Sukhothai opens fifth outlet: Sukhothai, the Leeds-based Thai restaurant chain founded by chef Ban Kaewkraikhot in 2002, has opened a new venue in the city serving traditional Thai street food under the name Zaap Thai. The venue has taken over the former Handpicked Hall in the Grand Arcade at the lower end of Merrion Street and can seat more than 100 diners. It includes a chill-out sofa area, neon signs, street art and a "tuk-tuk area". The menu includes dim sum, Thai salads and chicken satay dishes. Sukhothai's other outlets are at Chapel Allerton, Headingley and on South Parade in Leeds City Centre, and Cheltenham parade, Harrogate. The chain has had seven consecutive appearances in the Good Food Guide since 2008 and was included in the 2013 Sunday Times List of Top 130 British restaurants under £50.
 
Wetherspoon buys Devon coaching inn: JD Wetherspoon has bought the White Hart Hotel, in Okehampton, West Devon (population: 7,160) as it expands the hotels arm of its business. Wetherspoon last year bought Browns Hotel in Tavistock. It bought its latest venue for a sum thought to be close to the £900,000 asking price. The White Hart is a 17th century 19-bedroom coaching inn. It was put on the market just months ago and within days of receiving instructions, negotiations commenced with JD Wetherspoon.
 
Old Northampton Group revamps bar with American diner offer: The Old Northampton Group, which runs three outlets in Northampton, has revamped the Department of Liquor bar and music venue in Bridge Street and turning it into the Department of Meat & Social Affairs. After a re-fit including the installation of a new kitchen and team of chefs, the two-floor venue will be offering a menu of American-inspired dishes including “high quality burgers”, fried chicken, ribs, milkshakes and homemade ice cream, as well as a selection of craft beers. It will also be offering ping-pong tables. art exhibitions and regular live music sessions. Tino Pezzillo, the venue's general manager, said: “It’s going to be a modern-day burger bar offering the ultimate comfort foods, served with a smile in a sociable and comfortable setting. We’re putting the emphasis on fresh, local ingredients and will only be using premium cuts of meat to make our burgers, all of which will be hand made and pressed in our kitchens. We’ll be taking the humble burger to a whole new level.” The 100-cover e restaurant will also be introducing a take-away service, open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 12 noon until 9pm. Old Northampton Group's other outlets are the Old House, a bar-restaurant in Wellingborough Road, and Sazerac Bar, a cocktail bar on Castilian Street.
 
Prezzo and Loungers first to sign up for Mumbles development: Prezzo and Loungers have been named as the first operators to sign up for the multi-million-pound Oyster Wharf development in Mumbles, Swansea. The names of two more restaurant ventures moving into Oyster Wharf will be announced shortly, James Morse, the director of the commercial scheme's developer, Nextcolour, told the South Wales Evening Post. Prezzo and Loungers will occupy the two restaurant units adjacent to the Tivoli building, facing onto and overlooking Swansea Bay. Morse said: "We are very pleased two great restaurant operations are joining us at Oyster Wharf, which is great news for Mumbles and the Swansea Bay region." Plans for the Oyster Wharf development were first unveiled a year ago. It is expected to cost £3m to £4m to deliver.
 
Hammerson signs Bill's and Jamie's for Southampton scheme: The property company Hammerson has secured Bill's Restaurant and Jamie's Italian to join the line-up of restaurants at WestQuay Watermark, its £80 million leisure-led development in Southampton. Bill’s Restaurant, which will be making its debut in Southampton, will take a 3,100 sq ft unit, on the lower promenade of the scheme that will open out onto the new plaza, thereby accommodating an outside seating area. Jamie's Italian has signed up to a 5,100 sq ft unit also fronting on to the new plaza, and providing an outside seating terrace. Sarah Fox, head of restaurants and leisure at Hammerson, said: “Both Bill’s Restaurant and Jamie’s Italian are great additions to the array of restaurants we have already attracted to WestQuay Watermark."
 
