- Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons executive chef Luke Selby is to oversee the culinary direction of North Wales country house hotel Palé Hall as chef partner, it has been confirmed. The partnership, which takes effect in January, marks a new chapter for the five-star, Relais & Châteaux hotel, located near the town of Bala on the edge of Snowdonia.
- Recently established seafood restaurant group Shrimp & Co has outlined bold expansion plans, with a target of reaching 50 sites within the next three years. The company plans to open at least another three sites before the end of the year, with Liverpool, Brixton, Milton Keynes and Glasgow its choice of locations. Further restaurants in Leeds, Nottingham, and Manchester are also on the cards.
- The Beckford Group is gearing up for expansion with three new openings in three months, including the group’s first hotel. The West Country-based pub group will launch the sites in early 2006, starting with a modern British brasserie called Corsham House and then following it up with pub with rooms The King’s Arms, and village hotel Teffont House.
- Lyon’s Seafood Restaurant & Wine Bar in London’s Crouch End is to close its doors early next month after six years’ trading. In a statement posted to Instagram the restaurant said it would hold its final service on 4 October.
- US restaurant group Chuck E. Cheese has confirmed it will be making its debut in the UK after signing a multi-unit franchise agreement. The Texas-based group, which combines family entertainment with an F&B offering, says it will be bringing its ‘world-renowned mix of arcade games, interactive play zones, iconic characters and quality food to a whole new audience’ for what will be its first location in Europe.