New Leicester restaurant forced to close kitchen a week after opening, highlighting industry-wide staffing shortages: Newly opened Leicester restaurant Black Iron Social, which only launched last week inside new aparthotel The Gresham, has closed its kitchen due to a staff shortage following a covid case. A statement from the venue said all its staff members affected are isolating and it would remain closed for food until 5pm on Friday (12 November), although its bar will remain open for drinks. The venue is now pulling in team members from its sister restaurant, Black Iron at Winstanley House, to help fill the gap. Black Iron Social is a contemporary restaurant and bar open to the public as well guests as The Gresham, which recently opened in the former premises of a former Fenwick department store in Market Street. The 80-cover restaurant and bar, situated in the ground floor lobby of the aparthotel, is under the same management as Leicester’s The City Rooms, as well as Winstanley House. It offers breakfast, brunch, bar snacks and dinner, as well as a selection of hand-picked wines, drinks and cocktails. According to the restaurant, the food is inspired by ingredients sourced from local suppliers, elevated by traditional and modern cooking techniques. The a la carte menu includes small plates such as shaved kohlrabi, curry cured salmon and salt and pepper squid, and mains such as butter roasted sirloin, herb crusted hake and miso glazed aubergine. The Gresham, meanwhile, opened earlier this month following a £17m, two-year project by developer Aimrok Holdings, which transformed the grade II-listed Victorian building into a high-end, 121-room aparthotel. It also boasts four commercial units, shared office space and conference facilities. The kitchen closure at Black Iron Social comes in the same week that UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls told the environment, food and rural affairs committee that “devastating” labour shortages have forced a quarter of hospitality businesses to cut trading hours. She told MPs that a longer-term labour strategy is needed and called on the government to help the sector by retaining a 12.5% rate of VAT. She said: “At the moment we’re seeing a 10% vacancy rate in hospitality, and that’s been retained since we reopened in July. We’re short of about 200,000 workers since we’ve reopened. The fact that job vacancies across the economy are 25% higher than pre pandemic, and in hospitality it is 49% higher, signals a broader challenge economically and highlights the need for a comprehensive labour strategy.”

Sponsored message – Toggle continues sector support by offering 60 busiest days of gift card sales for free: Toggle, the hospitality commerce and gift card platform, has continued to prioritise helping the sector thrive in a difficult year by opening up its platform for free for 60 days in the run up to Christmas. With 60% of all gift card sales coming in November and December, being able to access this surge unlocks a crucial revenue stream for hospitality, Toggle said. Throughout the pandemic, Toggle and sister company Airship opened up its platforms for free to allow the sector to make use of crucial tools and help them thrive. Chief executive Dan Brookman said: “We recognised a huge surge in sales of gift cards compared with last year and, knowing how powerful an income for businesses this is, particularly during the festive season, we took the decision to allow new customers to access this for free to help them get the best start possible to 2022.” Get set up with physical and digital cards in time for Christmas by getting in touch with Toggle here. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com

Propel to launch Premium video advent calendar: Propel is launching the Premium Advent Calendar, giving subscribers access to a great video each day from our autumn conference series. Each day in December in the run-up to Christmas, Premium subscribers will be sent a video featuring some of the sector’s leading operators, who will share insights, advice and expertise. They include: Azzurri Group chief executive Steve Holmes, Itsu founder Julian Metcalfe, JD Wetherspoon chairman and founder Tim Martin, The Restaurant Group chief executive Andy Hornby, Corbin & King managing director Zuleika Fennell, Giggling Squid co-founder Andy Laurillard and Sarah Willingham, founder of Nightcap, acquirer of drinks-led businesses including London Cocktail Club and Adventure Bar. 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. To subscribe, email jo.charity@propelinfo.com

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a five-star luxury venue in London looking to appoint a restaurant director. The incoming director is needed to launch the venue in 2022 and drive the business forward. A COREcruitment spokesman said: “Spread across five floors, the venue will have two restaurants, three bars, a rooftop venue and much more, with revenue hitting from £35m a year across food and beverage. The restaurant director will manage a team of eight heads of department and a very large food and beverage team. The hiring team is looking to bring in an expert from the premium London restaurant scene. The ideal restaurant director will have first-class hospitality experience in a five-star environment/high-end group, and have previously been responsible for a multimillion-pound turnover and multi outlet business. The role would suit a very strong people leader who is confident driving commercials and supporting a senior finance team.” Anyone interested can email Stuart@corecruitment.com

