Shimla Pinks bought in pre-pack after collapse: The upmarket Indian restaurant Shimla Pinks in Broad Street, Birmingham has been sold in a pre-pack deal after administrators were bought in last month. The restaurant’s owner, Grillfair Ltd, called in administrators from Begbies Traynor after declining turnover and expansion into a second out-of-town restaurant, which exceeded its budget and made initial significant losses, had a damaging effect on the company’s cashflow. The business has been sold to Grillfair’s sole director, Mohinder Kohli, under the banner of a newly incorporated company, Shimla Pinks (Birmingham) Ltd. The sale was negotiated prior to the administration and completed immediately upon the appointment of Begbies Traynor. All employees have transferred to the new company and there were no redundancies. The Birmingham restaurant, which has 350 covers, opened in the early 1990s and at one point grew to a chain of seven outlets across the country, including Manchester, Oxford, Nottingham and London. By 1999, the business was eyeing a stock market float, when it collapsed for the first time in 2000. Mohinder Kohli, a multi-millionaire businessman based in Coventry, bought three of the restaurants out of administration in 2000, later spending £1.25m in the refurbishment of the Broad Street restaurant, which included the introduction of an open kitchen.

Shaftesbury – West End demand remains strong: Despite exceptionally adverse weather conditions over the Christmas and New Year period, visitor numbers and spending, particularly in restaurants, cafes and bars, have been resilient, West End property owner Shaftesbury has reported. The property owner, whose West End portfolio stretches to 13 acres of freeholds and includes 234 restaurants, bars and cafes, reported “continuing strong demand for all uses” with “numerous refurbishment and reconfiguration schemes letting quickly on completion”.

Minimum pricing would hit heaviest drinkers: A new study by the University of Sheffield has claimed that a minimum price for alcohol would have little impact on moderate consumers, affecting the 5% of the population who are heavy drinkers the most. Dr John Holmes, from the University of Sheffield, said: “It is the low income harmful drinkers who would be most affected.”

InnBrighton signs innovative management contract with student union to run one of its Brighton pubs: InnBrighton, the operator of 47 pubs in Brighton and London, has signed an innovative contract that allows The University of Sussex Students’ Union (USSU) to run its Globe pub in Brighton. The pub has effectively become the university’s city centre student union, providing students, clubs and societies a chance to meet, socialise and run events away from the Falmer campus. InnBrighton chief executive Gavin George told Propel: “We’ve given the USSU the management contract to run The Globe for us, so they get an off-campus bar in central Brighton and we get a channel to one of our key audiences. The USSU are a very professional and commercially savvy organisation and I have no doubt that this will be a mutually beneficial arrangement. The early signs suggest so.”

Busaba Eathai reports turnover and profit rise: Busaba Eathai, the Thai chain founded by Wagamama creator Alan Yau, has reported a rise in turnover and profits. Sales rose 13% to £23.8m in the year to May 2013. Earnings before interest, tax, and other charges reached £2m, an 11% rise. The company is now looking for sites outside the south east, with Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool on the target list.

Mitchells & Butlers makes Harvester meal deal permanent: Mitchells & Butlers has seen such success with a £9.99 adult meal deal at its Harvester chain that it’s making it permanent. The deal includes a choice from six main meals, unlimited salad, tea, coffee or an unlimited soft drink plus a Sundae Best ice cream. Customers can add a pint of Carling for an extra £1 or any sundae of their choice for £1. M&B chief executive Alistair Darby has reported that the company lost volumes in the past year in its volume brands after raising prices too sharply.

Coffee Republic signs Qatar franchisee: Coffee Republic has signed a Qatar franchisee. The franchisee, which is linked to the Qatar Foundation, has already begun initial design stages, with a first opening planned for the new Qatar Pearl development, in the capital Doha, opening in September this year. A total of 23 Coffee Republic franchised sites are operated in Kuwait, Jordan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Romania and Pakistan, where two sites were recently opened in Lahore and Islamabad.

