Revolution Bars Group CEO urges collaboration to help reach sustainability targets: Rob Pitcher, chief executive of Revolution Bars Group (RBG), has urged fellow hospitality operators to join him in setting tough targets towards a more sustainable future for the industry. Pitcher, whose Revolution Mitchell Street Glasgow bar hosted an event on the subject during COP26, has not only targeted becoming a net zero business by 2030 – but also set big targets for using renewable electricity, reducing water use and supply chain emissions and cutting landfill waste. But he believes the best way to roll out such initiatives across the industry is through collaboration – and shared how his company has already worked towards those targets by reducing out-of-hours energy consumption, rolling out LED lighting, implementing recycling zones behind bars and reducing vehicle drops. Speaking exclusively in Friday’s Propel Opinion, Pitcher said: “Setting targets is all well and good, but the crucial point is how we are proposing to meet them. In my mind, the fact that ours is a collaborative industry is the most powerful tool we have, collectively, at our disposal. It is only by acting together that we can really make a significant and meaningful difference. We have already benefited from this culture of sharing through our involvement in the Zero Carbon Forum, of which we are founding members. As one of the smaller operators involved in the initiative at the outset, we have been able to learn from bigger players – those with more resources than us and, in some cases, further along this road. In turn, we hope we can share our learnings with others as more companies in the hospitality community get involved with the forum. We would be delighted to share what we have already learned to anyone interested. Coming together as an industry at COP26 was an important marker on the industry’s path to sustainability, and as we leave behind covid-19 (sooner or later), this will be the defining issue of our time. It’s one that our teams, our guests and our future colleagues really care about, and the world is watching.” Pitcher will share more of his thoughts in this week’s Friday Opinion, which will be published on Friday (12 November) at 11am.

Sponsored message – Only A Pavement Away offers solution to recruitment challenges: With the hospitality sector facing continued pressure when it comes to recruitment, Only A Pavement Away is offering a solution. The charity – which helps people facing homelessness, prison leavers and veterans find long-term, stable employment – is urging forward-thinking employers in the hospitality industry to register for its free-to-use jobs board, to discover a wealth of talent. The jobs board currently connects more than 90 hospitality operators that are seeking hard-working and committed employees directly with 80 charities, who represent candidates seeking employment in hospitality. Since its launch, the charity has helped more than 155 individuals create a pathway to employment, adding £2.8m to the economy. Greg Mangham, founder and chief executive, said: “The overall purpose of the jobs board is to help streamline and alleviate the burden of the processes that employers go through in employing people who are struggling to reconnect with society. Prison leavers have a fantastic work ethic, veterans are used to teamwork and camaraderie, and those who have faced homelessness have the drive not to return to that dark space called destitution.” To register for the charity’s jobs board, click here. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com

Next edition of Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book sent to Premium subscribers today: The latest edition of the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book, which is produced in association with Mapal Group, will be published today (Friday, 12 November) at midday. The latest Blue Book sees a further 31 companies added, taking the number of UK pub, restaurant, cafe and hotel operators featured to 456, with a total turnover of £30.2bn. The Blue Book, which is updated every month – on the second Friday of the month – has begun to reflect the economic damage of the pandemic with 191 companies reporting a profit and 265 reporting losses. The Blue Book provides an insight into UK operator turnover and profitability over five years, profit conversion and directors’ earnings. Premium subscribers also receive two other databases – the New Openings Database, produced in association with StarStock, and the Multi-Site Operators Database, produced in association with Virgate, which are also updated each month. 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. In this week’s Premium Opinion, which will be sent to subscribers on Friday at 5pm, he looks at how the M&A market is shaping up for next year while Paul Flatters, co-founder and chief executive of insights firm Trajectory, will look at the changing consumer landscape. 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

