Friday Five: the week's top news
- The collapse of the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group has left creditors £83m out of pocket. The chef himself has lost around £25m after loaning money from his media and publishing business to support the ailing restaurants.
- Wahaca has introduced a confidential 'Tell us' phone line for staff to allow team members to leave an anonymous message for co-founder Mark Selby if they are unhappy with anything within the business. The Mexican restaurant chain amended its walk-out policy last month after a waiter in its Kentish Town site was initially charged a proportion of the bill when a table left without paying.
- Pizza Hut Delivery is planning to convert the majority of its 400 sites to a new fast casual model following its successful debut in Luton last year. The format, which includes an eat-in seating area and an open kitchen, has rolled out to 20 sites following a £1m investment.
- The team behind Franco Manca will launch a new pasta restaurant concept at KERB's Seven Dial's Market in Covent Garden this autumn. Called Strozzapreti, it will serve simple antipasti and twists on classic Italian puddings, alongside fresh pasta.
- Alchemist, a restaurant serving a 50-course tasting menu over three to five hours, has opened in Copenhagen. Diners can control the regularity of dishes and take breaks in the 24,000 sq ft site when necessary. It is the brainchild of Rasmus Munk, a practitioner of the latest strand of molecular gastronomy, who asks diners to visit 'with an open mind'.
For more of this week's news, click here.
