QSR & Street Food

Chopstix chooses Romania for European debut

19-Sep-2024 By Restaurant

Noodle bar brand Chopstix is to open its first site outside of the UK and Ireland this month as it looks to push into continental Europe.

Basque cheesecake concept heads to Soho

18-Sep-2024 By Restaurant

Basque cheesecake operator La Maritxu has signed for its second London location, on Soho’s Kingly Street.

Salsa brand Conchita’s to open taco and burrito bar in Selfridges

17-Sep-2024 By Restaurant

Mexican salsa brand Conchita’s is to launch its first full-scale Mexican Kitchen, at Selfridges Foodhall, later this month.

Neat further reduces London estate as co-founder departs business

17-Sep-2024 By James McAllister

Vegan QSR brand Neat is facing questions about its future following the departure of the group’s co-founder and a further reduction to its UK estate.

The Lowdown

What is with the UK’s current obsession with smash burgers?

13-Sep-2024 By James McAllister

In case the queues outside Supernova didn’t tip you off, the UK is in the midst of a smash burger storm.

Market Place heads to St Paul’s as it looks to double estate

10-Sep-2024 By James McAllister

Market Place is to open a new site close to St Paul’s early next year under plans to double the size of its estate.

Smashburger returns to expansion trail with Cambridge opening

09-Sep-2024 By James McAllister

US fast food chain Smashburger has returned to the expansion trail in the UK with its first new opening since 2017.

Neat quietly shutters New York and Dubai outposts

09-Sep-2024 By James McAllister

Neat, the vegan QSR brand backed by Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio, has shuttered its outposts in New York and Dubai in an apparent set back to its international ambitions.

Simon Champion to step down as Boxpark CEO

06-Sep-2024 By James McAllister

Boxpark chief executive Simon Champion is stepping down after two and a bit years leading the business.

Boxpark Camden to open later this month with 60 traders

05-Sep-2024 By Restaurant

Boxpark Camden will be home to more than 60 food and retail traders when it opens later this month, the company has revealed.

The Gentlemen Baristas acquired by Qima Cafe owner

04-Sep-2024 By James McAllister

London-based coffee shop chain The Gentlemen Baristas has been acquired by Origins 1450, the UK-based parent company of ‘tree-to-cup’ café concept Qima.

Shake Shack ‘actively in pursuit of further sites’ as trading landscape ‘continues to improve’

03-Sep-2024 By James McAllister

Shake Shack is planning further expansion amid an ‘improved’ trading landscape with restaurant sales ‘increasing towards pre-pandemic levels’.

Yari Club will be London's first robotic yakitori restaurant

29-Aug-2024 By Restaurant

London will become home to the UK’s first automatic rotary yakitori machine-operated concept when it opens next month.

Chipotle reaches 20 site milestone in UK

28-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

US burrito brand Chipotle is to increase its footprint in the UK to 20 sites next month with a new opening on Gloucester Road in central London.

New operator steps in to run Peckham Levels

28-Aug-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Social enterprise The Trampery has taken over South London food hall and co-working space Peckham Levels after its previous operator fell into administration.

Judy Joo builds Seoul Bird estate with new sister brand and first airport site

28-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

Judy Joo is pushing ahead with the UK expansion of her Korean fried chicken concept Seoul Bird with the launch of a new sister brand and a forthcoming airport debut.

Latest opening: Eat Momo

27-Aug-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Two Nepalese sisters have launched a fast casual dumplings restaurant under the arches near London Bridge.

Fish and chip prices rise by 50% in five years

27-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

The average price for a portion of fish and chips has risen by more than 50% in the last five years, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Bleecker announces first new opening in five years to coincide with ‘National Burger Day’

22-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

London-based better burger brand Bleecker is opening its first new restaurant in five years today (22 August) to coincide with ‘National Burger Day’.

McDonald’s to open more than 200 new restaurants across UK as part of £1bn investment

21-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

McDonald’s is marking its 50th anniversary in the UK with plans to open a further 200 new restaurants in the next four years.

Wingstop reaches 50 site milestone

19-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

Fried chicken brand Wingstop has opened its 50th UK site, with at least six more set to launch before the end of the year.

WH Smith launches first café concept

19-Aug-2024 By Finn Scott-Delany

WH Smith’s travel division has opened its first own-brand café with a focus on food to go.

Latest opening: Hot Dogs by Three Darlings

16-Aug-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Jason Atherton and Spencer Metzger are breathing new life into the gourmet hot dog category with this deftly executed and reassuringly expensive Harrods concession.

Birmingham's Baked in Brick 'goes full circle' by taking its Bakehouse brand to Digbeth

16-Aug-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Birmingham pizza and bakery group Baked In Brick has taken its café concept Bakehouse to the city’s Digbeth suburb.

Taco Bell looks to tap into late night crowd with new ‘encore hours’

15-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

Taco Bell UK is hoping to tap into the late-night market through a new initiative that will extend closing hours at select restaurants located close to music venues.

