QSR & Street Food

How I got here: Chris Webb, Coco di Mama

30-Aug-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Born in New Zealand, Chris Webb is head of operations at fast casual pasta brand Coco di Mama, which is now operated by ASK and Zizzi owner Azzurri Group.

Inigo launches crowdfund to fund UK expansion plans

29-Aug-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Sushi handroll kiosk concept Inigo has launched a crowdfund campaign to raise funds to scale up its operations across the capital.

Jollibee to replace Wagamama in Earl's Court

28-Aug-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Filipino fast food group Jollibee will take over the former Wagamama site in Earl's Court when it launches before the end of 2018.

Ex-UCB lecturer opens Birmingham pizza restaurant

13-Jul-2018 By Sophie Witts

A former catering lecturer at University College Birmingham (UCB) has launched his first permanent restaurant in the city.

Leon's Thai Tuk Shop 'pops down' and disappears from Shaftesbury Avenue

10-Jul-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Leon has closed its experimental Thai fast food restaurant Tuk Shop on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue after just two months of trading.

A week after running out of chicken, KFC runs out of gravy

01-Mar-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Although chicken is back on the menu following last week’s ‘chicken crisis’, KFC announced today that it is now running low on gravy.

London Union gets green light for Woolwich night market

07-Feb-2018 By Stefan Chomka

London Union will open its next indoor night market in Woolwich next month after being given the green light for the project.

"It's only going to get better": Simon Anderson on opening the UK's biggest food hall

25-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Pitt Cue Co. restaurateur Simon Anderson and property, leisure and retail investor Andy Lewis Pratt are launching three permanent market halls in central and west London this year.

Boparan to ruffle feathers with US import Slim Chickens

25-Jan-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner owner Boparan Restaurant Group has struck a franchise deal with Slim Chickens USA to bring the fast-casual chicken brand to the UK market.

Oxford Street BHS to reopen as UK's biggest food hall

24-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Pitt Cue Co. restaurateur Simon Anderson and property, leisure and retail investor Andy Lewis Pratt are launching three market halls in central and west London this year.

Brixton Rooftop lease ends prematurely following acquisition by Sports Direct

11-Jan-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Brixton Rooftop is the latest restaurant casualty at the start of 2018, having announced that it will close at the end of the month.

COMMENT

Delivery dilemmas: Is it time to consider your delivery operations?

21-Dec-2017 By Caroline Entwistle

With new policy coming in the spring that will see restaurants with a strong delivery offer having to apply for separate planning permission, Caroline Entwistle at law firm Royds Withy King says it's time businesses got realistic about delivery.

The Bundobust boys on beer, bhajis and backers

06-Dec-2017 By Joe Lutrario

With sites in Leeds and Manchester, Gujarati street food and craft beer specialist Bundobust is hotly tipped to expand nationwide. Not bad for a vegetarian Indian restaurant that doesn’t sell curry

Mayor of London proposes ban on takeaways within 400m of schools

28-Nov-2017 By Sophie Witts

Hot food takeaways could be banned from opening near schools under new plans put forward by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Glasgow's charity-focused answer to Street Feast will launch at the end of next month

27-Oct-2017 By Georgia Bronte

Glasgow pop-up restaurant outfit Section 33 is launching a Dinerama-esque street food market on the banks of the River Clyde.

The Orange Buffalo food truck to settle into the Hoxton Bar & Kitchen later this month

03-Oct-2017 By Georgia Bronte

Popular street food outfit The Orange Buffalo are to take over the kitchen at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen in East London.

Street food booking platform Streetdots secures £500,000 to expand

07-Aug-2017 By Andrew Don

An app that lines up street-food traders with pitches in key locations in London and Glasgow is gearing up for coverage across Britain over the next three years.

Restaurant radar: July 2017

04-Jul-2017 By Joe Lutrario

From an English dim sum restaurant to an upscale Japanese burger joint, here are the July openings you need to know about

Jacob Kenedy closes Italian street food restaurant Vico in Cambridge Circus

26-Jun-2017 By Stefan Chomka

Vico, the Italian street food restaurant launched by Bocca di Lupo founders Jacob Kenedy and Victor Hugo in London’s Cambridge Circus in 2015 has closed.

New pecking order: Carl Clarke and David Wolanski on their new fast casual concept CHIK’N

31-May-2017 By Joe Lutrario

The founders of hipster-fried chicken restaurant Chick 'n' Sours are hoping to redefine the chicken shop

The first ever European Street Food Awards are launching this month

05-May-2017 By Hannah Thompson

The first European Street Food Awards (ESFAs) are to launch this month, asking countries to compete for their own national titles before the international final in Berlin this November.

National Fish & Chips Awards 2018 open for entries in 30th year

04-May-2017 By Hannah Thompson

The National Fish & Chip Awards 2018 by Seafish are officially open for entries, in their 30th anniversary year.

Byron hamburgers to open first Welsh site in Cardiff

27-Mar-2017 By Hannah Thompson

Byron, the burger group founded by Tom Byng, is to open its first Welsh site at Cardiff’s St David’s Grand Arcade this summer.

Ninth Rosa’s Thai Café site will open in London’s Seven Dials

06-Mar-2017 By Hannah Thompson

Thai restaurant group Rosa’s Thai Café is to open its ninth site, in London’s Seven Dials, after securing a 1,500 sq ft venue at 26 Earlham Street.

Street food trading platform StreetDots to expand network

09-Jan-2017 By Emma Eversham

Street food trading platform StreetDots is aiming to more than double the number of pitches it offers to street food operators after securing £350k investment to expand its network. 

