Noble Inns sells Lady Ottoline to Truffle Hunting: London gastro-operator Noble Inns has sold its Lady Ottoline site, a Punch Taverns site, to London restaurant operator and consultancy Truffle Hunting. Noble Inns founder Scott Hunter said the site had been sold because the company’s direction had changed significantly in the three years since it first opened the pub. Truffle Hunting, headed by Nigel Sutcliffe and James Maclean, is behind Newman Street Tavern, Fitzrovia, the Henry Root in Fulham and the Princess Victoria in Shepherd’s Bush. A sister company to Noble Inns, Noble Bars and Diners is planning to open a new concept Bad Egg near Moorgate Tube Station later this year. Noble Inns has set the groundwork for expansion this year with Simon Holroyd becoming managing director and Neil Rankin becoming group executive.

Cote to make Liverpool debut in early December: French brasserie chain Cote will make its Liverpool debut in a 2,707 sq ft site within Liverpool One’s Paradise Street in early December. Cote is split over two levels with an outside terrace and will be only its second in the north west. Miles Dunnett, head of asset management at Liverpool One’s owner Grosvenor Liverpool Fund, said: “Over the last 18 months, we have focused on attracting premium dining brands to Liverpool One to create a concentration of restaurants on Paradise Place, adjacent to John Lewis, to complement the existing offer on The Terrace. Cote finalises the mix, joining Byron, Browns and Jamie’s Italian in establishing a new premium dining destination in the city.” Harald Samuelsson, joint managing director of Cote, added: “Liverpool has a thriving restaurant scene, driven to a great extent by the success of Liverpool One. These factors combined made our decision to debut in the city an easy one. We are in a fantastic and well-established location, and look forward to bringing great value, high quality all day French dining to Liverpool.” The news coincides with a very strong catering performance for Liverpool One overall, with sector sales up 12% year-to-date compared to the same period in 2013.

Wetherspoon plans North Walsham pub: JD Wetherspoon is looking to open a pub in the council offices in North Walsham, Norfolk (population: 12,463). The company is proposing a £1.6m investment in the New Road buildings, which would create 50 new jobs. North Norfolk District Council, which owns the listed building, said it would be a welcome boost for the economy of the town, which has had problems and is seeking to regenerate. JD Wetherspoon approached the council in June and a conditional offer was made in late September, local members and the town council have been told. JD Wetherspoon spokesman, Eddie Gershon said: “If the plans come to fruition we would look to invest £1.6 million on the development project and create up to 50 new full and part time jobs.”

 
Starbucks to allow visible tattoos, black denim and free food, aims to double food business: Starbucks is updating its staff dress code in the United States to allow visible tattoos, coloured ties and neck scarves and black denim for the first time from today (20 October). The company also announced that in January, all baristas and shift supervisors at its stores in the US will receive a pay increase in January, and the company will be increasing its start rates in all US markets. "The new rates will ensure we are paying a competitive wage that better positions us to attract and keep the best partners," the company said. Other new benefits for US employees starting in January include the right to choose one free food item, per shift, from the pastry or ready-to-eat case. The move was to enable staff to explore the company's food offerings, including La Boulange, "in the same way you do our beverages," Starbucks told its staff, adding: "Over the next five years we aspire to double our food business and to make this possible we need to improve your food experience." On the HR front, Starbucks said it was eliminating performance review forms and ratings for baristas and shift supervisors. Instead, it said: "You will have more time with your manager to have conversations about your store, personal goals and career aspirations including performance and development." The company added: "We will recognise partners who are exceeding expectations with a Barista Trainer premium and the opportunity to be one of more than 28,000 Partners of the Quarter we will celebrate each year with a bonus."
 
Footwear retailer acquires 200-cover Newport restaurant: One of the brothers behind the York-based retailer Pavers Shoes, Ian Paver, has acquired the 200-cover restaurant Junction 28 in Newport, Gwent from the former Wales rugby league international Richard Wallace and his co-owner Jon West in a deal set up by the property agent Christie + Co. Nicholas Calfe, of Christie + Co's Bristol office, who handled the sale, said: "We are pleased to see this iconic restaurant will be taken good care of and re-invested in by the new private owners, thus ensuring its loyal customers its success for the future but still retaining its excellent quality and service." Junction 28 was sold for an undisclosed sum, but marketed at a guide price of £875,000.
 
£3m hotel, restaurant and spa planned for Westward Ho!: Plans have been submitted for brand new £3m hotel in the centre of Westward Ho! in Devon, including 15 rooms, a rooftop spa and restaurant. The developer Westward Living has already constructed a bar and restaurant, luxury apartments and several shops in the Latitude 51 development. The WHotel will be in front of new public toilets, on land which was earmarked previously for use as a village square, and could create up to 70 new full time jobs. Developer Alan Smith said “As part of the regeneration programme, Westward Ho! needs more accommodation and in particular its own four star, prestigious hotel."
 
