Itsu’s leasehold portfolio over-rented compared with market by £6m per annum: An inflated UK property market coupled with upwards-only rent reviews has caused the leasehold portfolio of Itsu to be over-rented by £6m per annum. According to the group’s company voluntary arrangement (CVA) proposal document, a report by property adviser CBRE shows on average each of Itsu’s sites is over-rented by £77,000 per annum, with its sites in London being over-rented by an average of 40%. The document states: “Without a restructuring of the company's current rental agreements, the business will be operating at unsustainable levels. Even after a £2m (25%) reduction in central costs and significant cost cutting in stores, a drop of 15% of 2019 sales would see company Ebitda reduce to nil, banking covenants broken, and the business' ability to trade as a going concern put at risk. Trading at levels reaching 85% of 2019 sales is a significantly high threshold, and given the prolonged negative expectations of London footfall, this presents a clear and credible going concern risk for the business.” The healthy Asian food chain, created by Pret A Manger co-founder Julian Metcalfe, is to receive £4.3m of new funding and begin an operational turnaround plan if its CVA proposals are approved. It’s understood Itsu’s shareholders, which includes Ambrosia Investments, have provided a letter of comfort to the company confirming their intention to support the additional funding need should it not be successful in obtaining the finance from an external source. However, this additional funding is conditional on approval of the CVA proposal. Propel revealed last month Itsu had appointed AlixPartners as it looked to step up conversations with landlords and explore possible restructuring options, including the possibility of a CVA.

 

Pubs swifter to reopen as restaurants and London lag behind, less than two-thirds of licensed premises back trading: Less than two-thirds (62%) of Britain’s licensed premises were trading again by the end of July following the lifting of lock-down restrictions, the latest Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners has revealed. The pattern of reopening has also been uneven, with pubs ahead of restaurants and London lagging behind the rest of England. Scotland and Wales also trail, having been given the green light to start trading again later than England’s 4 July date. Independent businesses have also been less likely to reopen than larger companies, with 52% open at the end of July compared with 75% of group-managed sites. Overall, 87% of food-led pubs and 84% of high-street pubs have reopened. By contrast, only 56% of full-service restaurants and 63% of casual dining restaurants have reopened following moves by several large brands to permanently close sites or undergo company voluntary arrangements. While more restaurants will have been incentivised to reopen by the government’s VAT cut and Eat Out To Help Out initiative in August, the monitor’s data suggested the pandemic may substantially reduce the size of Britain’s casual dining and restaurant market. Bars and sports and social clubs have also seen lower opening numbers. The monitor also highlights regional variations in reopenings and reveals significant challenges for London in particular. Almost three-quarters (73%) of sites are now open in the north east and south west of England, 12% more than in the capital where a steep fall in office workers and tourists has prompted many businesses to remain closed. In contrast, the south and south east region has most licensed premises open. Operating numbers are much lower in Scotland and Wales too (59% and 34% respectively). In the British market as a whole, almost 71,000 licensed premises out of a potential 114,500 were trading again by the end of July – 62% of the pre-lock-down total. “This new data makes it clear hospitality’s road to recovery will be long,” said Karl Chessell, business unit director for food and retail at CGA. “The number-one challenge for businesses is to respond to people’s concerns and demonstrate they can have a safe and enjoyable experience when they go out to eat and drink. If they can achieve that, we expect to see site and trading numbers increase over the summer and autumn.”