JD Wetherspoon targets East Kilbride shopping centre; eyes Bloxwich site: JD Wetherspoon is proposing to open a £1 million development in a Scottish shopping centre – a move that would bring 40 jobs to the town. The company is seeking planning consent from South Lanarkshire Council for change of use of retail units in East Kilbride Shopping Centre to a pub. A three-storey building with external terrace for outdoor dining is being proposed at the Brouster Gate entrance to the Princes Mall. JD Wetherspoon plans to redevelop four units on the ground floor into one open-plan eating and drinking area. Two of these units are currently occupied by Debra charity shop and Shoe Zone. The other units are vacant. The proposed establishment, to be called The Calverts Court, will cover 5,000 square feet and will hold up to 492 customers. Meanwhile, JD Wetherspoon wants to revamp the old Electric Palace in the Walsall suburb of Bloxwich, which was most recently used as social hub. A planning application has been lodged with Walsall Council for the High Street site and comes after previous proposals to take over the nearby Bulls Head pub were scrapped last year. Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said the new scheme for the Electric Palace building was subject to planning and licensing approval.

Punch debt restructure “favours shareholders”: Punch Taverns bondholders have argued that the current debt restructure plan favours shareholders at the expense of bondholders, which is why they are unable to support it. A source close to the Association of British Insurers senior bondholder committee, representing a number of funds who hold Punch bonds, told The Sunday Telegraph: “The process to date has been a shareholder-led attempt to get a deal to stick that is great for shareholders, but doesn’t work. Punch plc, which is the shareholder vehicle, is trying to be seen as a neutral arbiter “finding a middle way”, but it is, pure and simple, the shareholders’ representative promoting its deal. By threatening default now, Punch plc is just trying to scaremonger through its deal.” 

Tragus picks Hospitality and Retail Recruitment as key recruitment partner: Café Rouge operator Tragus has chosen Hospitality and Retail Recruitment, the recruitment business headed by Dawn Redman, has its key recruitment partner. Tragus employs over 7,300 people and serving more than 21 million meals in over 295 restaurants. Redman said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by Tragus to be its key recruitment agency and look forward to working closely with the Tragus team to help recruit the best quality candidates into key company positions as and when they arise.” 

Greene King plan for £2m Hungry Horse in Scotland hangs in balance: Plans for a new £2 million Greenock Hungry Horse creating 40 new jobs hang in the balance over flooding fears and concerns about alcohol pricing. Councillors on the Inverclyde Planning Board delayed making a decision on the proposed Hungry Horse site that is earmarked for empty land between East India and Victoria harbours. Planning officials had recommended the application for approval. But board members voted seven to four in favour of a site visit instead, after concerns were raised about low alcohol pricing and a new pub springing up so soon after an over-provision policy was introduced to try and curb excessive drinking and limit the number of licensed premises in Greenock town centre. Provost Robert Moran said: “This would introduce more alcohol in an area that is pretty bad at the moment.”

Ask site in Gloucestershire sells for £1m: The freehold of the Ask restaurant in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire has sold for £1m at an Allsop auction in London, providing the buyer with a yield of 4.9%. Ask, owned by Gondola Holdings, is paying a rent of £49,000 per annum on a lease that runs until 2032 without breaks.

Red’s True Barbecue to open second site this Thursday: Red’s True Barbecue, headed by James Douglas and Scott Munro, will open a second site this Thursday (13 February) in Manchester. The £1.2m venue will open on the site of the old Livebait venue just off Albert Square. The menu is called ‘the good book’, huge neon signs carry slogans like ‘I Believe’ and the toilets are in the style of Catholic confessional booths. Douglas, whose original Leeds site employs 85 people, said: “We see ourselves as like the church of barbecue. In the UK people think BBQ is all about sausages and half-cooked chicken wings, but really that’s just grilling. What we do is proper low and slow American BBQ. We have the largest smoking capacity in the UK here in Manchester.” 

