Friday five: the week's most-read hospitality stories
- Chef Paul Foster’s debut London restaurant GrassFed has closed. Launched last summer within a railway arch in Camden’s Hawley Wharf development, the restaurant was focused on high-quality grass-fed beef but was not a steakhouse in the traditional sense, even going so far as to eschew chips. The 50-cover venue was positively received, attracting a glowing review from The Telegraph critic William Sitwell. Foster’s representative confirmed the restaurant was no longer trading but did not give a reason for its closure.
- Des Gunewardena has announced he will open a second restaurant in the capital this year having signed on a site in Canary Wharf. The new venture will be a 9,500sq ft venue of comprising indoor restaurants and bars with private dining spaces, alongside outdoor terraces with views overlooking Canada Square Park. It is due to open in the fourth quarter of this year. It will be the second new restaurant from the co-founder and former CEO of restaurant group D&D London since his departure from the business, after the announcement of a new flagship restaurant, bar and event space at The Royal Exchange made in December last year.
- Renowned private members venue The Groucho Club is opening a permanent location outside the capital for the first time in its 40-year history. The new club, to be called Groucho Bretton, will be housed in Bretton Hall, the former home to Bretton Hall College, and is scheduled to open in 2026. Located in the heart of the 500-acre Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) in Wakefield, Groucho Bretton will have 40 bedrooms, open to non-members, who will receive the benefits of membership throughout their stay. The Groucho Club’s owner Artfarm and Yorkshire real estate investor Rushbond Group have an agreement in place with Wakefield Council to develop the site.
- Award-winning Bristol-based operator Sandwich Sandwich is to make its debut in the capital later this year having secured a site in the City of London. The family-run sandwich business, which has three sites across Bristol, will take over the former Tossed site at the junction of Gresham Street and St Martins Le Grand. News of Sandwich Sandwich's first London site comes after the business, which is led Josh Kleiner, was named the Uber Eats UK and Ireland's Restaurant of the Year back in October, securing a prize of £100,000 to invest in the business.
- Container street food village brand STACK is continuing its expansion plans with a new site in Wigan. The group, which repurposes empty buildings along with building container village outlets, is to take over the former Debenhams store at Wigan’s Grand Arcade. The proposed development with be able to accommodate up to 2,000 people and will offer a mix of bars and street food outlets, as well as providing a range of live music and entertainment. The plan will see the creation of a new frontage on to Concert Square, with STACK adding to the strong leisure offering at the Grand Arcade, which is also home to games and activities centre Gamer X.