Sector like-for-likes continue to improve but remain 25% below pre-coronavirus levels: Britain’s managed pub, bar and restaurant groups have continued to see an improvement in like-for-like sales but they remain almost 25% below pre-coronavirus levels, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker. For the week beginning 27 July, collective like-for-like sales in those sites trading were still down 24.3% on the corresponding week last year. However, that was a better performance than the minus 28.5% the week before, the 31.6% down the week before that, and the 39.8% level recorded in the first week after lock-down was lifted in England. Total sales across the managed pub, bar and restaurant market showed a 33.0% increase on the previous week’s trading, helped by better trading in individual sites and more locations being open for business. In all, 74% of group-operated sites were fully open, up from 68% the week before. Group-run restaurants that were open saw like-for-likes down 21.7% on the same week last year, compared with being 22.4% down the previous week. Pub groups saw collective sales down 23.6% on the same week in 2019 – an improvement on the minus 29.0% the week before. Bars saw sales down 37.9%, compared with the minus 45.7% the week before. “Progress is being made but if people were expecting a rapid bounce-back, they will be disappointed,” said Karl Chessell, director of CGA, which produces the Tracker in partnership with The Coffer Group and RSM. “We are seeing from individual company reports that trade in city centres is more difficult compared with many less urban locations. Monthly tracker data will be available this week, which will give us a more granular view of regional differences and food and drink splits.”

 

Pret A Manger asks staff to cut hours by 20%: Pret A Manger, the JAB Holdings-backed company, has asked thousands of staff to work about 20% fewer hours to allow it to survive the pandemic. The company has already warned at least 1,000 of its 8,000 employees could lose their jobs as part of plans to close 30 of its 410 stores. A spokesman told The Sunday Times: “Our priority is to do everything we can to save jobs. With footfall in our shops still significantly below normal levels, we have had to review the hours team members are contracted to work each week. By making these changes we are able to save a large number of roles.”

David Page – commercial rents could halve: Fulham Shore chairman David Page now sees an opportunity to snap up sites closed by other operators for bargain prices. Pre-crisis, it cost £650,000 to open a Franco Manca restaurant, but Page told The Mail on Sunday he could now take over sites for as little as £200,000, because they are already fitted out as restaurants. “Six months ago, we would have had to pay premiums and spend capital expenditure on fitting out – but now we can walk in to these stores because the previous tenants have done company voluntary arrangements or administration,” he said. His targets are Carluccio's in a shopping centre near Windsor, and central London sites in Kensington High Street, Parsons Green and Borough Market. Page said: “We are looking at all of them – Byron, Carluccio's, Prezzo, Le Pain Quotidien. There are so many sites available. The issue with a lot of these sites is whether the landlord has finally got to grips with the fact they have to accept less rent than they used to. Potentially, commercial rents could halve.” Fulham Shore last week reported record sales at the 64 sites it has reopened since lock-down, boosted by the government’s Eat Out To Help Out discount scheme on meals between Monday and Wednesday in August. Sales at pizza chain Franco Manca were up 30% over the first three days last week compared with last August, and turnover at The Real Greek was up 48%. “I have never known anything like it in 40 years,” said Page. “It has been the most amazing three days I have ever experienced in restaurants.” The demand has allowed Page to take all his 1,100 restaurant staff off furlough – and is hiring ten new staff across two sites in Reading. “(Chancellor) Rishi (Sunak) has made us very busy,” said Page, who plans to continue the discount under his own steam in September if the government doesn't extend the promotion. “I have never been in a business that has effectively put on 50% more customers in a week.”

 

Discount diners favouring cafes and restaurants over fast food outlets: Britain opted for fine dining rather than fast food during the first week of the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, card transaction figures suggest. Data supplied to The Times showed cafes and restaurants saw volumes increase by more than fast food outlets on each of the scheme’s eligible days in its first week compared with last week. SumUp, the contactless payment processing company, said transactions at cafes and restaurants rose by an average of more than 9%, compared with less than 1% at fast food venues. On Tuesday (4 August) and Wednesday (5 August) volumes at fast food outlets were significantly lower than the week before, down by 7.9% and 3.4% respectively. Fewer fast food venues are likely to be in the scheme because many only offer takeaway but a substantial number, including big chains, are offering the discount. Alex von Schirmeister, executive vice-president for Europe at SumUp, said: “It’s hard to ignore the impact of an offer related to a cheaper meal out with friends, family, or a loved one for many who have been unable to do this for so long. Small independent businesses have been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic, so to see their transactions trending upwards is more than good news for the UK economy. It’s a direct lifeline to people working hard to keep their doors open and livelihood going.” Figures published by the Office for National Statistics on Friday (7 August) showed a significant rise in the past month in the proportion of adults happy to visit restaurants. Almost two-fifths (37%) said they felt comfortable eating indoors at a restaurant, up from 27% a month earlier. The latest results, from weekly surveys of 2,500 adults in Great Britain, were collected before the introduction of the Eat Out To Help Out scheme.

