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The Coconut Tree targets London market as it launches crowdfund

09-Jan-2024 By James McAllister

Sri Lankan restaurant group The Coconut Tree is planning its first openings in London having launched an equity-based crowdfund that’s aiming to raise £1m.

Barburrito closes one of its Glasgow sites

09-Jan-2024 By Restaurant

The Restaurant Group (TRG) has closed one of its two Glasgow Barburrito restaurants as the Mexican brand continues to shrink.

Wahaca returns to expansion trail with first opening in six years

08-Jan-2024 By James McAllister

Wahaca is returning to the expansion trail with its first new opening in six years.

Pergola Paddington to close

05-Jan-2024 By James McAllister

Pergola Paddington has announced it will be permanently closing its doors later this month.

‘Challenging’ trading environment pushes Revolution Bars to close eight sites

05-Jan-2024 By James McAllister

Revolution Bars Group has announced it will shutter eight of its ‘least profitable bars’ in order to reduce future losses.

Spaghetti House returns to profit

04-Jan-2024 By Shwetali Sapte

Spaghetti House has reported financial results for the year to 26 March 2023, with turnover rising from the previous year’s £5.3m to £9.8m.

Jollibee eyes UK growth despite growing losses

04-Jan-2024 By James McAllister

Jollibee has set out plans to ‘significantly increase’ its UK presence by 2028, despite seeing its losses widen in its latest financial results.

Mission Mars tees up new openings as it toasts ‘record’ festive period

04-Jan-2024 By James McAllister

Restaurant and bar group Mission Mars is planning to open a further 12 Rudy’s Pizza sites this year after reporting ‘record’ sales across its estate over the festive period.

Patty & Bun to launch first international outpost in Dubai

02-Jan-2024 By James McAllister

Burger slinger Patty & Bun is to become the latest UK-based restaurant operator to open an outpost in Dubai.

Giggling Squid sees turnover rise following ‘another excellent year’

19-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

Giggling Squid has reported a rise in turnover with like for like sales ‘materially ahead’ of pre pandemic levels in its latest financial results.

Sud Pasta to relaunch estate under new pasta kitchen concept

18-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

Manchester-based restaurant group Sud Pasta is to close its four-strong estate at the end of the month and relaunch it early next year under a new concept.

Wingers signs 30 site development deal

18-Dec-2023 By Hannah Currie

Buttermilk fried chicken concept Wingers has signed a 30 site development deal for West London and the Thames Valley.

Ellen Chew to launch permanent Singapulah site on Shaftesbury Avenue

14-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

London-based restaurateur Ellen Chew will launch the first permanent site under her Singaporean-focused Singapulah concept early next year on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Benito’s returns to expansion trail with first franchised site

14-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

Mexican burrito brand Benito’s is returning to the expansion trail this month with the launch of its first franchised site in the departure lounge of London Luton Airport.

RIO heads to Edinburgh for first Scottish site

14-Dec-2023 By Restaurant

Brazilian Steakhouse brand RIO is venturing north of the border for the first time with a venue in Scotland.

Larger restaurant groups benefit from rebound in festive bookings

13-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

Larger restaurant groups including Hawksmoor and Rare Restaurants are reporting a rebound in festive bookings.

Boom Bap Burger opens third site

08-Dec-2023 By Restaurant

Burger mini chain Boom Bap Burger has opened its third London restaurant, in London's Leadenhall Market.

Nando’s tees up new openings as it reports ‘steady recovery’

08-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

Nando’s is in the process of opening 14 new UK restaurants having reported a ‘steady recovery’ to pre-pandemic sales and a return to operating profit in its latest accounts.

Westfield Stratford City to become home to the largest Wingstop in the UK

08-Dec-2023 By Restaurant

Wingstop UK is to open its largest site yet at Westfield Stratford City in London in early 2024.

Azzurri Group looks to test bidders’ appetite with auction sale

08-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

Azzurri Group owner Towerbrook Capital Partners is lining up bankers to launch an auction next year of the Ask, Zizzi and Coco di Mama restaurant chains.

Comptoir Libanais to open at London's Southbank Centre

07-Dec-2023 By Restaurant

Comptoir Group will open its 23rd Comptoir Libanais next year as it continues to grow its UK estate following a recent return to the expansion trail.

KFC to acquire 218 restaurants from EG Group

06-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

KFC is to acquire more than 200 restaurants from EG Group, its largest franchisee in the UK and Ireland.

Banana Tree doubles estate in a year

06-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

Fast casual pan-Asian chain Banana Tree has doubled its estate in a year following its acquisition by The Big Table Group.

Train strikes knock profits at Drake & Morgan as sales rise

06-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

Ongoing industrial action on the railways has been blamed for dip in profits at Drake & Morgan, with the group reporting a rise in sales in its latest financial results.

Arslan Sharif: “Just another loyalty scheme would simply not do”

06-Dec-2023 By Arslan Sharif

The digital and loyalty director at PizzaExpress on how the group has linked the physical and the digital with its sophisticated and highly-successful loyalty app.

Various Eateries looks to raise £12m

05-Dec-2023 By Finn Scott-Delany

Various Eateries has confirmed it is in advanced stages of conducting a potential fundraising of up to £12m.

