Hospitality venues bar Labour MPs in response to the Government’s budget
Labour MPs have been barred from a number of restaurants and restaurants across Britain in response to the Government’s stance on business rates.
Casual Dining
The Real Eating Company reduces its estate to just two sites
The Real Eating Company has closed six of its eight sites following a restructuring of the businesses.
Jamie’s Italian returns – but does it still have a reason to exist?
Jamie Oliver’s game-changing casual dining chain is coming back to the high street but the market has moved on, making its revival a risky, nostalgia-fuelled gamble.
Highbury restaurant Saltine to shut amid ‘tough’ trading climate
The founders of Fink’s café group will close their Highbury restaurant and bar later this month.
Chick ’n’ Sours returns to East London with pub residency
Chick ‘n’ Sours is set to launch a new residency, marking its return to London’s East End.
TGI Fridays UK future in doubt again as its parent company looks to appoint administrators
The fate of TGI Fridays in the UK has been placed in doubt yet again with its holding company filing a notice of intention to appoint administrators.
comment
WTF is happening with TGIs?
Once a powerhouse brand in the UK casual dining market, TGI Fridays now finds itself going through its third sale process in little more than a year
Alley Cats to expand its offer for upcoming Notting Hill pizzeria
Alley Cats’ upcoming restaurant in Notting Hill will launch with an expanded menu, including Fat Cat Squares — the brand’s take on Sicilian-style square pizza — alongside a range of sub sandwiches.
Oliver’s twist: Jamie’s Italian to make a dramatic return to the UK
Jamie’s Italian is making a return to the UK high street six years on from its collapse with a restaurant opening in London’s Leicester Square next spring.
Carousel team to launch permanent Mexican seafood restaurant
Brothers Ed and Ollie Templeton, co-founders of chef residency restaurant Carousel, will launch Cometa – a contemporary Mexican seafood restaurant – next February.
Comment
Is Niyamo Capital’s purchase of Byron a master stroke or tilting at windmills?
The beleaguered burger brand has changed hands once again, with its new owner eyeing international, rather than regional, expansion
Lussmanns closes two restaurants as it enters pre-pack administration
Independent seafood restaurant group Lussmanns has undergone a pre-pack administration and closed two of its seven restaurants.
Honest Greens to make UK debut as hg Soho in London
Healthy food restaurant, known in Europe as Honest Greens, is launching its first UK site this month in London under the name hg Soho.
Padella to mark 10 years with Soho restaurant
Jordan Frieda and Tim Siadatan are opening a third site of their smash hit pasta restaurant Padella.
Gordon Ramsay relaunches Plane Food
Gordon Ramsay has relaunched his Plane Food restaurant at Heathrow Terminal 5 with a new concept featuring dishes from several of the chef’s more casual brands, including Lucky Cat and Street Burger.
Liverpool’s Café Tabac joins Ma Pub Group
Liverpool institution Café Tabac has been bought by Ma Pub Group.
Third time lucky? Byron rescued by Gen Z investor
Byron has been rescued from a third collapse by a Gen Z entrepreneur who has bought the beleaguered hamburger chain.
TGI Fridays UK new owner explores sale just weeks after its purchase
The owner of TGI Fridays UK is already exploring a potential sale just one month on from acquiring the business.
Gaucho toasts strong festive trading period as bookings nearly double
Christmas bookings at Gaucho are up 40% compared to the same period last year, its CEO says.
Mexican group Madre continues expansion with two Leeds venues
Modern Mexican restaurant group Madre is heading to Leeds for two new openings in the coming months.
Big interview
How Martin Williams is Evolv-ing the former D&D London estate
Martin Williams has returned to the ethos and vision of Sir Terence Conran as he looks to grow the rebranded Evolv Collection through four flagship brands.
L’ETO Caffe opens site on Brompton Road
Upmarket café group L’ETO Caffe has opened a new location in Kensington, bringing its total number of London sites to nine.
R200 2025 Award winners announced
Brands including Dave’s Hot Chicken, Wingstop, Big Mamma, Brother Marcus and Honest Burgers Smash + Grab were among the winner’s at the R200 Awards 2025.
Bancone heads to Bank for its fifth London restaurant
Pasta restaurant Bancone will open its fifth site in the capital next year.
