Managed groups’ like-for-like sales up 2% in April on pre-pandemic levels but cost pressures stunt growth, major challenges ‘yet to come’: Britain’s leading managed restaurant, pub and bar groups recorded like-for-like sales growth of 2% in April 2022, the latest Coffer CGA Business Tracker revealed. Restaurants performed the strongest of the tracker’s three sectors, with like-for-like sales growth of 5% from April 2019. Bars were close behind at 4%, while pubs were flat. The comparison with April 2019 means the tracker – produced by CGA in partnership with The Coffer Group and RSM – is in growth for the third month in a row, following increases of 3% and 4% in February and March. However, with compound inflation since early 2019 far exceeding 2%, managed groups’ real-terms sales are still well below pre-covid levels. Continuing the pattern seen since hospitality reopened after lockdown one year ago, trading in London lagged well behind the rest of the country in April. The tracker shows managed groups’ like-for-like sales inside the M25 were down by 2% on 2019 while regions beyond the M25 recorded growth of 3%. Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food EMEA at CGA, said: “A third successive month of like-for-like sales growth shows managed restaurants, pubs and bars continue to build back after a very tough two years. However, any modest rises are being swallowed up by high inflation, and the tracker’s dip from March to April suggests soaring prices might be starting to squeeze consumers’ spending. The worst of covid-19 may be behind us now, but cost issues are going to put intense pressure on hospitality’s sales and margins for the foreseeable future.” David Coffer, chairman at Coffer Corporate Leisure, added: “The major challenges for hospitality are yet to come. Pressure to repay commercial banking debt and statutory debt including rates, national insurance contributions, PAYE and VAT will be unsurmountable for many businesses, many of whom may disappear. Our sector, and indeed many others, are in desperate need of further governmental support. The allure of London is being severely weakened by cost of visits and traffic access. Hopefully an increasing tourist population will alleviate some of the problem.”

Sponsored message – overcoming Hospitality Rising campaign doubts: Hospitality Rising aims to unite the industry by asking it to invest in and back its plan to change the perception of hospitality for the better, in the biggest sector recruitment advertising campaign the UK has seen – but why are some people not backing us? You told us: “Is a national campaign really the best way to spend this kind of money? Surely, there has to be something cleverer… a more grassroots, authentic, viral, attention-catching approach to build momentum. Create a movement, not a campaign.” Yes, absolutely! A movement is exactly what we need. That is why our “Army: Be the Best”-style national media campaign is just the flagship for Hospitality Rising. The same message – that hospitality is a dynamic and flexible industry with long-term career prospects – will also be fed into schools, colleges and universities, pushed out through our network of industry leaders and funnelled, via venue marketing packs, through the social media channels and CRMs of every hospitality business that supports us. But we need a central campaign that pulls us all into its orbit. And that’s what Hospitality Rising will deliver. Together, we can double the number of applicants looking for a career in hospitality. So, if you’re ready to join, or if you need answers to a few more questions before jumping on board, email the team via mark@supersonic.marketing. We’re listening. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

Several chicken shop concepts among those added to second UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, released on Friday: Several chicken shop concepts expanding in the UK and abroad are among the 20 new franchisors featured in the second UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, which will be sent to Premium subscribers on Friday (20 May), at midday. The second edition will feature 120 companies and almost 47,000 words of content, providing insight on the offer, locations, cost and other key details. Among them is Pepe’s Piri Piri, which has circa 151 outlets in the UK, plus several more abroad, and has been franchising since 1967. Also featured is Korean friend chicken brand KoKoDoo, founded as a Korean restaurant by Joseph and Mary Yoon in 2006 before evolving into a street food concept in 2016. Wing Kingz, which launched its debut restaurant in Milton Keynes’ Xscape destination in October 2021 and looking to expand through franchising, is also featured. Premium subscribers also receive access to The New Openings Database, the Propel Multi-Site Database and the Turnover & Profits Blue Book. 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 single subscription rate is £445 plus VAT for operators and £545 plus VAT for suppliers. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription. 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 group editor Mark Wingett. 