Chop Chop plans to use Glasgow restaurant as template for UK expansion: The Edinburgh-based Chinese restaurant venture Chop Chop, which launched a crowd-funding effort last week to pay for its planned new outlet in Glasgow, has revealed that it intends using the Glasgow restaurant as the template for additional restaurants in Aberdeen and across England, following the same outdoor design. Roy King, co-owner of the venture, told STV: “Glasgow will become the flagship to our new expansion and we’re going to put a lot of thought into the ambience. Chop Chop in Edinburgh is like a Chinese cafe, it’s all about the food. In Glasgow, and for the chain, we want to reflect the simplicity and naturalness of our food into the decoration. Chop Chop in Mitchell Street will be situated in the city centre, but you’ll feel like you’re in a park. We’ll have cherry blossoms and you’ll be able to look up and see blue sky and clouds and we’ll have a path from the entrance to the bar that reflects a garden path with paving stones.” King said that Chop Chop had always planned to expand beyond Edinburgh. “We had it in our minds for a long time to expand,” he said. “My wife was very brave in opening Chop Chop, she decided to open a north-eastern Chinese restaurant in Edinburgh because she had total belief in the food. It’s so different to what we think of as Chinese, the majority of those restaurants originate from the Hong Kong area but the food from north-east China is very different. There are a lot of pan-Asian restaurants popping up and our style fitted well with the pan-Asian trend and informal dining, we wanted to create a brand as the idea was too good to keep to ourselves. It was obvious for us to move to Glasgow. Glasgow has a reputation for dining out and people seem to do it more often – it’s quite an outgoing gregarious city.” The plans to open in Glasgow come after the closure of Chop Chop at The Shore in Leith after a mutual agreement with its neighbouring restaurant The Kitchin, which will use Chop Chop's space to expand.
 
Hogs Back Brewery opens bar at Guildford events centre: Hogs Back Brewery in Surrey has opened a bar at Guildford’s G Live venue. The company brews more than 20,000 hectolitres a year, and beers including TEA ale, Hazy Hog cider and Hogstar lager will be available at the bar on draught. A selection of bottled craft beers will be served at the new bar, as well as in the main bar. Alvin Hargreaves, director of G Live, said: “G Live Guildford and the Hogs Back Brewery actually make rather good bedfellows. We share values that are rooted in quality, bespoke customer experiences that are firmly focused on local communities in the Guildford and Surrey areas. G Live has recognised the need to increase bar capacity for larger events to further improve customer service and by partnering with the Hogs Back Brewery, we aim to do this in a highly personalised and innovative way. The new bar reflects the refined and diverse needs of our audiences with a great range of local craft ales and beers but the bar also carries the hugely popular, more commercial lagers from Molson Coors.”
 
McDonald’s wins Ashford drive-thru go-ahead on appeal: McDonald’s has won the right to build a drive-through restaurant in Ashford, Middlesex on appeal. The company had applied to build an outlet in London Road but was rejected by Spelthorne Council last December. The Planning Inspectorate reviewed and approved the appeal with a number of minor conditions to be imposed. The application had met with strong opposition because the site is opposite the hospital, close to schools and could create queuing traffic. But the inspector said the restaurant's odour and noise would be controlled, McDonald’s would litter-pick and there will be a restriction on delivery times. Service hours will be restricted to 6am to midnight.

Caernarfon Market Hall re-opened with craft brewery, bar and restaurant: The once derelict Caernarfon Market Hall in Gwynedd, North Wales has been turned into a “flagship tourist destination” that will include multi-use floor space together with a craft brewery and bar, while a 400-seat restaurant is to follow in January. Developers say the renovation of the 19th-century building will create jobs, increase visitor numbers and benefit surrounding businesses. The contractor behind the project, David Williams, of Pobl Cyf, said: “What this development does do is transform a derelict building into a vibrant and dynamic environment that will help create employment and provide another asset to Caernarfon as a flagship tourist destination.”
 
New launch aims to maximise meeting room usage: A new business set up by a clutch of experienced international hoteliers aims to double the occupancy rates of hotel meeting rooms by launching an online real-time central reservation system. The founders of the new company, Okanda, say it will revolutionise the booking process for hoteliers and meeting-room customers alike. They aim to increase the occupancy of meeting rooms from 30% to 60%, which, they say, will boost thousands of UK hotels’ profitability and, at the same time, streamline the time-consuming booking process for customers. The business, which has raised more than £1m in seed funding, is to launch later this year in the UK and Germany before seeking to expand into international territories. Industry statistics suggest meeting rooms are only in use 30% of the time in the UK hotel market, where there are more than  10,000 such rooms seating up to 50 people, worth approximately £40bn a year.
 
Coventry set for restaurant quarter development: Coventry's Cathedral Lanes shopping centre has been sold in a £5.5m deal which could see it transformed into a new restaurant and bar quarter. The shopping mall in Broadgate has been bought by the London-based firm Shearer Property Group. The new owner plans to have the first phase completed and bars and restaurants open in time for Christmas next year. Shearer Property Group, which has bought the 65,000 square foot centre from Hammerson, claims to have already attracted interest from several leading restaurant brands that are not currently operating in the city. Owner Guy Shearer said: “The building has south and west-facing aspects which are perfect for its conversion into a restaurant destination with outdoor seating, and the way it is constructed will allow us to transform it into a striking new building. Coventry is a great city which has recently under-performed in developing its retail and restaurant offer, and our scheme will give it a major boost and start to put the city where it should be.”
  
