- The hospitality sector has voiced disappointment with the chancellor’s maiden Budget, after calls for a lower rate of VAT and relief on employer National Insurance contributions went unanswered. Instead, support has been targeted at smaller businesses, with the Small Business Rates Relief threshold for retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England set to rise from £12,000 to £18,000 in rateable value. The chancellor said the move would mean half of all properties in the sector paying no business rates, although a real-terms freeze means bills can still rise in line with inflation. The package will be funded through measures including tackling non-compliance on online marketplaces, increasing gambling tax on higher-risk machine games and extending a 1p supplement for businesses that have benefited from reductions or smaller increases in their rates bills.
- Café Spice Namasté, the acclaimed Indian restaurant founded by chef Cyrus Todiwala and his wife Pervin, has announced it is ‘temporarily closed’ as the business prepares for a new venture. In a message to customers, the restaurant stressed that the closure was not a permanent goodbye, describing it as the start of a ‘fresh, exciting new chapter’ and thanking guests for their support over the years. The closure comes five years after the restaurant moved from its former home in a Grade II-listed former magistrates’ court on Prescot Street, which it had occupied since 1995, to Royal Albert Wharf in London’s Royal Docks.
- Honest Burgers has shut the only site of its smash burger concept Smash + Grab, around 18 months after launching the brand as its first move into the quick-service restaurant (QSR) sector. The concept opened in late 2024 on the site of the group’s former Liverpool Street restaurant, following a £3m fundraise aimed at helping the business compete with larger QSR operators. Founders Tom Barton and Philip Eeles had said the format would allow the group to operate from smaller locations that would not suit its traditional casual dining model. Last year, Barton said the group hoped to open two to three flagship Smash + Grab sites in London over the following 12 months, although none materialised.
- SINO founders Polina Sychova and Eugene Korolev are set to expand their presence in Notting Hill with the launch of Sit With Us, a new coffee house and bakery opening this November. The concept will combine speciality coffee, an experimental drinks programme and an in-house bakery producing breads and pastries throughout the day, alongside a breakfast and lunch menu. A dedicated off-site laboratory will be used to develop an evolving range of coffee and tea-based drinks, using techniques including fermentation, clarification and cold extraction. The venue will also host weekend DJ coffee mornings, guest collaborations, bakery tastings and community events.
- Mission Mars, the hospitality group behind Rudy’s Napoletana and Albert’s Schloss, has secured a new majority investor after Fynveur, an investment holding owned by Artal and advised by Invus, acquired a controlling stake in the business for an undisclosed sum. The deal marks a full exit for BGF and is expected to support the expansion of the group’s two core brands. The transaction is backed by a debt facility from Santander, HSBC and NatWest, while the existing management team will remain in place to lead the next phase of growth.