Davis – hospitality operators should look at hiring ex-offenders to help ease staffing shortage: Hiring ex-offenders and people with criminal records would help operators ease hospitality’s staffing crisis. So says Glynn Davis, a leading commentator on retail trends, speaking exclusively in Friday’s Propel Opinion. Davis points to the example of Timpson, which now has 10% of its workforce recruited from prison or from people with a criminal conviction – who have proven to be “loyal, productive and hard-working”. Other companies such as Marks & Spencer, Greggs, Compass Group and Pret a Manger have followed suit and now actively recruit prison leavers, says Davis. However, he added, studies have shown that more than half of UK employers would not employ someone who has been in prison, and only 1% have initiatives in place to recruit them. “More organisations surely need to at least investigate what sounds like an incredible resource,” said Davis. “Just consider that around 10 million people in the UK have a criminal conviction. That’s a potentially very rich pool of people to consider for the stack of vacancies that are now causing serious problems in the industry. This is particularly the case when considering hospitality, which sits very well within a prison re-skilling context.” Davis went on to praise the work of Fred Siriex’s The Right Course programme, which transforms prison restaurants to replicate high street businesses, and Redemption Roasters, which teaches inmates roastery and barista skills. “It’s clear that companies need to wise up and stop regarding offering free beer and pizza alongside cocktail masterclasses, or simply poaching staff, as supposedly intelligent routes to recruiting in the present tough environment,” Davis added. “Instead, they need to think outside the box by helping a group of people escape from the box in which they have been rigidly placed.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is supporting an expanding restaurant group as it looks for a managing director to lead the next stage of growth. The business is presently based in London, and ideally would like to appoint someone with a good knowledge of the capital. The salary is up to £120,000 plus package. The business is currently standing at five sites and is looking at an expansion of two-plus sites per year. A COREcruitment spokesman said: “This role will oversee operations, commercial, brand and property. We are looking for a high potential candidate to join this restaurant business. Our client is looking for a break from the norm, and someone that can bring their skillset to the table. It’s imperative you understand hospitality and multi-site management, but also the leadership of a large team and the continuous development and mentorship of that team. In the current climate, commerciality and future planning are at the top of the agenda, and we are looking to speak to candidates that look at things from a different viewpoint. We are looking for bright candidates who can demonstrate strong and fast career progression over a multitude of projects within their roles.” Anyone interested can email Kate@corecruitment.com

 

Cook – platform now in place to expand Fridays with ‘robust’ pipeline of sites lined up: Hostmore chief executive Robert B Cook has told Propel the business now has the platform in place to expand Fridays, with a “robust” pipeline of sites already lined up. While the business has talked about acquiring smaller brands for its portfolio, Cook refuted reports that negotiations were already taking place and was waiting to see what happens when the moratorium ends next year, when he believes there could be “some good deals to be had”. For now, he said, the focus was on growing Fridays and sister concept 63rd+1st, which will open its third site next week, in Harrogate. Cook said Hostmore was continuing to be offered sites on very good terms by landlords. “It’s great to have to have got the initial public offering over the line,” he said. “Now we’ve got to that stage it’s time to roll up our sleeves, because the hard work begins now. We’ve now got a platform to expand the Fridays business and we’re excited about the potential of 63rd+1st. I think our covenant strength and strong balance sheet makes landlords see us as a very viable tenant, and we have a robust pipeline of sites in place. We have a clear line of sight of what we want to do there, and then we’ll see what happens. Contrary to reports, we’re not negotiating on anything else at the moment. We want to see what happens with the end of the moratorium and with the market. You’ve also got the issues around the supply chain and labour, although we’ve managed to mitigate those for the most part.” Cook said delivery and click-and-collect had been the “salvation” for Fridays while its restaurants were shut during the pandemic, and that both formats would play a “meaningful” part in the future of the business. New Fridays sites will be designed with hatches and dedicated kitchens, he revealed. Cook said: “While, of course, our number one focus will be offering our guests the best possible experience in our restaurants, we recognise delivery and click-and-collect are here to stay. It also allows us to cater for those customers who are not ready to return to restaurants or want to just enjoy Fridays at home.” Looking ahead, Cook added: “We’ve enjoyed a good summer, so we are in a good place. There’s going to be consolidation of the market and some good deals to be had, but it’s a marathon and not a sprint. We’ve had to battle hard, but we’re coming out of this a far stronger business.”   