 

Councils call for more power to shut non-covid safe pubs and bars: Local authorities in England and Wales have called for greater powers to close down pubs and other licensed premises that flout covid-19 safety measures. Councils can shut pubs, bars or social clubs where there is a serious and imminent risk to public health but the Local Government Association (LGA) said these powers should be extended to include public health grounds, which it claimed would enable easier and faster action to stop the spread of infections. Current guidance says pubs should take customer details and ensure they have infection control measures in place – but these are still voluntary. Nesil Caliskan, regional rep at the LGA, said: “It needs to be mandatory for premises to follow this government safety guidance and councils need the right powers to intervene and take action if necessary. While councils do not want to have to shut anywhere down, business owners need to know councils have the power to act if local communities are put at risk.” The LGA wants a temporary covid-19 objective added to the Licensing Act, which would allow councils to shut premises that fail to collect contact tracing data or enforce social distancing, or even revoke their licence.

 

Scottish government makes it mandatory for pubs and restaurants to collect customer details: Pubs and restaurants in Scotland will have to collect customer details from Friday (14 August) under a new law. First minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the requirement would be placed on a “statutory footing” to ensure test and protect functioned as effectively as possible. The move comes after covid-19 cases in an Aberdeen cluster rose to 110, with the outbreak linked to multiple pubs and restaurants in the city. Sturgeon also said the Scottish government would issue statutory guidance related to indoor hospitality on Friday to ensure greater compliance with coronavirus measures. She said businesses should ask people to pre-book tables to prevent queues, people shouldn’t stand at the bar to watch football, and there should be no background music to prevent shouting. Sturgeon said while the new mandatory measures were “really restrictive”, they were necessary. She said while the majority of hospitality businesses had complied with imposed coronavirus measures it was clear there were “some businesses where that hasn’t been the case”.

Dardis – central London and the City still a ghost town: Central London and the City is still a “ghost town”, according to Patrick Dardis, chief executive of Young’s, with sales at the 48 pubs the company has opened across that area currently just 10% to 15% of their normal levels. Dardis told the Sunday Telegraph: “We wanted to get the message out that London is open for business. It would be odd for a London-based company born in the city in 1831 to ask for something and not do it themselves. We’re trading really well overall, but central London and the City are dragging everything down. It’s a real struggle but we’re going to stay open.” Last week advice to “work from home if you can” was dropped in a bid by the government to get people back into Britain’s struggling city centres. But hospitality firms in the capital complain of a complete disconnect between the communication from central government and that of London mayor Sadiq Khan, who they say has remained largely silent on the matter. Dardis said: “Sadiq Khan has got to get off the fence and actually do something. Everyone knows the impact the City of London has on the rest of the UK economy and it just can’t continue like this. There’s got to be a concerted effort by central government, local councils and Sadiq Khan to get people back to work. The consequences of actually not getting back to work and getting back to normal could be far greater than the pandemic itself.”

Sun warms up beer sales: Out-of-home drink sales continue to push very gradually back towards pre-lock-down levels, the latest data from has revealed. The new edition of CGA’s Drinks Recovery Tracker showed the total value of drinks sales in the week to Saturday, 1 August was 28% down on the same week in 2019—a significant improvement on the 35% year-on-year drop in the previous seven days. The data confirmed two big post-lock-down trends said CGA – pubs outperforming restaurants and beer trumping other categories for sales. Following warm weather in many parts of the country and strong reopening numbers, pubs’ drinks sales were 22% down on the equivalent week in 2019, putting them well ahead of the restaurant (down 37%) and bars and clubs (down 50%) segments. Beer is similarly outperforming the market, with sales down just 20% year-on-year, compared with spirits (down 38%), wine (down 36%) and soft drinks (down 34%) – though there are signs the gap between the categories is narrowing. Performing best of all in the mini-heatwave was cider, sales of which were down only 14%. “Drinks sales are far below what might be expected at this time of year, but there are positive signs they are edging upwards as people become more confident about going out,” said Rachel Weller, CGA’s head of consumer research and marketing. “Draught beer and cider have been the drinks of choice for many of these returning consumers, and with more hot weather forecast they should continue to perform well. But as more people return to drinking-out and vary their occasions, other categories will hopefully pick up soon too.”