 

District founder branching into evening sector with coffee and wine bar concept opening next month: Chelsea Finch, founder of the three-strong London-based coffee shop brand District, is to launch a coffee and wine bar concept next month. Finch will open Where’s Fred’s on Wednesday, 1 December in Frederick’s Place in the City having previously agreed a deal with landlord The Mercers’ Company. The 750 square foot unit at 7 Frederick’s Place will house Where’s Fred’s, which will offer an array of the brunch and lunch options as well as coffee that District is known for, alongside a casual evening menu featuring charcuterie boards, sharing plates and a selection of organic wine. Finch said: “As soon as I was shown this magical site by the Mercers’ Company, I knew that I wanted to do something special with it. Frederick’s Place is a charming location that you would mostly find by word-of-mouth; it feels hidden away but is right in the heart of the Square Mile. There’s nowhere quite like Where’s Fred’s in the City of London, and I hope that it will quickly become part of the fabric of the community.” Finch operates District sites in Parsons Green, Mayfair and Nine Elms.

Zambrero to continue UK expansion with three more openings: Zambrero, Australia’s largest Mexican quick-service franchise, which donates a meal for every burrito or bowl purchased, will open its second UK site in the coming weeks – followed by two more early next year. Following a successful UK launch in Kentish Town earlier this year, Zambrero, which operates more than 200 restaurants globally, will open its second UK restaurant, in Loughton, later this month. Further sites are in the pipeline for next year, with Twickenham and Chelmsford “high on the list” for opening. The company’s UK chief executive officer, Emily Teh, said: “We’ve had an amazing reception from the Kentish Town community and, in the four months since our launch, I’m proud to say that our customers have already helped us donate more than 11,000 meals to those in need. We’re really excited to be opening our second site soon and look forward to being a part of the Loughton community.” Founded in 2005 by then-medical student Dr Sam Prince, Zambrero’s UK expansion is being led by Sophie Street, its head of acquisitions. To date, through its Plate 4 Plate initiative, Zambrero’s global network has donated more than 52 million meals via its humanitarian partner Rise Against Hunger. Zambrero’s UK expansion marks the next phase in its goal to donate a billion meals. 

Maray now carbon negative business as it works towards net zero goal: Liverpool-based Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar concept Maray is now a carbon negative business as it works towards its goal of carbon net zero. The group partnered with (TAG) Carbon Neutral Britain to measure its carbon footprint and offset its emissions by supporting the Carbon Neutral Britain Woodland Fund. The fund supports reforestation, deforestation prevention and woodland management projects, with a strong focus on having a positive impact on the local wildlife, ecology and biodiversity. Maray has now established emission reduction targets through its work with the Sustainable Restaurant Association, with a climate-responsible stance now a key measure in all decisions made for the business in the coming years. This will include investigating new building plans, power supply, produce and procurement, staff development and marketing practices. Through the TAG partnership, the group has offset more than the total emissions of the business – making an additional positive impact on climate change. Maray managing director James Bates said: “It felt quite daunting as we set out on this journey. There is no set way to do it, but Carbon Neutral Britain has worked with us to find the best solutions for our business.” Maray was launched in 2014 and has sites in the Albert Dock, Allerton and Bold Street in Liverpool. The team also operates The One O’Clock Gun pub in the Royal Albert Dock and Middle Eastern concept Sabich at GSG Hospitality’s Duke Street Food and Drink Market.

