Restaurants News – Page 73
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NewsByron brews up partnership with Paddy & Scott’s
Byron has teamed up with Paddy and Scott’s to boost its coffee offer. The roll out will begin in their new look branded site High Street Kensington in November. The coffee will be on offer alongside Byron’s new brunch menu. It will then roll out across the Byron estate. “We are delighted to introduce Paddy and Scott’s into Byron,” said Byron CEO Simon Wilkinson.
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NewsA culinary postcard from Jordan
One of the greatest attributes of the UK casual dining scene is its sheer diversity and multi-cultural richness. It has been supported by a long history of international migration and more recently, by assorted entrepreneurs looking to bring a taste of their childhood to their relocated adulthood (for example, Tony Kitous at Comptoir Libanais and Nisha Katona at Mowgli) and by inspired travellers looking to replicate assorted food and beverage delights on their return home (not least Mark Lilley at Abokado and Stephen and Juliette Wall at Pho).
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NewsDöner Haus takes former Byron unit in Manchester Corn Exchange
Berlin inspired kebab concept Döner Haus has taken Byron’s former unit in the Corn Exchange Manchester.
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NewsThe Botanist and Mowgli sign for St George’s in Preston.
The Botanist and Mowgli have been signed for St George’s Shopping Centre in Preston.
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NewsIs Comptoir Libanais waiting for a tipping point?
The Comptoir Libanais in Chelsea is located within Duke of York Square, a relatively upmarket mixed retail and foodservice scheme, just off Sloane Square.
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NewsGino D’Acampo to open My Restaurant in Birmingham
Gino D’Acampo will open a new 165 cover restaurant in Birmingham on 31 October. It will be situated on Temple Row next to The Ivy & San Carlo and will also feature a cocktail bar, deli bar and private dining. The opening is the first of a two-phased programme, with ...
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NewsWhat next for Chick-fil-A in the UK?
After more pop-ups than a meercat disco, Chick-fil-A has finally established a home in the UK. The US giant, which has over 2,400 restaurants and just hit $10.5bn in sales, has chosen The Oracle shopping centre in Reading as its first permanent destination in Europe. If it wanted to clearly gauge the appetite for its offer it’s a better destination than London, where it would be swamped by competition. Chick-fil-A spokeswoman Jackie Jags says
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NewsPret lines up Eat conversions
Pret a Manger is converting the first Eat into a Pret in Moorgate, while a Veggie Pret will follow in Canary Wharf later this month.
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NewsAlbert Bartlett “extremely excited” about Spudulike
Albert Bartlett has said it’s “extremely excited” about its acquisition of eight Spudulike sites and the “opportunity for Albert Bartlett to enhance its offer with a move into the ‘food-to-go’ sector”. Richard Quinn, Albert Bartlett’s MD – Portfolio, said Albert Bartlett’s “heritage, vision and best-in-class potatoes” makes it “uniquely placed to develop a future-forward offering that resonates with today’s consumers.
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NewsChick-fil-A makes UK debut in Reading
Chick-fil-A has made its UK debut in Reading’s The Oracle, taking on the former Miami Burger unit.
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News
Senor Cerviche sells Fitzrovia site
Senor Cerviche has sold its Fitzrovia site to Mediterranean concept Ampἑli.
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NewsBile-ridden, rude and downright nasty
I have previously used this column to express my astonishment at the extraordinary level of abuse aimed at Jamie Oliver over the failure of his UK restaurant business.
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NewsPizza Express: someone has got to take a hit somewhere
The appointment of financial advisors this week shone a fresh spotlight on the precarious situation at Pizza Express. The celebrity figureheads at Jamie’s Italian and Carluccio’s had already put their crises into the public consciousness, yet the prospect of Pizza Express facing the same woes is an even bigger moment. The brand is credited with creating the concept of casual dining and is the UK’s biggest and most enduringly popular restaurant brand with 490 sites.
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NewsBranded restaurant market – green shoots of recovery?
Turning tables is a long-established practice in the restaurant market, albeit perhaps one more commonly associated with times of more buoyant trading than those currently prevailing. Highlighting just how fast the fortune tables can turn in this market, I was fascinated by some recent MCA analysis looking at physical growth by branded restaurant chains across different portfolio sizes. This year, the estate bracket sub-category that is anticipated to add the most net new sites will be ‘small’ operators.
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NewsManchester: a star to emulate
So Manchester has it’s first Michelin star, after a wait of over 40 years. Does it matter? Well, it sort of does. For many in the city, it’s the final piece of the jigsaw. Manchester has over the years cemented its reputation for vibrant night-life, music, sport and even tourism. Only a few weeks ago it overtook Edinburgh as the most visited tourist spot outside of London, according to figures from Expedia Group. It already has a thriving eating and drinking-out culture. Going-out is in the North West’s DNA.
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NewsProfits down at Pret A Manger but sales up
Pre-tax profits at Pret fell from £64.9m to £48.8m for the year ending 3 January 2019, a drop of 25%. However, sales were up 12% to £710m compared to £636.7m the year before. The business said Pret planned to continue delivering consistent like for like growth by focusing on innovating its menu, growth of day-parts, increased brand awareness, operations and expansion.
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NewsAlbert Bartlett to save Spudulike
Albert Bartlett has reopened eight Spudulike outlets and slashed prices. The potato giant moved in to revive the Spudulike brand in Livingston, Manchester, York, Glasgow, Greenhithe, Norwich, Bridgend and Leeds. A total of 37 stores originally closed down in August. A statement on its website read: “We’re excited to announce that Spudulike is back. If you’d been missing your favourite baked potato fix, you can now find us again at selected shopping centres across the UK.
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NewsMeat Liquor and Franco Manca set to take over the former Jamie Oliver site in Piccadilly
Meat Liquor and Franco Manca are in advanced talks to take over the former Jamie Oliver site in London’s Piccadilly, according to Big Hospitality. Franco Manca is set to take the ground floor while Meat Liquor will open on the two floors above, with 90 covers in total, plus a 60-cover cocktail bar. It will also operate a covered rooftop bar.
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NewsSay hello to the newest version of Yo!
When Yo! Sushi arrived in the UK in 1997 it was everything casual dining wants to be in 2019. Colourful, fun, innovative and fresh, it also had entertainment on the side thanks to the novel kaiten conveyor belt that served up plates of food. Remarkably, the novelty hasn’t worn off, even after 22 years. Yo!, which dropped the ‘Sushi’ from its name in September to send a message to the squeamish that it offered more than just raw fish, reported a UK sales hike of 5% to £88.9m in July.
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NewsGusto serves up a rise in sales and profits
Gusto has revealed a £0.1m rise in sales for the year ending 31 March 2019, which it hailed as a “very good performance” in a pressurised market. Pre-tax profits also rose to £138k following a loss of £544k the previous year. It said the business had been “galvanised” following “heavy investment in brand, menu development, food quality and provenance, as well as improved team training, tight operational controls and the continued development of out of restaurant sales”.