 

Eight in ten students concerned about drink-spiking and think venues aren’t doing enough about it: The vast majority of students are concerned about drink-spiking when they go out, according to new research by student work platform Stint. The third edition of its Student Sentiment Tracker – a survey of more than 1,000 UK students – showed 82% think drink spiking is a concern, and 86% don’t think venues are doing enough to combat it. Furthermore, one in six students said they have had their drink spiked at a nightlife venue. The survey also revealed that student confidence in getting a job after graduating has fallen, with only 46% of students feeling optimistic about their post-university job prospects compared with 55% in December. This pessimism over prospects is also reflected in how students view their earning potential. When asked if they believe they will be financially better off than their parents, only 32% agreed, compared with 44% in the last survey in December. Stint’s survey also revealed the mental health of more than three quarters of students (77%) was adversely affected during the pandemic. Sam Schlagman, chief executive of Stint, said: “The pandemic robbed students of opportunities for internships and work experience, so it’s not surprising to see students worried about their job prospects. However, they’ve found different ways to stand out in a competitive jobs market, like using Stint to develop essential transferable skills with no CV or prior experience, and work in a range of fast-moving environments while earning extra income. Hospitality is a great sector to gain all sorts of life and work experiences, and we’re proud to be able to help more than 125,000 students access these roles and prepare themselves for life after university.”

 

Calorie counts off the menu in Ireland as obesity pledge is shelved: The Irish government has quietly shelved a plan to require calories to be published on menus, one of the main promises in the national obesity strategy. The Times reported the Department of Health has confirmed legislation relating to calorie posting on menus is “currently suspended” as a result of resources being redeployed during the pandemic. It said there were “no plans” to resume work on it. The measure was included in the 2016-25 Obesity Policy and Action Plan, launched six years ago by Simon Harris, then the health minister. It said calorie posting was an “evidence-based” measure that would “support people to make healthy choices”. The Irish plan, which was opposed by many restaurants, was the subject of a government consultation with food businesses in January 2020. At that point, the government said the policy’s purpose was to “empower consumers to make informed choices” given that “increasing numbers are eating out and consuming takeaways”. The Restaurants Association of Ireland told the consultation the proposal would “cost the state tens of millions of euros to implement” as it would have to keep testing food against declared calorie counts. It was unhappy with calories alone being used to determine what constitutes a healthy meal, pointing out customers know a restaurant meal is a “treat”. The association argued if calorie labelling were introduced, it should be required only of large chains.

 

Whiteside – price rises inescapable, we don’t know if city and office locations will ever get back to normal: Roger Whiteside, the outgoing chief executive of Greggs, has said price rises are “inescapable”, and that city and office locations may never get back to normal. Speaking after the brand’s latest trading update, Whiteside said: “We moved prices at the beginning of the year and then, when the VAT relief was removed we had to charge VAT again, so that was price movement at that time, and we’re going to have to move prices again very soon. We’re just looking at, selectively, where those prices would move and can safely move them because they are still competitive relative to prices in the market. We won’t pass all the inflation on, but when we are forced to put prices up there’s always 5p or 10p typically, and we’ll only do it when the gap between us and our competitors isn’t going to be narrowed by that. It has to be carefully managed. But, it’s inescapable in the current climate. Prices need to move. We monitor the market to see how our competitors are moving in price, and we have views from previous experience in terms of what happens as to demand within Greggs if we move prices on certain products, and we put that all together to make sure if we are moving prices, we do it in a way that has the least possible suppression of demand effect. We look to absorb what we can, which comes at the expense of the shareholder, and we look where we can do things where we reduce cost without impacting the size or the quality of the product. Some of those steps are being forced upon us by the extraordinary conditions.” Whiteside said as far as the city and office locations, they’re still not back to normal numbers. He said: “We don’t know if they’ll ever get back to normal – they’re about 10% down – I think they will do a bit better than that, but we don’t know as yet, because we think there’s going to be more home working compared with pre-pandemic and there’s going to be more online shopping than pre-pandemic. On a strategic level we’re not concerned about that – they are not a particularly high percentage of our estate and what we’ve shown during the pandemic is we’ve got shops in all locations and those other locations tend to benefit locally if people aren’t travelling to cities or offices. We are fairly relaxed about where that might end up. Let’s say they only recover to this level, London 90% full is still fuller than anywhere else I know. So, we're busy opening shops in London because we've got lower rents now.” Whiteside will hand over the chief executive role to Roisin Currie at the brand’s annual general meeting of shareholders. Currie has been with the business for 12 years and will be the first female boss to lead the 80-year-old company.

