Casual Dining

Burger & Beyond makes moves off the street with Shoreditch opening

24-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Street food burger operator Burger & Beyond will launch a permanent site alongside its residencies at KERB and Street Feast, having secured a site in east London.

Stem + Glory settles on City site for London debut

23-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Plant-based Cambridge restaurant group Stem + Glory will launch its first restaurant in London having successfully crowdfunded £350,000 through Crowdcube.

Tattu puts its mark on Birmingham with scheduled 2019 opening

23-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Modern Chinese restaurant group Tattu will launch its third site having secured a 150-cover site in Birmingham city centre.

Ask the experts

Six ways for restaurants to elevate their plant-based offer

22-Oct-2018 By Louise Palmer-Masterton

Long-time vegan and restaurateur Louise Palmer-Masterton founded plant-based Stem + Glory in 2016, and has since completed two successful crowdfunds to grow the company to three sites. The Cambridge restaurateur shares her tips on how operators can improve...

'World's healthiest restaurant and bar' to launch Seven Dials flagship

22-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Vegan, gluten-free and alcohol free restaurant and bar Redemption will launch its third site this winter, having successfully crowdfunded the money needed to finance it.

Gizzi Erskine's Mare Street Market restaurant no longer going ahead

18-Oct-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Gizzi Erskine is no longer opening a restaurant within Hackney’s Mare Street Market.

Branded restaurants continue to grow share of market

17-Oct-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Despite the pain being felt by many major restaurant operators branded restaurants are continuing to grow their share of the market.

Opening of the Month: Canto

17-Oct-2018 By Tony Naylor

Simon Shaw’s follow up to his acclaimed Spanish restaurant El Gato Negro brings modern Portuguese cooking to Manchester.

Sourced Market set to smash latest crowdfund bid

17-Oct-2018 By Stefan Chomka

Deli/retail/dining brand Sourced Market has raised more than 85% of its £750,000 Crowdcube campaign within the first 48 hours.

How I Got Here: Bill Collison

16-Oct-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Bill Collison founded Bill's Produce Store and Cafe in 2001. A few years later, the Lewes and Brighton-based business attracted the attention of mid-market maestros Andy Bassadone and Chris Benians, who have turned the business into a national chain....

“It’s a Jedi ninja approach to cooking”: Richard Turner on his new restaurant Gridiron

16-Oct-2018 By Stefan Chomka

Hawksmoor’s executive chef and director of Pitt Cue Richard Turner opens 62-cover Mayfair restaurant Gridiron early November with seasoned chef Colin McSherry in the COMO Metropolitan hotel on Old Park Lane

One half of the Joe Allen team to close Mustard and reopen after a French makeover

12-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

One of the founders of Joe Allen is closing his British brasserie, Mustard, Brook Green, to reopen it as a new concept.

The Lowdown: ByChloe's CBD-infused Feelz

11-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Vegan restaurant ByChloe has launched a range of desserts, all infused with CBD.

Burger & Lobster returns to profit after £10m loss

10-Oct-2018 By Finn Scott-Delany

Burger & Lobster recovered from a £10m loss in 2016 to post a £2.4m profit in 2017.

Maison du Mezze to open second central London site

08-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Lebanese restaurant Maison du Mezze will open a third site, having secured the final unit in the 151 Wardour Street mixed-purpose development.

Former St. John executive chef Chris Gillard to launch Hackney restaurant

04-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

The former executive chef of St. John will launch a restaurant next month in collaboration with Village Underground founder Auro Foxcroft.

The Restaurant Group is ready to dispose of another nine sites

03-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

The Restaurant Group (TRG) has put nine more of its sites on the market following the successful sale of 31 of its other properties.

Latest opening: Kym’s

03-Oct-2018 By Stefan Chomka

Andrew Wong's long awaited Chinese restaurant has opened its doors at the City's Bloomberg Arcade.

Scandi smokehouse Rök closes original Shoreditch site

03-Oct-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Scandinavian casual dining restaurant Rök has closed its original restaurant and canned plans to launch a central London site.

The Coconut Tree to double in size as part of 'mini rollout'

27-Sep-2018 By Finn Scott-Delany

Sri Lankan street food brand The Coconut Tree is eyeing a “mini rollout” that its founders says will preserve the authenticity of the brand.

Gaucho CVA given the green light

21-Sep-2018 By Mark Wingett

Gaucho has received approval from the majority of its creditors for its Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) plan.

How I got here: Thom Elliot

20-Sep-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Thom Elliot founded Pizza Pilgrims with brother James in 2012. The pair now operate nine locations in London and a restaurant in Oxford.

"Prezzo lost its focus" says executive chairwoman

20-Sep-2018 By Finn Scott-Delany

Prezzo executive chair Karen Jones says she is on a mission to restore the struggling Italian brand and “make customers love it again”.

Richard Caring: "Bill's needed help"

17-Sep-2018 By Mark Wingett

Richard Caring says he received approaches for Bill’s last year, but that he didn’t think the all-day dining restaurant group was “dressed well enough to be sold” and that “it needed help”.

Casual dining groups return to sales growth

17-Sep-2018 By Sophie Witts

UK restaurant groups saw a return to sales growth in August after a difficult summer.

How I got here: Juliette Wall

13-Sep-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Juliette Wall founded Vietnamese noodle specialist Pho with husband Stephen in 2005. The group has now opened restaurants across the UK, and recently launched its 27th location, in Exeter.

