Friday five: the week’s top restaurant stories
The arrival of US fried chicken brand Raising Cane’s and Ben Murphy taking the reins at the former Mere site in London’s Fitzrovia are among this week’s most-read news stories.
Archives for September 5, 2025
Labombe squad: behind the scenes at Jonny Lake and Isa Bal’s follow-up to Trivet
The high-profile chef-sommelier duo are launching a contemporary wine-focused restaurant at Mayfair’s COMO Metropolitan London, joined by rising talents Evan Moore and Philipp Reinstaller.
Latest opening: Legado
Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s second London restaurant looks set to be another crowd-pleasing smash hit that sees the chef explore a more modern and regionally diverse form of Spanish cooking.
Flat Iron secures debt facility to aid future expansion
Flat Iron has secured additional funding to support its expansion plans.
The Breakfast Club ‘building on momentum’ as sales and operating profits rise
The Breakfast Club has reported ‘solid financial growth’ in its most recent results with sales and operating profit both rising, and pre-tax losses narrowing.
At-home dining bolstered by growth in delivery and takeaway sales
UK restaurant groups experienced strong growth in at-home dining in July, the latest edition of CGA by NIQ’s Hospitality at Home Tracker reveals.
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Rebooting Hell’s Kitchen is at odds with attempts to shed the industry’s shouty chef persona
Gordon Ramsay appears poised to relaunch Hell’s Kitchen on TV in the UK, but the show’s highly pressurised and often combative representation of how a restaurant operates feels outdated.
Uncorked: Ross Kenworthy
The general manager at Tom Kerridge’s recently launched The Chalk Freehouse on working with Gary Neville’s personal wine collection, Axel Pauly, and his hatred of stemless glassware.