Daily news, insight and opinion from the world of restaurants
The Supreme Court has refused Allianz Insurance’s application to appeal a recent ruling in a major case Covid-19 business interruption case in what has been described as a ‘significant win for policyholders’.
Unions may back legal action against operators including Harrods, Caprice Holdings and the Savoy Grill that add cover charges to diners’ bills that don’t go to staff.
Soho House & Co has formed an independent special committee to evaluate an offer from a new third-party consortium.
Fried chicken brand Wingstop is back in the black having reported a pre-tax profit of £3.5m in its latest financial results, up from a £2m loss the year before.
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.
Azzurri Group has delivered an 18% increase in revenue to £303.1m for the year ended 30 June 2024.
UKHospitality has reiterated its call for the Government to rethink its planned hike in employer National Insurance contributions amid ‘a troubling economic picture’ caused by rising inflation and ‘lacklustre growth’.
Carlsberg has been cleared by Britain’s competition watchdog to buy soft drinks manufacturer Britvic.
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.
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.
Kebab restaurant brand Bababoom has been bought by hospitality operator Brand Bae for an undisclosed sum.
Chef Simon Rimmer’s restaurant business was more than £500,000 in debt when the business closed, documents have shown.
Pizza group Homeslice entered administration earlier this month, filings have shown
UKHospitality has expressed its support for the Government’s stance on business rates.
Sticks’n’Sushi and Big Mamma investor McWin is reportedly in talks to acquire rapidly expanding upscale bakery chain Gail’s.
Industry trade bodies have warned the measures announced to support hospitality businesses in the Scottish Budget will ‘do little to stop closures and significant job losses in the sector’.
Whitbread has appointed former Boparan CEO Joe Texeira as managing director for its restaurants division.
Spanish restaurant group Ibérica has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators.
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.
German street food concept Doner Shack is relocating its headquarters to the US, with the group’s founders saying it provides ‘a much better environment’ for hospitality businesses than the UK.
Itsu has secured a partnership deal with catering business Delaware North that will see it deliver its sushi to the hospitality boxes at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in London.
Gail’s is aiming to open between 30 and 40 new sites in 2025, according to CEO Tom Molnar.
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.
Two of Loungers’s biggest shareholders are to vote against Fortress Investment Group’s acquisition of the all-day café and restaurant group.
London’s historic Smithfield meat market and Billingsgate fish market are set to close.
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.
Just Eat Takeaway.com has filed a notice of intention to delist from the London Stock Exchange (LSE) next month.
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.
More than 6,000 restaurants in the UK face closure in the next 12 months, according to an assessment of financial data by Price Bailey
Glynn Purnell has promised he has ‘a number of solutions and proposals in mind’ to support customers seeking refunds for vouchers to his flagship Birmingham restaurant, which closed last month.
The founders of London restaurants Mr Bao, Daddy Bao and Master Bao have formalised their group under the name 6 of 1 ahead of plans to develop new concepts.
US fast food chain Wendy’s will soon make its debut in the South West of England following a deal with franchise organisation Khidmat Limited.
Husband and wife team Andy and Lyndsey Appleton have closed their Cornwall restaurant ‘with immediate effect’.
Pizza Hut’s biggest UK franchisee has brought in advisers from Interpath Advisory to find new investors or a buyer amid warnings about the impact of the Budget on the business.
Draft legislation to permanently cut business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties from 2026 has been published.
Business Growth Fund (BGF) has acquired a minority stake in London-based chophouse group Blacklock.
Just Eat Takeaway.com is to sell its US food delivery platform Grubhub to Wonder Group for $650m (£510m), little more than three years after acquiring the business for $7.3bn (£5.75bn).
London-based burger and brassiere brand Haché has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators having closed nearly all of its London sites.
The Big Table Group is considering plans to cut opening hours in response to the Chancellor’s decision to raise National Insurance contributions (NICs) for employers.
Caffè Nero and Coffee#1 owner The Nero Group has added London-based coffee business FCB Coffee to its growing portfolio.
UKHospitality has described the cut to interest rates announced today (7 November) as a ‘short term benefit’ that will be ‘significantly overshadowed’ by the impact of the recent Autumn Budget.
Highly-rated Brighton Indian restaurant The Chilli Pickle has launched a crowdfund to aid its upcoming relocation from Jubilee Square to a new site in The Lanes.
The Government has confirmed that hospitality settings will not be included in its plans to extend the indoor smoking ban to a number of open-air spaces.
Dishoom has appointed advisors as its seeks an investor to help fund a move into the US.
Members of the RMT union have called off plans to strike across the London Underground over the coming week following discussions over pay.
A report outlining the most influential people in the UK restaurant sector has been published by Restaurant.
The employment tax measures outlined in this week’s Budget will increase the cost of employing a full-time staff member ‘by at least £2,500’, according to new analysis by UKHospitality.
Tortilla is aiming to triple its number of travel hub locations under an expansion of its partnership with SSP.
Hospitality businesses face a double whammy of tax rises with employers facing a rise in National Insurance contributions (NICs) and a cut in business rates support.
Chinese restaurant brand Poon’s London has secured listings at Ocado and Booths for its growing range of sauces and dressings.