Caring promotes Laura Mills to COO of The Ivy Collection, group marketing director steps down: Serial sector investor Richard Caring has promoted Laura Mills to chief operating officer of his The Ivy Collection business, Propel has learned. Mills joined the now 38-strong Ivy Collection in 2017, and has been its operations director for the past three and a half years. Before that she was operations director at Living Ventures. The Ivy Collection is currently gearing up to open The Ivy Brasserie in Chichester’s East Street. The company has also lined up an opening in Windsor for this summer, on the former Tower Brasserie tearooms site, in the town’s High Street. The group also wants to open a restaurant at units 3 and 4 of 56 Cleaver House – the site previously occupied by Burger King, in Belfast, and has applied to open on the former New Look store in Bournemouth’s The Square. Propel also understands Louise Philip has stepped down as group marketing director across the Caring’s backed Ivy Collection, Bill’s Restaurants and Caprice Holdings. Philip initially joined the Ivy Collection as director of marketing in 2018, before being promoted in July 2020. Previous to that she was UK marketing director at Virgin Active. Caring will open a site under his Ivy Asia brand in London’s Mayfair at the end of this month. The new restaurant and bar will open on the former Princess Garden site in North Audley Street, which Caring secured pre-pandemic and previously mooted opening a Caprice Café concept on. The brand, which is overseen by Jean-Baptiste Requien, is also set to open on the former French Connection site in Leeds’ Vicar Lane, close to the company’s existing The Ivy Victoria Quarter venue, later this summer. Caring has also lined up openings in Brighton and Cardiff for Ivy Asia this summer. It will also open a site in Cardiff, close to its existing The Ivy site in the city at the St Davids scheme, and is also exploring an opening in Glasgow.

 

Hollywood actor Danny Trejo plans UK launch for taco concept: US actor Danny Trejo, who starred in films including Heat, Con Air, and Desperado, plans to launch his Trejo’s Tacos concept in the UK. Propel understands the actor is working with Jerome Armit, former chief operating officer of food and beverage consultancy firm Truffle Hunting, and advisor to Shiva Hotels, Bourne Capital and InterContinental Hotels Group, on a launch in London for the California-based concept. Trejo currently operates four sites under the concept in California, plus other restaurants under his Trejo's Cantina and Trejo's Coffee & Donuts formats. The business is understood to be working with Nick Garston, of the Found Agency, to secure its debut UK site, with 2,500 to 5,000 square foot sites in Spitalfields, Hackney and Shoreditch thought to be under consideration. 

 

Ambassador Theatre Group appoints Ward-Nicholson as group F&B director: Simon Ward-Nicholson has stepped down as operations director at Gordon Ramsay Restaurants after just five months with the business to join the world’s largest commercial theatre company, Ambassador Theatre Group, as its new group food and beverage director, Propel understands. Ward-Nicholson, formerly of SSP and Ole & Steen, joined Gordon Ramsay Restaurants as its new operations director last December. Prior to that he was managing director of hospitality group Unlocked Brands, and before then he was managing director of Danish baker Ole & Steen. Before that, he spent four years at travel concessions company SSP, with stints as concept development director and operations director, and he has also been operations director at BaxterStorey and Corney & Barrow Bars. Ambassador Theatre Group currently runs more than 50 venues in Britain, the US and Germany. Last September, it reopened The Stockton Globe theatre after 46 years and a £28m restoration. 

 

Lebanon-based NBL Group to launch Meat the Fish concept in the UK: NBL (Nothing But Love) Group, the Lebanon-based food and beverage operator, is to make its debut in the UK, with the launch of its Meat the Fish concept in London, Propel has learned. The company, which currently operates three sites in Beirut under the restaurant, deli and shop concept, is believed to have secured a site in Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea, for an opening later this year. Established in 2012 as a response to private client demand, Meat the Fish began as a premium meat and fish home delivery service. As an extension of the brand, its first retail shop and restaurant opened to the public in 2014. Founded 20 years ago as a family business, The NBL Group also operates brands including The Backburner, Maryool, Mayha, and Skirt Beirut in Lebanon. Davis Coffer Lyons and Nash Bond are understood to have acted on the Chelsea deal.

