January
Paul and Emma Ainsworth purchased The St Enodoc Hotel in Rock, Cornwall, adding the 21-bedroom property to The Ainsworth Collection. Dating back to the 1920s, the boutique hotel is the only one in Rock and allowed the husband-and-wife team to expand their accommodation offering. January also saw Pizza Hut’s UK restaurant franchise sold in a pre-pack administration. The deal, which saw Heart with Smart (HwS), the operator of Pizza Hut Restaurants in the UK, acquired by Directional Capital – an investment firm that already controls much of Pizza Hut’s dine-in operations in Denmark and Sweden – was set to preserve more than 3,000 jobs. Elsewhere, multi-award-winning chef and restaurateur Andreas Antona placed his Birmingham flagship restaurant Simpsons on the market as he retired after a 50-year career, while Marylebone Italian restaurant Locanda Locatelli closed its doors after 23 years at the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill.
February
Valentine’s Day saw a fire rip through London’s Chiltern Firehouse hotel after wood fell from a pizza oven, causing extensive damage and completely destroying the third floor and roof. Matt Abé, meanwhile, left his role as chef patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to open his own restaurant on the former Gavroche site in London’s Mayfair. February also revealed that Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud would each oversee a signature restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch when it launches in 2026, while former chef patron of Michelin-starred SY23 in Aberystwyth, Nathan Davies, announced plans to open Vraic on Guernsey’s north shore. Alex Nietosvuori and Ally Thompson-Nietosvuori confirmed that their Michelin-starred restaurant Hjem would shut at the end of the year, while Alan Yau’s modern Chinese restaurant Hakkasan announced it would close imminently. In more positive news, Mark Birchall’s Moor Hall in Lancashire was awarded its third Michelin star, while The Ritz received its second.
March
Early March brought news that Nieves Barragán Mohacho would launch her second London restaurant, Legado, in Shoreditch over the summer. The restaurant was described as a celebration of Spain’s diverse regional food cultures and, like her first venue Sabor, would operate in partnership with JKS Restaurants. March also saw Native’s executive chef and co-founder Ivan Tisdall-Downes step down after less than a year, while Sally Abé announced she would be leaving The Pem at the end of the month. Elsewhere, Rare Restaurants, the parent company of Gaucho and M Restaurants, hired Baton Berisha as its new chief executive, and Lisa Goodwin-Allen left her role as executive chef of Northcote Manor’s Michelin-starred restaurant after 23 years.
April
April saw the death of former food critic and ‘first-class journalist’ Richard Vines at the age of 71, following a career spanning more than 40 years, including roles as markets editor and chief food critic at Bloomberg and UK chair of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The owners of Veeraswamy petitioned King Charles to help save the Michelin-starred restaurant amid a dispute with landlord The Crown Estate, which wanted to reclaim the site to convert the building into offices. The month also brought the shock announcement of the closure of James Lowe’s Lyle’s, while in a swift turnaround Lisa Goodwin-Allen returned to Northcote following its sale by The Stafford Collection to Silkstone Finance.
May
TGI Fridays announced plans to relaunch after being acquired out of administration by Breal Capital and Calveton, as the new owners sought to reverse the group’s decline and reposition the brand. Prezzo Italian CEO James Brown outlined plans to safeguard the casual dining group’s longevity with a new look, refreshed menu and slightly different name. Elsewhere, South African-inspired restaurant group Kudu announced plans to relocate from Peckham to Marylebone, taking over the former Aubaine site for a restaurant that would bring together three concepts: Kudu, Kudu Grill and private dining and events space Curious Kudu. Adding to the year’s closures, Paul Foster shut the doors of his fine-dining restaurant Salt after eight years of trading, while Som Saa was forced to temporarily close following a kitchen fire caused by its extraction system, resulting in significant damage.
