Casual Dining

Sticks'n'Sushi sees record sales driven by 'crucial' UK market

02-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

Danish sushi and yakitori restaurant group Sticks’n’Sushi has reported a record year, with the UK market 'crucial' to the result.

Pret signs two new UK franchise partners

01-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger has signed up two new UK franchise partners as it pushes ahead with plan to double the size of its estate within five years.

Loungers reports strong trading since May reopening

01-Dec-2021 By Restaurant

Revenue at casual dining group Loungers almost doubled in the 24 weeks to 3 October 2021, compared to the same period last year, the group has reported.

Restaurant radar: December 2021

01-Dec-2021 By Restaurant

A new kaiseki restaurant for the capital, a chateaubriand focused steak restaurant in Glasgow, and a raucous Bavarian beer house in Birmingham are among this month's biggest restaurant openings.

Fridays to enter fast casual category with the launch of Fridays and Go

25-Nov-2021 By Finn Scott- Delany

Casual dining brand Fridays is looking to move into the food to go category with a premium fast casual offer.

Wendy's targets 50 UK openings in 2022 after sales exceed expectations

25-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Wendy's is to ramp up its UK growth plans next year after sales across its fledgling estate exceeded expectations.

Pret sales rise above pre-pandemic levels

24-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger’s sales rose above pre-pandemic levels last week for the first time, according to Bloomberg’s Pret Index.

London Chinatown restaurant Tao Tao Ju uses dark kitchens to extend reach across capital

23-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Chinatown restaurant Tao Tao Ju is to launch a further three delivery kitchens in London as it looks to extend its reach across the capital.

Lina Stores to open in Marylebone in the spring

23-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

Lina Stores will open its fifth London location, in Marylebone, next spring.

Latest opening: Popeyes

22-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

The UK has another fried chicken player, this time in the form of US giant Popeyes.

October half term leads to rise in eating out frequency and spend

22-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

Eating out frequency, penetration and average spend all increased in the four weeks ending 31 October, according to the latest data from Lumina Intelligence’s Eating & Drinking Out Panel.

People on the move in hospitality: November 2021

22-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

This month's appointments roundup includes new roles at restaurant groups Frenchie, Mission Mars, Marco Pierre White's Black & White Hospitality, and Tortilla

Pizza express: Paul Goodale on his plans for PizzaLuxe to conquer the travel space

19-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

With his PizzaLuxe brand Paul Goodale wants to ‘shift the stigma’ around what restaurants in the travel space can offer, with expansion planned across the UK’s motorway, airport and train network.

Café Rouge to trial name change under plans to create a 'more modern' dining experience

18-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Café Rouge is trial a new brand identity that will see the Café dropped from its name and new design concepts and menu options introduced.

Clean Kitchen Club plots expansion following £1.4m seed round

16-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Plant-based concept Clean Kitchen Club is targeting nationwide expansion having recently raised £1.4m in a seed round.

Promotional Feature

Hot TIP: introducing the new platform helping hospitality get back on its feet

15-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

TIP Hospitality is a new organisation and platform for hospitality professionals that has also been designed to strengthen the hospitality industry.

Blacklock aims for B Corp status as it confirms Covent Garden opening

15-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Blacklock has confirmed it will launch its fourth restaurant early next year in Covent Garden; an opening that will coincide with the start of the group’s ‘journey’ to B Corp status.

Flesh & Buns heads to Kensington for third London site

15-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Japanese izakaya brand Flesh & Buns is to open its third London restaurant early next year in Kensington.

Advisors appointed for Burger King UK float

15-Nov-2021 By Georgi Gyton

Burger King UK’s backer Bridgepoint has appointed Bank of America and Investec to advise on the floatation of the fast food giant during the first half of 2022.

Poke House: "We're taking a very opportunistic expansion approach"

12-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Italian poke chain Poke House plans to open 65 UK sites in the next two years, with the bulk of its estate expected to eventually be focused outside of London.

District's Chelsea Finch to launch all-day café and wine bar Where's Fred's

11-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Hospitality entrepreneur Chelsea Finch is to launch an all-day café and wine bar on Frederick’s Place in the City of London next month.

Eataly leads R200 Restaurant Awards winners

09-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

Restaurant brands Eataly, Marugame Udon, Slice by Pizza Pilgrims and Patty & Bun were among the winners at the R200 Restaurant Awards 2021 held in London this evening (9 November).

Restaurant spend declines amid inflation concerns

09-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Restaurant spending dropped by nearly 10% in October amid consumer concerns about inflation and rising household bills, the latest data from Barclaycard shows.

The Daisy Green Collection on target to crowdfund another £2m

08-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

All-day Australian restaurant group The Daisy Green Collection is launching another round of crowdfunding to raise around £2m in equity capital, with more than £1.7m already raised in pre commitments.

The Athenian to expand into Europe and the UAE

08-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Greek street food player The Athenian has announced plans for international expansion, beginning this year, with the group also laying the groundwork to double the size of its UK estate.

Italian restaurant Sapore opens in Cumbria

08-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Cumbrian-based restaurateurs Nick Ward and Giuseppe Sepe have added a new Italian concept to their portfolio with the launch of Sapore in Kendal, South Lakeland.

