Luke Johnson – industry must never allow lockdowns again: Sector investor Luke Johnson has said the industry must never allow lockdowns again, but admits that will take work. Writing exclusively in this week’s Propel Premium Opinion, Johnson said: “The industry needs to make sure a proper reckoning of the harms of these medieval interventions is carried out. The damage lockdowns have inflicted on our collective mental health, the impairment to other illness treatments, the increase in unemployment, the vandalism to schooling, the injury to our national finances and to businesses needs to be measured properly. The true effectiveness of universal lockdowns needs to be rigorously analysed. I am sure their efficacy will be found wanting. There will be other viruses, and the tendency among the politicians and public health ‘experts’ will be to lock down again. We must amass the proof that such draconian actions are unwise and cause far more overall distress than any putative gains they deliver. Such campaigns will require effort and investment over a period of time from an industry-wide group of players. This country and this industry cannot possibly afford more lockdowns – we have exhausted our psychological and financial reserves. Next time, we must be far better informed and advised, and be prepared to challenge the authorities against arbitrary and incoherent restrictions by any legal means. Some heroes have been doing this publicly over the past year with a degree of success, but we need a much broader coalition to gather our forces in advance of the next crisis. There is too much at stake to allow unelected, secretive academic advisers to pursue discriminatory, blunt policies like universal lockdowns without debate and proper risk assessment. Those who want to play a part in this movement please get in touch.” Johnson also said the pandemic has given the government the excuse to interfere in the private sector “to a degree unknown before”. He added: “The freedom usually available to entrepreneurs to ply their trade has been crushed. Of course, covid is a serious disease. But the government’s campaign of fear has reduced much of the nation to hypochondria or agoraphobia.” Johnson shares more of his thoughts in Premium Opinion, which will be sent to Premium subscribers on Friday (7 May) at 5pm. To sign up for Propel Premium, see below.

Propel Premium subscribers to receive second monthly database: Propel Premium subscribers will begin to receive a second exclusive monthly database, The Propel Blue Book. This Blue Book database will provide an insight into UK operator turnover and profitability over five years, profit conversion and directors’ earnings. Propel managing director Paul Charity said: “The Blue Book will be available to Premium subscribers on Friday, 4 June, at midday, one week after the next edition of the Propel multi-site database (out at midday on Friday, 28 May). The Blue Book will rank companies according to turnover, profit and profit conversion. It will start with at least 200 companies and grow month-by-month as we add more companies and update results. Results are always a little bit historic but the Blue Book will provide a five-year overview of trends. I expect it will begin to exhibit a fair amount of red ink as companies report the pandemic’s toll. But the longer term trends will be clear and the Blue Book companies are likely to bounce back quickly.” Any operator with a turnover of £5m or more is eligible to appear in the Blue Book. Last Friday, Propel Premium subscribers received the latest Propel multi-site database, which contains the details of 1,716 companies. Subscribers also received a 5,000-word report on the 84 new brands, concepts and growth companies, many of which have big growth ambitions in Britain. The go-to database, consisting of 94 pages, has the most comprehensive multi-site operator information in the sector – it provides company names, the people in charge, how many sites each firm operates, its trading name and its registered name at Companies House if different, and what each business specialises in. In a new feature this year, there is a synopsis of what the business does and significant news associated with it. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £895 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The regular single subscription rate of £395 plus VAT for operators and £495 plus VAT for suppliers remains the same. Sector investor Luke Johnson is to begin writing a regular column for Propel Premium. In his first piece, which will form part of Friday’s (7 May) opinion that will be sent to subscribers at 5pm, Johnson will give his views on the future of hospitality. Meanwhile, Draft House founder and sector investor Charlie McVeigh highlights the importance of conferences and how he would, now, go to “the opening of envelope”. Premium subscribers also receive access to Propel’s library of lockdown videos and Friday Wrap interviews and now also have access to a curated video library of the sector’s finest leaders and entrepreneurs, offering their insights on running outstanding businesses in the sector. Premium subscribers also receive their morning newsletter 11 hours early, at 7pm the evening before our 6am send-out, regular video content and regular exclusive columns from Propel insights editor Mark Wingett. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to sign up.

