Casual Dining

Pizza Pilgrims to rebrand its Finsbury Park Slice restaurant

21-Feb-2022 By Restaurant

Pizza Pilgrims is turning its Slice venue in Finsbury Park into one of its standard pizza restaurants.

Latest opening: Blacklock Covent Garden

18-Feb-2022 By James McAllister

London-based chophouse brand Blacklock has launched its biggest site to date in Covent Garden.

Wagamama launches lunchtime delivery concept

18-Feb-2022 By James McAllister

Wagamama has launched a new lunchtime delivery concept called BOX across London and Leeds that's designed for both people who have returned to the office and those working from home.

Sourced Market shuts up shop after entering liquidation

18-Feb-2022 By Finn Scott-Delany

Healthy deli and dining brand Sourced Market has gone into liquidation, with all three of its sites understood to have shut.

Gary Usher to open tapas restaurant as part of plans to grow Elite Bistros

17-Feb-2022 By Restaurant

Chef and restaurateur Gary Usher is looking to open a number of new restaurants using funds raised by selling shares in his Elite Bistro business.

Corbin & King fights off High Court challenge

16-Feb-2022 By Restaurant

Corbin & King has fought off a High Court challenge to a proposed multi-million rescue package, leaving it free to pursue funding from US investment firm Knighthead, the FT has reported.

Managed groups’ January sales up 3% on pre-Covid levels as restrictions ease

15-Feb-2022 By James McAllister

Rising consumer confidence about safety and the easing of Covid-19 restrictions helped Britain’s managed hospitality operators to a modest increase in sales last month, the Coffer CGA Business Tracker reveals.

Jollibee lines up double opening as it prepares for Scottish debut

14-Feb-2022 By James McAllister

Filipino fast food chain Jollibee is finally set to make its debut in Scotland with openings in Edinburgh and Glasgow planned within the space of a month.

Uber Eats reveals recipients of its Black Business Fund

09-Feb-2022 By Restaurant

Businesses in London, Coventry and Manchester make up the 10 black-owned hospitality businesses that will receive support from Uber Eats’ Black Business Fund.

Thunderbird on track for four new sites

08-Feb-2022 By Helen Gilbert

Thunderbird Fried Chicken is on course to unveil four new bricks and mortar sites by early June.

Brasserie Bar Co set for accelerated growth after being acquired by Alchemy Partners

08-Feb-2022 By Restaurant

Raymond Blanc's Brasserie Bar Co has been acquired by Alchemy Partners for an undisclosed sum, with the new owners planning an accelerated growth of its White Brasserie Co pub brand.

Steakhouse group Tomahawk close to securing new funding to aid expansion

04-Feb-2022 By Restaurant

Steakhouse group Tomahawk says it is in talks to secure new funding to speed up its expansion programme.

Buzzworks Holdings to bring its Scotts restaurant brand to Greenock

04-Feb-2022 By Restaurant

Scottish hospitality group Buzzworks Holdings will open its Scotts restaurant brand in Greenock.

Emilia’s Crafted Pasta to launch Canary Wharf flagship this month

04-Feb-2022 By James McAllister

Fresh pasta restaurant Emilia’s Crafted Pasta will finally launch its new flagship site in London's Canary Wharf this month on Valentine’s Day (14 February).

63rd+1st to reach five sites in a year as it announces Edinburgh opening

03-Feb-2022 By James McAllister

Cocktail-led bar and restaurant brand 63rd+1st has announced plans to open in Edinburgh in the second quarter of 2022, its fifth site since the Fridays-inspired offshoot launched last year.

Casual dining 'well placed to recover' from pandemic as outlet growth forecast

03-Feb-2022 By James McAllister

The 10 largest casual dining brands in the UK are forecast to grow their combined outlet count by 1.1% in 2022 to 5,566 sites, new data from Lumina shows.

Pret sales rise in sign London is 'inching back to normality'

02-Feb-2022 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger sales in London's financial districts and the West End are rising in a sign that life in the capital 'is inching back to normality'.

Bar + Block to open two new restaurants in the capital

02-Feb-2022 By Restaurant

Steakhouse brand Bar + Block is bolstering its London estate with the opening of two new restaurants in the capital.

Steakhouse group Middletons to open its ninth restaurant

02-Feb-2022 By Restaurant

Restaurant group Middletons Steakhouse & Grill will open its ninth restaurant later this month with further expansion on the cards.

People on the move: January 2022

28-Jan-2022 By Restaurant

A round-up of some of the key new hospitality appointments this month.

Marsha to double up with new Soho site

27-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Sustainability-focused chicken brand Marsha is to launch a second London restaurant next month having secured a site at Carnaby Street’s Kingly Court in Soho.

Latest opening: Negroni's

26-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

The team behind London-based Spanish restaurant group Lobos Tapas have launched a new Italian concept in Soho.

How I Got Here: Rachel Hugh

26-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

The co-founder of vegan burger group The Vurger Co on why she gave up a career in fashion to run restaurants, and her vision of changing the fast-food world.

Latest opening: V Honest

25-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

National restaurant chain Honest Burgers has launched its first dedicated vegan restaurant in London’s Covent Garden.

