Casual Dining

No-shows cost hospitality sector £17.6bn a year, new research shows

01-Sep-2021 By Restaurant

No shows cost the hospitality sector around £17.6bn a year, with over a quarter of 18-34-year-olds failing to show up for reservations, new research has found.

Island Poké lines up four new London restaurants

01-Sep-2021 By Restaurant

Island Poké will open two new restaurants in the capital this year, with plans for a further two more in early 2022.

More than half of UK adult population has gone out to eat or drink post lockdown, data shows

01-Sep-2021 By Restaurant

More than half of the UK adult population went out to eat or drink following the easing of lockdown restrictions in July, new data has shown.

Restaurant radar: September 2021

01-Sep-2021 By Restaurant

Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt's debut London restaurant, Alex Hunter and Leo Carreira's ambitious new seafood counter, a fourth venue in the Kudu family and a new restaurant from the JKS stable are among this month's most significant restaurant...

Leon to open a further 10 restaurants this year

27-Aug-2021 By Restaurant

Healthy fast food brand Leon will open a further 10 restaurants this year, owner EG Group has revealed.

Tonkotsu to open first north London restaurant

27-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

London-based ramen restaurant chain Tonkotsu will launch its latest restaurant in Kentish Town next month.

Marco Pierre White restaurant to open on Leicester Square

24-Aug-2021 By Restaurant

Marco Pierre White is making a return to London’s West End for the first time in a decade with the opening of a new restaurant in Leicester Square.

Tim Hortons lines up trio of drive thru locations

24-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Canadian restaurant brand Tim Hortons is continuing to grow its UK presence at pace having secured sites for three more drive thru locations in retail and leisure parks.

Marugame Udon lines up second London site ahead of wider rollout

23-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Noodle brand Marugame Udon will launch its second London site at The O2 in Greenwich next month, ahead of further expansion across the capital and the rest of the UK.

Rudy’s doubles up in Liverpool

20-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Neapolitan pizza brand Rudy's will open its second Liverpool site in late September, having taken over the former Sainsbury’s building on Bold Street.

Burger kings: Philip Eeles and Tom Barton talk 10 years of Honest Burgers

20-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

From humble beginnings in Brixton Village, Philip Eeles and Tom Barton have built Honest Burgers into one of the country’s most prominent ‘better burger’ brands.

C&C Restaurant Group to launch Roberta's in Glasgow

20-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Glasgow-based restaurant group C&C is to launch a new Italian concept in the city centre next month.

Pizza Pilgrims DIY pizza kits to be sold by online supermarket Ocado

19-Aug-2021 By Restaurant

Pizza Pilgrims has become the latest restaurant company to have its products available to purchase from online supermarket Ocado.

The Avocado Show to make London debut in Mayfair next month

19-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Netherlands-founded mono product restaurant The Avocado Show will finally launch its first London restaurant next month on Princes Street in Mayfair.

Nando’s forced to close restaurants over supply issues

18-Aug-2021 By Dominic Allport

Nando’s has been forced to close some restaurants and reduce trading hours at others after its chicken deliveries were hit by a nationwide shortage of lorry drivers.

Fulham Shore eyes 150 new sites

17-Aug-2021 By Finn Scott-Delany

Fulham Shore has 12 sites in legal negotiations, with a further 150 locations identified as part of its medium term growth plans.

More venues sign up to Southwark's Elephant Park development

13-Aug-2021 By Restaurant

Sourdough pizza brand Four Hundred Rabbits and Livelyhood Pubs are to join the line up at Elephant Park in Southwark.

Emilia’s Crafted Pasta to launch Canary Wharf flagship

12-Aug-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Andrew Macleod will open a flagship Emilia’s Crafted Pasta restaurant in Canary Wharf in November.

Neat Burger heads to Finsbury Park ahead of wider London rollout

11-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Neat Burger, the plant-based brand that counts Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton among its chief backers, is to open its fourth London restaurant in Finsbury Park next week.

Cocotte heads to South Kensington for fifth London site

11-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

French-style ‘farm-to-table’ rotisserie concept Cocotte will open its fifth London restaurant later this month in South Kensington.

Honi Poke looking to open at least six sites a year

11-Aug-2021 By Georgi Gyton

Honi Poke is capable of expanding by at least six sites per year, founder Vladimir Martynov has said

Flat Iron to open on Clink Street

06-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Flat Iron is to open its next London restaurant next month on Clink Street in the heart of Bankside.

Heddon Yokocho team head to West End for next London opening

05-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Japan Centre is to launch a new central London ramen restaurant early next month close to its flagship food hall and retail destination on Panton Street, next to Leicester Square.

Promotion

Comptoir Libanais’ Chaker Hanna talks to NatWest about reopening better

05-Aug-2021 By Joe Lutrario

The CEO of the UK’s largest Middle Eastern restaurant group on his reopening and expansion strategy, the benefits of mobile ordering and how customer behaviour has changed.

How I Got Here: Raquel de Oliveira

04-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

The managing director of Peruvian restaurants Andina in London's Spitalfields and Ceviche in Soho on struggles with staffing, not being fixated on roll outs, and the importance of kindness.