Fuller's to open landmark Brighton managed pub next week: Ther London brewer and retailer Fuller Smith & Turner will open a landmark pub, the Grand Central, in Brighton, the first for the city, next week (Thursday 28 May). The pub, close to Brighton station, has its own theatre and will open with a secret rooftop terrace. The pub was previously operated by Laine Pub Company but was part of a package of Enterprise freeholds that Fuller's bought in 2011 with a view to operating itself when leases expired.
 
Porters re-opens in Berkhamsted: Porters, the traditional English restaurant previously based in Covent Garden, London has re-opened in the town of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. After a deal with Shelley Sandzer last year, which acted on behalf of landlord Lothbury Estate, the new 3,000 sq ft site has space for approximately 150 covers, including an outdoor deck for around 80 covers. Neil Wornham, director of Porter, said: “We have created something that it is stunning visually and atmospherically has a great vibe. It is a pleasure to open again. Following this success of this location, we have appointed Shelley Sandzer again to provide their expertise and help us realise our expansion plans within the UK.”
 
Mary-Ellen McTague signs up to Deliveroo – without a restaurant: The award-winning Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague has signed up to the gourmet takeaway service Deliveroo – even though she is currently without a restaurant. Aumbry, her outlet in Prestwich, closed last year, and her planned restaurant at the former Roadhouse music venue on Newton Street in the Northern Quarter is not due to open until the autumn. Meanwhile McTague is operating from the old catering kitchens at the Old Granada Studios in Manchester under the name 4244 At Home, which follows on from her Northern Quarter pop-up restaurant 4244 Edge Street, which she ran for three months after shutting up shop at Aumbry. The at-home menu covers starters, mains and desserts including Lincolnshire poacher fondue with spring onion, chargrilled baby gem lettuce, sourdough and pickled walnuts; braised kid goat with buttered spring greens and thyme dumplings; and treacle tart with lemon jelly. There is also a range of nibbles, chips and dips, soup, salads and sandwiches. Deliveroo, which is also available in London, Brighton, Birmingham and Reading, launched in Manchester last month, and cover is a 2.5-mile radius of the city centre. Orders are placed online and then delivered by bicycle couriers within an average of 32 minutes. Its other clients in Manchester include Ning, Southern 11, La Bandera, Lucha Libre, Solita and Harvey Nichols, but McTague is believed to be the first chef to sign up to Deliveroo without a permanent restaurant.
 
Papa John's franchisee plans three more openings by end of 2015: Papa John's franchisee Steve Mullarkey is planning three more openings by the end of this year, after opening the doors on his fourth store in Prestwich, Lancashire. Mullarkey, who opened his first Papa John's franchise in 2013, also runs outlets in Chester, Preston and Warrington, with more than 100 full and part-time staff. He told the Startups website that his latest opening has been facilitated by the pizza franchise’s 2015 incentive scheme, which offers discounted royalty fees, marketing spend and free equipment for news stores opened in the Midlands, Wales, the North West and North East of England and Scotland. Mullarkey said: “So far, the aspect of the franchise that has impressed me the most has been the number of repeat customers we have been seeing. Each store was busy from day one and the quality of our pizza gets very positive feedback.”
 
Starbucks in US introduces "pizza croissant": Starbucks in the US has launched a "pizza croissant" The Volpi Pepperoni and Tomato "foldover" contains all the ingredients found in a pepperoni pizza (pepperoni, tomato, cheese for anyone living under a rock) wrapped in puff pastry. The savoury pastry, which weighs in at only 270 calories, is not available in Britain yet.
 
Deltic Group's former Burnley site on the market: Deltic Group's former Lava and Ignite nightclub in Burnley, Lancashire is on the market with the Leeds office of agent James A Baker. Lava and Ignite, in the Weavers’ Triangle area, was closed by the company in February last year, with a long-tem decline in town centre footfall blamed. Offers are invited for the freehold. It is described as “a rare opportunity to acquire a landmark building in a unique position on the edge of the town centre. Alternate use opportunity subject to obtaining the necessary permissions.
 