 

UK hotel occupancy levels improve for fifth successive week: Occupancy levels in UK hotels have improved for a fifth successive week with all days of the week showing growth, according to the latest data from STR. The data also revealed that while many markets had now fully reopened, such as Blackpool and Brighton, there were still regions where many hotels remained closed, including Edinburgh, the Lake District and London. For the week ending 2 August, UK occupancy increased to 42% compared with about 37% the previous week. Bournemouth saw the highest occupancy level for the week (82%), followed by Plymouth (80%). London again saw the lowest occupancy level (25%). In the capital, weekend occupancy has continued to improve but the lack of corporate demand means weekday levels have remained static, said STR director Thomas Emanuel. Friday and Saturday nights continue to show the largest increase in occupancy levels as the leisure market continues its recovery. On Saturday, 1 August, UK occupancy reached 52%. Average daily rate was down 30% year-on-year but that has improved slightly from the minus 32% the previous week. As a result, revpar has also shown an improvement but was down between 59% and 69% during the seven-day period.

 

‘Beyond busy’ Devon pub pulls out of Eat Out To Help Out scheme: A pub in north Devon has withdrawn from the government's Eat Out To Help Out scheme after being “beyond busy” since it started. The owners of Westleigh Inn near Bideford said while they support the incentive to boost business after the pandemic, it has pulled out of the scheme after a “chaotic” couple of days, telling customers it cannot give its “high standard of service” with the amount of customers. Steph Dyer and Pete Kenwood, who run the pub, said they made the decision after serving 98 covers in just over an hour. They have ten indoor tables and 20 outside, but only take bookings inside due to the unpredictability of British weather. Steph Dyer told ITV News: "We are not a microwave ‘ping’ restaurant. Everything is cooked fresh and it takes time to present and serve it all properly.” According to the couple, people were waiting in excess an hour for their food to arrive – falling well below their high standard of service. They also expressed concern about social distancing and how customers could not safely keep apart when waiting to use the toilet.

 

Great Northern Warehouse in Manchester launches alfresco pop-up dining space: A pop-up outdoor dining space has arrived at the Great Northern Warehouse in Manchester for the summer with a revolving list of weekly takeovers from local restaurants. The Community Kitchen, which can hold 50 diners, provides a covid-secure space for restaurant tenants that have limited outdoor dining space. The weekly four-day takeovers have started with Tokyo Industries’ bar and restaurant Impossible, tapas restaurant concept Evuna and Italian operator Salvi’s. The new dining area is open from 5pm to 9pm on Thursdays and between midday and 9pm, Friday to Sunday. Laurence Jones, head of asset management at Trilogy Real Estate, owner of Great Northern Warehouse, said: “We are dedicated to supporting Manchester’s rich and vibrant food and beverage scene during these challenging times for restaurant operators. We wanted to make sure the people of Manchester were able to dine at the places they love and to support local businesses by providing a flexible venue for socially distanced alfresco dining.”

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is seeking a general manager for a leading restaurant group. The company is well regarded in the industry and offers fresh food and a creative dining experience. This is an excellent opportunity to lead a high-volume site covering three floors in central London. The restaurant group is ideally looking for a candidate to manage a seven-strong senior heads of department team. They should be at operations manager level and understand operating high-volume, quality restaurants as well as having great people skills. Service and people culture are hugely important to the company and it hopes to appoint someone who shares its vision and is ambitious to progress. A salary of up to £80,000 plus bonus will be considered. Anyone interested can email Kate@corecruitment.com with their CV or profile.

