TRG Concessions to make largest investment in its history with 7,000 square foot pub at London Luton Airport: The Restaurant Group (TRG) Concessions is to make the largest investment in its history by opening 7,000 square foot pub The Smithfield in London Luton Airport’s revamped terminal. As part of the airport’s £110m transformation project, TRG Concessions will open the site in time for summer 2017. The British pub will occupy the largest footprint for food and beverage airside post the terminal’s development. The concept, which represents TRG Concessions’ biggest investment to date, is expected to serve more than one million passengers a year and generate more than £150m through the ten-year contract life. The Smithfield will showcase a range of classic pub snacks and main plates alongside global influenced dishes, with menu choices available from 4am highlighting the best of British produce served from an open kitchen. The Smithfield pub will specialise in real ales, including a range of beers from local and regional brewers and micro-breweries, alongside craft beers and lagers from around the globe, and a full range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The passenger experience will be enhanced by design details including electronic charge points, flight display boards and zoned seating areas. TRG Concessions managing director Nick Ayerst said: “The Smithfield shows TRG Concessions’ ambition to give London Luton Airport's rapidly growing passenger audience the ultimate pub experience before their flight. The new pub will occupy a prime location in the terminal and we look forward to welcoming all who visit for years to come.” London Luton Airport commercial director Rupert Lawrie added: “We’re delighted to welcome The Smithfield as the latest addition to our top line-up of food and beverage brands joining London Luton Airport. 2017 is shaping up as an exciting year for the airport, with our redevelopment project gathering real momentum. Building on our success last year, including the opening of Aelia’s flagship duty free store and a new £1m executive lounge, we’re doubling our existing retail space to offer our passengers a wider range of shopping and dining options, making the passenger experience more relaxing and enjoyable than ever.”

Propel Multi Club Conference open for bookings, Dan Einzig to present: The first Propel Multi Club Conference of 2017 is now open for bookings. Dan Einzig, food and beverage entrepreneur and chief executive of sector design agency Mystery, will look at current trends in Los Angeles and London, and learnings from innovative brand concepts his agency has helped develop, including Bubbleology, Za Za Bazaar, Yorica!, Rawligion and Dub Jam, its own Caribbean barbecue and reggae rum bar concept. The full-day conference takes place on Thursday, 9 March at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London. Multi-site operators of pubs, restaurants and foodservice outlets can book up to two free places. Email Anne Steele on anne.steele@propelinfo.com to book a place.

Jason Atherton – May must be decisive over Brexit, ‘silly’ referendum vote risks driving away restaurant talent: Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton has called for decisiveness over Brexit to allow London’s restaurant scene time to adapt. Atherton appealed to Theresa May to set out her plan as soon as possible, telling the Evening Standard: “Until the prime minister announces how things will work, we are all sitting here like plonkers waiting. The faster she does it, the better for us all as it means we can start to work out contingency plans.” Atherton, who has just opened his latest venture – New York-style Italian restaurant Hai Cenato in Victoria –voiced fears over the effect Brexit could have on the whole restaurant industry. He said: “I am not one for being overly negative, this is where we are and we need to make it work, but Brexit will undoubtedly have a negative impact on our workforce as the vast majority of workers in the industry are from the EU, there is no getting away from that. I hope and pray the heart doesn’t get ripped out of London’s dining scene. The industry has worked so hard over the past 25 years to turn London’s restaurant scene from a joke into a world leader. We have so much talent here and I hope we don’t drive that away for the sake of a silly vote.” Atherton runs nine restaurants in the capital through his firm The Social Company and has Michelin stars at three of them.

Food and beverage campaigns most popular on Seedrs in 2016: Food and beverage was the most popular sector by the number of campaigns on crowdfunding platform Seedrs in 2016. In its year in review, the company reported 159 deals were funded, with more than £85m invested into campaigns. More than 45,000 investments were made, with £1,902 being the average investment. The average portfolio had nine investments and there were 203 investors per deal on average. Seedrs chief executive and co-founder Jeff Lynn said: “2016 has been the biggest year for Seedrs, with an unprecedented amount of capital invested into 159 inspiring deals. In late summer, we continued our European expansion, despite the outcome on Brexit, opening offices in Berlin and Amsterdam. In September we released our inaugural portfolio update to illustrate to our investors the performance of their early-stage investment portfolio and in November we had the first initial public offering for a Seedrs crowdfunded business, by FreeAgent.”