Dardis – Young’s to make biggest investment in existing estate next year: Patrick Dardis, chief executive of Young’s, has said that the pub company will make the biggest ever investment in its existing estate in its next financial year. Dardis told Propel that the company will kick off our investment plan in January. “We weren’t going to close pubs after just reopening this summer, so we held off on our capex until January,” he said. “The last quarter from January to March will be the busiest quarter we have ever had, and we will invest more in that quarter than we have invested ever before. Looking ahead to our next financial year, we will be investing in our existing estate more than we have ever done before. We have normally invested about £20m, we will probably invest up to closer than £30m over the 12 months.” The sale of Ram Pub Company has put the Young’s balance sheet in a strong place, and rather than keep the money Dardis want to “spend it, and spend it on our existing estate”. He said: “We have some incredible projects we have already signed off for next year. We are still ambitious, and we see growth opportunities across our existing estate and in acquisitions. We exchanged on one freehold on Monday and are hoping to exchange on another one today. We are very confident about the business, looking forward and looking to spend money again.” On taking part in any M&A, Dardis said: “We will be looking to not reduce the batting average of the quality of our estate. So, if an opportunity comes up of any size that matches or improves the quality of our estate, we will certainly be interested. We have the firepower. We are not looking to chase numbers. We are no longer looking back, but looking forward with enthusiasm.” Dardis also revealed that Christmas booking levels, which have caused such a concern to operators in recent months, had rebounded. He said: “Looking at the Christmas numbers, if we were speaking four of five weeks ago, I would have said we were slightly concerned, but that has completely turned around. We have gone from being behind quite significantly to being significantly ahead on covers, and we have pubs on Christmas day that have waiting lists.” Staffing issues were also easing, according to Dardis, and he expects the business would only put prices next February. He added: “We put up our prices once a year, and we don’t shift from that. We always put our prices up on an inflation basis in February, and our intentions are to do the same next February. We are not looking to go over and above inflation.” 

JD Wetherspoon publishes apologies from national media outlets for false statements about the chain: JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has published a 20-page special edition of his company’s in-house magazine – which goes into all UK branches – with apologies and corrections from a whole host of national media outlets. Wetherspoon, and Martin in particular, was heavily criticised during the early months of the pandemic for what was perceived as unfair treatment of his staff during lockdown. Martin claims comments from an internal staff video, in March 2020, were “taken out of context and distorted outrageously”, and that Wetherspoon quickly became “a James Bond villain”. He has now – 18 months on, and having “waited for the furore to subside” – secured apologies and corrections from, among others, the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, Sky News and Forbes. “Never in the history of business, we surmise, has a single organisation sought, and obtained, so many apologies and corrections from so many iconic media organisations,” said Martin in an editorial piece in the magazine. “C’est la vie, as the Chuck Berry song goes. No hard feelings, folks. Yes, some people were horrid to us, but we bear no grudges. Newspapers play a vital role in shining a light on power and on the murkier goings-on in the world – and journalists work incredibly hard in an internet-ravaged industry. Years ago, I berated a stockbroker who criticised Wetherspoon in a note to his clients. ‘Remember, Tim’ he said. ‘you’ve got your job to do, and I’ve got mine.’ Fair comment, I thought, I’ll settle for that – and in the case of the media representations of the last 18 months, we’ll settle for publishing the extensive list of corrections and apologies.” Earlier this month, Wetherspoon announced that it is slashing its meal prices across 660 pubs for three months. This followed hot on the heels of its drinks promotion for November, which has seen the prices of some beers and spirits reduced to 99p.

