Friday Five: the week's top news
- Mediterranean restaurant group Hummus Bros has gone in to administration, with the closure of its six sites. In a statement the company blamed a "perfect storm of rising costs, reduced demand and over-supply in the market".
- The remaining Strada restaurants are to be rebranded, with a focus on all-day dining and cocktails. Though the Strada name will remain part of the branding, sites are to be redesigned with relaxed lounge areas and the menu updated to a more all-day offer. Strada closed 11 of its then-26 restaurants at the end of 2017, and the company website currently lists just 11 remaining.
- The Texture Restaurant Group has sold the first of its 28°-50° wine-focused London restaurant sites, and put the other two on the market. The company, co-founded by chef Agnar Sverrisson, says its Michelin-starred restaurant Texture in Marylebone continues to trade "exceptionally well" and is not for sale.
- The Government is to launch a consultation on forcing restaurants, cafes and takeaways to display calorie counts on menus as part of plans to halve childhood obesity by 2030. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt says independent businesses could be exempt, but all large restaurant chains will need to label dishes.
- Chef Emily Roux and her husband, Le Gavroche head chef Diego Ferrari, are to open their long-awaited debut restaurant this year. The couple have secured a site in Notting Hill for Caractère, which is expected to focus on French and Italian dishes.
For more of this week's news, click here.
