Casual Dining

Wandsworth’s StreetCube declared ‘official emergency food solution’

17-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Sustainable-minded street food project StreetCube has declared itself an ‘official emergency food solution’ for people in the Wandsworth area.

Victor Lugger: 'restaurants must ask themselves how can we be closed for six weeks and survive?

17-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Restaurant operators need to start asking themselves how they will be able to keep their staff employed while being closed for five to six weeks, according to the co-founder of Big Mamma Group.

Ramen supper club Supa Ya Ramen to open first permanent restaurant

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Ramen supper club Supa Ya Ramen will open its first permanent restaurant this week.

Duty of care: The Coronavirus and the law

16-Mar-2020 By James Campbell and April Lord

James Campbell and April Lord of law firm Pillsbury on the legal implications the Coronavirus has for restaurants, including risk assessments and force majeure in contracts.

Restaurants combat Coronavirus cashflow problems with gift vouchers

13-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Restaurant companies including Harts Group and Kricket are asking their customers to purchase gift vouchers to combat the Coronavirus’s potentially disastrous impact on their cashflow.

Restaurants 'should plan for the worst-case scenario' with coronavirus

13-Mar-2020 By Restaurant

Restaurant operators should plan for the worst-case scenario with the coronavirus outbreak, according to people close to the sector.

Bao trio to open all-day dining restaurant Cafe Bao in King's Cross

11-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The team behind popular Taiwanese steamed buns restaurant Bao will open their first all-day dining concept under the brand.

Anchor and Hope founders to open The Clarence gastropub

11-Mar-2020 By Restaurant

Rob Webster-Shaw and Jonathan Jones, the founders of top London gastropubs Anchor and Hope, Canton Arms, and Magdalen Arms and formerly of 32 Great Queen Street, will open neighbourhood pub The Clarence Tavern in Stoke Newington later this month.

UKHospitality calls for business rates suspension for businesses threatened by Coronavirus

10-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Trade body UKHospitality is calling on the Government to support food, drink and leisure businesses threatened by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, with measures including a three-month suspension of business rates.

Industry hit by 'double whammy' of Coronavirus and immigration policy

10-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Confidence among the bosses of Britain’s pub and restaurant groups has been fractured by the double whammy of Coronavirus and the Government’s new immigration policy, according to new snap poll.

Red Dog Soho to relaunch after fire

06-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

The former Red Dog Saloon restaurant in London's Soho is to reopen on 19 March after it was forced to close due to a fire at the end of last year.

Corbin and King to open restaurants in the City and Notting Hill

05-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Corbin and King has announced it will open two further restaurants in the capital, one in the City and another in Notting Hill.

Restaurant radar: March 2020

02-Mar-2020 By Restaurant

March's key openings include Nico Simeone's London debut, Peter Sanchez-Iglesias enigmatically-titled The 3rd and a new restaurant from the team behind Salon and Levan.

Latest opening: Lebnani

28-Feb-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The founder of Yalla Yalla has launched a Beirut-inspired restaurant in the Surrey town of Reigate.

All aboard: Mathew Carver to launch The Cheese Barge

27-Feb-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Pick & Cheese and The Cheese Bar founder Mathew Carver is to launch a boat-based restaurant on a permanent mooring on Paddington’s Grand Union Canal this April.

Wagamama plans 3-5 more delivery kitchens

26-Feb-2020 By Sophie Witts

The Restaurant Group (TRG) is planning to open three to five standalone Wagamama delivery kitchens this year.

The Restaurant Group eyes up to 90 site closures

26-Feb-2020 By Sophie Witts

The Restaurant Group (TRG) is to close up to 90 restaurants by the end of 2021.

Berberè acquires majority share in Radio Alice

21-Feb-2020 By Sophie Witts

Italian company Berberè has acquired a majority share in Radio Alice, the pizza restaurant business it set up in a joint venture with Azzuri Group.

Latest opening: Mozzasando

21-Feb-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Alan Yau’s Italian-Japanese sando bar has opened quietly in Kensington.

Casual Dining Group sells off final four La Tasca sites

21-Feb-2020 By James McAllister

Casual Dining Group (CDG) has offloaded the final four La Tasca restaurants on its books, bringing to an end its ownership of the brand less than five years after originally acquiring it.

Manchester’s Mr Cooper’s to relaunch as Mount Street Dining Room & Bar

21-Feb-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Manchester restaurant Mr Cooper’s will relaunch this April as Mount Street Dining Room & Bar.

Robin Gill is branching out further at new hotel Birch in Cheshunt

20-Feb-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Robin Gill is lending his name and cooking expertise to yet another project, this time at a new hotel, restaurant, bakery and co-working space in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.

Giraffe co-founder Russel Joffe dies

20-Feb-2020 By Finn Scott-Delany

Giraffe co-founder Russel Joffe has died aged 62, his family has confirmed.

Points-based immigration system could ease specialist Asian chefs shortage

19-Feb-2020 By Joe Lutrario

The Government’s proposed points-based immigration system will make it less costly for Indian and other Asian restaurants to recruit specialist chefs from abroad.

Bulgarian chain Happy to open in London

19-Feb-2020 By James McAllister

Bulgarian-based bar and grill brand Happy is to open its first UK outpost on the former TGI Fridays site in London’s Piccadilly Circus next week.