Fried chicken brand Bird to open first restaurant outside of London

05-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

Fried chicken and waffle restaurant group Bird will open its first venue outside of the capital later this month.

Hickory’s Smokehouse to open first venue in west Yorkshire

05-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

Southern-barbecue style group Hickory’s Smokehouse has taken on a former Marston’s pub, The Malt House in Horbury, taking the number of sites for the privately-owned group to 16.

Top restaurant brands see 20% turnover decline in 2020

04-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

The UK's top restaurant brands saw their combined turnover fall by nearly a quarter last year, the latest data from the Lumina Intelligence Operator Data Index reveals.

Burger & Lobster lines up 'strong pipeline of sites' as it looks to accelerate expansion

03-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Burger & Lobster is looking to accelerate expansion both in the UK and internationally as it prepares to mark its 10th anniversary next month.

Hostmore admitted to London Stock Exchange

03-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

TGI Fridays and 63rd+1st parent company Hostmore has completed its demerger from Electra Private Equity and been admitted to the London Stock Exchange.

Corbin & King's Manzi’s launch pushed back to New Year over 'differing views' with backers

02-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

Corbin & King will look to open its new Soho restaurant Manzi’s in the New Year after having to press pause on the development because of uncertainty in the market.

Gaucho to open Scotland’s 'most sustainable steak restaurant'

02-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

Gaucho restaurants is opening what it says will be Scotland’s 'most sustainable steak restaurant'.

Popeyes unveils UK menu ahead of 20 November launch

02-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

US fried chicken brand Popeyes has confirmed its first UK site in London’s Westfield Stratford will open on Saturday 20 November.

Nando's reaches carbon neutral milestone

02-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Nando's has announced it has reached the first major step in its goal to reach net-zero direct emissions by 2030.

Utan clan: the family-run restaurant giving Filipino food a more contemporary twist

01-Nov-2021 By Stefan Chomka

With Romulo Café, Rowena Romulo brought traditional Filipino food to the capital. Now, with her latest launch Kasa and Kin, she’s introducing a more contemporary spin on her country’s cuisine

Marugame Udon: “We’re not a London-centric brand, we want to be available to all”

01-Nov-2021 By Finn Scott-Delany

One of Japan’s biggest restaurant brands has landed in the capital, and has designs beyond the London diner.

Dong Hyun Kim to step away from Wasabi

01-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Wasabi fouunder Dong Hyun Kim is to step away from the group to focus on developing his other business interests, it has been announced.

Coqfighter looks to expand restaurant estate with six new openings planned

29-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

London-based fried chicken brand Coqfighter will open two new bricks and mortar restaurants before the end of the year, with a further four in the pipeline.

Coppa Club owner Various Eateries has reported “very encouraging trading” since reopening in a trading update.

28-Oct-2021 By Restaurant

Coppa Club owner Various Eateries has reported “very encouraging trading” since reopening in a trading update.

PizzaLuxe to bring pizza and cocktails to Peterborough and Cambridge motorway services

28-Oct-2021 By Restaurant

Fast-casual restaurant brand PizzaLuxe will open venues in motorway service areas in Peterborough and Cambridge by the end of the year.

Wing Shack and Eggs ‘n’ Stuff combine for new Holloway opening

26-Oct-2021 By Restaurant

Restaurateur Joshua Jarvis is combining the clout of his Wing Shack and Eggs ‘n’ Stuff brands for a new restaurant opening in Holloway, north London.

Final La Tasca restaurant replaced by Tapas Revolution

26-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

Restaurant brand La Tasca has closed its last remaining restaurant, bringing to an end its presence on the UK highstreet 28 years after it first launched.

The Big Table Group looks to double Las Iguanas estate as it plans 50 new restaurant openings

25-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

The Big Table Group has set out plans to take its total UK estate to 200 sites, with a particular focus on growing its Las Iguanas brand.

Shoryu Ramen restarts plans to open franchises in the UK and internationally

22-Oct-2021 By Restaurant

Shoryu Ramen is restarting its plans to open franchise restaurants across the UK and internationally now that trading has returned to some sort of normality.

Delivery and takeaway sales more than double pre-pandemic levels

22-Oct-2021 By Restaurant

Delivery and takeaway sales at managed restaurant and pub groups were more than twice that of pre-pandemic levels in September, new data shows.

Crust Bros to open third pizzeria early next year

22-Oct-2021 By Restaurant

London-based pizza restaurant group Crust Bros will open its third restaurant early next year in Balham.

Frankie no Benny’s: restaurant brand changes famous name as part of new identity

20-Oct-2021 By Restaurant

Restaurant group Frankie & Benny’s has dropped by Benny’s name from its logo as part of a more modern identity for the American-Italian brand.

Insight panels to feature at MCA’s Restaurant Conference

20-Oct-2021 By Restaurant

Lumina Intelligence, CGA and AlixPartners will be delivering exclusive insight at MCA’s Restaurant Conference next month.

Tom Moxon returns to Bone Daddies as executive group chef

19-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

Bone Daddies's original head chef, Tom Moxon, has rejoined the ramen group ahead of its 10 year anniversary next year.