen has been appointed chef-partner at The Flitch of Bacon, Daniel Clifford’s Essex restaurant with rooms.

Rök to end The Kitchens residency to open first Soho restaurant

18-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Nordic-inspired restaurant group Rök is set to launch its first central London site in Soho later this year.

K10 continues growth of takeaway concept

18-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Japanese restaurant group K10 is to launch its third dedicated takeaway site in the City of London later this month.

Vivek Singh talks expansion, new wave Indians and the plight of the curry house

18-Jan-2018 By Joe Lutrario

One of the most influential figures in Indian cuisine is overseeing the rollout of two modern Indian restaurant brands. Will Vivek Singh be the one to finally create a truly nationwide Indian restaurant group?

Jean-Baptiste Requien on Ramsay, the key to great service and returning to D&D

18-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Jean-Baptiste Requien has returned to D&D London following a year-and-a-half long stint as ops director at Mayfair’s Park Chinios. The Frenchman is perhaps best known for his work at Gordon Ramsay Group and appeared alongside Ramsay in a number of...

Victor Garvey closes Encant ahead of new Soho opening

18-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Chef Victor Garvey has closed his London restaurant Encant ahead of launching a new Soho site later this year.

Gin craze sees number of UK distilleries double in five years

17-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

The UK’s love affair with gin is showing no signs of drying up, and the craze for craft varieties of the spirit has seen the number of distilleries in the country hit a new high.

Masala in Marble Arch: Hankies is opening a second site

17-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Indian street food restaurant Hankies is opening a second site this month, in Marble Arch’s Montcalm Hotel.

Misadventure ruling after teenager dies due to allergic reaction to burger

17-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

The death of a woman who suffered an allergic reaction to eating a chicken burger was partly caused by a ‘lack of communication’ between a server and chef, an inquest jury has found.

Latest opening: Rosa’s Thai Veggie

17-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Rosa's Thai Cafe in Soho relaunched this week as a fully-vegetarian restaurant, and will remain so for three months or longer, dependent on its success.

BrewDog to open first airport bar in 2018

17-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

BrewDog has revealed plans to open its first airport bar in 2018.

Former Bluebird chef takes over Michelin-starred Butchers Arms

16-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Former Grain Store and Bluebird head chef Mark Block has taken over the Michelin-starred gastropub The Butchers Arms.

Randy's Wing Bar is doubling up with new site in the City

16-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Chicken wing restaurant Randy’s Wing Bar is opening a sister site in Aldgate at the end of the month.

Galvin brothers to close Bistrot de Luxe

16-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Chris and Jeff Galvin have announced that their original London restaurant Galvin Bistrot de Luxe is to close its doors on 10 February.