Fishbowl acquired by private equity firm: Fishbowl, the leading provider of a marketing analytics platform to the restaurant industry, has been acquired by private equity firm Symphony Technology Group (STG). STG has $2bn in assets under management focused on “transforming high-potential companies into definitive market leaders”. Fishbowl, which has offices in Silicon Valley, the UK and India, pulls in structured and unstructured data from multiple sources including POS, email, mobile, online ordering and reservations, to help more than 70,000 restaurant locations understand and engage their customers. As part of the deal, STG managing director Marc Bala and vice-president Adam Hendricks will join Fishbowl’s board of directors. Fishbowl chief executive Dev Ganesan said: “We found immediate alignment in terms of our long-term vision and strategic synergies with STG. It has a tremendous track record of delivering innovation and scale in the analytics and customer relationship management space. STG’s investment and strategic support will allow us to continue to scale our platform, empower restaurant brands to deliver successful customer experience and engagement, and revolutionise the restaurant industry.”

Casual dining expert trio launch ‘fresh Indian’ pop-up restaurant in London in collaboration with Crisis: A trio of casual dining experts have launched a “fresh Indian” pop-up restaurant in London in collaboration with the charity Crisis. Kheera Kitchen at the Crisis Cafe has been created by David Anderson, of Cada Design, in collaboration with Chop’d co-founder Jasper Wight and David Read, chairman of procurement consultancy Prestige Purchasing. At 6pm from Wednesday to Friday and from midday on Saturdays for the next three weeks, the Crisis Cafe in Commercial Street, Shoreditch, is temporarily transformed into a “colourful and cosy” restaurant serving contemporary Indian street food. Rental of the space goes directly to Crisis, which helps the homeless as well as offers a professional catering employment programme to ex-offenders. The three collaborators created the concept to be “grounded in spirit and spice” offering healthy and 100% ghee-free Indian food with an emphasis on nutritional value and flavour, not heat. The menu includes flash-cooked spice-and-lime-marinated lamb; Keralan pork with fresh pineapple; and grilled chicken with cardamom made with gram puree, curd and smoked chilli. There is a selection of craft beers, speciality wines and cocktails that have been paired with the sharing menu. Anderson said: “On the streets of London alone there are about 7,500 homeless people and, as people who have a social conscience and have been in the industry for 30 years, this was the perfect excuse to do what we do best while helping Crisis with its mission to end homelessness.” Wight added: “Kheera Kitchen at the Crisis Cafe is simply a place where people can enjoy great, fresh Indian food while helping those who are less fortunate get back on their feet.”

BBPA issues new guidance on accessibility: The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has published updated guidance for pubs to help licensees make their venue as welcoming as possible to those with access needs. The new guide was launched by BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds, who was joined by Lord Holmes of Richmond, Lord Shinkwin and Fuller’s corporate affairs director Richard Fuller. The new guide, entitled “Pubs are for everyone – why being accessible is important”, is a follow-up to a previous guide published in 2012 and highlights various steps venues can take to ensure they are as accessible as possible, from access ramps to hearing loops and large-print menus. The guide also underlines the importance of staff training so pubs can meet the needs of disabled customers and staff can safely operate access-related equipment. The guide also features new case studies from Fuller’s and Enterprise Inns. The BBPA worked with VisitEngland, Tourism For All, and DisabledGo.com on the guide, while also partnering with the Changing Faces charity, which helps people with disfigurement. Simmonds said: “People with health conditions and their companions spend about £12bn annually on tourism in England and this guide should help licensees understand how best to help customers and ensure venues are as welcoming as possible.” Paralympic legend Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, who wrote the foreword to the guide, added: “This guidance is a positive step in promoting access for all. Let’s embrace the legacy of the Paralympics and ensure equality and accessibility remain key themes.”

Winner of Polaris’ Six Nations rugby competition revealed: The winner of a pair of tickets to the England versus France Six Nations rugby match at Twickenham on Saturday (4 February), courtesy of Polaris Elements, is Jo Lynch, head of sales – Bella Italia at Casual Dining Group. 