 

Really Local Group aims to raise £4m to support expansion with further 30 sites planned by 2027, acquires Hackney and Peckham venues: Cultural infrastructure developer Really Local Group is seeking to raise £4m in investment to support its expansion plans. The group has also announced the purchase of Make Shift, which owns entertainment and street food venues Hackney Bridge and Peckham Levels. As part of the plans to raise £4m, Really Local Group will be launching a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs, with the money being invested back into local communities. Really Local Group is committed to “putting the heart back in the high street” and has invested £10m in projects, including in Canning Town, Hayes and Sidcup and is in the process of opening a site in Ealing. It has plans to open a total of ten sites by early 2024 and ambitions for a further 30 by 2027. In June this year, Ealing’s first cinema in 14 years, The Ealing Project, will open. The £2m project will see the 15,000-square-foot former site of Karma Club transformed into the borough’s only multi-screen cinema plus spaces for live music and exhibitions. Preston Benson, founder of Really Local Group, said: “As a community-focused group, we want to give the public the chance to invest in us directly, which is why we’re seeking crowdfunding via Seedrs.” Really Local Group’s first venue, Catford Mews, opened in September 2019, establishing a cultural venue for Lewisham as its only cinema, as well as a pop-up food market and full-service bar showcasing local brands. In 2021, Really Local Group launched the Reading Biscuit Factory in the Broad Street Mall in Reading. The group has previously announced a partnership with Southwark Council to restore the iconic central marketplace in Bermondsey. It has a further five sites in the pipeline. 

 

Chopstix to enter holiday parks with Haven link-up: Fast-growing quick service restaurant brand Chopstix is to enter the holiday park sector after entering a partnership with Haven, Propel has learned. The agreement will see the first Chopstix site under the new agreement open at Haven’s Craig Tara park in Ayrshire at the end of this month, with plans to roll out to a number of other parks in the near future. Haven currently operates 41 family holiday parks throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Under the agreement, Haven will oversee the full management of the sites, but both companies said the new partnership “will be a collaborative process with all employees undergoing a full Chopstix induction, so they can truly embed themself in the ethos of the brand”. Established in Camden Market in 2002 by entrepreneurs Sam Elia and Menashe Sadik, Chopstix celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It operates 80 locations across the UK and Ireland, with 25 franchise sites run through partnerships with the likes of Welcome Break and Applegreen. Cain Savazzi, food and beverage director for Haven, said: “We are constantly looking at ways to improve our guest food and beverage experience and introduce new dining experiences, and we’ve been looking for a pan-Asian option for some time. Chopstix is the perfect partner for us, and we’re looking forward to opening at Craig Tara very soon.” Jon Lake, managing director, Chopstix, added: “We’re excited about this partnership and the prospect of growing our footprint across other Haven parks in the future.” Sadik said: “When Sam and I first started selling noodles on Camden Market, we never dreamed we’d end up with a site on a holiday park in Scotland! This partnership is testament to how far the Chopstix brand has come.” Last week, Chopstix appointed Aaron Moore-Saxton, formerly of Itsu, as the company’s first franchise director, to support its continued growth plans. 

 

Cheshire Pub Co plans roll out of new vegan restaurant concept: North west-based Cheshire Pub Co is planning to roll out its recently launched vegan restaurant concept, Otto Vegan Empire, Propel has learned. The business, which is led by Matt Parker, recently opened the first Otto site above its The Crown & Conspirator pub in Bramhall. The company, which also operates The Ship Styal, The Frozen Mop Mobberley, and the Churchill Tree in Alderley Park, now plans to expand the concept across the north west. The concept, which is overseen by head chef James Lavin, showcases a “creative mix of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern flavours”. Parker said: “As tastes and desires for specialist cooking and diets continue to evolve, it's been important for us, as a pub company, to adapt and respond to this demand. Therefore, it is a pleasure to be working alongside our team of talented chefs to bring a fresh and new concept to life, which really does deliver a 100% vegan experience. Otto presents exciting opportunities for those who choose to live a vegan lifestyle, or those who simply enjoy a plant-based diet from time to time. Otto Vegan Empire, Bramhall will be the first of many sites as we seek to expand the Otto concept across the north west over the next few years.”