Newcastle-based US-inspired restaurant Meat:Stack to open in Leeds for second site: Newcastle-based US-inspired restaurant Meat:Stack is to open its second site, in Leeds – and is looking to eventually double up in the city. The concept, which was founded as a pop-up in 2016, is taking the final 1,681 square foot of retail and leisure space at 34 Boar Lane. Meat:Stack, which is run by Allan Hyslop, Tom Westman and Charlie Mair, is planning to open early in 2022. Westman said: “We love Leeds. It is one of the finest cities in the world and we felt it was the ideal place to open our second restaurant. We know Leeds is big on community – and that’s crucial for us. If all goes well, we are hoping to open a second branch in the city.” The existing Meat:Stack restaurant is in Newcastle’s Bigg Market. Hyslop, Westman and Mair are also behind fried chicken concept Fed’s, which operates two sites in the city. Knight Frank acted on behalf of Kinrise, owner of 34 Boar Lane.

Frenchie promotes Cyril Baligand to group operations director role: Parisian restaurant concept Frenchie has promoted Cyril Baligand to group operations director after appointing a new general manager for its flagship Covent Garden outpost. Baligand has held the Covent Garden post since 2018, but has been taking on his new role’s duties since 2019 too. With Piotr Maruszczak now taking over at Covent Garden, Baligand has had the new role made official and taken it on full time. Having helped the group’s London and Paris restaurants navigate the covid crisis alongside chef patron Greg Marchand, Baligand will now cover operation across all Frenchie restaurants. These include Frenchie rue du Nil, Frenchie at Pigalle, Frenchie bar a vin and Frenchie to Go in Paris, and the reopening of Frenchie Verbier with the Experimental Group in Switzerland. Before moving to Frenchie three years ago, Baligand opened London restaurant The Ninth alongside Japanese-British TV chef Jun Tanaka, which was awarded a Michelin star and three AA Rosettes. Maruszczak, meanwhile, was assistant manager to Baligand at The Ninth before taking over as restaurant manager when his former colleague moved to Frenchie, before following in his footsteps. Marchand, who created the first Frenchie restaurant in 2009, said: “Cyril’s been working with us in Paris operationally for a number of months, and there’s no one better placed to develop the Frenchie restaurants further. He’s got a great nose for business, and what’s more, he’s great with people. We are thrilled to have Piotr join us too – it’s such a compliment to have hospitality gurus like him wanting to work with our family of restaurants. With plenty of Frenchie developments coming in 2022, a strong team is what we need, and I’m so pleased to say we really do have that.”

Premium alcohol-free drinks brand launches £800,000 investment round to support UK and US growth: Jukes Cordialities, a range of upmarket “healthy lifestyle” alcohol-free drinks, has launched a £800,000 investment round to help its growth across key global markets. The cash injection will help the company scale up its production capabilities, increase marketing and brand-building in key geographical areas and support sales growth. As well as being available through certain retail and e-commerce partners, Jukes drinks can be found at several UK Michelin-starred restaurants. These include Core by Clare Smyth, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. The drinks are low in calories and sugar and created from natural ingredients, aimed at giving adults an alcohol-free fine-dining experience as well as being a healthy alternative. Jukes chief executive and co-founder, Matthew Jukes, said: “Through this investment round we aim to grow our presence in key global markets further, especially here in the UK and across the US, where we see a significant opportunity to increase sales. Our new offering of 375ml ‘ready to pour’ products has been specifically developed for the US market, where there is high consumer demand for our offering.”

Paddy & Scott’s expands Marriott partnership with cafe opening at Warwick hotel: Independent Suffolk coffee shop operator and wholesaler Paddy & Scott’s has further expanded its partnership with Marriott with the opening of a cafe in the new Delta Hotels by Marriott in Warwick. The 100-cover cafe serves food throughout the day including restaurant-quality dishes from the hotel’s newly appointed chef, Glynn Purnell, who has created a new menu of traditional meals with his own unique style. The addition of the Paddy & Scott’s cafe is part of a refurbishment of the former Hilton Warwick property, which is located just off the M40 and was purchased by Marriott in May. Peter Nye, managing director of Delta Hotels by Marriott Warwick, said: “We’ve spent many months working on this project to create a hotel experience that lives up to Delta Marriott’s ‘Bare Maximum’ strapline. So instead of focusing on spas and luxuries we instead place emphasis on giving our guests the very best experiences and best quality products. That’s why we’re working with Paddy & Scott’s as we appreciate its great story and the quality of its coffee and service.” Paddy & Scott’s founder Scott Russell added: “Linking up with Peter and his team to be the face of coffee in its new Warwick hotel is a fantastic fit for us and we’re also excited to have the chance to work with Glynn Purnell.” Paddy & Scott’s began working with Marriott in 2019. 