Licensing update: Licensing solicitors John Gaunt & Partners produce a useful monthly summary of topical issues and the latest can be accessed here. 

Burger & Lobster closes Bath branch: Burger & Lobster has announced it is closing its restaurant in Bath only 16 months after opening. The company posted a message on Twitter expressing sadness at the sudden closure and thanking customers for “all the good times”. The statement reads: “It’s with deep regret that we’ve taken the decision to shut the restaurant down for the foreseeable future, cheers for all the good times!” Burger & Lobster opened the 10,000 square foot outlet in The Octagon in Milsom Place in September 2015. The 240-capacity venue offered split-level seating, an island bar centrepiece and an open plan kitchen. Earlier this year, Burger & Lobster reported a pre-tax loss of more than £7m in the 52 weeks to 3 January 2016. Administrative expenses rose 82% during the period, mostly driven by increases in head office and pre-opening costs. In July last year, the company admitted some of its regional sites were too large and it was looking to scale down restaurant sizes. It subsequently closed its Cardiff site. A spokesperson said the company would prefer venues that provide the intimacy of its flagship restaurant in Mayfair – a 60-cover space in a former Irish pub, which opened in 2011. Burger & Lobster operates 11 restaurants in London, although its Old Bailey site is currently closed due to “technical difficulties”, according to the company’s website. The site was placed on the market in the autumn alongside its restaurant in Farringdon. The company is still operating its restaurant in Manchester, while it has six international sites. Confessional Bar, which is located beneath Burger & Lobster’s Bath restaurant, is also closing, the Bath Chronicle reports.

San Carlo Group to launch new pizzeria concept in Manchester city centre: Italian restaurant group San Carlo is set to launch a new Neapolitan pizzeria concept – Pizza Madre – in Manchester city centre. The new venue will be opposite the original San Carlo restaurant, in the former 47 King Street West site, offering wood-fired pizza and rotisserie chicken as well as a selection of Italian craft beers and what owners promise will be “great-value wine”. The pizzeria is set to open in late spring after a major refurbishment of the site, which has housed pop-up winter restaurant Feast – a collaboration between San Carlo and chef Robert Owen Brown – since November. San Carlo Group managing director Marcello Distefano told Manchester Evening News: “We’re excited to be bringing a very new and different concept to Manchester and look forward to revealing more soon.” San Carlo Group operates 17 restaurants in the UK, including Fumo sites in Manchester and Birmingham, Flying Pizza in Leeds, London’s Signor Sissi, and Cicchetti restaurants in Manchester and London. International franchises in Bahrain and Qatar are also set to launch this year as the company aims to develop a global brand. They will join established venues Cicchetti in Doha and Signor Sissi in Bangkok.

Former BrewDog employee to embark on £100,000 crowdfunding campaign to launch cold brew coffee company: Former BrewDog employee Emily Fitchett is to embark on a £100,000 fund-raise on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube to launch her cold brew coffee company. Fitchett, who worked as a UK distribution key account manager for BrewDog, will be offering about a 12% equity stake in her company Fitch Brew Co in return for the investment. The fund-raise, which is set to launch on Monday, 13 February, will enable Fitchett to buy the equipment, cans and beans needed to get her started on a scalable level. The coffee brewery will be based in Leeds, next door to North Brewing Co. Fitchett told Propel the prototype run alone had led to more than 20 independent bar listings and she was in talks with Matthew Clark to distribute once the necessary equipment was in place. She said: “Cold brew as a category around the world has seen phenomenal growth over the past five years and now has an estimated value in the US of $3.6bn by 2020. We are very much at the start of the trend in the UK, but it is certainly starting to gain traction. Coming from a drinks industry background, I could instantly see the potential for cold brew within this market, especially the on-trade due to its versatility. We have designed the flavour of our cold brew to enable it to work alongside alcohol brands and definitely have plans to look at collaborations with craft beer and spirits and cocktail companies. We have designed the product to sit alongside craft beer and energy drinks in a back bar, which is why we chose a can instead of bottle. Plus, with the growing popularity of cans as well as advantages around safety and preserving product freshness, it was a no-brainer for me. It’s an incredibly exciting time for us and I can’t wait to develop the category in the UK and see where we can take it.”