Starbucks CEO leaves after just over a year

14-Aug-2024 By Restaurant

Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan has left the role after just over a year following poor performance at the coffee chain.

The Salad Project reaches ‘significant milestone’ with multifaceted fifth site

13-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

The Salad Project is to launch a multifaceted restaurant site on Fenchurch Street in the City of London that will also operate as a training academy and menu development hub.

Pizza brand Detroit Slims to launch in Manchester

13-Aug-2024 By Restaurant

The team behind Manchester venues Ramona, Diecast, and The Firehouse is launching a grab-and-go pizza brand this autumn.

Chopstix enters retail space with Wok Pot range

13-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

Pan-Asian QSR group Chopstix has moved into the omnichannel retail space with the launch of its new Wok Pot range.

‘Evolving’ customer proposition and continued expansion drives growth at Burger King

12-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

Burger King UK has reported an operating profit of £13.4m for the year ended 31 December 2023, a significant improvement on the loss of £20.7m it posted the year before.

McCain’s investment into street food start-ups tops £200,000

06-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

McCain Foodservice Solution’s (McCain FS) investment in its Streets Ahead initiative has passed £200,000 after a further seven street food businesses successfully secured funding through the programme.

Julian Metcalfe joins Knoops amid £5m fundraiser

05-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

Pret a Manger and Itsu founder Julian Metcalfe has joined Knoops as a non-executive director alongside former Sanctuary Spa Group CEO Alice Avis.

Wingstop UK launches sale process

05-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

Lemon Pepper Holdings, the master franchisee for Wingstop UK, has hired Goldman Sachs to explore a sale of the business after six years of rapid growth.

KERB to launch new Holborn street food market

05-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

London-based street food market operator KERB is to launch a new weekly lunch market this week in Holborn that will help generate further funding for its KERB+ social enterprise.

Jerk Junction to open first shopping centre location

02-Aug-2024 By James McAllister

Jerk Junction, the Caribbean street food brand that’s co-owned by former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard, is to open its first shopping centre location within the north-west city’s Trafford Centre.

Copenhagen’s famed Gasoline Grill to pop up at The Standard, London

31-Jul-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Cult Copenhagen restaurant Gasoline Grill is bringing its smash burgers to the capital by means of a four-week pop-up at The Standard, London.

Kaspa’s Desserts to make central London debut with Soho site

30-Jul-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Fast casual dessert brand Kaspa’s Desserts will make its central London debut early this month with a flagship location in Soho.

Boston Tea Party launches delivery-only brand

29-Jul-2024 By Restaurant

All-day cafe brand Boston Tea Party has launched a delivery only concept in its founding city of Bristol.

Bunsik takes Chinatown site for next London opening

26-Jul-2024 By James McAllister

Korean QSR brand Bunsik has taken a site on Wardour Street in London’s Chinatown for its next opening in the capital.

Three Uncles heads west with Ealing site

26-Jul-2024 By Joe Lutrario

London-based Cantonese restaurant chain Three Uncles has chosen Ealing for its largest restaurant yet.

Chaiiwala revs up its drive thru business

26-Jul-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Chaiiwala has launched a second drive thru restaurant and says it plans to open a further three Chaiiwala Drive Thru sites by the end of the year.

Campaign launched to save Boxpark Shoreditch - updated

25-Jul-2024 By James McAllister

A campaign has been launched to save Boxpark’s original site in London’s Shoreditch after a planning requirement forced it to announce that it would close this summer.

Farmer J makes West London debut with Hammersmith site

25-Jul-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Fast casual ‘farm-to-fork’ restaurant chain Farmer J will launch its first site in West London at the end of this month.

Tortilla sees half-year revenue fall as a result of new delivery strategy

24-Jul-2024 By Restaurant

Tortilla has reported a fall in revenue for the first half of the year, amid several new strategic initiatives at the business.

Insomnia Cookies ‘poised to accelerate growth’ after Krispy Kreme sells majority stake

23-Jul-2024 By James McAllister

Insomnia Cookies says it is ‘poised to accelerate growth’ after Krispy Kreme sold its majority stake in the business to Verlinvest and Mistral Equity Partners.

Lost Boys Chicken relaunches pub residency after closing Brighton restaurant

23-Jul-2024 By James McAllister

Brighton-based fried chicken brand Lost Boys has returned to its roots and relaunched its original pub residency at The Joker near Preston Circus following the closure of its only restaurant.

Latest opening: Sandwich Sandwich London

19-Jul-2024 By James McAllister

The Bristol-based operator has arrived in London to deliver hench sarnies and an abundance of savoury pastries and sweet treats. Just be prepared for a long queue.

Benito's Hat owner launches pizza brand

19-Jul-2024 By Restaurant

The owner of Mexican mini group Benito’s Hat has launched what is describes as an ‘edgy, pizza slice brand’.

Boxpark confirms Shoreditch closure

19-Jul-2024 By James McAllister

Boxpark will close its original site in London’s Shoreditch by end of the summer ahead of plans to open new locations in Camden and Liverpool Street later this year.