 

Propel Friday Wrap video series continues with Giggling Squid co-founder Andy Laurillard: Propel continues its new Friday Wrap video series on Friday (7 May) at 3pm. The new series, which is sponsored by innovative staffing solution provider Stint, sees Mark Stretton, former sector journalist and now head of sector PR firm Fleet Street Communications, and Propel insights editor Mark Wingett discussing this week’s key issues facing the UK’s hospitality sector, with a leading sector operator or expert. This week, they are joined by Andy Laurillard, co-founder of Giggling Squid, to discuss how the business has fared during the crisis, the role delivery played and will play going forward, updating its estate during lockdown, staffing issues, getting back on the expansion trail and how the sector will rebound.

Paul Chase – inflation set to cause operators a new challenge over next two years: Leading sector commentator Paul Chase has argued operators will be facing a new challenge over the next two years – caused by inflation. Writing in this week’s Propel Friday Opinion, Chase said he believed the “enormous monetary stimulus” the government has introduced over the past year to support workers on furlough, the self-employed and help businesses will lead to double-digit inflation in 12 to 18 months’ time. He said: “In round figures, government borrowing for 2020-21 will be about £300bn. Our national debt is now at a record £2.3tn – 103% of our annual GDP. Household savings have increased over the past year by £170bn – and there is a lot of pent-up demand once the population and the economy are released from restrictions. What does this mean for inflation? The Bank of England (BoE) requires commercial banks to lodge a fraction, or percentage, of their deposits with them. This is known as the ‘fractional reserve percentage’, or sometimes simply as ‘base money’. Currently, the fractional reserve is 17%. So, banks must lodge 17% of their deposits with the BoE, to keep them honest. The rest they can lend. Currently, 17% of money is lodged with the BoE, just 3% of money is in notes and coins, the other 80% of money is created digitally by private bank deposits that are driven by lending. So, when government drops a huge amount of money into people’s bank accounts via furlough schemes and their like, that money is saved or spent and re-spent and new deposits are created – thus stimulating a multiplier effect that generates spending power far in excess of the initial monetary stimulus. Whether this leads to inflation depends on two things – the output gap and the velocity of exchange. The output gap refers to whether there is sufficient slack on the supply side to flex up to meet an increase in demand – [and there may be] restraints in terms of labour shortages and future business closures due to rent debt. The velocity of exchange refers to how quickly people spend all this extra money and I suspect people will want to do so. This may look like good news for operators but inflation will eventually have to be curbed by a rise in taxation and interest rates.” Chase will share more of his thoughts in this week’s Friday Opinion, which will be published on Friday (7 May) at 11am.

 

No full-time return to the office for more than a million: Almost all of 50 of the UK’s biggest employers questioned by the BBC have said they do not plan to bring staff back to the office full-time. Some 43 of the firms said they would embrace a mix of home and office working, with staff encouraged to work from home two to three days a week. Four firms said they were keeping the idea of hybrid working under review. Currently, people who can work at home are advised to do so. However, that is likely to change in June when the government hopes to end all social distancing restrictions. “We’re never going to go back to working the way we used to work,” said Mark Read, chief executive of advertising firm WPP. But the new ways of using the office require careful planning, he told the BBC. He said: “People are working from home three to four days a week so we probably need 20% less space, but we’re not going to do that if everyone’s working from home on Mondays and Fridays.” Other companies cite “smart working” and “flexibility” as reasons for introducing hybrid working, with many suggesting that workers would be able to make their own choices about how often they come into the office. Danny Harmer, chief people officer at insurance giant Aviva – which has 16,000 UK workers – said 95% of its workers said they would like to be able to spend some of their time working flexibly and remotely in different locations. But Harmer said the company had to be mindful that many staff appreciate being in an office, such as those who live alone or do not have a suitable place to work.

 

One in ten UK adults planning to watch Euros in pub or bar: One in ten (13%) of UK adults intend to watch at least one of this summer’s UEFA European Football Championships (Euros) in a pub or bar, according to new research. The findings by KAM Media and MatchPint also showed 9% of UK adults plan to watch some of the Olympics within hospitality venues. Sports fans appear to be excited to be back in pubs and bars with 43% saying “watching sports” is what they are looking forward to the most about returning to pubs this summer. The research showed pubs that already showed sports pre-pandemic are looking to maximise the summer of sport by showing all the main events; 89% will show the Euros, 83% will show the UEFA Champions League Final, 75% will show the Lions rugby tour and 73% intend to show at least some events during the Olympics. More than two fifths (41%) of publicans believe the Euros will be the most profitable event this summer for pubs. 