200 Degrees to open fifth site in March, in Leicester: Nottingham-based coffee roaster and retailer 200 Degrees is set to open its fifth site, this time in Leicester. The company, founded by Rob Darby and Tom Vincent in 2012, will open the outlet on Thursday, 9 March in Market Street on the site of the former Lumbers Jewellers, creating 15 jobs. Vincent told the Nottingham Post: “We’ve had a fantastic response to our previous coffee shops and we are very pleased to have secured our fifth site. We will be bringing the stylish and comfortable interior and many familiar elements we offer at our other coffee shops, while adding a few special new ideas for the busy commuters and nearby offices, along with some small booths for quiet chats or meetings. The company has two sites in Nottingham and one each in Birmingham and Leeds.

Turtle Bay cleared to open Sheffield site following legal tussle: Caribbean restaurant brand Turtle Bay has been cleared to open a site in Sheffield following a legal tussle with the city council. The company was granted a premises licence by the council in September to be one of three new venues opening in the former National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) building. However, health and safety fears led councillors to ban waiters from carrying food and drink up and down a staircase, which Turtle Bay said would “seriously affect” the operation. However, following an appeal a council spokesman told The Star a licence had been issued as long as the restaurant used a “common sense approach”. The building, which opened in 1988 when the NUM relocated from London, will also feature a bar housing Marston’s Pitcher & Piano brand when the £5m refurbishment is complete. Meanwhile, Turtle Bay has opened its 34th and latest site – in Croydon at the former Tiger Tiger nightclub.

BrewDog reveals ten ‘most exciting plans’ for its tenth anniversary year: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog has set out the ten things it is “most excited about for 2017” as the company enters its tenth anniversary year. In its blog, BrewDog lists a new bottling line, refrigerated supply chain, and sour brewpub in Ohio as well as a new book and updates to its app and website as things to look out for in 2017. It stated: “This year we are replacing one of our longest-serving pieces of machinery. Custom-engineered for us in Germany, we are installing a new bottling line in Ellon capable of filling, capping and loading 46,000 bottles of craft beer an hour. ‘Colder and Fresher’ is our way of revolutionising distribution of our beer – we are implementing a completely chilled supply chain in 2017. So beer, freighted to where it needs to be, in refrigerated trucks. From there, into chilled warehouses. Every part of the journey conducted in cool temperatures to ensure our beer gets into your hands tasting amazing.” BrewDog said it was also planning a sister operation to its Ellon Overworks – a sour brewpub in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It added that the company had “put pen to paper” and was working on a book covering its beers, history and philosophy alongside new tips and recipes. BrewDog added that its first batches of Lone Wolf gin and vodka would be released soon, and it would release a new IPA “some time during the year”.

Highclere estate heir opens all-day independent brasserie in Putney: Highclere estate heir George Porchester has opened an all-day independent brasserie in Putney, south west London. Porchester has launched Jules in Lacy Road as his first hospitality venture having initially pursued a career in finance. Devised by chef Alvaro San Millan, Jules’ menu is based around a list of international tapas-style dishes alongside stone-baked gourmet pizzas, charcuterie and cheeses, and a “dish of the day”. A breakfast and brunch menu will be served until midday. The 50-cover dining room offers a range of seating areas from high bar stools to banquettes. Porchester said: “We hope in Jules, people will find a place they can drop into at any time and with anyone. We intend to be informal, honest and accessible, somewhere guests will want to recommend and return to again and again for the consistently great quality of food and service.”

Grind opens eighth site, in Exmouth Market: London-based Grind, the independent coffee and cocktail bar, has opened its eighth site, in Exmouth Market. The 90-seat venue offers a host of menu options as well as the company’s signature espresso martinis, reports Hot Dinners. The menu includes eight-hour lamb shank with spiced sweet potato and coriander raita as well as steak with calcots and red pepper. Founded in 2011 by David Abrahamovitch and Kaz James, the company’s other venues are in Clerkenwell, Covent Garden, Holborn, London Bridge, Royal Exchange, Shoreditch and Soho. 