Government closes door on 'low-skilled' EU migrants

19-Feb-2020 By James McAllister

Proposed changes to the immigration system have provoked fierce condemnation from the hospitality industry, with trade body UKHospitality calling it “disastrous” for the sector.

Satay Street to open permanent restaurant in Spitalfields

19-Feb-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Street food stalwart Satay Street will open its first permanent restaurant – in Spitalfields – later this week.

Can Busaba bounce back?

18-Feb-2020 By Sophie Witts

Once the darling of the Thai restaurant scene, Busaba has had a tough few years, with falling profits and site closures. Now with a simplified offer and a fresh focus on the capital, it’s looking to bounce back.

Paul Williamson to open second Good Neighbour, in Tooting

17-Feb-2020 By Restaurant

Paul Williamson is opening a second neighbourhood restaurant Good Neighbour later this month, in London’s Tooting Broadway.

Latest opening: Padella Shoreditch

14-Feb-2020 By James McAllister

Four years after opening in Borough Market, Padella has finally launched its second London site on Phipp Street in Shoreditch.

The Lowdown: No PDA Zones

13-Feb-2020 By James McAllister

Italian American chain Frankie & Benny’s is to introduce ‘No PDA’ zones at a number of its restaurants this Valentine’s Day.

Market Halls co-founder Simon Anderson to leave the business

13-Feb-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Simon Anderson is to leave his role as chief creative officer of Market Halls after helping found the business back in 2018.

Latest opening: Bar Douro City

12-Feb-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Max Graham’s Southwark-based Portuguese restaurant and wine bar Bar Douro now has a younger sibling in the City.

Jamie Oliver Group to open new Dublin restaurant

12-Feb-2020 By Sophie Witts

The Jamie Oliver Group is to open a new restaurant in Dublin as the chef continues to expand his international business.

Urban Leisure takes Soho House’s Kentish Town site

11-Feb-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Urban Leisure is set to launch a bar and restaurant on the large north London site formerly occupied by Soho House’s Pizza East, Dirty Burger and Chicken Shop.

The Flank duo on burgers, Market Halls and going permanent

04-Feb-2020 By Finn Scott-Delany

From pub pop-up origins, Flank has gone through various iterations since arriving in London. Directors Tom Griffiths and Ben Rowland discuss developing a more commercial edge at the business, while keeping in touch with their founding ethos.

NO! Sushi: what YO! is doing next

04-Feb-2020 By Sophie Witts

YO! has dropped its sushi moniker, ditched its iconic conveyor belts in some restaurants and made a major play into retail both here and across the pond.

Restaurant Radar: February 2020

03-Feb-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The Barrie brothers' Liverpool launch, a double-headed Durham restaurant and the latest ventures from Alan Yau, Dominique Ansel and the Padella duo are some of the biggest restaurant openings to look out for this month.

Flash-grilled: Simon Henbery

31-Jan-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Simon Henbery is Executive Chef Director at upmarket Italian dining group Chucs. His CV includes senior roles at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen London and Barbecoa.

Wingmans secures Soho site for second restaurant

24-Jan-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Cult chicken restaurant Wingmans has chosen Soho for its second bricks and mortar restaurant.

Latest opening: Ampéli

24-Jan-2020 By Joe Lutrario

A casual restaurant inspired by Greece and its neighbouring countries has opened on Fitzrovia’s Charlotte Street.

Levan and Salon team to launch New York-inspired Larry's in Peckham

24-Jan-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The team behind popular London restaurants Salon in Brixton and Levan in Peckham is launching a third venue this spring.

Ryan Blackburn to relaunch Ambleside restaurant Kysty

24-Jan-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Michelin-starred chef Ryan Blackburn is relaunching his casual restaurant Kysty, in Ambleside, to create a new neighbourhood restaurant that's more reflective of his fine dining flagship.

Handmade Burger Co. falls into administration with loss of 283 jobs

24-Jan-2020 By James McAllister

Handmade Burger Co. has gone into administration for a second time, after attempts to secure a sale of the business failed.

Boparan Restaurant Group CEO to step down

23-Jan-2020 By Sophie Witts

Tom Crowley is to step down as CEO of Boparan Restaurant Group after three years in the role.

Tom Aikens closes final Tom's Kitchen site

22-Jan-2020 By James McAllister

Tom’s Kitchen, the casual dining group founded by chef Tom Aikens, is no more following the closure of its single remaining UK location in London’s Chelsea earlier this month.

Townsend to open at London’s Whitechapel Gallery next month

21-Jan-2020 By Restaurant

London’s Whitechapel Gallery is to get a new restaurant next month with the opening of Townsend.

Flour power: how Padella changed London's pasta landscape

21-Jan-2020 By James McAllister

Padella created the blueprint for pasta-focused small plates places when it opened in 2016. Four years on, founders Jordan Frieda and Tim Siadatan face stiff competition in the space they established as they open their second London site.

Kitgum Kitchen secures first bricks and mortar site

16-Jan-2020 By Finn Scott-Delany

East African-Indian-inspired pop-up Kitgum Kitchen has secured its debut restaurant site, in Brighton.

Chotto Matte heads to Saudi Arabia

15-Jan-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Kurt Zdesar’s NZR Group has made the first of what is hoped to be a series of international franchise deals after partnering with an as-yet unnamed company to open a Chotto Matte in Saudi Arabia.