 

Joule’s reports first loss in 20-year history but returns to profit in July: Shropshire brewer and retailer Joule’s, which is headed by Steve Nuttall, has reported the first loss in its 20-year history because of lock-down. Nuttall told Propel the business lost £600,000 compared with the previous year for its first quarter covering April to June. Nuttall said: “These figures show the impact of lock-down and exclude the stock losses we incurred in March. Our business has been operating for 20 years and we have incurred our first loss. It shows the impact of closing and, of course, the support we have needed to provide. The effect of the pandemic has been epic, way beyond anything anyone could have imagined.” Since July the company has reopened 90% of its 42-strong pub estate and managed to break even, “which is good enough for now and well worth celebrating the milestone”, Nuttall said. He added: “We have been aided by a strong group of dedicated franchisees. In our sector we all talk about partnerships – in a crisis this really tests what that actually means. In our case we’re stronger rather than weaker and I feel we are set for whatever shape this takes next. Our pub estate is fully freehold and we brew our own beer so we have some layers of protection and control. That has been crucial for us to get back in the black in July.” The brewery has restructured its central team with head count reduced by 15%. The company has introduced a four-day week for the foreseeable future covering all office and brewery staff. Nuttall said July beer volumes have been 65% versus the same period last year.

 

Coaching Inn Group sees trading return to pre-covid levels, takes on 18th site: Coaching inn and hotel operator The Coaching Inn Group has seen trading return to pre-covid levels except for its wedding business, Propel has learned. Founder and chief executive Kevin Charity said group occupancy at its venues was running at more than 80%. He hailed the “very positive impact” of the staycationing trend and said the group was “perfectly positioned to take advantage of this”. He added regional geographical positioning had “certainly helped with recovery”, with the government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme creating a 15% increase in like-for-like sales for the first three days of the week commencing Monday, 3 August. Charity told Propel 90% of the business’ booked wedding events had transferred to 2021. Meanwhile, Coaching Inn Group has acquired its 18th site, The Talbot Hotel in Malton, North Yorkshire, after reaching an agreement with the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate. The 17th century coaching house was relaunched eight years ago following an extensive investment by the estate and James Martin as executive chef. Charity said he hoped to reopen the 26-bedroom property with a marquee wedding facility on Monday, 17 August. The move has saved 40 jobs from possible redundancy, he added. The deal takes the total number of bedrooms in the company’s estate to 515. Coaching Inn Group has also reopened The Rutland Arms in Bakewell, Derbyshire. The company bought the venue in February and it has undergone a £1m refurbishment that has doubled the number of jobs at the venue to 50. Charity said he had “never had so many applications for jobs of such outstanding quality”. He added its rooms were fully booked for the first weekend, with “high occupancy after that”. The refurbishment includes a new coffee shop in addition to The Rutland’s bar and restaurant, while three bedrooms have been added to take the total to 35.

 

Bob & Berts to restart expansion in autumn with debut England site earmarked for late 2021, all 20 stores now reopen: Northern Ireland-based coffee company Bob & Berts is to restart its expansion plans in the autumn, with the company set to open its first site in England in late 2021. The company, which is backed by BGF and employs more than 400 staff, has now fully reopened all its 20 stores in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The business had been operating some of its sites for takeaway during lock-down but all staff are now back at work. Several sites are staying open until 9pm and stores are performing ahead of expectations, said co-owner Colin McClean. The business has introduced a number of innovations following lock-down, including the launch of an online ordering service through its own app, which has had a “positive” impact on sales. Co-owner David Ferguson added: “Lock-down has given us confidence we can deliver a takeaway service and we have seen the success of our app. We know there may be more twists and turns because of coronavirus but we’re committed to delivering a great service in safe environments to our customers.” Bob & Berts also intends to continue with its programme of store openings, with a store in Stirling that was originally scheduled to arrive in April now expected to launch in October. The company is looking for additional sites in Northern Ireland and Scotland and expects to launch its first store in the north of England in the latter part of 2021.