TCG scoops Best Bar None award in Nottingham: The pub and bar operator TCG, led by Nigel Wright, has scooped the Best Bar None large pub category for its Squares site in Nottingham. More than 7,550 votes were cast this year, a significant increase on previous years. Karen Williams, manager of Squares, said: “It is great recognition for us as a business as it acknowledges all the systems and processes that we have in place and all the efforts we make to ensure that we operate responsibly and to the highest standards.”

Napoleons unveils £2m refurbishment at Sheffield casino and restaurant: Napoleons, which runs six casinos and restaurants in Yorkshire and London, is reopening its venue in Owlerton, Sheffield after a six-month, £2m refurbishment. The refurbishment has brought a new restaurant, new bar, new lounge area and an extended gaming floor and also the first outdoor gaming terrace outside London. Mark Allen, chief executive of A&S Leisure Group, the parent company of Napoleons Casinos & Restaurants, said: "We've been at our Owlerton site for nearly 20 years now and after implementing many improvements over this time we felt now was the time to make the investment in drastically improving the facilities. By popular demand, it was clear that we needed a bigger restaurant and bar area, and lounge where customers could relax and enjoy a drink. My personal highlight, however, is our new outdoor gaming terrace; it's a very exciting addition to our casino and currently the only one of its kind outside of London – a Yorkshire 'first' we are very proud of." Other Napoleons Casino & Restaurant outlets are in Leicester Square, London and in Bradford, Hill, Leeds and Eccleshall, Sheffield. A&S Leisure Group is owner by the Sheffield businessman David Allen.
 
Drake & Morgan names Dylan Murray of Soho House as ops director: Drake & Morgan, which currently runs seven large-scale bars and restaurants in London, has named Dylan Murray, the UK director of operation at Soho House Group UK, as its own new operations director. Murray has helped Soho House Group UK grow from eight to 17 sites during his time with the company, and leads a team of 17 general managers. Before joining Soho House in 2009 he was managing director of his own business, running a restaurant and two gastro-pubs. Drake & Morgan said Murray's experience meant he would be "well-positioned" to oversee the next stage in the company's growth, which includes two more sites in the first quarter of 2015 alone, one in Regent's Place, the British Land mixed-use campus occupied by more than 12,000 residents and workers in the West End of London and the other in the new AXA Real Estate development on St Pancras Square, King's Cross, which will also be home to Google's new headquarters. Murray, who will report to managing director Jillian MacLean, will be responsible for day-to-day operations, as well as enhancing the service and delivering the planned roll-out for the company. His predecessor, Jason Thorndycraft, now works at nightclub company Luminar Group as its new operations director.
 
TIAA Henderson buys Spirit portfolio for £54m: TIAA Henderson Real Estate has bought a portfolio of eight pub freeholds in Central and West London, all let to Spirit Pub Company, from Cerberus Capital Management for £54m, or an average of £6.75m each. The pubs are the Shakespeare’s Head on Great Marlborough Street, the Friend at Hand in Bloomsbury, the Roebuck on Chiswick High Road, the Rutland by the Thames in Hammersmith, the Ship in Mortlake, the Museum Tavern on Great Russell Street, the Goat on Kensington High Street and the Two Chairmen near St James’s Park. JLL provided investment advice. Davis Coffer Lyons advised TIAA Henderson. Trevor Watson, director of valuations at Davis Coffer Lyons, said: “This purchase is the finest portfolio of Central London freeholds to change hands in recent years.”

Bradford Brewery secures £300,000 of angel investment from brewpub launch: Bradford Brewery, which aims to put the city on the map for high-quality brewing, has secured £300,000 of angel investment to support its growth plans. The investment, which has been secured through Envestors North, will enable the brewery to launch from its own fully refurbished brewpub, the Brewfactory, on Westgate and support its marketing drive to attract further expansion capital. This latest boost comes after the recent announcement of a new £50,000 loan facility agreed by the Bradford-based loan provider Business Enterprise Fund. Bradford Brewery, under managing director Matthew Halliday, has already negotiated with the property owner, Shaw’s Moisture Meters, which is contributing £200,000 to the refurbishment of the site. The brewery will use the investment secured through Envestors to complete the property renovation, purchase its first brewplant, with a brewing capacity of 90m hectolitres a week, and bolster its cash balance ready for going live towards the end of this year. Envestors North, which incorporated Yorkshire Association of Business Angels into the business last year, provides an introduction service for private equity investors, entrepreneurs and companies seeking finance. It typically provides investment of between £300,000 and £1m for younger companies and up to £10m for more established businesses. Halliday said: “Bradford Brewery is a new business with big ambitions. We want to be as synonymous with the city as David Hockney, Bradford Bulls and Bradford City Football Club. This investment, coupled with our own funds and the recently approved loan facility from Business Enterprise Fund, will allow us to enter the market from a very strong financial position. We’ll be working to make sure there’s a Bradford beer on the bar of every pub across the district.”