Friday Five: the week's top news
- The 2019 Good Food Guide is out, with Restaurant Nathan Outlaw topping the list of the 50 best UK restaurants for a second time. Core by Clare Smyth was the Guide's highest ever new entry, coming in at third with a 'perfect score' of ten.
- It looks like Gourmet Burger Kitchen could be the next casual dining brand to hit the rocks. The group has reportedly appointed restructuring experts at Deloitte to consider its options after months of falling sales.
- Gaucho has been bought out of administration, securing the future of its 16 restaurants. The steakhouse brand has been sold to Lomo Bidco, a new vehicle created and owned by Gaucho's lenders, Investec Bank and SC Lowy. The deal will also see M Restaurants founder Martin Williams return to the group, four and a half years after he left.
- Chef Lee Westcott is to open a restaurant on the historic Netherwood Estate farm, which borders Herefordshire and Worcestershire, in January 2019. It comes after the chef closed his well-regarded London restaurant Typing Room in June.
- The CEO of Byron has insisted the troubled chain is recovering despite recent warnings about its financial position. Simon Cope told The Sunday Times it was "screamingly obvious" the brand needed action when he joined last year. But he insisted Byron had seen sales improve over the past 12 weeks.
For more of this week's news, click here.
