- Multi-Michelin-starred French chef Anne-Sophie Pic will close her restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel London near Tower Bridge later this month. In a joint statement provided to Restaurant, Groupe Pic and Four Seasons said that they had made a decision to ‘conclude their partnership’ after ‘eight years of culinary excellence’. “We are incredibly proud of the two-Michelin-star dining experience we created at La Dame de Pic, delivering exceptional dining and unforgettable moments to all,” the statement reads. “We extend our deepest gratitude to our loyal guests, dedicated team, and industry partners who have supported us throughout this journey. It has been a fantastic and unforgettable chapter.” The restaurant’s final service will take place on 15 February
- Manchester-born entertainment and dining destination Freight Island will open a site in Newcastle later this year. Described as the largest single-site F&B and entertainment venue in a UK city centre, the venue is set open at Eldon Square in the city in the autumn. Inspired by the likes of Coney Island in New York and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, the new £16m space will span 60,000sq feet and will reclaim the top floor of the former Debenhams department store as well as additional roof top space. The venue will transform the top floor of the former store offering a mix of experiences, including global street food, a food hall with communal seating under a retractable roof, family-friendly events, DJ sets, and live performances
- Popular family-run East London Thai restaurant Singburi is to relocate to Shoreditch. The restaurant’s new iteration, dubbed Singburi 2.0, will continue to be led by chef patron Sirichai Kularbwong, who has brought in friends and fellow hospitality professionals Nick Molyviatis and Alexander Gkikas to oversee the ‘much-anticipated rebirth’. The restaurant will be located within Montacute Yards, a recently-launched development on Shoreditch High Street.
- SO|LA chef-patron Victor Garvey is partnering with hotelier Harry Handelsman to relaunch the dining room at The Midland Grand in London’s King’s Cross. Due to open at the end of this month, Victor Garvey at The Midland Grand will replace the offer previously overseen by Patrick Powell within the historic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. The new restaurant is described as being built on a shared philosophy of ‘Old World, new ideas’ and will ‘honour the foundations of classical French cuisine while embracing modernity’.
- Ted Schama, joint managing partner at leisure property agent Shelley Sandzer, has launched a ‘360 degree’ advisory business. Called One Voice Hospitality, it has been conceived in response to what Schama says is integrated decision-making becoming prevalent in the F&B and leisure sectors and from research from the company that shows that fewer than 50% of restaurant businesses have a three to five-year plan. Based in London, One Voice Hospitality will bring together operators, landlords and corporate finance to work collaboratively and is already working with several leading landlords and operators in a variety of high-profile locations in central London. It is also advising a number of hospitality business corporate finance projects.