Lake District-based operators open Italian restaurant in Kendal for fourth site: Lake District-based operators Nick Ward and Giuseppe Sepe have opened an Italian restaurant in Kendal for their fourth site. The duo have launched Sapore, in Stramongate, in the former Little Italy restaurant premises. Sapore, which is Italian for “taste”, serves “authentic Italian food, including some of the more modern dishes and cooking techniques currently being used in Italy” alongside a selection of wine. The premises include a restaurant with about 60 covers, a bar area downstairs that can be used as an additional restaurant area for parties and a lounge bar upstairs where customers can also order sharing platters and antipasti. The duo plan to make their own deli produce for sale in the restaurant and, eventually, online. Ward and Sepe also run Urban Food House in Bowness; Hooked, a seafood restaurant in Windermere; and The Estuary in Main Street, Grange-over-Sands. Ward spent ten years in the hospitality industry in London and managed restaurants in Manchester and the Lake District before he and Sepe bought Urban Food House three years ago. Sepe grew up in Naples and worked in high-end hotels and restaurants in Italy and Switzerland for several years before moving to the Lake District and working in hospitality in Windermere and Ambleside.

New boutique bowling concept Strike to open in Wandsworth this month: New boutique bowling concept Strike will open in the Ram Quarter development in Wandsworth, south west London, this month. As well as tenpin bowling lanes, the venue will be home to London’s first duckpin bowling lanes, along with smart dart boards and electric shuffleboards. The food menu will consist of “unusual takes on diner-style classics” such as the Raclette Burger, the Spiced and Candied Bacon Hotdog, and the Cajun Crayfish Mac and Cheese. There will also be cocktails and craft beer. Strike, which opens on Friday, 26 November, will be housed in a grade II-listed building as part of the redevelopment of the former Young’s brewery site. The concept has been developed by Wandsworth resident Paul Delfgou.

Warwickshire golf and spa hotel secures significant investment as new operators take over: Grade II-listed golf and spa venue Welcombe Hotel in Warwickshire is to receive significant investment as its new operators tee up a strategy to reposition the hotel. M&T Hotel Management wants to reinvigorate the 91-bedroom hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, which has recently been acquired by specialist leisure investor Conquer Dawn. M&T is led by hotel industry veterans Sir David Michels and Hugh Taylor and has been growing its portfolio with the addition of the Hampton by Hilton Waterloo, Doubletree by Hilton York, and the East London Hotel in Bethnal Green. Taylor said: “The Welcombe is such a lovely hotel and with the investment plans M&T has developed with the investors, will become a truly iconic hotel in the UK country house market.” This is the third asset to be acquired by Conquer Dawn in the last three months and the newly established investment vehicle wants to continue to build on these initial acquisitions. Conquer Dawn managing director Heath Forusz said: “This asset meets our strategy of acquiring first-class hotels in great locations with real potential for growth. We are excited for our plans for the Welcombe and reinstating the grandeur to this wonderful asset in partnership with M&T.”

Swindon-based brewer to open third bar, eyes further expansion: Swindon-based brewer Hop Kettle is opening its third bar next week, in nearby Cirencester. The Hop Kettle will in The Woolmarket area of the town on Friday, 19 November and be managed by Andrew Fisher, who oversees operations for the company's other two bars. These are The Optimist and The Tap & Brew, which opened in 2018 and 2019 respectively in Swindon Old Town. If the new bar proves to be successful, other outlets may follow, according to Hop Kettle founder and owner Tom Gee. “You have got to be thinking that you will succeed, otherwise you would never do it in the first place, but not to the level of arrogance,” he told Punchline. “It’s not going to be easy, but I’m confident in our product, and we have set as sure a foundation as we could hope for. It was always my plan to open up a place in Cirencester, and even though The Woolmarket is slightly out of the main area, the benefits of having outside seating is worth its weight in gold.” The brewery was originally set up, in 2012, in the back of a pub Gee ran at the time, the Red Lion in Cricklade. Two years ago, he sold the pub to Cornwall-based St Austell Brewery to concentrate on the brewing side of the business. In a unique arrangement, the new owner asked Gee to keep brewing in the back of the pub, although the main brewery is based on Swindon’s Hawksworth industrial estate. Meanwhile, the new bar will partner with independent caterers Streat Kitchen, which specialise in food from around the world served in boxes and on trays. The business was launched during the lockdowns as a pop-up street food outlet at The Gateway Cafe and Bar at the Cotswold Water Park.