How I Got Here: Ranjit Mathrani

04-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

The chairman of Indian restaurant group MW-Eat, who was recognised at this year's R200 Awards, on what makes a good leader and how to deal with unpredictability in business.

Honest Burgers ‘back growing business’ after clash with HMRC

04-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

Honest Burgers is ‘back growing its business’ after a clash with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) briefly saw it slapped with a winding-up petition.

JKS targets US market after latest funding round

04-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

JKS is eyeing expansion into the US market as well as further growth in the Middle East following the completion of its latest funding round.

Debt pile grows for top restaurant groups leaving some 'in a precarious position'

04-Dec-2023 By James McAllister

The collective debt burden of the UK’s top restaurant groups has broken through the £3bn mark for the first time, new research by UHY Hacker Young shows.

Mitchells & Butlers posts 'record outperformance' against the market

30-Nov-2023 By James McAllister

Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has reported like-for-like (LFL) sales growth of 9.1% in its latest financial results covering the year ended 30 September 2023.

‘Challenging’ recruitment landscape forces Ottolenghi to cut opening hours as group sees turnover rise

30-Nov-2023 By James McAllister

The Ottolenghi group has had cut operating hours across some of its sites as a result of challenges to recruitment caused by Brexit and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kricket tees up fourth London site as it secures further funding

29-Nov-2023 By James McAllister

Rik Campbell and Will Bowlby will launch a fourth restaurant under their modern-Indian brand Kricket next year in London’s Canary Wharf, alongside a second iteration of their SOMA bar concept.

Loungers CFO to step down as group toasts 'strong financial and operational growth'

28-Nov-2023 By James McAllister

Loungers chief financial officer Gregor Grant has told the company he plans to step down next July after six years in the role.

Knoops targeting 200 sites following milestone fundraise

28-Nov-2023 By James McAllister

Artisanal hot chocolate café concept Knoops is looking to grow its estate to 200 sites nationwide in the medium term following a milestone £8.3m fundraise.

The Restaurant Group shareholders approve sale to Apollo

28-Nov-2023 By Restaurant

Shareholders of The Restaurant Group (TRG) have formally approved its sale to private equity company Apollo Global Management for £506m.

Berenjak launches international outpost in Dubai

27-Nov-2023 By James McAllister

London-based Persian restaurant brand Berenjak has launched its first international location in Dubai’s Dar Wasl district.

Pho continues expansion amid sales growth

27-Nov-2023 By Shwetali Sapte

Pho Restaurants has reported financial results for the year ended 19 February 2023, with turnover of £58.3m.

Competitive socialising venues growing at ‘unparalleled levels’

23-Nov-2023 By Hannah Currie

The competitive socialising sector has grown extensively in recent years, with a 38% uptick in venues since 2018.

Victor Lugger: “There was way less interest in the business than I expected”

22-Nov-2023 By Stefan Chomka

Interest in Italian restaurant group Big Mamma fell short of expectations despite the company having a successful 10-year track record that has seen it open 23 restaurants in four countries, its co-founder has revealed.

Lessons from Wagamama: the power of design and the power of brand

22-Nov-2023 By Jon Blakeney

With its purchase of The Restaurant Group, US private equity giant Apollo has bought one of the UK's most inspirational casual dining brands.

Confidence in hospitality sector climbs again despite cost challenges and rates threat

22-Nov-2023 By James McAllister

The optimism of Britain’s hospitality leaders has risen for the fourth quarter in a row, but they remain concerned about inflation in key inputs, and the challenge of business rates.

Pizza history: the original Franco Manca is relocating after 15 years

22-Nov-2023 By Restaurant

The original Franco Manca pizzeria in London's Brixton Market is to close and relocate having finally outgrown its original location.

Rosa’s Thai named Restaurant Group of the Year

22-Nov-2023 By Restaurant

Restaurant groups Rosa’s Thai and Flat Iron were the big winners at the annual R200 Awards, which were held last night in London.

Rudy’s Pizza to reach three London restaurants by end of the year

21-Nov-2023 By Restaurant

Rudy’s Pizza will triple its presence in London next month with the opening of two new sites.

Subway set to introduce self-order kiosks into UK sites

20-Nov-2023 By James McAllister

Subway is to introduce self-order kiosks into UK sites for the first time as it looks to enhance its digital experience.

Phat Buns heads to Bayswater for debut London site

20-Nov-2023 By Restaurant

Burger brand Phat Buns will open its first restaurant in the capital next month.

PizzaExpress joins Just Eat for Business

17-Nov-2023 By Restaurant

PizzaExpress has become the latest restaurant brand to join the Just Eat for Business platform.

Olive Tree Brasserie to open in Leeds

16-Nov-2023 By Restaurant

Greek restaurant group Olive Tree Brasserie will open its fourth site this month, with the brand planning further expansion across the north.

Strong post-pandemic recovery pushes Hawksmoor to ‘record sales and profitability’

15-Nov-2023 By James McAllister

Hawksmoor is toasting ‘record sales and profitability’ across its restaurant estate following a strong post-pandemic recovery.