UK’s top three new fish and chips shops announced

07-Nov-2016 By Hannah Thompson

The top three new fish and chips shops have been announced at the 2017 National Fish & Chip Awards, pending the awards’ final results in January next year.

Dining trends: Burger market beefs up in 2016

25-Aug-2016 By Sophie Witts

The UK’s love affair with burgers has seen the market grow by almost a quarter in the last five years, a new study claims.

Leon secures £19m funding towards expansion

08-Aug-2016 By Mark Wingett

Healthy fast food chain Leon is set to open 50 new sites over the next four years after securing a new funding deal worth £19m from bank OakNorth, according to BigHospitality's sister site MCA.

Back to the shack: How restaurants are rediscovering street food

04-Aug-2016 By Hannah Thompson

Street food used to be a stepping stone. A starter pack for the real restaurateur.

SMALL TALK

Happiness Forgets founder Alastair Burgess on opening his first restaurant

29-Jul-2016 By Emma Eversham

Alastair Burgess, founder of bars Happiness Forgets and Original Sin, talks about his move into restaurants as he opens Petit Pois bistro in Hoxton Square. 

Happiness Forgets owner to push ahead with expansion following Petit Pois restaurant opening

14-Jul-2016 By Emma Eversham

Alastair Burgess, the owner of bars Happiness Forgets and Original Sin has ramped up plans to expand his business following the successful opening of his first restaurant Petit Pois bistro.

Peruvian street food restaurant Butifarra to open in Soho

27-May-2016 By Sophie Witts

A new street food restaurant is set to bring an 'authentic' taste of Peru to Soho later this year.

Aubaine founder to launch chicken concept

12-May-2016 By Mark Wingett

Hani Nakkash, the founder of Aubaine, is to launch a new fast-casual concept in London’s Baker Street, called Chickens & Foxes. 

Swinger's Crazy Golf Club to open next month

06-Apr-2016 By Emma Eversham

Crazy golf-themed cocktail bar and food outlet Swingers – The Crazy Golf Club, is set to open its first permanent site next month following the success of a pop-up in Shoreditch last year. 

Restaurants and hotels rank low on Twitter response survey

29-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Restaurants and hotels have been criticised for taking too long to reply to Tweets sent by customers and giving a poor quality response when they do.

Five Guys named UK's most popular fast food chain

22-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

US burger chain Five Guys has been named the UK’s most popular fast food chain, according to a new survey.

Ex-Wahaca chef to open Mexican street food restaurant

15-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Wahaca’s former head of menu innovation is set to launch his own Mexican street food restaurant in Shoreditch.

Pubs and bars witness steep rise in contactless spend

29-Feb-2016 By Helen Gilbert

Contactless payments in pubs and bars leapt up by 188 per cent in 2015, latest figures from Barclaycard show.

High street restaurant dishes contain more salt than McDonald's

15-Feb-2016 By Michelle Perrett

High street restaurants and pubs have some of the highest salt dishes on menus, research from Dr Wayne Osborne for Treated.com has revealed.  

Chiquito to demonstrate ‘brand improvements’ with new Mexican street-food menu

27-Jan-2016 By Emma Eversham

Tex-Mex restaurant chain Chiquito will launch a new menu with a dedicated Mexican street food focus next month as part of its development of the brand.

Eight restaurant trends to look out for in 2016

06-Jan-2016 By Stefan Chomka, Joe Lutrario and Tony Naylor

What fads will shape the eating out sector over the coming year? Restaurant peers into its crystal ball. 

UK coffee shop market to be worth over £15bn by 2020

14-Dec-2015 By Sophie Witts

The UK’s ongoing caffeine addiction could see the coffee shop market worth over £15bn by 2020 with over 30,000 outlets nationwide.

Mayfair agrees YO! Sushi deal; CEO to step down

09-Nov-2015 By Mark Wingett

Mayfair Equity Partners has confirmed it has acquired the controlling interest of YO! Sushi from Quilvest Private Equity in a deal valuing the 91­-strong business at £81m.

Five Guys UK introduces National Living Wage ahead of next year's change

05-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

Five Guys UK has become the latest chain to raise staff salaries ahead of the introduction of the National Living Wage next April.

Tequila hotel and restaurant opening on the Isle of Wight

07-Aug-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Europe’s first Tequila hotel, El Patron Isle of Wight, will open on the Isle of Wight in August.

Councils urge restaurant and pub chains to display calories on menus

20-Jul-2015 By Sophie Witts

Restaurant and pub chains are being urged by councils to introduce calorie labelling on menus in a bid to tackle rising obesity rates.

Network Rail & SSP create 'destination station' at London Euston

23-Jun-2015 By Ruth Williams

Network Rail is embracing street food as part of its vision to create destination stations as it plans to implement its London model in regional stations.

Business Profile: Leon

08-Jun-2015 By Joe Lutrario

One of the UK’s most influential restaurant chains is finally gearing up for serious growth and intends to build a healthy presence outside its London heartland within the next few years.

TRENDS

Battle for non-traditional trading hours intensifies

29-Apr-2015 By Mark Wingett

The battle for non-traditional trading hours among fast food, café, pub and restaurant operators is set to intensify during the coming year as more and more brands look to stretch their offer.

Rola Wala plans London expansion

29-Apr-2015 By Sophie Witts

Leeds-based Rola Wala is popping-up in London, and plans to open two permanent sites in the capital later this year.