Second site for Scottish burger brand to open next month, next two being sought: Edinburgh-based Butta Burger, which started out as a dark kitchen during lockdown, will next month open its second bricks-and-mortar site. The business opened its first restaurant, at 137 George Street, earlier this year, and will launch at a second Edinburgh site, 8 Lister Square, on Wednesday, 1 December. Owner Graham Atkinson, a former nightclub promoter, is now searching for units in Glasgow and Newcastle for sites three and four. “Our aim has always been ambitious,” said Atkinson, who set up the business with Simon Bays. “Although we started as a humble ghost kitchen, we always believed the product and brand would develop into something larger. We’d like to see Butta Burger expand across the UK.” The pair’s creations include the truffle steak frites burger and chicken Kiev sandwich, both of which feature their “seasoned butta”. The new venue will also be offering cocktails and milkshakes in chocolate-bar-inspired varieties, including Bueno, Malteaser and Crunchie, to which adults can have a shot of alcohol added. A weekend brunch menu featuring waffles, muffins and French toast is being planned too. 

Walworth cafe-bar-restaurant hybrid opens Elephant & Castle pop-up: Louie Louie – the Walworth venue which offers breakfast, lunch and cocktails, rotating chefs and weekend DJs – has opened a two-year pop-up at nearby Elephant & Castle. The Little Louie cafe, which promises to be a cafe by day and a wine and cocktail bar by night, is based in the new multi-use space venture Elephant Stores. It also serves natural wine and local beer to take away. Sister venue Louie Louie opened in 2017 as a collaboration between the team behind the now-closed Nola cocktail bar in Shoreditch, and Fowlds Cafe in nearby Camberwell.

Kent couple set to double up with restaurant and cocktail bar opening: Kent cafe owners Harry Marsh and Dilushan Fernando are planning to transform a long-empty seaside pub in Herne Bay into a Sri Lankan-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar. The married couple hope to open the venue in the old Pier Hotel, on the corner of St George’s Terrace and Station Road, next month. Marsh and Fernando, who already run Bay Leaf Coffee House in the centre of the town, have spent about £100,000 renovating the site since they took it on in March. They are planning a programme of live music, gin-tasting evenings and LGBT events. “We’ve heard there’s a demand for something like LGBT events in town,” Marsh told Kent Live. “We’ll be tentatively exploring that side of things. We always like to do something a bit different, as we do with the café. It’ll be mainly focused on evening dining, but people will be able to come in and just have a drink at the bar. We’re hoping to open this side of the new year. When we took over in March, there was no kitchen at all, so we had to put one in, and just have the finishing touches to do.” The new site is expected to create around 30 jobs, including a mixologist to devise the bar’s cocktail menu, while the restaurant will serve curries with a fresh seafood and vegan focus. The Pier Hotel, which dates back to the 1800s, was previously known as The Hope and Anchor, and Constables. The former hotel above the pub was converted into flats and sold off in the 1990s, while the pub closed eight years ago, having last been known as The Pier.

Iranian high-end concept opens in Birmingham: A fine dining restaurant serving delicacies from across the Persian Empire has opened in Brindleyplace in Birmingham. Qavali serves specialities from across Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, Persia, and India. The name Qavali comes from the style of Sufi devotional singing, which originates from the Arabic word meaning “to speak”. The restaurant measures almost 9,000 square feet and has seating for 250 guests. General manager Riccado Orefice said: “The concept of Qavali was born from the fact that although there are Irani and Middle Eastern restaurants in the city and across the UK, none of them we believe offers a truly high-end dining and drinking guest experience. This concept is the first of its kind.” 