Brother Marcus heads to Victoria for latest restaurant
East-Mediterranean inspired restaurant Brother Marcus is continuing its expansion across the capital with a new location in Victoria.
Company of Cooks Extends partnership with the Royal Opera House in £130m deal
Company of Cooks and the Royal Opera House are extending their food, drink and hospitality partnership for a further five years.
GOAT burger lands in the UK
Dubai-founded burger chain GOAT has made its debut outside the UAE with a site close to Knightsbridge department store Harrods.
Comment
Debt duties: why it pays to know the finer points of your finance package
With the long-awaited budget looming, now is the time to be proactive - not reactive.
Hospitality insolvencies remain flat in run up to festive period
The number of accommodation and foodservice insolvencies were flat month-on-month in September, new data shows.
Vagabond to launch “UK’s largest urban winery” next month
Wine bar group Vagabond will open what it is billing as the UK’s largest urban winery early next month.
Middletons Steakhouse & Grill bought out of administration
Middletons Steakhouse & Grill has been bought out of administration in a move that has safeguarded 159 jobs.
Pasta la vista: unravelling the UK’s pasta restaurant sector
The simple combination of flour and eggs has become big business in the dining sector over the past decade with the rise of the pasta-focused restaurant.
The Coconut Tree bought out of administration
The Coconut Tree has been sold out of administration to MPS Hospitality Limited, a connected company led by two of the group’s founders.
Berberè heads to Westfield Stratford City
London pizza group Berberè will make its shopping centre debut next month with a new pizzeria at Westfield Stratford City.
Roti King heads north of the border with Edinburgh launch
London-centric Malaysian restaurant brand Roti King will open its first Scottish site next month.
UK restaurant sector to grow to £19.6bn by 2028
The UK restaurant sector is forecast to grow at a modest 1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next three years, reaching a value of £19.6bn in 2028.
The Coconut Tree appoints administrators
The Coconut Tree has appointed administrators four months after it was revealed the Sri Lankan restaurant group had defaulted on payments as part of a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).
Hospitality calls on the Chancellor for support in upcoming budget
More than 340 leading hospitality businesses have signed an open letter to Rachel Reeves calling for urgent action to support the sector in this month’s budget.
Marugame Udon reports 7% turnover decline
Marugame Udon has reported a 7% decline in turnover, to £15.9m, for its nine-strong UK restaurant business, for the year to 29 December 2024.
Azurrri Group sees further opportunities for Dave’s Hot Chicken and grocery channel after ‘transformative’ year
Azurrri Group says it experienced a ‘transformative year’ after entering the fast-growing fried chicken sector with its Dave’s Hot Chicken brand.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
The Gaucho ‘greenwashing’ row and a welcome comeback for Leeds chef Michael O’Hare were among this week’s most-read stories.
Martin Williams: ‘Gaucho was aware of charity agreement’
The former boss of Gaucho has responded to what he says is incorrect information provided by the steakhouse group over its agreement with charity Not For Sale.
12 ways to create a killer loyalty programme
Restaurant has published a free-to-access guide to creating a successful loyalty programme.
Shoryu Ramen Ltd sees like-for-likes sales fall as turnover drops and losses widen - updated
Shoryu Ramen Ltd has reported a fall in turnover and widening losses in its latest financial results amid ‘challenging macro-economic and market conditions’.
Yum! Brands explores potential sale of Pizza Hut
Yum! Brands has initiated a strategic review of options for Pizza Hut after experiencing a decline in sales across Europe and the US.
Sea change: Deep Blue Restaurants to rebrand as Harry Ramsden’s Group as it leans into its heritage fish and chips brand
Deep Blue Restaurants is to change its named to Harry Ramsden’s Group as part of its next phase of growth.
Barrio Soho to rebrand as La Familia
Barrio Soho is set to relaunch as La Familia – a new two-in-one venue that blends a fast-casual taqueria upstairs with a hidden cocktail speakeasy downstairs.
Hoppers takes former Lyle’s site for its fourth London restaurant
Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurant group Hoppers has taken the former Lyle’s site in Shoreditch for its fourth restaurant in the capital.
House of Koko to open Leeds city centre site
Independent Lebanese café brand House of Koko has chosen Leeds city centre for the location of its third venue.
TGI Fridays UK bought by Sugarloaf
TGI Fridays UK has been sold to Sugarloaf, the global manager of the TGI Friday’s brand.