Grammy-winning artist teams up with Reef Kitchens to bring chicken concept to the UK: Grammy-winning artist and record producer DJ Khaled has teamed up with Reef Kitchens to launch 150 sites simultaneously around the world, including in London. Another Wing is the star’s first foray into the F&B sector and will sell crispy chicken tenders, fried wings, truffle-topped fries, and onion rings for delivery across London, initially from Reef sites in Camden and Hornsey. The concept will launch internationally across three continents, in five countries and 18 states, with more than 150 locations. Khaled said Another Wing was the first restaurant concept to “ever launch on three continents at the same damn time”. He said: “Everything I do is big. My team and I are focused on launching new partnerships, new ideas and spreading love to my fans all around the world. Partnering with Reef for this launch is another exciting venture which allows me to introduce some amazing wings to everyone, everywhere.” Alan Philips, Reef’s chief creative officer, added: “Another Wing is the result of DJ Khaled’s legendary creativity colliding with Reef’s best-in-class kitchens platform, the fastest-growing restaurant business in the world. By launching on three continents and 165 locations at the same time, Reef is sharing with the world how brands can use our platform to scale with unprecedented speed and minimal capital investment. At Reef, we are truly connecting the world to your block.”

Megan’s plans East Dulwich and Kingston openings: London-based cafe and deli concept Megan’s is looking to line up a further two openings in the capital. Propel understands that the 13-strong company, which plans to expand to 22 sites by the end of next year, is planning openings in East Dulwich and Kingston. It is thought to be looking to open a site in Lordship Lane and has also applied to open on the former Laura Ashley site in Kingston. Later this month, the Sarah Hills-led business will open in Dulwich Village, and further openings are planned in Chelsea, Richmond and Marlow.  One of the sites Megan’s will open next year is at the former Laura Ashley store in Church Street, Weybridge.

German Doner Kebab to double up in Manchester: German Doner Kebab, the Hero Brands-backed business, is opening its second Manchester restaurant. The brand opened its first site in the city in August, in Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield, creating 40 jobs. A further 40 jobs will be created when German Doner Kebab opens its latest restaurant, at 14 Oxford Road, later this month. The opening forms part of plans by German Doner Kebab to launch 22 more sites before the end of the year, with 47 opening in total in 2021. Once opened, German Doner Kebab will offer a full dine-in experience, as well as takeaway and click and collect. Delivery will also be available.

Bread Ahead secures Bromley site: Independent bakery and baking school Bread Ahead has secured a site in Bromley, south east London, Propel has learned. The business, founded by Matthew Jones, is taking over the former Oasis premises on the corner of High Street and Elmfield Road. The 2,269 square-foot site is being transformed to allow Bread Ahead to bake fresh goods on site, along with its signature New York-style pizza. “It feels like a homecoming,” said Jones. “I left the area to learn to become a baker years ago and since set up Bread Ahead. Now I get the chance to return and bring what I’ve learnt with me to my local community.” Bread Ahead operates five sites across London, three of which have baking schools. The business also took over the cafe space at Southwark Cathedral in September for a six-month residency. Bread Ahead was represented by Cafe Ventures’ Ed Pearse Wheatley on the Bromley deal, with William Stone, of Lunson Mitchenall, representing landlord LaSalle.

Honest Burgers plans Leeds site: Honest Burgers, the Active Partners-backed business, is looking to further add to its regional presence with an opening in Leeds, Propel has learned. The circa 45-strong business, which is led by Frank Hayes, has secured the ex-Livin Italy site in the city’s Cloth Hall Street. Last month, the business applied to open a site in an empty unit in Bath’s Cheap Street. Earlier this year, Propel revealed that Honest Burgers had secured the former YO! at 5-14 St Paul’s Churchyard, and that it had taken the former Ask Italian site in Watford’s Market Street. Honest Burgers recently opened a site at the City North development next to Finsbury Park station. At the same time, the business has promoted Heather Stokes to head of finance after the departure of interim finance director Holly Elliott, who is joining City Pub Group as its new chief financial officer. An Honest Burgers spokesperson said: “Holly was brought in as an Interim with a specific remit to oversee the upgrading and modernising of the finance function, as well recruiting the right team to support the size of business we have now. She leaves behind an excellent team with some notable industry experience in it. The team is headed up by a newly-promoted head of finance and overseen by our chief commercial officer, Gary Mann.”