Lidl to develop former Orchid pub after KFC back out of development plan: Budget supermarket chain Lidl has bought a defunct pub after KFC gave up on plans to turn the premise into a fast-food restaurant. Last year KFC withdrew planning applications for The Organ and Dragon in London Road, Ewell, formerly run by Orchid Pub Company, to the delight of residents who had voiced fierce opposition. A Lidl spokeswoman said: “I can confirm that we have purchased this site as part of our expansion plan for London and south east England. The view is to redevelop the site however, as we are in the very early stages, we are unable to confirm what these plans will entail.” Last year the government’s planning inspectorate upheld councillors’ decision to reject planning permission for a KFC on the grounds that it would adversely impact highway safety and efficiency.

Banbury coaching inn on the market for £2.6m: The Best Western-branded Banbury House Hotel, which has 64 bedrooms, has gone on the market with Colliers International for £2.6m. Colliers International hotels director Peter Brunt said: “Banbury is an attractive and interesting destination in its own right but also serves as a wonderful base to tour the surrounding countryside – surely some of the most lovely in England. This access to the motorway network has led to rapid expansion in recent years. Our clients bought the hotel in 1994 and have developed the trade over the years, moving it away from functions and aiming for the more profitable rooms trade. They have now reached the point where they have decided to retire although they will continue to operate the apartments letting business that they also have in Banbury.”

Glendola Leisure still considering next step after Edinburgh Waxy’s refusal: Glendola Leisure is still considering its next step after protestors blocked its bid to convert a former city centre chapel into a Waxy O’ Connor. The application to transform Charlotte Baptist Chapel in Rose Street into a 910-capacity venue was derailed at a planning summit before Christmas with councillors voting overwhelmingly against the move. Glendola Leisure, said it was “disappointed” with the outcome and will now “carefully consider” its next step. Alex Salussolia, managing director of Glendola Leisure Group, stated in December: “Clearly, we are very disappointed by the decision not to grant approval. We continue to believe our proposals would be good for the city of Edinburgh, bringing significant investment, new jobs and substantial tax income. We also believe concerns raised by some residents around noise and disturbance were addressed through noise mitigation measures and the nature of development proposed, namely a high quality establishment with a significant food offering.”

Enterprise Inns to turn Gloucester pub into “pie and pint” pub: Enterprise Inns is to turn the historic Northend Vaults pub in Gloucester into a “pie and pint” pub – it reopens in time for Easter. Enterprise is planning to serve gourmet pies so fans can take the short walk to nearby Kingsholm with a takeaway snack in hand, complete with mash and mushy peas. The pub shut a little over two years ago and fire, flood and a raid by thieves for copper piping has seen its refurbishment hit by lengthy delays. Regional manager Simon Wilson said: “There isn’t much that won’t have been repaired or reinstated once it is finished. It hasn’t been a normal pub refit, it has been all about restoration. We didn’t want it to be a modern bar or a spirit-swilling venue. Other pubs in the city will be in a better location and will have a captive trade, but this is perfect for the rugby crowd. We have a small kitchen but it will provide really good pies, almost a pie and pint pub.”

Eclectic to open first Dirty Blonde in Brighton next month: Bar and nightclub operator Eclectic is to open its first Dirty Blonde venue in Brighton next month. The company states: “Behind the façade of the pawnshop lies a world that is all about opulence, decadence and service. Our New York-inspired food menus are made up of all fresh, seasonal ingredients, locally sourced.”

McDonald’s secures Super Mario deal for Happy Meal toys: McDonald’s has signed a deal with Nintendo that will see them shortly introduce Super Mario-themed toys within the company’s Happy Meal range. Whilst the £1.99 meal option is currently heavily involved in helping to promote The LEGO Movie, the McDonald’s Advantage Club reveals that the company’s next promotion “invites kids to Run, Jump and Power Up with Super Mario!”