Dorset-based restaurant group Hive Beach to open third site in county: Dorset-based restaurant group Hive Beach is set to open its third venue in the county. The group, which is owned by the Attrill family, operates the Hive Beach Café at Burton Bradstock and the Watch House Café at nearby West Bay, Bridport. Hive Beach is now set to launch another site in the spring at West Bexington, close to Chesil Beach, which will cater to a “more exclusive market. The new venue – The Club House – will be at a site formerly occupied by the Blue Anchor Café. A full refurbishment is under way, while a number of full-time jobs will be created as well as seasonal and part-time positions. Barclays business manager Chris Pocock, who put the funding package for the deal together, told Insider Media: “It’s great to be able to support a local business that is thriving and expanding for the future. The family has big plans and building on an excellent reputation, which in turn is creating jobs and supporting the local economy.”

McDonald’s planning to open more than 50 restaurants in Russia this year: McDonald’s is planning to open more than 50 restaurants in Russia this year and hopes to sign more franchising deals to expand in existing and new regions. The company opened 73 restaurants in Russia last year, exceeding its forecast. Of the newly-opened restaurants, 65 are company-owned. McDonald’s Russia head Khamzat Khasbulatov said the target for new outlets in 2017 did not signify the company was slowing the pace of its expansion. He told Reuters: “(The situation) has not got better or worse – 50 is not a small number. We are just giving more freedom to our partners and time to gather pace.” McDonald’s currently has three franchisees in Russia, two of which have been opening its outlets in the Urals and Siberia. Franchisees operate 92 restaurants out of its total of 609. Khasbulatov added: “The (franchising) programme will develop, we are looking for new partners.” He added the company aimed to bring the share of local suppliers to almost 100% by the end of 2018 from the current 85% and was encouraging suppliers to develop production in Russia – a move likely to shield it from currency swings and any import restrictions. In 2014 Russia banned many food imports in retaliation to Western sanctions over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis. The food embargo, which is still in place, has driven up prices and gave a boost to the Russian agriculture industry.

Krispy Kreme set for triple opening: Krispy Kreme is set to open three further sites in the UK within the next few weeks – in Blackburn, Lancashire, on Thursday (2 February), at the Buttermarket shopping centre in Ipswich on Tuesday, 7 February and Bexleyheath, south east London, on St Valentine’s Day (14 February). Krispy Kreme will operate a 300 square foot site in The Mall as part of the Blackburn shopping centre’s move towards a more “diverse, casual and family dining offer”. In October, Krispy Kreme UK confirmed the sale of 100% of share capital to Krispy Kreme Group, its US-based brand owner. The company said it would continue its strategy of “delivering profitable growth through the opening of new retail stores and self-serve cabinets across the UK and Republic of Ireland and driving core sales growth across the existing estate”. Krispy Kreme UK operates more than 70 stores across Britain.

Shepherd Cox acquires 16th hotel after adding Oxfordshire site to portfolio: Property company Shepherd Cox has snapped up its 16th hotel after adding the Jersey Arms near Bicester, Oxfordshire, to its portfolio. The company has bought the site from a private client in a deal brokered by agent Colliers International, which was marketing the freehold with offers of about £1m invited. The Jersey Arms includes a bar with fireplace, a restaurant seating up to 40 as well as 20 bedrooms – six king, three suites, six standard doubles, two twin and three single rooms. Shepherd Cox has developed a diversified group of assets worth £40m in sectors including healthcare, hotels, leisure and residential. It mainly operates in the north of England but ventures south whenever the deal allows. Company director Nick Carlile said: “We plan to increase the number of rooms from 20 to about 25 by converting some of the meeting rooms and will look at adding another storey to the existing extension.” In the past 36 months, Shepherd Cox has, alongside its investment partners, expanded its hotel portfolio and currently offers upwards of 600 rooms across the country.