June
Richard Caring issued an apology to suppliers of his Ivy Collection business after letters were sent informing them of a ‘mandatory’ 2.5% discount imposed on invoices. Caring said the letter was ‘incorrect’ and that he had ‘certainly not approved it’. Following his parents’ retirement, Sirichai Kularbwong relaunched Singburi in Shoreditch, teaming up with friends Nick Molyviatis and Alexander Gkikas to refresh the restaurant while preserving its original character. Busaba Eathai filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator, raising doubts over the future of the Thai restaurant group, while Tom Booton stepped down from his role as executive chef at The Grill by Tom Booton after six years at The Dorchester. June also saw The Ritz named Best Restaurant in the UK 2025 at the National Restaurant Awards.
July
Northern-based restaurant group Gusto Italian saw its estate reduced from 13 restaurants to seven after being acquired by Cherry Equity Partners via a pre-pack administration, while pub group Oakman collapsed into administration with the closure of multiple sites. Sri Lankan restaurant group The Coconut Tree also entered into a company voluntary arrangement. Elsewhere, Taiwanese restaurant group BAO brought in a new investor after 10 years with JKS Restaurants, with Singapore-based Lo & Behold Group acquiring JKS’s stake. Other notable closures included Brighton restaurant 64 Degrees, which shut after 13 years, and Victor Garvey’s restaurant at The Midland Grand, which closed after a significantly shorter run of less than six months.
August
Nuno Mendes’ Portuguese restaurant Lisboeta announced its closure, with owner MJMK later revealing the space would reopen as Portuguese restaurant Luso, with a menu overseen by Leo Carreira. Another high-profile closure was Claude Bosi’s two Michelin-starred Bibendum, which ceased trading suddenly after seven years. August was also the month that Carl McCluskey, founder of pizza concept Crisp, revealed plans to move to a Mayfair site with support from the team behind The Devonshire. Further pizza news saw Germany-based Italian casual dining brand L’Osteria, backed by Gail’s and Big Mamma owner McWin, acquire a majority stake in Pizza Pilgrims.
September
At the start of the month, Endo at the Rotunda suffered a fire that forced the Michelin-starred restaurant to close indefinitely. In a statement three weeks later, chef patron Endo Kazutoshi said the restaurant would rise again. Another closure announcement, in less dramatic circumstances, came from Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, which revealed it would close for 18 months from January to undergo an extensive redevelopment, reopening in summer 2027. It was later confirmed that executive chef Luke Selby would move to north Wales country house hotel Palé Hall. September also marked the European debut of US restaurant Carbone in Mayfair, while away from fine dining Honest Burgers acquired 12 sites from Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Will Shu stepped down from Deliveroo.
October
Pizza Hut returned to the headlines after closing 68 restaurants across the UK following its fall into administration. Other closures included zero-waste restaurant Silo, which announced it would shut at the end of the year after 11 years, and Crocadon, Dan Cox’s sustainably focused restaurant on his Cornwall farm, with the chef departing the estate. After months of speculation, it was confirmed that the team behind Soho pub The Devonshire would open a second site in Covent Garden, in the former home of The Lady magazine, while Launceston Place would be transformed into a second Sartoria restaurant. It later emerged that Sartoria owner The Evolv Collection had also acquired bar group Vinoteca to support further expansion.
November
The death of Spring chef Skye Gyngell dominated headlines, with tributes pouring in from across the hospitality industry for the trailblazing chef, who championed sustainability and women in the kitchen. Sustainability was again under scrutiny as Gaucho faced accusations of greenwashing after failing to pay its carbon offset commitments. Elsewhere, the future of Simpson’s Tavern in the City – which dates back to 1757 – was secured after it was acquired by the team behind Cloth. The chop house is set to reopen next year as Cloth Cornhill.
December
The casual dining and QSR sectors dominated headlines as the year drew to a close. The future of TGI Fridays was thrown into doubt after its parent company appointed administrators just weeks after acquiring the business. Leon also called in administrators shortly after co-founder John Vincent bought back the company. The healthy fast-food brand closed several sites and announced plans to emerge in the new year as a stronger business, once again pursuing expansion. Elsewhere, Jamie’s Italian revealed plans to return to the UK with a Leicester Square site, six years after its collapse, while pasta group Padella announced it would open a long-awaited third location. In Cornwall, Nathan Outlaw put his flagship restaurant in the market ahead of plans to launch a more informal venue in Port Isaac in the new year.