Covid-19 restrictions cut contract catering sales by almost half in first quarter of 2021: Sales in the contract catering sector were almost halved in the first quarter of 2021, a new Tracker service from CGA has revealed. The Contract Caterer Tracker showed total sales were down by 45% on the first three months of 2020. The drop in sales is in line with a sharp fall in the number of people using contract-catered venues in businesses, leisure, education and other sectors in 2021. The number of units open for service in the first quarter of 2021 was down by 18% on 2020. In the private sector alone, first-quarter sales were down by 49% on 2020, due in large part to the closure of offices and other workplaces. Karl Chessell, CGA director of hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “The widespread shift to working from home, the short-notice closure of many education and leisure sites and the wholesale cancellation of events have all been devastating for caterers in early 2021.”

Pubs and bars take step forward on journey to net zero with new initiatives: British pubs and bars have taken a step forward on the journey to net zero, with the launch of two initiatives supported by Coca-Cola European Partners and delivered by the Sustainable Restaurant Association. The Net Zero Pubs and Bars initiatives, or alternatively known as protocols, will define what “net zero” means for the sector, provide guidance on how to reduce carbon emissions, the actions needed for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and a standard against which they can be certified. Pubs and bars that are successfully net zero-certified will be able to display Net Zero Pub or Net Zero Bar accreditation in their outlet. The Sustainable Restaurant Association will deliver the programme, starting with a pilot in early summer, followed by a launch of the pilot’s findings in July. A report on progress will be published and shared at COP26, including the final Net Zero Pub and Bars protocols. This initiative is a continuation of Coca-Cola’s “Open” campaign aimed at helping pubs, cafes and restaurants to get back on their feet following the pandemic and thrive in the future.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is looking to speak to managing director/chief executive-level candidates who are keen to work with a successful entrepreneur to scale a cafe/retail concept. The company is currently focused in London with both a restaurant and subscription business and has excellent funding in place. The ideal managing director/chief executive will need to have experience of rapid scaling a strong, quality branded quick service restaurant or restaurant concept and be looking to join this growing business for the long-term journey. A salary between £150,000 and £200,000 will be considered plus long-term incentives. Anyone interested can email Hollie@corecruitment.com

 

Tortilla enters partnership with Merlin Entertainments, adapts operational model: Tortilla is to open a site in Chessington World of Adventures Resort, through a new partnership with Merlin Entertainments, which could see the Quilvest-backed fast casual Mexican concept open further sites with the visitor attractions operator. The first site under the new partnership opens on Monday, 17 May. Tortilla’s managing director Richard Morris said the brand was thrilled to be opening in Chessington and has adapted its operational model to suit the high-volume environment. He said: “We’ve streamlined the menu and repositioned the servery to be able to serve more burritos per second than ever. This is a new model for us and, if successful, we hope to continue opening Tortilla sites of this format in more Merlin locations as well as other high-throughput locations with SSP.” Natalie Fox, commercial director at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Tortilla to our line-up – it’s going to be a great addition to the resort.” Located in the Mexicana Land, Tortilla Chessington will be centrally run and staffed by Tortilla and its employees. Tortilla, which operates circa 50 sites, is rolling out several more restaurants this summer as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, including sites in Exeter (High Street), Edinburgh (St James) and Windsor (Peascod Street). The business will add to its dark kitchens’ estate with an opening in the Deliveroo Editions in Manchester later this month. In October 2019, Tortilla signed a development agreement with transport hub foodservice specialist SSP, which saw it open in London’s Euston station. Merlin, which has grown to become the second largest operator of visitor attractions and theme parks globally, operates attractions such as Madame Tussauds London, SeaLife London Aquarium, The London Dungeon and the London Eye.