Bloomsbury acquires its first hotel outside London: London-based hotel company Bloomsbury Realty Management has acquired its first venue outside the capital, The Orwell Hotel in Felixstowe, Suffolk. The Orwell is close to Felixstowe railway station and within a few hundred yards of the town centre. The hotel was offered to the market by agent Fleurets on behalf of the owner, Manor Investments (Ipswich). Bob Whittle, of Fleurets, said: “My brief was to find a competent and experienced hotelier to take over the total operational running of the business. Strong and varied interest in the opportunity was expressed but I am delighted Bloomsbury Realty Management has secured this substantial 68-bedroom hotel and functions business and I wish the company much future success.” Bloomsbury Realty Management operations director Gehan Raj added: “We are delighted to add The Orwell Hotel to our growing portfolio. The Orwell Hotel has been long established in Felixstowe. It is ideally located and we believe it has great potential.” The company operates three hotels in central London and a country house wedding venue south of the Thames. Bloomsbury Realty Management has its own online reservations network and receives about 1.8 million visitors and processes 50,000 room nights per year.

Enterprise Inns pubs show diversity by combining beer and hymns: Two Enterprise Inns village pubs in the north of England are combining beer and hymns with pints and prayers. The New Inn, in the Yorkshire Dales, and County Durham’s Spotted Dog, which are run under Ei Publican Partnerships – Enterprise Inns’ leased and tenanted division –  have both opened their doors to church congregations. When the village church in Clapham closed for renovation work in 2015, New Inn publicans Ron and Lesley Benson invited vicar Ian Greenhalgh to use the pub for a Sunday fellowship meeting. The meetings are now a regular feature. Held every two months, they attract about 50 churchgoers who listen to talks, sing hymns, and play music. Meanwhile, at The Spotted Dog in High Coniscliffe, near Darlington, beer and hymn evenings are also taking place. Publican Steve Grabham, who has been at The Spotted Dog for three years, got the idea for the beer and hymn nights after a Christmas carol event proved popular. Ei Publican Partnerships regional manager Mark Price said: “This is a wonderful example of one of our publicans putting their pub at the heart of the community they’re in.”

Wahaca to keep ‘Taco Tuesdays’ deal in place for whole year: Mexican restaurant brand Wahaca is to keep its “Taco Tuesdays” deal in place for the whole year. The company introduced Taco Tuesdays in January, which meant each diner’s first plate of tacos costs £1 on Tuesdays. A spokesman told Kent Live: “The inaugural month of the offer saw more than 10,000 plates of £1 tacos snapped up by taco lovers across Britain, showing that #TacoTuesday is already becoming an official thing in the UK! Wahaca’s classic pork pibil tacos, which are five-hour braised in a secret Yucatecan marinade, are streets ahead as the favourite, with about 1,000 of them being snapped up each day so far this year.”

Stonegate Pub Company launches third annual Popworld Loves You campaign: Stonegate Pub Company has launched its customer appreciation campaign for its Popworld nightclub brand for the third year running. As a new prize this year, the Popworld Loves You campaign awarded student Stacy Benstead, from Liverpool, the title of Popworld’s “number one fan”. Her prize included the Popworld team transforming her living room to create an at-home party, featuring DJs playing the “best of 90s cheesy pop”, fancy dress and drinks. Popworld head of marketing Alan Armstrong said: “We have some loyal customers who are all about letting their hair down and having a great time. We think it’s only right that, every now and again, we give back to them and show them how much we care. To create a Popworld in someone’s living room is a first for us and one we absolutely loved doing. Stacy is such a huge fan of Popworld and giving her the party of a lifetime to enjoy with her friends was a token of how much we value her support.” Running throughout February, the campaign will offer customers giveaways such as VIP Smirnoff booths alongside drinks promotions.

Bocca di Lupo introduces regional menu ‘takeovers’: Bocca di Lupo, the Italian restaurant in Soho founded by Jacob Kenedy and Victor Hugo, has introduced a series of month-long regional “takeovers”. During February, June and October this year, Bocca di Lupo will overhaul its set menus to offer a variety of dishes that celebrate an Italian region, while on Sundays throughout the month the private dining room will be transformed into a “feasting den” featuring a regional tasting menu, banquet-style sharing tables and guides to the food and wine of the chosen region. February will feature the Valtellina Ski Menu, with Kenedy taking inspiration from foods served on the Lombardy slopes. Dishes include dwarf deer marinated and stewed in red wine with spices and chocolate. Desserts include buckwheat, wild blueberry and ricotta layer cake doused in barrel-aged Muscat grappa. Kenedy and Hugo also operate West End Italian restaurant Vico.