Friday Five: the week's top news
- Chef Sven-Hanson Britt has permanently closed his debut London restaurant Oxeye, less than two years after opening it. In an emotional statement posted on Instagram, Britt confirmed that the Nine Elms restaurant would not reopen, having closed for a ‘refurb and refresh’ back in May. He said: “The last couple of months for me have been the hardest of my life. I’m grateful for my beautiful children and Kae [Shibata Britt’s wife], but for one of my babies, Oxeye, it’s the end. I’ve tried everything in my power to save the restaurant, to keep fighting, to regain control, to fundraise, to remodel, to regroup, to reimagine, to restructure, but nothing could be done for my first restaurant and my third baby. I poured my whole heart into that space and I’m so, so grateful to all those that came through the doors - both sides of the pass.”
- Independent restaurant group Tattu has rebranded as Permanently Unique as part of plans to launch a new concept and grow the brand internationally. The high-end Chinese restaurant group, which has venues in London, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Birmingham, will add a new food concept to its portfolio in November this year with the opening of FENIX in Manchester. The Greek - Mediterranean restaurant will be led in the kitchen by executive head chef Ippokratis Anagnostelis, who has worked in fine dining establishments in Athens and Mykonos including Michelin-starred Hytrain, and his long-time head chef Zisis Giannouras. It will serve a sharing menu that will focus on innovative dishes inspired by Greek traditions cooked in front of diners on a charcoal grill.
- McDonald’s admits it has ‘fallen short’ following fresh allegations made by current and recent UK staff that detail a ‘toxic work environment’. The BBC has gathered more than 100 allegations of sexual and racial abuse as well as harassment, homophobia and bullying as part of an investigation into workplace conditions at McDonald's. Among the findings, it was revealed that workers as young as 17 are being ‘groped and harassed almost routinely’. The investigation was launched by the BBC after McDonald’s signed a legal agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to better protect its UK staff from sexual harassment back in February. Of the more than 100 allegations from employees, 31 related to sexual assault, and 78 related to sexual harassment. There were a further 18 allegations of racism, while six people made allegations of homophobia.
- The impact of no-shows and last-minute cancellations is causing almost a fifth of restaurant owners to consider closing for good, according to new data from Barclaycard Payments. People cancelling their reservation at the last minute, or simply not turning up, is one of the biggest issues the industry is facing right now according to almost a quarter (23%) of owners and managers in the industry, with businesses estimating they lose an average of £89 for each customer that doesn’t turn up. Coming amid a period of sustained economic pressure driven primarily by inflation and high energy prices, the impact noshows and last-minute cancellations has caused 18% of restaurant owners to consider closing for good, with four in 10 seeing an increase in customers not turning up to their booking in the last year.
- Chef Dom Taylor has launched his debut restaurant at The Langham, London, after being crowned the winner of Channel 4 series Five Star Kitchen. Taylor opened The Good Front Room on Saturday (15 July), having been named the winner of the TV cooking competition, which saw 13 professional chefs battle it out for the chance to open a restaurant in high-profile hotel, the night before. The Good Front Room takes the space previously occupied by The Langham’s Palm Court restaurant and is described as combining influences from Taylor’s Caribbean heritage and his south London upbringing.
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