Caring eyes ex-Revolution site in Richmond: Serial sector investor Richard Caring is in advanced talks to take on the former Revolution site in Richmond, Propel understands. It is thought Caring would like the site in Whittaker Avenue for either an Ivy Asia or for a Scott’s on the River concept he has been toying with for a while. The backer of Caprice Holdings, Bill’s and the Ivy Collection, already operates an Ivy Cafe and a Bill’s in the area. In January, Propel revealed Caring had lined up at least three new openings, including plans to open on the former La Brasserie site in London’s South Kensington. Caring is believed to have secured the La Brasserie site in Brompton Road, which closed in 2017, for a yet unspecified, new restaurant project. He also secured the former Le Pain Quotidien site next door to the Ivy Chelsea Garden in the King’s Road, to open an Ivy Asia. Caring currently operates two Ivy Asia sites in St Paul’s and Manchester, and is thought to be looking at further opportunities to expand the concept, either as stand-alone sites or adjacent to existing Ivy Collection restaurants. He is also set to open a new restaurant venture in Mayfair, after it was confirmed he had secured the former Porsche Garage in North Audley Street. He is still working on plans to reopen the former Princess Garden of Mayfair site in North Audley Street, which he acquired in 2016. It had previously been earmarked for a Caprice Cafe concept but may now become another Ivy Asia.

 

New York-based restaurant Sunday heading to UK: New York-based restaurant Sunday is heading to the UK. Founders Todd Enany, Adam Landsman and chef Jaime Young are launching the venue in London’s Notting Hill this summer. It will take over the site previously occupied by French brasserie Cote in Westbourne Grove. The two-floor venue is “aiming for a vibe that will echo the Brooklyn original”. Its menu includes dishes such as littleneck clams, garlic bread crumb and smoky bacon; and grilled swordfish, charred broccoli greens and butter bean pistou; along with its famed Sunday pancakes with hazelnut maple praline and brown butter. Drinks are set to include an all-natural wine list and cocktails. Enany said: “We are all excited to be opening up in London, a city with a phenomenal food scene that we can’t wait to be a part of. We’ll be bringing a big taste of Brooklyn with us but we’re also looking forward to working with new ingredients and local producers to make this a true London edition of Sunday in Brooklyn.” The original Sunday restaurant was launched in Brooklyn in 2016. Jake Bernstone, of Stonebrook London, acted on the Notting Hill deal.

 

Big Mamma Group reveals details of Covent Garden restaurant for third London site: Big Mamma Group, the operator behind the London-based restaurants Gloria and Circolo Popolare, has revealed details of its third site in the capital. The company, which unveiled the planned opening last summer, will launch Ave Mario in Covent Garden on 25 June. Based in two buildings in Maiden Lane, and with an entrance in Henrietta Street, the 7,000 square foot space will have seating for almost 300, two terraces, a bar featuring a 3,500 bottle wall, and an inner courtyard. While Gloria was inspired by Capri, and Circolo by Sicily, Ave Mario takes Florence as its starting point. Dishes will include carbonara ravioli and the Cotoletta Milanese. There’s also going to be a new caviar section to the menu, using Baeri caviar from Venice. The basement will feature Big Mamma Group’s first counter dining experience where guests will also be able to watch the chefs at work in the kitchen. Big Mamma Group operates 20 Italian restaurants across major European cities including London as well as delivery-only pizza restaurant Napoli Gang.

 

No damages paid to family after teen had fatal reaction to Byron burger: The family of a teenager who died after unwittingly eating food he was allergic to at a Byron restaurant says it does not feel properly compensated. Owen Carey, who had a dairy allergy, ordered skinny grilled chicken at Byron’s O2 Arena branch in London for his 18th birthday in April 2017. He informed staff about his allergy but was not told buttermilk was included. He collapsed and died shortly later. Byron said it has since improved all allergen procedures. A coroner ruled in 2019 that Mr Carey, from Crowborough, East Sussex, was not told about allergens that led to his death. The Carey family is now working to change the law. The Careys received a letter from Byron’s chief executive apologising for “all the pain” the family had suffered. But Mr Carey’s father, Paul, told Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show the family has not been awarded damages or specific compensation for their pain or suffering. Byron’s insurers refused to pay any damages and only offered to pay a proportion of the legal and funeral costs, he said, describing the decision as “pathetic”. He added: “We weren’t looking to profit from Owen’s death – we would have donated the money to the charity, the Anaphylaxis Campaign, which supports people at risk from serious allergies.” The family is now officially launching its campaign for “Owen’s Law”, which would require clear, specific allergen labelling on every restaurant menu. Byron has updated its menu that originally stated “Chicken – choose yours grilled or fried”, to “Chicken – marinated in buttermilk, choose yours grilled or fried”. Byron chief executive Simon Wilkinson said: “Even though this happened two years before I was employed by Byron, I have personally taken the responsibility to improve all allergen procedures. I am very supportive of any improvements or changes that can be made across the industry to prevent further tragic accidental deaths from occurring and will work with the family accordingly.”