 

Boparan continues gradual reopening of Carluccio’s: Boparan Restaurant Group will continue the gradual reopening its Carluccio’s estate this week, Propel has learned. The company, which paid £3.2m to acquire 30 Carluccio’s sites and buy the rights to the brand in May, will welcome customers back to its Chester, Leamington Spa and Wimbledon restaurants on Thursday (13 August). It will then reopen its Cheshire Oaks, Meadow Hall and Portsmouth restaurants on Thursday, 20 August. That will take the brand’s total number of reopened restaurants to 11, with its Beverley, Richmond, Stratford-upon-Avon, South Kensington and Walton-on-Thames venues already back in operation. All the reopened restaurants are taking part in the government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme, with Carluccio’s having removed the £10 limit as Boparan has done with its other brands.

 

Leon opens fourth US site as it makes Virginia debut: Natural fast food brand Leon has opened its fourth site in the US. The company has opened its first site outside Washington DC, in the Mosaic District in Fairfax, Virginia. Leon opened its first US location in Washington DC in 2018, in L Street. It has since opened a site in New York Avenue, and a third at 1,350 I Street. Leon US president Glenn Edwards said: “This is our first site in a new state, Virginia. Despite a delay opening since April, and the challenges of recruiting and training with social distancing, I’m proud of our US team here making it happen.”

 

Rick Stein urges unemployed chefs to join restaurant empire but witnesses large number of recruitment ‘no-shows’: Rick Stein is urging unemployed chefs in other parts of the UK to consider moving to Cornwall to work in his family’s restaurant empire – but added the group is witnessing a large number of recruitment “no-shows”. The restaurant and hotel group, which has 13 sites, is trying to fill 39 vacancies, including for a pastry chef and junior sous chef at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. With the group’s accommodation venues also close to full occupancy for the summer season, the company said there were jobs going across the board, including in front-of-house and finance. Stein told The Guardian: “If you have found yourself out of work due to the covid-19 pandemic, I urge you to consider coming to Cornwall. It’s thriving and there’s great hope the staycation will extend through to early winter and bring some much-needed revenue to the locality.” Since the company started recruiting last month, it has received more than 3,500 applications for the jobs – which range from minimum wage to salaried roles. In 2019, the group received 5,500 applications over the whole year. One demi-chef position received 111 applications, which is ten times the usual level, the company said. For some roles there is help with accommodation. However, despite the high volume of applications, Michael Rabone, the group’s head of human resources, said it was still struggling with a large number of “no-shows”. He said: “We have seen a noticeable increase at all stages of the recruitment process. This includes candidates who apply and can’t be contacted, candidates invited to interview that don’t attend, and individuals offered roles that don’t start work.” Last month Stein revealed the company’s restaurant in Marlborough, Wiltshire, had been saved from closure after the landlord made rent concessions.

 

Papa John’s success continues with record-breaking second quarter: Papa John’s has reported its success has continued with like-for-like sales in North America increasing a record-breaking 28% and international like-for-likes up 5.3% for the second quarter ended 28 June 2020. The company said it had thrived in the off-premise-driven consumer culture of the past few months, with margins and profits at “the highest they have been in several years” and site closures at their “lowest in a decade”. Papa John’s attributed its like-for-like sales jump during the strong second quarter to its long-term recovery strategy and quick pivoting during the pandemic, including adding three million new digital customers during the second quarter. The company’s success continues to grow into the third quarter, with preliminary like-for-like sales for July estimated to have increased 30.3% domestically and 13.9% internationally. Papa John’s president and chief executive Rob Lynch said: “Mobile ordering is our fastest-growing platform as customer ordering and consumption continues to be affected by the pandemic. This is accelerating our growth. We currently have robust partnerships with three out of four of the major delivery aggregators and our transactions delivered by delivery partners are up more than 100% – to 5% of our total sales. Papa John’s strategy is to win by providing better pizza wherever our customers are and however they choose to order. The next phase of turnaround will be getting development ramped up. We recently added a chief development officer when we previously hadn’t had one. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we’re targeting significant growth in sites in 2021. We’re building infrastructure right now – we’re working to make up for lost ground.” For the second quarter revenue increased to $460.6m, compared with $399.6m the year before. It closed a net total of 31 stores during the quarter.

