Le Bab founders to launch Camden pub
Two of the founders of kebab restaurant group Le Bab will launch a ‘brand new old fashioned boozer’ on the former site of Camden Market pub The Farrier early next year.
Casual Dining
Latest opening: Nipotina
Samyukta Nair’s latest Mayfair restaurant is her most casual yet offering simple Italian food at surprisingly approachable prices.
Swine that Dines to swap Leeds city centre for Headingley
High-profile Leeds restaurant Swine that Dines will move from the city centre to a larger site in the suburb of Headingley next month.
Hambledon Wine Estate to launch restaurant headed by former Le Manoir chef Nick Edgar
Hampshire’s Hambledon Wine Estate will launch a new restaurant and tasting room early next year.
CGL ‘continuing to assess viability’ of D&D London’s estate amid mounting losses
D&D London operator CGL Restaurant Holdings has said it is continuing to assess ‘the performance and viability’ of its estate after losses rose in its latest financial results.
St Pancras Bar & Brasserie to launch counter dining concept
St Pancras Bar & Brasserie will launch a Kitchen Bar that will offer a separate menu that is focused on raw food early next year.
Pizza Express to make US debut with Florida restaurant
Pizza Express will make its US debut in 2025 with a restaurant in Florida as it looks to ‘fill a gap in the premium pizza market’.
Kevin Styles to step down as Jamie Oliver Group CEO
Kevin Styles is to step down as CEO of the Jamie Oliver Group after nearly two and a half years with the business.
Azzurri Group toasts ‘transformational year’
Azzurri Group has delivered an 18% increase in revenue to £303.1m for the year ended 30 June 2024.
Restaurants see ‘solid sales’ ahead of crunch Christmas
Britain’s leading hospitality groups recorded year-on-year sales growth of 2.7% in November 2024, the latest edition of the CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker reveals.
Chotto Matte closes its Marylebone site
Chotto Matte has closed its Marylebone restaurant to focus on its Soho flagship and its upcoming Manchester site.
Cost pressures ‘remain a challenge’ as Nando’s cuts losses
Nando’s is plotting further expansion in the UK following a ‘strong sales performance’ in its latest financial results, which saw sales rise and losses reduce.
Latest opening: Bun House Disco
Alex Peffly and Z He’s latest London restaurant is an ode to ‘the hedonistic era of 1980’s Hong Kong’
Ibérica sold out of administration to Camino with three sites closed
Ibérica has shuttered three of its five sites as part of an administration process with the group’s other two restaurants acquired by rival London-based Spanish operator Camino.
Rosa’s Thai swings into loss
Rosa’s Thai has reported a significant increase in sales and adjusted EBITDA For the 53 weeks to 31 March 2024, but has swung to a loss after tax.
Will Sutton and Patrick Withington on the revamp of their renowned Manchester restaurant and wine bar
Having set up a new limited company to save the business, the Erst founders are doubling down with a series of investments planned for the Ancoats site.
Angelina team to launch pasta and grill restaurant on the fringes of The City
The team behind Angelina Dalston will launch a pasta and grill restaurant in East London’s Norton Folgate development early next year.
Original Pachamama site to make way for new Italian concept
Pachamama Group’s flagship Pachamama Bar + Kitchen restaurant in Marylebone will close at the end of the year to make way for a new as-yet unnamed Italian concept.
Afrikana heads to London Designer Outlet
Fast-growing Africa-inspired casual dining group Afrikana will open a restaurant within Wembley’s London Designer Outlet next year.
Latest opening: Pearly Cow Brighton
Hotel brand GuestHouse has brought its steak and seafood-focused in-house restaurant brand to the South Coast.
D&D London to close final Leeds restaurant
D&D London will close its Angelica and Crafthouse restaurant at the top of the Trinity Leeds shopping centre this month, bringing an end to the group’s presence in the city.
Spanish vegan brand PLANT SHACK plans UK move
Fast casual vegan brand PLANT SHACK, which operates six sites across Spain, has signed a franchise agreement to open its first UK outpost in London.
Chuck E. Cheese plans entry into UK market
US restaurant group Chuck E. Cheese is looking to expand into the UK market, targeting locations in cities including Glasgow, Manchester and Bristol.
Two Thirds Beer Co. to launch Euro-inspired beer hall
The team behind Sheffield-based bar, kitchen and bottle shop Two Thirds Beer Co. is to open a Euro-inspired beer hall and restaurant in the South Yorkshire city next year.