 

Nightcap appoints Sophie Street as head of acquisitions: Nightcap, the owner of The Cocktail Club and the Barrio Familia group of bars, has appointed Sophie Street, formerly of Island Poke, the Ivy Collection and Bill’s, as its new head of acquisitions. Street was most recently head of property at Island Poké, the London-based, White Rabbit Projects and Hero Brands-backed business. Previous to that she worked on the launch of Zambrero, Australia’s largest Mexican quick-service franchise, into the UK. She was previously head of property for Diverse Dining, which oversees Shake Shack in the UK; head of estates and acquisitions at Bill’s; and acquisitions manager at The Ivy Collection. Last week, Nightcap said it continued its growth trajectory during the third quarter of its 2022 financial year, which included strong growth in the Barrio Familia business that it acquired last November. It reiterated it currently has a further 23 sites in legal negotiations or under offer across all of its brands, including its most recently acquired Barrio brand. The company said it expects for several new site leases to be entered into before the end of June.

 

Munich-based VR experience to make London debut at Gravity Southside for fourth UK site: Hologate VR, the Munich-based virtual reality and immersive media company, which has 400 systems live in 36 countries worldwide, is set to make its London debut at Gravity Southside. It will be a fourth UK site for the German company, founded in 2011, following sites at Skegness Pier, Milton Keynes Xscape and MSC Virtuosa in Southampton. Experiences that Hologate offers include fighting zombies and aliens, escaping from prison, becoming a pirate chief, commandeering a Second World War U-boat, flying into the future and racing enemies across floating islands – all of which can be played competing against teams across the world. Gravity Southside will offer two Hologate experiences, Arena and Blitz, with Blitz being a UK first and Arena a London first. Each arena is for up to four players, but individuals can also book in to play. Gravity founder Michael Harrison said: “We’re really proud to be the first to bring Hologate to a London audience. Gravity is again at the forefront of competitive socialising fun. From e-karting and Hologate to having your lunch served by a robot, there’s not a location in the UK where you can access all these activities under one roof.” Experiential leisure operator Gravity opened its flagship Southside site, a £6m multi-attraction venue based over 100,000 square feet in Wandsworth, last summer. Last month, it announced plans for a similar £10m concept at Liverpool ONE, which would become its 18th UK venue, with more in the pipeline. It also recently signed a franchise deal for a multi-attraction venue in Leipzig, Germany, and got the green light to construct a £2m e-karting experience at Xscape Yorkshire in Castleford.

London’s The Theatre Cafe to launch new immersive cafe concept with singing waiters: London’s The Theatre Cafe is set to launch a new immersive cafe concept featuring singing waiters. The Theatre Cafe Diner, located at the entrance to Seven Dials, is set to launch this summer in 2,455 square-foot over two floors at 154-156 Shaftesbury Avenue. Operating alongside sister location The Theatre Cafe at 99 St Martin’s Lane, the new venture builds on its concept, including a highly trained singing waiting team, who will serve customers while performing musical theatre classics. The food will be in the form of classic diner meals and served up alongside a wide selection of cold and hot drinks and alcoholic beverages. Joe Davey, managing director and founder of The Theatre Cafe, said: “It’s been a tough few years for our industry, so we are delighted that The Theatre Cafe brand is expanding within the West End, and doing so in a vibrant district like Shaftesbury’s Seven Dials, which aligns perfectly with our inherently energetic new diner venture. The Theatre Cafe has grown so much from its beginnings as a family ticketing business to the key beacon within in the theatre industry it has become.” Julia Wilkinson, restaurant director at landlords Shaftesbury, added, “This new concept will be a fantastic immersive experience for the city and we are pleased to have worked with The Theatre Cafe to develop their new extensive offer. We are confident that theatre fans and food-lovers from near and far will be eager to experience this vibrant new operator.” The Theatre Cafe Diner will join the recently launched St Martin’s House and recently re-launched Cucumber Alley at Seven Dials, and Danish bakery brand Ole & Steen, which is coming soon to Neal Street. Hanover Green Retail and Distrkt represented Shaftesbury while the Theatre Cafe Diner dealt direct.