 

The Dairy and Dandy co-owner launches pizza concept: Matt Wells, co-owner of London restaurants including The Dairy and Dandy, has launched a pizza concept. Wells has teamed up with music promoter Fred Letts to launch Party Store Pizza in Brixton. The restaurant in Coldharbour Lane offers “Detroit-style” pizza – baked in bespoke deep rectangular steel pans so the dough is focaccia-like and has a very crispy crust. The menu includes the Top Boy – vodka sauce, mozzarella, ricotta, 'nduja, pepperoni and honey – and Lord of Pep, which comes with extra pepperoni. The drinks offer features two beers and a range of soft options, reports Hot Dinners. Wells founded The Dairy and Counter Culture with Robin and Sarah Gill, created Knife Steakhouse, and backed 24 The Oval. In December he partnered with chef Dan Wilson to relaunch Dandy, in Bermondsey.

 

Casino operator Napoleons to open £8m Manchester site next month for fifth venue: Casino operator Napoleons, which is owned by The A&S Leisure Group, is to open a site in Manchester next month – its fifth in total. The company has invested £8m in the Portland Street venue, with the opening creating 120 jobs. The 24-hour casino will feature gaming tables, including American roulette, blackjack, three-card poker and baccarat, plus electronic roulette and electronic slots. The venue will feature a restaurant overlooking the gaming area and a private dining room. There will also be a cocktail bar. As per government guidelines, the casino will have limited capacity, sanitising stations at key points and table service only in the restaurant. Mark Allen, chief executive of The A&S Leisure Group, said: “This is an exciting time for the company and we’re eager to show Manchester what Napoleons is all about. Our key focus for the business, first and foremost, will be on our personalised service to the customer, something we are very proud of.” Napoleons also operates sites in Bradford, Hull, Leeds and Sheffield.

 

Farmstand hits £750,000 fund-raise target as it eyes more than 1,000 sites in ten years: Farmstand, the fast-casual concept led by US entrepreneur Steven Novick, has hit its £750,000 target of its convertible share equity campaign, which is offering a 25% discount on the equity valuation. The fund-raise only launched on crowdfunding platform Seedrs last week. So far, 111 investors have pledged £751,510, and is “overfunding” with 37 days of the campaign remaining. Farmstand stated it hopes to open in more than 1,000 “canteens and outdoor markets in ten cities in ten years”. Farmstand built its central kitchen in Deptford in 2016, launching a debut permanent site in Covent Garden the same year. A second site opened in Canary Wharf in February last year. The brand also operates cafes, stands, mini-stands and an online subscription service in London. The company has five major catering contracts, while the 11th and 12th Farmstand concessions opened this year. The pitch states: “We cook our plant-powered food in our central kitchen. We only need one per city. We deliver it to canteens and outdoor markets, which sell it to customers via Farmstand-branded concessions staffed by their teams. Customers can also pre-order, pay and pick up via the Farmstand app. There’s no rent or build costs, while it’s capital efficient, technology-enabled and globally scalable. Our all-day offering is flexitarian and 100% customisable. We’re disrupting the $200bn catering market, which will double by 2032. Our plan is to be in 1,000-plus canteens and outdoor markets in ten cities in ten years. Your investment will focus only on our UK expansion. We’re also hiring a data scientist, a head of technology and a head of marketing.” Farmstand has raised more than $6m, including $3m in June 2018 in a record-breaking venture capital financing round. The company is majority-owned by Novick and his team, who are all shareholders.

 

Hollywood Bowl to open third Puttstars site, in York this month: Hollywood Bowl Group, the UK’s largest ten-pin bowling operator, is to open a third site for its mini-golf concept Puttstars. The company will launch the venue in York on Monday, 17 August in the LNER Community Stadium. The site will feature three interactive nine-hole courses, known as Zig Zag, Slingshot and Pinball. It will also feature a bar and diner offering pizza, hotdogs and milkshakes. Extensive cleaning and social distancing measures will be in place including safety shields at all till points, hand-sanitising stations at the entrance and around the venue, and team members cleaning all putters and balls after each use. Game booking slots will be appropriately limited to control capacity, while amusement machines and bar and dining seating will be spaced out. Centre manager Nathan Barwick told York Mix: “Puttstars is an all-round entertainment hub for the families and young people of our city and we know newbies and pros alike will love this new interactive mini-golf experience.” Hollywood Bowl launched Puttstars earlier this year, in Leeds, and opened a site in Rochdale on Friday (7 August). The company is also eyeing a site in Colchester for the concept.