Individual Restaurants announces clutch of closures

03-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Individual Restaurants, which owns the Piccolino, Restaurant Bar & Grill, Opera Grill and Bank high street brands, has announced a clutch of closures.

TriSpan acquires majority stake in Pho

02-Aug-2021 By Georgi Gyton

TriSpan has acquired a significant majority stake in Vietnamese restaurant group Pho.

Building back better - what next for Byron?

02-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

After a difficult five years, Byron is back on the expansion trail and determined to reclaim its stake in the better burger market. Can a group that’s fallen so far from grace ever get back on top?

Canadian-inspired brunch restaurant and wine bar to open in Parsons Green

02-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

A new brunch restaurant and wine bar that takes it cues from the Canadian West Coast will launch on New Kings Road in London's Parsons Green next month.

Big Table Group appoints KFC’s Paul Stokes to lead acquisitions ahead of 'big growth plans'

30-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Big Table Group has appointed KFC's Paul Stokes as the company’s head of acquisitions, as it prepares to press ahead with 'big growth plans'.

Pret tipped for move into vending machines

29-Jul-2021 By Restaurant

Pret A Manger is thought to be planning a move into coffee vending machines, according to Intellectual Property Office filings.

Slice by Pizza Pilgrims goes permanent in Finsbury Park

28-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Pizza Pilgrims is to launch the first permanent site for its aptly named New York pizza-by-the-slice concept Slice next month in London's Finsbury Park.

Spanish restaurant group Brindisa to head to Richmond

27-Jul-2021 By Restaurant

Spanish restaurant group Brindisa is opening its first restaurant outside of central London this autumn.

French revolution: how Côte is going after the next generation

27-Jul-2021 By Finn Scott-Delany

Côte executive chair Jane Holbrook on how she is looking to ‘do a Wagamama’ on the French brasserie brand and why it must become more relevant to win over a new generation of customers

Fatto a Mano to double up in London

27-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Brighton & Hove-based restaurant group Fatto a Mano is to launch its second Boxpark location in London's Shoreditch.

Albert’s Schloss to open in Birmingham’s Paradise development this autumn

23-Jul-2021 By Restaurant

Bavarian style restaurant and bar Albert’s Schloss is to open a venue in Birmingham’s Paradise development this autumn.

Mrs Chew’s Chinese Kitchen doubles up with first London opening

23-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Singaporean restaurateur Ellen Chew is bringing her fledgling Mrs Chew’s Chinese Kitchen concept to the capital having secured a site at Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush.

Latest opening: BAO Noodle Shop

21-Jul-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Located in the former Andina site near Shoreditch High Street station, the BAO crew’s latest is focused on Taiwanese beef noodle soup.

The Secret Hospitality Group to open new Swansea restaurant

21-Jul-2021 By Restaurant

Swansea-based restaurant company The Secret Hospitality Group will open a restaurant in the newly regenerated Copr Bay neighbourhood of the city.

Jollibee arrives in Cardiff for first location in Wales

20-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Filipino fast food chain Jollibee is to open its first UK location outside of England later this week in the Welsh capital of Cardiff.

Yard Sale Pizza heads to Crystal Palace for eighth London site

20-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

London-based Yard Sale Pizza is further extending its reach across the capital with a third site south of the river on Westow Hill in Crystal Palace.

June provides cause for optimism for managed sector as sales near 2019 levels

19-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Britain’s managed pub, restaurant and bar groups saw sales drop just 1% in June from the same month in 2019, the new edition of the Coffer CGA Business Tracker reveals.

Boparan bundles brands together for new supermarket restaurant concept

15-Jul-2021 By Restaurant

Boparan Restaurant Group is bringing five of its restaurant brands together to create a new dining concept called The Restaurant Hub.

How I Got Here: Megan Bews

14-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

The general manager of Neapolitan pizza brand Rudy’s, which has just launched its first London site in Soho, on Italy, teamwork, and the importance of restaurants paying a living wage.

Honi Poke continues expansion drive with new venues planned

14-Jul-2021 By Restaurant

Honi Poke will open sites in Victoria, Southbank and St Pauls over the next five months, joining its soon-to-open restaurant in Broadgate.

San Carlo to bring its Cicchetti brand to Knightsbridge later this year

13-Jul-2021 By Restaurant

San Carlo is to open another restaurant under its Cicchetti brand, in London’s Knightsbridge later this year.

The Bok Shop lines up Hastings opening ahead of wider rollout

09-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Brighton-based premium fried chicken brand The Bok Shop is to launch two new restaurants within four weeks of each other, beginning in Hastings at the end of the month.

Latest opening: Ave Mario

07-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Big Mamma's flair for grandiose ostentation remains undimmed with its third London restaurant, which combines glitz, glamour and decadence with a dash of Roman Catholicism.

Pieology to open first UK restaurant in the UK

07-Jul-2021 By Restaurant

California-based pizza concept Pieology is opening its first restaurant in the UK as part of its plans to grow across Europe.

Ready Burger closes crowdfund after raising nearly £2m

05-Jul-2021 By James McAllister

Fledgling vegan fast food brand Ready Burger has ended its crowdfunding campaign having successfully raised nearly £2m to help fuel its plans for 'rapid' growth across the UK.