Team behind London’s Light Bar to launch ‘female-led’ pub in Marylebone: The team behind Shoreditch’s Light Bar, which reopened in June after being closed for eight years, will this month open a “female-led” pub in Marylebone. The Flowerhouse, which will sit next door to luxury hotel and restaurant Chiltern Firehouse in Chiltern Street, is on a mission to “empower women in the industry”. It aims to support women from all backgrounds and ages get onto, or back onto, the hospitality ladder – with apprenticeships and training schemes offered for roles ranging from chefs and bartenders to floor staff and managers. There will also be flexible working hours for mothers returning to work, and key elements of the brand will be overseen by women. Co-founder Jo Jackson said: “We’re passionate to revive this classic pub as not only a space where a woman should feel entirely comfortable having a drink on their own, but somewhere that can hopefully help make a difference in an industry still predominately run by men. The idea for a female-led team breathing fresh air into old British pubs came from working with amazingly talented women in hospitality and using our privileged location in London to provide a platform to inspire and support others. Right now, the sector is majorly lacking human resource, especially women. We want to create an inclusive environment for female talent at Flowerhouse, but beyond our new venue, so much more needs to be done to ensure that roles are structured to be accessible for women throughout their careers.” The pub will offer cocktails, wine and craft beer. An all-day food offering will be added in January, followed by further plans for the upper floors, including a dining room and two-floor apartment.

Pizza Pilgrims to open new site focused on sustainability at Selfridges London next month: Pizza Pilgrims, the London-based sourdough pizzeria brand founded by brothers James and Thom Elliott, will open a site focused on sustainability in partnership with Selfridges London next month. The restaurant will open on the department store’s fourth floor and will welcome customers from Thursday, 9 December. The site will be Pizza Pilgrims’ only one to focus on using UK produce. The 108-cover restaurant aims to unpack every element of running a pizzeria, from how it’s built to how the menu is developed, with a view to making it more sustainable as part of Selfridges’ Project Earth initiative, which inspired the concept. Guests will enter through a three-metre hydroponic basil tunnel, created in partnership with Harvest London, which supplies basil to all Pizza Pilgrims pizzerias, while all the pizza dough will be made with only regenerative UK wheat. At the open-style craft beer bar, in partnership with London Brewery Gypsy Hill, drinks will be served from fully reusable kegs, with no single use packaging. The newly formulated wine list will feature a selection of sustainable wine, which is all stored in a cave in the Chiltern Hills to reduce the need for refrigeration. The menu, exclusive to Selfridges, will include British wagyu beef with mozzarella and poponcini peppers, and a smoked salmon bagel pizza. James Elliot said: “We wanted to have a complete review of every part of our pizzerias and see what we could do better, but without losing creativity and fun. It’s important to stress this is only the beginning. We want to use our Selfridges pizzeria as a hub for innovation so that we can implement changes in all our other pizzerias.” Pizza Pilgrims currently operates 14 sites under its core brand and an outlet under its New York City-influenced concept, Slice by Pizza Pilgrims, in Finsbury Park.

Bubble tea concept Paeonia eyes second site, with more to follow next year: Paeonia, a new bubble tea concept which launched in Windsor last month, is in negotiations for a second site, this time in west London. Owner Anh Pham has ambitions to then expand to five venues in Berkshire and the capital by the end of 2022, and is also planning on taking her concept to Paris. She said: “Paeonia has brought a unique, high-end experience to Windsor, where customers can expect premium bubble tea inspired by the flavours of Taiwan. My intention is to expand quickly, first in Berkshire and west London, but I would eventually like to see Paeonias all over the UK and further afield.” Bubble tea is a tea-based drink served cold, hot or iced with chewy, tapioca bubbles. Originating in Taiwan in the 1980s, the last few years have seen an increasing amount of bubble tea shops open in the UK, with 2020 seeing a boom in popularity. Pham added: “What makes Paeonia different is all our bubble tea is made using a Teapresso Machine imported from Taiwan – the first UK shop to use this piece of equipment. Unlike other bubble tea shops, every bubble tea at Paeonia is made to order, ensuring better flavour, freshness and taste. We brew hundreds of cups of tea every day and I taste each and every batch myself. If it’s not good enough, I reject it and we start again.”