Why the restaurant spin-off is making a comeback
History suggests that casual dining side hustles are doomed to fail but that hasn’t stopped operators looking to replicate the success of their original concepts.
The Beefy Boys: “We look at our menu like we do our children, it’s hard to have favourites”
Anthony ‘Murf’ Murphy, co-founder of burger quartet The Beefy Boys, on almost claiming the title of World’s Best Burger, the rise of the Oklahoma-style patty, and his group’s future plans.
Pizza Express renews its partnership with tastecard and Gourmet Society owner after five-year hiatus
Pizza Express has renewed its partnership with tastecard and Gourmet Society owner Ello Group following a five-year hiatus.
Whitbread hires former Boparan CEO as restaurant division MD
Whitbread has appointed former Boparan CEO Joe Texeira as managing director for its restaurants division.
How I Got Here: Amir Chen
The restaurateur and co-founder of the Delamina group on the business lessons of his father and grandfather, working alongside his wife, and the importance of leading by example
Ibérica on brink of administration
Spanish restaurant group Ibérica has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators.
Permit to fly: how Dishoom is looking to conquer America
A decade and a half on from launching in London, the distinctive Indian dining brand is heading Stateside – just don’t expect any American chutzpah.
Ottolenghi plans further expansion outside central London as group falls to loss
The Ottolenghi group says it is continuing to explore expansion outside of Zone 1 and 2 in London, with a new site in Richmond set to open next year.
Gail’s planning up to 40 new openings in 2025
Gail’s is aiming to open between 30 and 40 new sites in 2025, according to CEO Tom Molnar.
More shareholders voice opposition to Loungers sale
More shareholders have said they will vote against Fortress Investment Group’s acquisition of Loungers, with one saying they are ‘furious’ about the proposed deal.
Brindisa’s Monika Linton: “Brexit has added half a million to our costs”
As Brindisa celebrates the 20th anniversary of its first tapas restaurant, the group’s co-founder reflects on the business’s evolution, the impact of Brexit, and its future plans.
Latest opening: Piccolino Chichester
Individual restaurants has opened its latest Italian restaurant on the South Coast
Loungers sale faces shareholder resistance
Two of Loungers’s biggest shareholders are to vote against Fortress Investment Group’s acquisition of the all-day café and restaurant group.
Noodle & Beer to open second site
Chinese restaurant Noodle & Beer will open its second London restaurant in the new year.
Takeaways back in growth as restaurants’ at-home orders rise again
Britain’s leading restaurant groups extended a long run of inflation-beating growth in delivery and takeaway sales last month with a like-for-like increase of 4.8%, new research show.
Loungers to be acquired by US firm Fortress in £338m deal
Loungers is to be acquired by US-based investment firm Fortress in a deal that values the all-day café and restaurant group at approximately £338.3m.
Temper shutters half its estate as operating company enters administration - updated
Temper has closed its restaurants in Shoreditch and Paddington, as well as its smash burger offshoot in White City, with its operating company understood to have entered administration.
Cicchetti Knightsbridge rebrands to San Carlo
Italian restaurant group San Carlo has rebranded its Cicchetti site in Knightsbridge to its flagship San Carlo brand.
Latest opening: Delamina Townhouse
Husband-and-wife duo Amir and Limor Chen have chosen Covent Garden for their largest restaurant project to date.
Gail’s to launch £500m auction next year
The owners of Gail’s have hired bankers to handle a sale that could value the premium bakery chain by as much as £500m.
Loungers opens fourth Brightside
Loungers has opened the latest site under its roadside dining brand Brightside.
Pretty Decent Beer Co to launch new London taproom early next month
Pretty Decent Beer Co (PDBC) is expanding its presence in East London with a new taproom in a historic canal-side building by Victoria Park.
Maneki Ramen launches crowdfund for Birmingham restaurant
Japanese restaurant Maneki Ramen has launched a crowdfunding campaign ahead of the launch of its new opening in Birmingham next spring.
Homeslice opens first restaurant in six years
Homeslice has opened its first site since 2018 in London department store Harvey Nichols.
Life beyond bao: the founders of London’s Mr Bao on expanding outside of Taiwanese cuisine
Mr Bao, Daddy Bao and Master Bao founders Frank Yeung and Abhinav Malde have formalised their group under the name 6 of 1 ahead of plans to develop new concepts.
David Loewi to step down as D&D London CEO
D&D London has announced that co-founder David Loewi will step down from his role as CEO and board director at the end of the year.