Friday Five: the week's top news
- Pret A Manger has been sold to JAB, the owner of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, for a reported £1.5bn. Pret CEO Clive Schlee announced that all 12,000 of the chain's employees will receive a £1,000 windfall when the deal completes this summer.
- The Beyond Burger, the famous 'bleeding' vegan patty, could soon be available in UK restaurants as its parent company Beyond Meat has partnered with a UK foodservice firm. The plant-based burger contains ingredients such as pea protein and cellulose from bamboo, and is marketed as providing more protein than beef per kilogram - though its resemblance to real meat could prove divisive amongst vegans and vegetarians.
- Carluccio's has become the latest high street chain to enter in to a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA), which could see up to 30 of its 103 UK restaurants close. The group's owner Landmark is planning to invest £10m in a turnaround plan to refurbish its remaining sites.
- D&D London is to launch a new rooftop restaurant in the City of London next spring. The currently unnamed project will open on the 14th floor of the 120 Fenchurch Street development, beneath a public sky garden.
- Chef Gary Usher has raised £86,624 in a 24-hour crowdfunding dash that saw him hit his £50,000 target in under one hour. The proceeds will be used to support the opening of his latest bistro Pinion, in Prescot town centre.
For more of this week's news click here.