 

Angela Hartnett extends opening hours on back of Eat Out To Help Out success: Angela Hartnett is increasing the opening hours of her Michelin-starred Murano restaurant in Mayfair and Cafe Murano site in Bermondsey on the back of increased demand created by the government’s Eat Out To Help Out campaign. A spokeswoman told Propel that Wednesday (5 August) was the busiest day yet at Cafe Murano in Bermondsey in terms of covers. There were queues and the venue ran a waiting list, but still had to turn a lot of guests away. Bookings for dinner on Tuesday (11 August) and Wednesday (12 August) are already full. Meanwhile, at Murano cover numbers are in excess of pre-lock-down levels. As a result Cafe Murano in Bermondsey will be open for dinner on Mondays and lunch on Tuesdays in addition to its usual hours. Murano will also open for lunch and dinner on Mondays from 17 August . The restaurant had been running revised hours of noon until 3pm and 5.30pm to 9.30pm Tuesday to Saturday.

 

Mr Lyan announces permanent closure of Hoxton’s Cub: Ryan Chetiyawardana – aka Mr Lyan – and Silo founder Doug McMaster have said they won’t reopen their Hoxton venue, Cub. Launched in September 2017 on the site of Chetiyawardana’s debut bar, White Lyan, in Hoxton Street, the restaurant was Chetiyawardana’s first full foray into the world of dining and McMaster’s first venture in the capital. They worked with experts such as Noma scientist Dr Arielle Johnson to create experimental ingredients grown on-site. Chetiyawardana said: “Cub was the baby of the group – precious and important – and it’s incredibly sad to see it go. What the team created was something we were truly in awe of – something that reflected our desire to provide a super fun space for our guests that also showed our generation could have a positive impact on the world through food and drink. Although it won’t reopen as a permanent space, we will continue its legacy as that still stands strong.” The Lyan team plans to continue the Cub brand through pop-ups and events. Chetiyawardana’s creative agency, Lyan Studio, will continue to be based at the site.

 

Umbrella Project reopens East End bars: The Umbrella Project has reopened The Sun Tavern and Discount Suit Company in London’s East End. Discount Suit Company in Spitalfields is offering table booking for parties from two to 30 people, while Hackney-based The Sun Tavern is back serving cocktails, craft beer and frozen Irish coffee. Both venues are operating with a limited capacity and have strict and frequent cleaning schedules. Staff have been given gloves and face masks. Since March, The Umbrella Project has run an online store delivering cocktails, spirits, wine, beer and snacks nationwide, with free delivery within a three-mile radius. The service will continue to operate. Andy Kerr, Steve Thompson and Alistair Tatton founded The Umbrella Project in 2014.

 

Vivek Singh launches Feast Out To Help Out at Cinnamon Club: Vivek Singh, executive chef and founder of The Cinnamon Collection, has launched a Feast Out To Help Out scheme that will offer diners The Cinnamon Club’s signature seven-course tasting menu at almost half-price throughout August. The offer will cover lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday at the Westminster restaurant throughout August. Dishes include Spencer Gulf wild king prawns with Alleppey curry sauce and kokum-crusted halibut. Singh said: “These are unusual times but we still need joy in our lives. We hope Feast Out To Help Out encourages old and new diners to visit The Cinnamon Club to enjoy our tasting menu. We are so proud of this menu, which has two decades of our menus and cooking at its core.” Boparan Restaurant Group owns The Cinammon Collection, which includes two Cinammon Kitchens in London and one in Oxford, Cinammon Bazaar in Covent Garden and Anise bar in Devonshire Square.