Marco Pierre White sells L’Escargot: The Soho restaurant L’Escargot, reopened by Marco Pierre White 20 years ago, has been sold by White’s White Star Line to Brian Clivaz, chairman of Langan’s Brasserie, and Laurence Isaacson, co-founder of the Chez Gerard chain. The restaurant was founded in 1927, closed briefly in 1990 and reopened in 1994. Clivaz tweeted on Friday that the food at the restaurant was “going to be traditional bourgeois cuisine without any twists,” and L’Escargot would become “the restaurant you always search for when you go to Paris.” The head chef is Oliver Lesnik, until recently head chef of The Cadogan hotel in Knightsbridge, London, which is currently closed for refurbishment. The upstairs floors at the restaurant are to be turned into a dining club.

Pure Bar starts recruiting: Pure Bar & Kitchen, the joint venture between the chef-patron of Simpsons Restaurant in Edgbaston, Andreas Antona, the managing director of Purity Brewing Company in Warwickshire, Paul Halsey, and former Mitchells & Butlers director Martin Hilton in Waterloo Street in Birmingham is holding a team recruitment event this Saturday, 15 February, in time for a planned mid-March opening. The new bar covers 4,500 sq ft over two floors, and will showcase craft beer and beer-and-food matching.

Hakkasan launches radio off-shoot: Hakkasan, the MGM Grand nightclub in Las Vegas that is part of the Hakkasan restaurant group, has unveiled a foray into the streaming world with a new radio broadcast, titled Hakkasan Nightclub Radio. The hour-long weekly show, hosted by Hakkasan resident DJ Mark Eteson, helps give club fans a fix between weekends with a mix of the latest music, artist interviews and news coming out of Hakkasan and the dance music scene. New episodes of Hakkasan Nightclub Radio are released Tuesdays on iTunes and Soundcloud. The show hit the Top 20 on the iTunes podcast chart shortly after launching last month and has become the highest-rated nightclub radio show on iTunes. Meanwhile, Nightclub & Bar magazine recently named Hakkasan its Nightclub of the Year for its 2014 awards, defeating Light at Mandalay Bay and XS at Encore.

Burger King elects to stick with incumbent UK ad agency: Burger King has opted to remain with its incumbent ad agency, CHI & Partners, after initiating talks with other agencies over its £9m UK advertising account, according to the website Brand Republic. Last month Burger King appointed Weber Shandwick to handle its UK and Ireland consumer PR, after the incumbent agency, Cohn & Wolfe, declined to pitch. Cohn & Wolfe will keep the Burger King corporate and public affairs brief it won in 2012.

McDonald’s opens in Vietnam: McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Vietnam on Saturday, (8 February). The Ho Chi Minh City branch has 350 seats, said Henry Nguyen, owner of McDonald’s local partner, Good Day Hospitality, who said expanding the chain to at least 100 branches within a decade was an achievable goal. McDonald’s will be competing against KFC, which has been in the country since 1997, and Burger King, which now has 29 restaurants in Vietnam after opening its first in 2011, as well as a host of other American fast food brands that have arrived since 2010, including Domino’s Pizza, Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, Subway and Starbucks. McDonald’s has more than a thousand restaurants in South East Asia, including 400 in the Philippines and 260 in Malaysia.

Whitbread to open second Hub hotel in Edinburgh: Whitbread has announced a second site in Edinburgh for its new “compact” hotel chain, Hub by Premier Inn. The 157-room hotel on Rose Street joins the 131-bedroom Hub announced in December for the Caltongate area of Edinburgh. Rooms in Hub hotels are just 123 sq ft, and save on space by having a desk that slides into the wall and luggage storage under the bed. The concept also comes with its own app that allows guests to book and check in online, as well as pre-select their room temperature and light settings. The Rose Street hotel is due to be completed by late 2015. Other Hub by Premier Inn hotels in the pipeline include five in London: St Martin’s Lane, due to open in autumn 2014, Goodge Street, Great Tower Street and Spitalfields, all due to open in early 2015, and Kings Cross, due to open in early 2016.