Star Pubs reopens Cumbrian village outlet after £400,000 refurbishment: Star Pubs and Bars has reopened the White Mare at Beckermet in Cumbria, close to the Sellafield nuclear power station, after a £400,000 refurbishment. The work included a complete overhaul of the interior and exterior of the pub, and opening up the trading area to increase dining capacity by 30%, as well as a further 10% outside. An open kitchen was installed to showcase the cooking skills of the kitchen team and a new bar area was created. The outside of the pub was also totally redecorated with landscaping and a new sheltered patio added. New lessee Dianne Irving said: “I am really excited about my new venture at the White Mare. When my daughters were growing up, we used to bring them regularly for Sunday lunch. We want to bring the pub back to its former glory. The opening was a great success with over 300 people attending.” Among those at the opening, Star Pubs said, was celebrity chef Jean Christophe Novelli.
 
Belfast hotel, bar and restaurant on market for £3m: Hotelier Eamon Diamond has put the 33-bedroom Dukes hotel, close to Queen's University in Belfast, on the market for £3m. The four-star Dukes includes the 110-seater Claudine's restaurant, as well as a cocktail bar and function room which can hold a further 110 people. Diamond also owns a number of other hospitality businesses in Northern Ireland, including the Washington Bar in Belfast and the Marine Court Hotel in Bangor. The move to sell Dukes Hotel comes after several other successful hotel deals in Northern Ireland this year, including the sale of the 69-bedroom Ramada hotel in Portrush to City Hotel Group in a deal worth in excess of its £2.75m asking price, while Ireland's largest hotel group, Dalata, bought the Holiday Inn on Ormeau Avenue in Belfast for £18.5m in March. Brian Lavery, managing director of the estate agency CBRE Belfast, said he believed 2015 will see further activity in the hotel sector, as owners take the decision to sell amid better market conditions, and with hotel occupancy rates expected to reach an all-time high this year. "Last year, occupancy rates of around 76.2% were achieved and are expected to push beyond 80% in 2015," he said. "This will be the fourth year in a row of improving occupancy rates, which is great news for both the hotel sector and the wider economy."
 
Major restaurant, cinema and leisure development in Canterbury moves closer: A major development scheme in the Kingsmead area of Canterbury which will includes restaurants, a multiplex cinema, and other indoor leisure outlets has moved closer with the appointment of Bouygues Development as the city council's preferred development partner. The project, which is on the site of the former coach park, current Serco depot and other parcels of land, will also include student accommodation and other residential development. Bouygues Development has designed a public area that is intended to become the heart of the leisure aspect of the scheme, hosting events including markets, an outdoor skating rink at Christmas and local theatre productions. The council said the development opportunity for the site was "fiercely contested" through a formal procurement process. Bouygues Development was selected following extensive negotiations with seven developers, which were subsequently reduced to a shortlist of three developers for the final round.
 
Event space for pop-up restaurants and food demonstrations opens in Covent Garden: An event space with its own kitchen that is hoping to attract pop-ups from London restaurants as well as food demonstrations and "inspirational" classes delivered by leading food bloggers has opened in Covent Garden. Icetank Kitchen is a 2,500 sq ft site in Grape Street, Covent Garden just off Shaftesbury Avenue that is "perfect for press launches, private dining events, receptions and private parties, TV food shows and demonstrations, photography and film studio hire," according to the organisers. Kitchen equipment for the venue has come from Miele.
 
Nidderdale Inns applies to convert Ripon shop: Nidderdale Inns, the North East of England operator led by Mark Arrol, has submitted a planning and licensing application to convert a closed cafe in Ripon, North Yorkshire into a new pub. It is intended that it will trade as a micropub, a venue proving particularly successful across Teesside. Decisions on the applications are due next month, with Nidderdale looking to open the site by the end of July.
 