Sexy Fish to double up with Manchester opening: A new branch of London’s Sexy Fish restaurant is set to open in Manchester’s former Armani store. The new restaurant, from the group behind The Ivy chain of restaurants, Caprice Holdings, will open in Spinningfields, where Armani closed its 15,000 square-foot store in August. Sexy Fish’s original Mayfair location opened in 2015. The new site will consist of a ground and mezzanine floor, with the ground floor including a customer seating area, kitchen and two external seating areas. Caprice Holdings, which is backed by Richard Caring, opened a large three-storey restaurant in Spinningfields in 2019, Ivy Asia. Earlier this summer, Caprice opened its first international site, the restaurant and bar Nōema on the Greek island of Mykonos. Caring has also been planning Sexy Fish openings in New York and Miami and has taken on the former Revolution site in Richmond for his Scott’s concept.

New cafe and cocktail bar concept opens in Leeds: A new cafe and cocktail bar concept, Tabula Rasa, has opened in Leeds. Filippos Filippopoulos, who has extensive experience within the hospitality sector in both the UK and Greece, is behind the concept, which has opened in the mixed-use scheme in Vicar Lane after agreeing a deal with landlord Town Centre Securities. Tabula Rasa has opened phase one on the ground floor of its new 2,124 square-foot venue on 8 Eastgate. Phase two, which will include the extensively refurbished original brick basement, is expected to open in due course. The premises, which has overall capacity for up to 55 guests, offers champagne and cocktails and an extensive food menu including sharing platters and charcuterie boards. Filippopoulos said: “We selected this site due to its prime city centre location in Leeds with a high footfall pedestrian area.”

Restaurant meal kit platform Plateaway most of the way to its £500,000 fundraise target: Restaurant meal kit platform Plateaway, which works with 70 restaurant brands, is 98% of the way to its £500,000 fundraise target on crowdfunding platform Seedrs to expand its operations. With seven days left, it has so far raised £493,000 from almost 200 investors. The company, founded by Harry and Lewis Slagel, is offering 11.11% equity for the investment, giving a pre-money valuation of £4m. Since being founded last year, the business has achieved £700,000 of sales, sold 22,500 meal kits and has more than 14,000 customers. The pitch states: “Our meal kits are specially curated, hand-picked ingredients from some of the best restaurants including our exclusive partners Shake Shack, Hard Rock Cafe and Homeslice. We bring the restaurant dining experience to your home. With the UK meal kit industry estimated to be worth £1bn a year, and 89% of customers wanting their favourite restaurant brands to continue delivering after restrictions end, Plateaway is in a great position to capitalise and become the market leader in this new and exciting space. The main focus of this round of investment will go towards growing our team, evolving our platform and implementing a very exciting marketing strategy.”

Manchester-based boutique hotel operators eye Newcastle for second site: Manchester-based boutique hotel operators Muj and Amelia Rana are looking to open a second site, in Newcastle. The husband-and-wife team opened Cow Hollow Hotel opened in Manchester’s Northern Quarter in 2018, taking its name from the chic neighbourhood in San Francisco. Now they are looking to create a hotel, complete with a bar and restaurant, in Newcastle Quayside. Plans have been submitted to the city council that would lead to the grade II-listed Eldon Chambers being turned into a 26-bedroom hotel, having lain empty for several years. The building’s owner, the McArdle family, has been searching for tenants to take on the four-storey office building, hoping to give it a fresh start with leisure use after its last tenants – law firm Blackett Hart & Pratt – moved out five years ago. Documents sent to planners stated: “The waterside regeneration of Newcastle/Gateshead has already seen a range of new venues including bars, restaurants, art galleries and a music hall become popular attractions. These tie the historic beginnings of the city to its dynamic future. These Quayside attractions among others bring about 18 million visitors each year to Newcastle/Gateshead. With this in mind, the need for hotel accommodation is on the rise. Boutique city centre hotels are becoming increasingly popular with visitors wanting a more luxury stay for their money.”