Pub and restaurant entrepreneur to open cafe-bar in former Carlisle bank: A businessman who runs two pubs and a restaurant in Carlisle has applied for planning permission to convert a former Santander bank branch into a cafe-bar called McQueens. Ron Wood, who bought the premises in Devonshire Street last year, already runs the Le Gall restaurant on the opposite side of the road, and The Border Rambler and Arroyo pubs in the city. His previous ventures include the former Freedom nightclub in Lancaster Street. The building has been empty since the Santander branch closed in 2012. It went on the market immediately with a guide price of £700,000 but sold at auction a year later for £216,000. It covers 4,810sq ft of accommodation over four floors and a basement. Wood, who is hoping to have the new bar open in April, told The News and Star newspaper: “As we have Le Gall across the road, we will be looking to do something that complements that.”

Plan for Birmingham’s first oyster bar collapses: A scheme to open the first oyster bar in Birmingham, in a development that features the city’s first Prezzo, has fallen through. Local businessman Gary Baldwin was ready to invest £500,000 in an oyster and steak restaurant at the School Yard development in Harborne but has been unable to conclude a deal. It is the second restaurant scheme in the planned food hub at the Harborne Clock Tower development to collapse. Last November Chris Kelly, owner of two Metro Bar & Grill outlets in Birmingham city centre and Solihull, pulled out of opening a venue at the School Yard development after it was found the venue could not offer a cellar for cask-conditioned beer.

Opening date finalised for Chris Gerard/Charles Wells site in Bedford: An opening date has been finalised for d’parys in Bedford, the £1.3m joint venture boutique hotel and restaurant being developed by Chris Gerard and Charles Wells. The venue opens on Monday, 24 February. Visitors are greeted by the charm of what is called Molly’s Tuck Shop and a casual bar area with a wall of wine and local ales.

Subway to stop using ‘yoga mat’ chemical in its bread: The Subway chain has announced that it is phasing out from its bread production a chemical used in making everything from yoga mats to the soles of shoes. the chemical azodicarbonamide as part of an effort to improve its recipes in the US. Azodicarbonamide, which is banned in the UK, Europe and Australia, is used in North American Subway stores as a bleach in cereal flour and to improve the shelf-life of bread. The World Health Organisation has linked the chemical to respiratory issues, allergies and asthma, and the UK Health and Safety Executive has recognised azodicarbonamide as a potential cause of asthma. Subway said in a statement: “We are already in the process of removing azodicarbonamide as part of our bread improvement efforts despite the fact that it is a USDA and FDA-approved ingredient. The complete conversion to have this product out of the bread will be done soon.” Azodicarbonamide is used in Subway’s nine-grain wheat bread, Italian bread, and sourdough in the US, while in Canada, the chemical is used in its deli-style rolls and Italian bread. The chain was put under pressure to remove the chemical from its bread by the US food blogger Vani Hari, who runs the site FoodBabe.com, and who started an online petition against azodicarbonamide that raised nearly 60,000 signatures.

Three McDonald’s workers honoured for standing up to racist thugs: Three workers at a McDonald’s restaurant in Carlisle have been honoured by the High Sheriff of Cumbria for standing up to racist thugs who abused foreign students celebrating getting their university degrees. Shift manager Lesley Mingins, 40, trainee shift manager Lee Clark, 24, and customer care assistant Vicky Wilson, 52 repeatedly tried to intervene, reasoning with the attackers and trying to defuse the situation and get them out of the restaurant. At Carlisle Crown Court last week Kevin O’Keefe, 19, was jailed for two years and eight months and Martin Frizzell, 20, for two years after both admitted a string of racially aggravated offences. Judge Barbara Forrester said: “Lesley, Vicky, and Lee put themselves at considerable personal risk. These three people put their safety to one side.” The High Sheriff of Cumbria, Diana Matthews, presented commendation certificates to the three.