Second Edinburgh site this year for husband-and-wife team: Chef Roberta Hall-McCarron and husband Shaun McCarron will next month launch their second Edinburgh site this year. Following in the footsteps of The Little Chartroom 2.0 in Bonnington Road in October, Eleanore will be a restaurant and wine bar opening where the original The Little Chartroom was based, in Albert Place. Eleanore, which takes its name from a fishing boat owned by Hall-McCarron’s family, will serve small plates highlighting the best of Scottish produce from an open kitchen. Chefs Hamish McNeil and Moray Lamb, formerly of Little Chartroom on The Prom, the lockdown pop-up which has now been made permanent seafront site, have been brought into the kitchen team.

Salon team launches Somerset venture: The team behind Salon in London’s Brixton has opened its first rural restaurant, Holm, in South Petherton, Somerset. While it is a joint venture for Nicholas Balfe, Mark Gurney and Matt Bushnell – who also run Levan and Larry’s in the capital – Somerset-born Balfe has gone back to his roots to oversee Holt while his partners remain in London. Holm has taken over the village’s old bank, with the vault being turned into a wine cellar, while there is also an outside space with a grill and dining terrace and kitchen garden. Balfe said: “Holm represents a new chapter not only for me personally, but our businesses. While laying new roots for my family outside of city life, I get to live every chef’s dream of working directly with farmers, growers and artisan makers, while bringing the energy and passion of our London restaurants to a new community. Having spent my early years in Somerset and Dorset, that part of the world has always held a special place in my heart. I look forward to taking some of the wonderful energy, passion and creativity that define Salon, Levan and Larry’s and transpose it to the countryside.” Dishes on offer include a smoked eel toast starter, Tamworth pork chops on the main menu, and ricotta doughnuts filled with blackcurrant jam for dessert.

Red Lounge Group eyes UK-wide expansion for Kassia concept after opening first site outside Hampshire heartland: Portsmouth-based Red Lounge Group has opened the first site for its Indian tapas concept Kassia outside of Hampshire – and is targeting UK-wide expansion. The restaurant has launched in Stony Stratford, in Buckinghamshire, adding to the four on the south coast. Owner Kaz Miah told MKFM: “It’s the first restaurant that’s out of my comfort zone. Within a five-minute drive I could go to any of my restaurants, but this one is a two-hour drive, meaning it’ll be harder to reach it. However, my business partner is an experienced restaurateur, and I have full trust that he will be able to build the Kassia brand within Milton Keynes. It’s exciting to see the unique concept of Kassia be experienced in another city. It’s something that we’re really passionate about, so it’s amazing to share that further afield.” Miah is hoping it is the first of many restaurants he will open across the country and believes Kassia will eventually be a national chain and household name. He added: “The next step is to open up ten restaurants and then go from there. We’d like to see a Kassia in Gunwharf Quays next.” As well as Kassia, the group owns Red Lounge in Cowplain, Pasha in Cowplain, and Purple Mango in Southsea.

Vegan concept Clean Kitchen Club appoints Nolan Spratt as ops director: Vegan concept Clean Kitchen –  which was founded by former YouTube celebrity Michael Pearce, with Made in Chelsea TV star Verity Bowditch joining last year – has appointed Nolan Spratt, formerly of Stonegate and SA Brain, as its new operations director. Spratt was previously part of the operational team at Stonegate’s City Bars & Taverns arm. He spent three years as director of managed houses at SA Brain and almost ten years at M&B, including three as retail director for Ember Inns. Earlier this summer, Clean Kitchen opened its debut permanent site, at LabTech’s Buck Street Market in north London. Clean Kitchen Camden spans two floors within the market’s shipping containers, with space for 54 covers. Clean Kitchen opened as a delivery-only kitchen in Brighton and now operates a total of six dark kitchens across London and the south of England, as well as outlets at Boxpark Wembley and Boxpark Shoreditch.