Ready to grow: the vegan burger brand taking on the fast-food giants

25-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Emerging brand Ready Burger is looking to bring plant-based cuisine more into the mainstream than ever before.

Döner Shack to make Scottish debut

25-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

German street food concept Döner Shack is set to make its debut in Scotland in the coming months having secured a site at Glasgow’s Silverburn shopping centre.

Fridays and Go to debut in Dundee

19-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Fridays has confirmed it will launch its first QSR site in March in Dundee, Scotland, with an aim to open up to 30 additional sites.

Individual Restaurants to relaunch five Gino D'Acampo sites under new Riva Blu brand

19-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Individual Restaurants is to relaunch a handful of sites it operated in partnership with celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo under a new Italian brand.

Managed groups see sales dip 11% in December as Omicron hit consumer confidence

19-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Britain’s managed restaurant, pub and bar groups suffered a double-digit sales drop from pre-Covid-19 levels in December after widespread cancellations of Christmas celebrations, the latest Coffer CGA Business Tracker reveals.

Poke House mulls UK IPO

18-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Italian poke chain Poke House is mulling an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the next two years as part of its plans for aggressive expansion.

Salad bowl brand Choppaluna to open second UK restaurant

17-Jan-2022 By Restaurant

Hero Brands is to open a second venue of its healthy food concept Choppaluna in the UK.

Teenagers predict a cashless future for eating out sector

14-Jan-2022 By Restaurant

More than half of teenagers believe they won’t use cash to pay in restaurants or shops when they are an adult, according to new research.

Pizza Pilgrims eyes first Brighton site

13-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Pizza Pilgrims is eyeing its first Brighton location, suggesting the group may be preparing to explore more opportunities for regional expansion.

Truffle Burger to open new venue in London's Bishopsgate

13-Jan-2022 By Restaurant

Burger restaurant Truffle Burger will open its second permanent venue later this year in London’s Bishopsgate.

Pret invests more than £9m in staff pay rises

13-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger is to invest more than £9.2m in pay rises for team members with increases set to also be made to Mystery Shopper bonuses.

Marugame Udon lines up double opening

12-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Marugame Udon is to double the size of its fledgling London estate next month with two new openings in St Christopher’s Place and Canary Wharf respectively.

Losses at UK's top 100 restaurant groups rose to £673m last year

12-Jan-2022 By Restaurant

Losses at the top 100 grossing restaurant groups in the UK increased 174% in 2021 to £673m, up from a loss of £246m in September 2020.

Dishoom named best hospitality company to work for in 2022

12-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Dishoom has been named the best hospitality company in the UK to work for by job website Glassdoor.

Suffolk-based restaurant Gastrono-me to expand to Cambridge

11-Jan-2022 By Restaurant

Suffolk-based restaurant Gastrono-me is doubling its presence with the launch of a second restaurant this spring.

Patty & Bun to open tenth and eleventh restaurants this spring

10-Jan-2022 By Restaurant

Burger restaurant group Patty & Bun is entering double figures with the opening of two new restaurants in the capital this spring.

Tortilla reports 'strong trading momentum' as it sees like-for-like growth up 23%

10-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

Tortilla has reported a like-for-like sales increase of 23.8% in the 2021 financial year compared to 2019, with group revenue up 36% across the same period.

What the new Calorie Labelling Regulations mean for your business

10-Jan-2022 By Michael Hordern

A new law requiring restaurants to display the calorie content of their food comes in this April, but businesses should be preparing for it now

Yolk heads to Soho for third London site

06-Jan-2022 By James McAllister

'Fine fast food' brand Yolk is to launch its third London site later this month on Golden Square in Soho, with founders Nick Philpot and Alkesh Tandon eyeing further expansion.

Happy Face Pizza continues expansion in the capital

05-Jan-2022 By Restaurant

Neapolitan pizza restaurant group Happy Face Pizza will open a third restaurant in the capital next month, in Brent Cross, with two more planned for later in the year.

Gino D’Acampo’s My Pasta Bar enters liquidation

04-Jan-2022 By Restaurant

Gino D’Acampo’s London-based My Pasta Bar brand has gone into liquidation with debts of £5m.

Leon plans 50 UK openings for 2022

22-Dec-2021 By Georgi Gyton

Leon is to intensify the scale of its restaurant rollout, with more than 50 UK sites planned to open in 2022.

Latest opening: Miscusi

20-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

Italian-based, B Corp pasta chain Miscusi has made its UK debut in London’s Covent Garden.

Pho to close its original Clerkenwell restaurant next year

17-Dec-2021 By Restaurant

Vietnamese restaurant group Pho will close it original restaurant in Clerkenwell next year because it has outgrown the site.

The Avocado Show eyes new year growth

10-Dec-2021 By Helen Gilbert

Netherlands-founded mono product restaurant The Avocado Show is set to open at least two more sites in London in the new year, having signed up a new franchise operator.

Wind power, recycled tyres, potato glue: McDonald’s opens its first UK net zero carbon restaurant

10-Dec-2021 By Restaurant

McDonald’s is flexing its sustainable credentials with the opening today (10 December) of its first UK net zero carbon restaurant.