The Patate gains central London foothold
The street food operator, which is famous for its beef bourguignon burger, will open on Neal Street in Seven Dials, having secured a 1,000 sq ft site that's set over two floors.
It will join The Patate's restaurants in Kentish Town and Battersea, which opened in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
The Patate was launched by Paul-Henry De Vassoigne and Martin Le Boulc’h, who trained in French cuisine together in Brittany. Vassoigne went on to study in Bordeaux while Boulc’h moved to Paris to work in patisserie.
A chance meeting in London in 2015 led them to develop their own spin on the classic French dish, and The Patate subsequently went on to trade from street food markets across the capital.
The Patate isn't the first French burger brand to make a play for the London market. Another, Big Fernand, first arrived in the capital in 2014, opening a split-level, 60-seat restaurant on Percy Street, close to Tottenham Court Road, at the height of the city's premium burger trend.
However, the restaurant proved to be short lived, and closed three years later in 2017.
Big Fernand returned to the capital in late 2019, launching a restaurant in South Kensington that continues to operate.
The West End reawakens
The Patate is one of four new F&B signings and openings in Covent Garden to be announced by landlord Shaftesbury.
Also set to launch in the coming months is cocktail bar brand Tequila Mockingbird, which is to open a flagship site on William IV Street later in the spring; and Boparan Restaurant Group's rapidly growing American dining brand Slim Chickens, which has secured a huge, 120-cover location at Cambridge Circus on the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road.
Aspirational Brands will also open its flagship British restaurant St Martin’s House on Upper St Martin’s Lane next month. Located in the former Tredwells site the 5,000sq ft restaurant will be split over three floors and have a bar and al fresco dining area.
Meanwhile, plant-based pioneer Mildreds recently launched what is its sixth London restaurant on St Martin’s Lane.
“The West End has woken from its enforced slumber, attracting diners in significant numbers keen to pick-up where they left off almost two years ago,” says Julia Wilkinson, restaurant director at Shaftesbury.
“This renewed consumer demand is not lost on operators, many of whom, such as these four latest additions, are focusing on Covent Garden as a prime location in central London.
“The imminent launch of the Elizabeth Line is a further boost, given how close Covent Garden is to Tottenham Court Road, leading to even greater interest from established operators and innovative new concepts alike. It is great to see the West End, and Covent Garden in particular, bouncing back so strongly.”
