Hospitality news

Headlines

In the Spotlight: why meal kit business Dishpatch is championing chefs you haven't heard of

Dishpatch co-founder Pete Butler on Spotlight, its new platform for lesser-known chefs, and the challenges facing the meal kit market in the year ahead.

Friday Five: the week's top news

This week's main hospitality news stories include the unveiling of this year's Top 50 Gastropubs list; and the escalating fallout between Corbin & King and its major shareholder, Minor Hotels.

Middle Eastern restaurant Bubala to open in Soho

Critically-acclaimed Middle Eastern restaurant Bubala is heading to Soho with the opening of a second venue.

Honest Burgers has launched its first dedicated vegan restaurant in London’s Covent Garden V Honest

Latest opening: V Honest

National restaurant chain Honest Burgers has launched its first dedicated vegan restaurant in London’s Covent Garden.

Boys Hall to open in Ashford this summer

Husband and wife team Bradley and Kristie Lomas will open restaurant with rooms Boys Hall in Ashford, Kent, this summer.

Ryan Stringer named as executive chef at Belfast restaurant James St.

Ryan Stringer has been named as the new executive chef at Niall and Joanne McKenna's Belfast restaurant James St.

Hotbox to close Spitalfields restaurant after investors pull out

Smokehouse group Hotbox is to close its only bricks and mortar restaurant in London's Spitalfields this weekend.

People on the move: January 2022

A round-up of some of the key new hospitality appointments this month.

Drinks sales still behind pre-Covid-19 levels but Plan B easing brings boost

Drinks sales continued to lag behind pre-pandemic trading last week, ahead of a much-needed lift to pubs, bars and restaurants from the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, new figures show.

pub & bar

Pubs and brewers call for level playing field on tax

A group of UK publicans and brewers have written an open letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak calling for a levelling up of the high tax rates that are burdening businesses.

Dining out figures on the rise

The number of sit-down meals eating eaten out last week increased by five percentage points reaching 97% of the level in the equivalent week of 2020, according to OpenTable data.

Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2022 to be announced in February

Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2022 to be published next month

The 2022 Michelin star revelation ceremony for Great Britain & Ireland will take place next month as part of a two-day event on 15 and 16 February.

Jeremy King: "We are under seige but in rude financial health"

Corbin & King co-founder Jeremy King has described his business as being “under siege” from majority stakeholder Minor International and insists that the restaurant business is in “rude health and as profitable as ever”.

Uncorked with Milena De Waele head of wine at Park Row and Monarch Theatre Batman restaurant Soho

Uncorked: Milena De Waele

The head of wine at Park Row and Monarch Theatre, the fully immersive DC-inspired multi-faceted restaurant and bar venue in London's Soho, discusses her career.

Boutique bowling company Lane7 to launch Level X concept

Boutique bowling company Lane7 is moving into the family entertainment centre market with a new entertainment and hospitality brand.

Gordon Ramsay to open Savoy restaurant that pays homage to Escoffier

Gordon Ramsay will open a restaurant that pays homage to famed French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier at The Savoy hotel next month.

Marsha to double up with new Soho site

Sustainability-focused chicken brand Marsha is to launch a second London restaurant next month having secured a site at Carnaby Street’s Kingly Court in Soho.

Knighthead tables £38m rescue deal for Corbin & King

American investment fund Knighthead Capital Management fund has tabled a £38m offer to keep London-based group Corbin & King’s restaurants afloat.

Rosa’s Thai to open Wok School training kitchen at its Warren Street restaurant

School of wok: Rosa’s Thai to open training kitchen

Rosa’s Thai has launched a training kitchen at its Warren Street restaurant that offers diners a 50% discount on normal menu prices.

Mireille Hayek's Em Sherif Lebanese restaurant to launch in Harrods next week

Mireille Hayek's Em Sherif to launch in Harrods next week

The first European outpost for acclaimed chef Mireille Hayek's Beirut-born Em Sherif restaurant group is to launch at Harrods in London's Knightsbridge next Tuesday (1 February).

All-day restaurant group Caravan will open its sixth Caravan-branded restaurant in Canary Wharf

Caravan to open in Canary Wharf next month

All-day restaurant group Caravan will open its sixth Caravan-branded restaurant in the capital next month.

The Landmark London launches four day working week for chefs

The Landmark London hotel in Marylebone is has announced the launch of a scheme to allow its chefs to work a four day week with increased pay.

How I Got Here: Rachel Hugh

The co-founder of vegan burger group The Vurger Co on why she gave up a career in fashion to run restaurants, and her vision of changing the fast-food world.

