Friday five: the week's top restaurant stories
- Adam Handling will launch his second pub that will also be his second Cornish venue next month. The Tartan Fox will be housed in a 400-year-old Grade II listed building once known as Carvynick House that sits on 30 acres of land located in the countryside between Newquay and Truro. Opening on 4 June, it will seat 90 covers across two floors, and will have a bar, wine room, restaurant and two private dining rooms, as well as additional restaurant seating upstairs. It will also have an extensive garden area and external space The Barn at The Tartan Fox for additional guest seating and which can also be hired for weddings, parties, and events with space for around 100 guests.
- Hospitality industry veteran David Campbell has joined Gaucho owner Rare Restaurants as its chairman. Campbell, who has over 30 years of operational and strategic experience from several prominent companies, including Pizza Express, The Ivy Collection and Wagamama, is currently chair of Ole and Steen. He joins Rare Restaurants, which trades under the Gaucho and M brands, following a year that saw revenues reach £75.3m.
- Greek restaurant chain The Real Greek has launched a 15-strong retail range into Tesco stores nationwide. The group, which operates 27 sites, says the chilled products have been designed to re-create restaurant-quality dining at home. Developed in collaboration with food importer Rondanini, the range includes The Real Greek Pastitsio; The Real Greek Moussaka; The Reak Greek Meatballs with Orzo; The Reak Greek Spiced Lamb Kofta; The Reak Greek Dolmades; and The Real Greek Flatbreads. The launch of The Real Greek’s new retail range in Tesco will be supported by an integrated marketing campaign, spanning digital advertising, shopper promotions and social media activity.
- The shortlist for this year's National Restaurant Awards Chef of the Year have been revealed. They include Joké Bakare, chef patron of West African restaurant Chishuru in central London; Claude Bosi; The Ledbury's Brett Graham; and Edinburgh's Stuart Ralston. To see the full shortlist, click here.
- Hospitality businesses Dishoom, Dorchester Collection, Valor, and MOTO Hospitality have been singled out in the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work 2024 list. Dishoom was named the best place to work for ethnic minorities in the ‘big’ company category, scoring 91% engagement among 525 survey respondents from ethnic minorities, who represent about a third of the Indian restaurant group’s 1,534- strong workforce. Hotel management and development company Valor was named one of the best places to work for disabled employees, also in the big company category. Businesses from the hospitality sector featured heavily on this year’s list and include Bella Italia, Burger & Lobster, Flat Iron, Individual Restaurants, Mowgli, Las Iguanas, Permanently Unique, Wingstop, Wagamama, Jamie Oliver Group, Rare Restaurants, Permanently Unique, JKS Restaurants, and Heartwood Collection. Other hospitality-related business to appear in the list include ingredients supplier Belazu and wine company Chapel Down.
For more of this week's headlines, click here.