Dunkin’ Donuts owner would consider another brand acquisition: Dunkin’ Brands Group, owner of the Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins dining chains, would consider buying a franchised restaurant company, said chief executive Nigel Travis. “We could take on another business if it’s a franchise business with growth,” Travis said. “We would be extra cautious in whatever we would take on and it has to fit our mantra of a great brand with franchising potential. It’s highly unlikely to be soon,” he said. Dunkin’ Donuts, which is almost 100% franchised, has recently achieved sales growth in the US with new items such as sliced-turkey breakfast sandwiches and a loyalty program. The company reported last week that sales at stores open at least a year were up 3.5% in the US during its fourth quarter.

Corney & Barrow reports disappointing year: London wine bar operator Corney & Barrow has reported a disappointing year with a 7% drop in like-for-likes sales that followed an 11% drop the year before – headline sales were down 3%. The company saw turnover of £16,325,262 in the year to 30 April 2013 compared to £16,923,311 the year before. Pre-tax losses widened to £1,544,531 compared to £1,057,4843 the year before. A recovery is forecast for the current financial year. The company stated: “The trading environment in the City remained extremely challenging throughout the year. The distraction of the Olympics, the quite appalling weather in the spring and the summer and continuing depressed economic conditions all contributed to a disappointing outturn for the year. The company has remained rigorous in the management of all controllable costs but was again required to absorb significant additional costs arising from an increase in the minimum wage, business rates, service charges, utilities, licensing and various external compliance costs. “ In October last year, Corney & Barrow sold its Cabin bar at Waterloo station to SSP UK. Ed Gardner, managing director of Corney & Barrow Bars, said at the time: “The new executive team at C&B Bars has recently completed a strategic review of the company’s bar estate. This has resulted in a decision to terminate C&B’s interest in Cabin at Waterloo Station. Our priority going forward is to consolidate and build on our pre-eminent position within the Square Mile and Canary Wharf. We have a number of key investment plans for the City estate and this realignment of resources will enable us to focus on our core strengths as the economy and trading conditions around us improve. No other disposals are contemplated at this time.”

SSP reports strong growth in the UK market: Transport hub foodservice company SSP UK, which operates franchised Burger King and Starbucks sites as well as its own brands such as Caffe Ritazza and Upper Crust, has reported UK sales grew 5% to £603.1m in the UK in the year to 25 September 2013. An increase in gross profit margin to 15.1% (from 14.6%) saw underlying profit grow to £20.2m from £11m in 2012. The company reported like-for-like sale growth of 3.4% in its first half, which accelerated to 4.3% in its third quarter, helped by higher passenger numbers. The final quarter saw like-for-like sales soften to 3.7%, principally due to the impact of challenging comparatives in the rail business due to the previous summer’s London Olympics. SSP UK derives 73% of sales from concessions at railway stations and 23% from concessions at airports with the remainder coming from shopping centre, leisure parks and hospitals. Airport sales were up by 6.2%, driven by increasing passenger numbers and improving average spend per head. Like-for-like sales in the railways concessions part of the business were down by 2.5% on a like-for-like basis as a result of the “difficult environment for consumer spending”. The company stated: “We have set our budgets for the coming period based on expectations of relatively modest growth in passenger numbers and same-store sales, but have taken action to deliver further productivity improvement that should help underpin the achievement of our financial targets for the 2013 to 2014 year.” Ebitda was £43,693,000 compared to £40,498,00 the year before. Capital expenditure was £17,180,000 compared to £14,124,000 the year before.

Di Maggio’s Group reports profit drop: Scottish restaurant operator and property firm Di Maggio’s Group, Scotland’s largest independent restaurant company, has reported a drop in profits. Turnover increased by £1,851,000 to £23,121,000 in the year to 27 April 2013. Group operating profit decreased by £2,073,000 to £932,000. The company stated: “The directors are satisfied with the financial performance and health of the group at the 42-week period end. The group will continue to be a significant employer within the Scottish central belt.” In the period the average number of employee numbers were 505 (2012: 484). Operating margin was 4% compared to 14.1% in the prior period. Pre-tax profit was £320,411 compared to £2,368,205 the year before. The firm operates around 20 outlets in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, including venues under the Di Maggio’s, Cafe Andaluz and Amarone brands.