 

Rosa’s Thai Cafe to make Midlands debut this month: TriSpan-backed Rosa’s Thai Cafe will open its first Midlands restaurant, at Paradise Birmingham this month. The London-based company will launch its latest venue at Two Chamberlain Square on Tuesday, 18 May. The 80-seat restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner daily. Earlier this week, Propel revealed Rosa’s Thai Cafe is set to further enhance its presence in London, with two new sites. The company has lined up the former Bella Italia site in Baker Street and is understood to be close to securing a site in Grafton Way, Bloomsbury. The 24-strong group, which was founded by Alex and Saiphin Moore in 2008, also operates a handful of delivery kitchen sites. The business plans to open up to six new restaurants this year and continue to add to its delivery kitchen estate.

 

The Coconut Tree to open Bath restaurant this month for seventh site: Sri Lankan bar and restaurant group The Coconut Tree is to open its seventh site, in Bath, this month. The company will open the outlet in Broad Street, in the premises previously occupied by Koh Thai, on Monday, 24 May. Brand director Anna Garrod said: “We searched for a site in Bath for two years so it feels wonderful to finally have an opening date to look forward to. We can’t wait to bring a little piece of Sri Lankan hospitality to the city.” The Coconut Tree was founded in 2016 by five Sri Lankan friends living in Cheltenham – Praveen Thanginah, Dan Fernando and Shamil Fernando, who oversee the food; financial director Mithra Fernando; and operations director Rodrigo Rashinthe. The Coconut Tree operates two sites in Bristol and one in each of Bournemouth, Cardiff, Cheltenham and Oxford. In March, the company announced it would extend its offer of 50% off for all eat-in customers from Monday to Wednesday until the end of January 2022.

 

Judy Joo confirms Canary Wharf opening for Seoul Bird concept: Seoul Bird, the fledgling Korean concept from chef Judy Joo, is to launch in Canary Wharf. As revealed by Propel last month, the concept, which launched last summer in Westfield London, has taken the Radio Alice site in Jubilee Place for an opening in late June. The concept specialises in crispy, double-fried, Korean-style chicken inspired by Joo’s Korean-American heritage. Chickens are brined for 24 hours before being double fried and served with Asian slaw. Making their debut on the menu will be mixed buckets with double-fried tenders, wings and thighs, as well as the tender bucket filled with tenders and the grilled bucket with thighs and wings cooked over charcoal, all served with a choice of Seoul Bird’s signature sauces for dipping. Seoul Bird also offers bibimbap bowls (steamed rice with vegetables, pickled daikon, edamame beans, onions and poached egg). Also joining the menu will be frozen Seoul Shakes. Joo said: “ [Chef] Andy [Hales] and I have spent a lot of time developing some exciting dishes that we can’t wait to bring to Canary Wharf. Growing up in America, buckets of chicken were a special treat that I looked forward to. I wanted to recreate that sense of sharing and abundance at Seoul Bird.” Joo left the business she founded, Jinjuu, in 2019, after launching the Korean street food concept in Kingly Street, Soho, six years ago. Jinjuu grew to three sites, including one in Mayfair, but only the original in Soho remains.

 

Scottish Starbucks franchisee grows with new drive-thru and cafe in Glasgow: Starbucks franchisee OCO Westend has opened a new drive-thru and cafe in Glasgow, adding to its growing portfolio of locations throughout Scotland. The Glasgow-based business, one of Starbucks’ longest licensed partners in the UK, has opened the store at the new M74 service area in Polmadie, creating 20 jobs, following support from HSBC UK. The new site follows openings in Inverness, Rutherglen, Paisley and Hillington since August 2020, with these stores generating a total of 105 jobs. The support secured from HSBC UK has helped with OCO Westend’s expansion by covering the construction and fit-out costs for the new stores. OCO Westend also plans to open two further stores later this year, with more planned for 2022 and beyond. Led by managing director JJ O’Hara, OCO Westend opened its first store in Dumfries High Street in 2013. It now employs 273 people across 13 stores in Scotland.