Opso team finally set to launch casual souvlaki spin-off

12-Sep-2018 By Georgia Bronte

The team behind Marylebone Green restaurant Opso will launch a casual, street food-inspired restaurant Pittabun in Soho this month.

Licensing restrictions force Vinoteca to close Soho site

12-Sep-2018 By Georgi Gyton

Wine bar and restaurant group Vinoteca has closed its premises on Beak Street in Soho due to licensing restrictions, and is looking to relocate to a new site.

The Ivy Collection continues expansion with Canary Wharf park opening scheduled for autumn

12-Sep-2018 By Georgia Bronte

The Ivy Collection will launch an all-day, two-storey brasserie in Canada Square Park this autumn.

Coffee experts launch Australian-inspired brunch spot and wine bar

10-Sep-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Antipodean-inspired wine bar and brunch and small plates restaurant Milk Beach opened quietly in Queens Park last month, with a former Duck and Waffle head chef at the helm.

The Chipping Forecast swims back to Soho to launch permanent site

10-Sep-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Notting Hill fish and chip restaurant The Chipping Forecast is set to open its second site, having taken over the Balls & Company site on Greek Street.

Corbin & King launches initiative to employ more over 50s workers

10-Sep-2018 By Stefan Chomka

Restaurant group Corbin & King has launched an initiative to employ more people over the age of 50 in a move that it believes will create a better and more diverse workforce.

Sticks'n'Sushi's largest restaurant to launch on 1 October

07-Sep-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Sushi and yakitori restaurant group Sticks’n’Sushi will launch its largest restaurant yet at a site in Chelsea next month.

Monty's Deli set for expansion after smashing its second crowdfund

07-Sep-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Jewish deli-inspired restaurant Monty’s Deli has ended its crowdfunding campaign, having raised almost £66k above its £150k target.

How I got here: Gordon Ker

06-Sep-2018 By Joe Lutrario

A former lawyer, Gordon Ker founded Blacklock in 2013. Specialising in affordably-priced chops, the restaurant was named Best New Scaleable Concept at Restaurant magazine's R200 Awards last year.

Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant to launch at refurbished Manchester hotel

05-Sep-2018 By Georgia Bronte

A Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant will launch at a refurbished Manchester hotel next month, following a multi-million-pound investment.

Martin Williams to return to Gaucho under new ownership

05-Sep-2018 By Stefan Chomka

Martin Williams is making a dramatic return to Gaucho four and a half years after leaving the steakhouse group.

Mandatory calorie labelling for restaurants could lead to price rises, says trade body

05-Sep-2018 By Stefan Chomka

The trade body for the UK hospitality industry has warned that the introduction of mandatory calorie labelling for restaurants could present a serious burden for hospitality businesses and lead to a rise in menu prices.

Glasgow restaurateur chooses Maryhill to launch new site

04-Sep-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Glasgow entrepreneur Alan Tomkins will open The Botany bar and restaurant in the city’s Maryhill area later this month.

Restaurant Radar: September 2018

03-Sep-2018 By Sophie Witts

We round-up some of the openings to watch this month, including London debuts from Tom Kerridge and Mark Wahlburg (yes really).

Byron CEO: It was "screamingly obvious" the chain needed change

03-Sep-2018 By Sophie Witts

The CEO of Byron has insisted the troubled chain is recovering despite recent warnings about its financial position.

Will Gourmet Burger Kitchen be the next high street casualty?

03-Sep-2018 By Sophie Witts

Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) looks to be the latest restaurant chain preparing to close sites amid falling sales.

Marco Pierre White's New York Italian brand closes its Leeds restaurant

31-Aug-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Marco Pierre White’s New York Italian restaurant in Leeds’ Merrion Centre has closed just a year after opening.

Jamie Oliver: "I had two hours to save Jamie's Italian"

30-Aug-2018 By Sophie Witts

Jamie Oliver had to inject almost £13m of his own savings in to his restaurant group to stop the business going under.

Homeslice to take a piece of the action at St. Christopher's Place

28-Aug-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Pizza restaurant Homeslice will take a four storey property in St. Christopher’s Place later this year, joining the burgeoning line up of restaurants expanding to the central London location.

Dishoom finally confirms a winter Manchester opening

28-Aug-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Dishoom will make its long-awaited Manchester debut this winter, having secured the license for a historical site it applied for last year.

Darwin & Wallace choose Ealing to launch site seven

24-Aug-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Independent neighbourhood bar and restaurant group Darwin & Wallace will open its seventh site this winter.

Casual Dining Group receives £30m refinancing package

02-Jul-2018 By Stefan Chomka

Casual Dining Group, (CDG) which operates restaurant brands Las Iguanas, Café Rouge and Bella Italia, has announced a new cash investment of £30m as part of a refinancing of the group.

UK on brink of 'new wave' casual dining boom

20-Dec-2016 By Sophie Witts

The number of restaurants in the UK has risen rapidly in the past five years, but pubs and bars are continuing to close, according to a report by the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) and CGA Peach.

Redcomb Pubs to develop casual dining restaurant concept

24-May-2016 By Emma Eversham

Pub operator Redcomb Pubs has announced plans to develop a casual dining concept as it looks to 'stretch and broaden' its business portfolio.