Friday Five: the week's top news
- After eight years in business, Mikael Jonsson confirmed that his celebrated Chiswick restaurant Hedone had closed to the public. Its last official service was held on Saturday 1 June.-
- A month after Jason Atherton closed and rebranded his Mayfair bistro Little Social as No.5 Social, it has been confirmed that the chef has also closed his Social Wine and Tapas restaurant in London’s Marylebone.
- Chef Tom Kerridge, whose Marlow restaurant The Hand and Flowers holds two Michelin stars, is to open his first Manchester restaurant at GG Hospitality's upcoming Stock Exchange Hotel in the city saying he plans to “bring a bit of Marlow up to Manchester”.
- BigHospitality’s sister website MCA learnt that casual burger and bar brand Wahlburgers is hoping rapidly expand its UK operation in the next five years by adding 15 sites to its portfolio. It follows the opening of the chain’s first UK restaurant in Covent Garden last month.
- Executive head chef Tong Chee Hwee, who was instrumental in helping Hakkasan become the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to win a Michelin star, has left the group after 18 years. He’s replaced by Andrew Yeo, who previously served as executive chef of The Miami Beach EDITION hotel.
For more of this week’s news, click here.