Bettys Tea Rooms launches Lady Betty Afternoon Tea at £40 a pop: Bettys cafe Tea Rooms in Yorkshire has launched Lady Betty Afternoon Tea, costing £32.95 per person, or £39.95 with champagne. Lady Betty Afternoon Tea has a set menu that gives guests a prawn cocktail starter followed by three lots of sandwiches, served on sourdough, tomato bread and mixed grain bread, two different savouries, including miniature gala pie, three different types of scones, including Yorkshire lavender scones, served with clotted cream and strawberry preserve, and five different types of cake, including Grand Cru chocolate and raspberry square, fresh berry meringue and miniature Battenberg, all with a selection of teas. The champagne choice includes rhubarb champagne cocktails. Lady Betty Afternoon Tea, named for the cafe group's "Lady Betty" icon, is available at the Imperial Room, Harrogate and the Belmont Room, York on Fridays and Sundays from 1pm and on Saturdays from 11am, and must be pre-booked.
 
More than 25,000 people sign petition to save Glasgow nightclub: More than 25,000 people have signed a petition to save the Arches nightclub in Argyle Street, Glasgow after the city's licensing board cut its opening hours from 3am to midnight. The cutback came after concerns of drugs and disorder at the venue. In March 26 people were reported for drugs and alcohol-related offences in one night. Last year 17-year-old Regan McColl died in a drug-related death after attending the club. A spokesman for Glasgow Licensing Board said: "After hearing submissions from both Police Scotland and the Arches, the board decided to vary the licence by moving the closing hour for the premises from 3am to 12 midnight, Monday to Sunday. The decision was made in terms of the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder, securing public safety and protecting and improving public health." However, a petition on Change.org now signed by 25,200 people urging the reinstatement of the club's late licence and called The Arches one of Scotland's biggest and most successful cultural venues.
 
'British Indian small plates' restaurant to open in Brixton: A restaurant based on the concept of "British Indian small plates", founded by Rik Campbell, owner of the events business A Party With Us is due to open in Brixton, South London at the end of this month. The restaurant, called Kricket, is based at Pop Brixton, Lambeth Council's new space dedicated to start-up businesses. Head chef Will Bowlby, who has worked with Rowley Leigh and Vivek Singh, and as a head chef in Mumbai, has promised a sharing menu that combines British seasonal ingredients and authentic Indian spices, and would-be job applicants to work in the kitchen are being told: "Knowledge of Indian food is helpful, but not essential."
 
Enterprise licensees maximise building space by adding cocktail bar: The licensees at Enterprise Inns’ Great Gatsby in Sheffield, James Hill and James O'Hara, have invested £80,000 in a project to transform an unused first floor into what is believed to be one of the city’s first table-service cocktail bars, Daisy’s. The duo have been at the city centre venue since 2011, and have since overhauled most parts of it. O’Hara said: “The Great Gatsby is in a prime location on Division Street. It’s always been a busy pub, but we knew we could better it. The introduction of Daisy’s means we can now offer something for everyone. It’s a 1950s-60s table service cocktail bar with a relaxed atmosphere, open every Friday and Saturday, from 8pm-3am. If visitors don’t fancy the hustle and bustle of the main pub, Daisy’s is the calm above the storm.” The kitchen continues to be run by Shy Boy Cantina, which serves Mexican-inspired street food to pub customers from 12 noon to 9pm, seven days a week.

Bitter Twisted opens pop-up Boardwalk Bar in Liverpool: The Knutsford-based restaurant and bar group Bitter Twisted is opening a bar made from recycled shipping pallets at Chavasse Park in Liverpool One on Thursday, 21 May. Bitter Twisted said the venture gives a nod to boardwalk bars on the Florida coastline. It will include a bar selling summer cocktails and seafood dishes, a sun deck and a sister restaurant called Claws, which will serve seafood for lunch and dinner. Benjamin Tomlinson of Bitter Twisted said: "Boardwalk Bar will be the after-work and weekend hangout for sundowners in Liverpool. Created using recycled shipping pallets, the bar pays homage to the southern tip of the state of Florida, Key West, but also Liverpool’s maritime heritage.” The bar will be open from 21 May to 2 September at Chavasse Park. A permanent "beach bar" in the area is being sought by New World Trading Company, owned by Living Ventures, which submitted plans for a two-storey restaurant and bar on the empty plot behind Debenhams with a pavilion-style design will take inspiration from homes in the upmarket coastal Hamptons area off Long Island and a permanent grill and barbeque on the forecourt for year round use. The new bar is currently the subject of a planning application.