Richoux Piccadilly to reopen with former Moor Hall chefs at the helm

Former Moor Hall chefs Jamie Butler and Lewis Spencer will head up the kitchen at patisserie and restaurant Richoux’s Piccadilly venue when it reopens next month.

Latest opening: Negroni's

The team behind London-based Spanish restaurant group Lobos Tapas have launched a new Italian concept in Soho.

Turkish delight - chef Esra Muslu on her first London restaurant

With the opening of Zahter in Soho, chef Esra Muslu is out to show central London the breadth of Istanbulite cuisine.

Jeremy King vows to buy back Corbin & King after group placed in administration

Corbin & King co-founder and CEO Jeremy King has vowed to buy back the group that bears his and business partner Chris Corbin's name after it was placed into administration last night (25 January) by major shareholder Minor Hotels.

Aspirational Brands to open British restaurant on former Tredwells site

Restaurant group Aspirational Brands is to open a British restaurant on the former site of Tredwells in Covent Garden this spring.

KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar restaurant set for Solihull

KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar set for Solihull

KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar will open a site in Solihull this April taking its total number of premium casual restaurants up to four.

A third of UK hospitality shift workers want to leave their jobs, research shows

The workforce crisis in hospitality could deepen with new research revealing that a third of UK hospitality shift workers want to leave their jobs.

Plant-based pioneer Mildreds to open sixth London restaurant

Plant-based restaurant group Mildreds has chosen Covent Garden’s St Martin’s Lane for its sixth London site.

pub & bar

Brunning and Price to open The Architect in Bath

Pub group Brunning and Price is taking over the former Garfunkle’s restaurant in The Empire Hotel in Bath for its latest venue.

The Unruly Pig in Suffolk is the best gastropub in the UK

pub & bar

Unruly Pig named UK's best gastropub

Suffolk’s Unruly Pig has been named the best gastropub in the UK in the Estrella Damn Top 50 Gastropubs 2022 list.

Boxpark on the expansion trail following 'rapid recovery' after lockdowns

Street food operator Boxpark plans to open two to three sites a year over the next five years, according to its latest financial filings.

Delivery and takeaway sales see sharp increase in December amid Omicron concerns

Hospitality recorded a sharp increase in delivery and takeaway sales last month as the Omicron Covid variant dented consumer confidence, the latest CGA & Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker shows.

Pressure mounts on BrewDog CEO James Watt over claims of inappropriate behaviour

pub & bar

Pressure mounts on BrewDog CEO over claims of inappropriate behaviour

BrewDog CEO James Watt is facing mounting pressure after being accused of inappropriate behaviour towards women and abuse of power in the workplace.

Döner Shack to make Scottish debut

German street food concept Döner Shack is set to make its debut in Scotland in the coming months having secured a site at Glasgow’s Silverburn shopping centre.

Corbin & King faces off against investor

Corbin & King has filed a motion in the High Court to stop its majority owner, Minor Hotels, calling in a £35m loan, which would have forced it into insolvency.

Hélène Darroze named honorary judge for Roux Scholarship 2022

Hélène Darroze will lead the panel of judges for the Roux Scholarship final 2022 as Honorary President of Judges.

Sushi Moka to open second London restaurant

Marylebone-based Japanese restaurant Sushi Moka will open a second restaurant in the capital this year.

Marcus joint chef patrons Mark and Shauna Froydenlund to leave the restaurant

Marcus joint chef patrons Mark and Shauna Froydenlund are leaving the restaurant after more than a decade and a half in the kitchen of the Michelin-starred Belgravia restaurant.

Deliverect raises $150m to fund expansion

Online food ordering app Deliverect has secured more than $150m (£111m) in Series D funding to further its expansion.

Flash-grilled: Sam Carter

The chef-patron of Restaurant Twenty-Two in Cambridge on memories of his first fine-dining experience, why he chose a career behind the stoves, and why he despises avocado.

Hospitality workforce numbers rise but remain well below pre-pandemic levels

The number of people working in hospitality has risen over the past year but the sector is still well behind on employment levels before the pandemic hit, new data has shown.

Wine bar and restaurant Caia to open in Notting Hill

Neighbourhood wine bar and restaurant Caia will open on London’s Golborne Road in Notting Hill this spring.

Pedalling for Pubs charity bike ride on track to break £150k target

Volunteer riders behind initiative Pedalling for Pubs: Cycle Jordan are set to break their £150,000 fundraising target with two months yet to go before the charity event.