 

Elizabeth Cottam to open contemporary bakehouse and dining room for third site: Elizabeth Cottam, the chef-patron behind Home and The Owl in Leeds, is to open a contemporary bakehouse and dining room in Boston Spa this month. Cora will offer bakery and patisserie-based breakfasts, lunch and afternoon tea tasting experiences, alongside an ever-changing selection of speciality cakes, pastries and wine. Cottam said: “We’re offering elegant, yet fun and playful, pastry and bread creations that are very different from what you typically find in your traditional tearoom or old-fashioned French patisserie.” The first few weeks will be collection only with the full dine-in experience expected by June. The plan for the venue is to bake a small selection of products to take away each week, alongside two tasting menu boxes for brunch and lunch, each containing items that will change weekly.

 

Gareth Bale signs new 15-year lease for Elevens Bar & Grill following SA Brain operational changes: Football star Gareth Bale has signed a new 15-year lease for Elevens Bar & Grill in Cardiff city centre. Elevens first opened in May 2017 following an extensive redevelopment of the SA Brain-owned venue in Castle Street. In December 2020, SA Brain announced contracts had been exchanged with Marston’s to operate its portfolio of pubs in Wales, on a combination of leased and management contract arrangements. As a result of these operational changes, Elevens has now become a fully independent venture, co-owned by Bale and his business partner Jamie Humphrys with SA Brain as landlords. Bale said: “It’s exciting to be taking Elevens forward as an independent venue.” Elevens Bar & Grill will reopen on Thursday, 20 May. Elevens Bar & Grill was the first step into the hospitality sector for Bale, who in March 2020, also announced his plans to open Par 59 – a new bar, restaurant and mini-golf concept in collaboration with local events brand The Depot. Work on Par 59 has been delayed due to the pandemic, but Bale hopes the venue will launch later this year.

Andina to relaunch in new Spitalfields home this month: Peruvian restaurant Andina is to relaunch in its new Spitalfields home this month. Andina will reopen in Commercial Street on Wednesday, 19 May, in the former Lupita premises. The Mexican restaurant brand was acquired by Andina’s owners Alex and Saiphin Moore, founders of Rosa’s Thai Cafe, earlier this year. Andina’s new home is much larger than its previous Shoreditch base, which was forced to close due to the pandemic. The new site will offer 80 covers in the main restaurant and Pisco bar space, and a further 32 seats downstairs in Bar Mistura – a late-night cocktail bar and taqueria, set to launch in June. The menu at Andina Spitalfields will pay homage to the restaurant’s Andean roots, offering its collection of signature ceviches as well as new vegan dishes, alongside its cocktail list. Meanwhile, Bar Mistura, described as a Latin American speakeasy-style taqueria bar, will serve its own cocktail menu alongside bar snacks and a taco menu. Andina managing director Raquel de Oliveira said: “Having to leave our original home in Shoreditch after seven years was really heart-breaking. But finding our new home in Commercial Street in Spitalfields feels like a fresh start for the team and the Andina brand as a whole.”

Property development company secures £21m for first two properties for new hotel business: Property development company Henley Homes has secured £21m to build the two new hotels for its Rogue City Hotel Group business. The company is behind The Wellington in Glasgow, which will become a 98-bedroom hotel in a former tribunal court building, and The Hobson, a 56-suite luxury hotel and meeting space centred around an atrium-style restaurant housed in a grade II-listed former police station in St Andrew’s Street, Cambridge. The hotels are earmarked for opening in the summer of 2022 and September 2022 respectively. Rogue City, which also owns and operates the Dunalastair Hotel Suites in the Scottish Highlands, secured the funding from Tikehau Capital. The group added it has “major plans to expand exponentially over the next few years”. 

Arc Inspirations converts The Pit in Chapel Allerton to Box brand: Arc Inspirations, the Leeds-based operator of a number of fast-growing brands, has converted its The Pit site in Chapel Allerton to its Box sports bar format. The 2,000 square foot venue in Stainbeck Lane features 14 Ultra HD screens. It also serves the Box’s menu of pizzas and burgers alongside beer, cocktails, wine and spirits. There are also plans to reintroduce live music and events, safety and restrictions permitting. Arc Inspirations operates 17 sites under its Banyan Bar & Kitchen, Box and Manahatta brands.