Sam Harrison to begin expansion of deli and grocer shop concept, looking at further sites: Restaurateur Sam Harrison is to begin expansion of his deli and grocer shop concept, Sam’s Larder – and is looking at additional sites. Harrison and business partner Fanny Stocker have secured the first standalone site for the business, which was launched in Crisp Road in Hammersmith, around the corner from their restaurant, Sam’s Riverside. The second site sees Harrison returning to Chiswick, where he had Sam’s Brasserie between 2005 and 2015. The new Sam’s Larder at 59-61 Turnham Green Terrace will also include a small eat-in and takeaway cafe, and will launch in September. Harrison said: “When we opened Sam’s Larder almost two years ago, it was during the height of the covid pandemic. It was a creative and practical way to keep in touch with and service our customers, offering them great foodie supplies. The popularity of Sam’s Larder has been overwhelming, and that has encouraged us to develop the concept, and to continue working with a phenomenal list of favoured suppliers. We are also looking at additional opportunities for expansion in west London, and will have more news in the coming months.”

 

Interactive football bar concept Toca Social confirms Edinburgh opening: Toca Social, the interactive football bar concept, has confirmed it will open a third site in the UK, in Edinburgh. Propel revealed in February the business, which is led by Alex Harman, was to take a site at the St James Quarter scheme in the Scottish capital. Toca Social will add 22 boxes and two bars across a 30,000-square-foot space on levels 3 and 4 of the scheme, when it opens in 2023. Late last year, Hammerson announced it had re-let the top floor of the former Debenhams department store in the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham to Toca Social. Set to open later this year and spanning 40,000 square feet, it will be Toca’s second UK venue, after opening at the O2 in London last summer. Propel understands the business is also in talks on a site in Manchester. Toca describes itself as the world’s first interactive football and dining experience, where visitors can eat and drink as well as kicking a ball against a digital wall in various games. Harman said: “We are delighted to launch our next Toca Social venue in Edinburgh. The St James's Quarter development is an amazing addition to the city centre and is the perfect home for our first venue in Scotland.” Ed Corrigan, assistant leasing director at St James Quarter, added: “Toca Social has been something of a phenomenon since launching last year, its venues and the interactive experiences they offer have proved immensely popular and we expect it to be a key fixture for social activities.”

 

Michelin-starred chef Alex Dilling to open first standalone restaurant: Michelin-starred chef Alex Dilling is to open his first standalone restaurant. Dilling will launch the venture at Hotel Cafe Royal in London this summer. The restaurant, which will seat 34 guests, will take over the space that once housed Laurent Tourondel at The Cafe Royal. Dilling will serve contemporary French cuisine that draws on inspiration from the “classic gastronomy of the country combined with a young and energetic sense of hospitality”. Dilling has previously been at the helm of two-Michelin star kitchens, The Greenhouse and Helene Darroze at The Connaught. Dilling, who is being backed by hospitality entrepreneurs Victoria Sheppard and Tristram Hillier, said: “Alex Dilling At Hotel Cafe Royal will represent everything that I love about French cuisine and being able to work with the most incredible products. My dream, together with my talented team, is to not only be one of the most ambitious restaurants in the country but one where our guests feel at home and can come time and time again.” Guillaume Marly, managing director of Hotel Cafe Royal, added: “Oscar Wilde chose the Cafe Royal – and its unmatched wine selection – for his salon, while Winston Churchill favoured our steaks, stilton and champagne. Even those who differed on most things, came together here to enjoy an atmosphere and range of gourmet pleasures found nowhere else and it is clear our latest venture with Alex Dilling looks set to continue this illustrious tradition.”

 

Lina Stores confirms June opening date for Marylebone site: Delicatessen brand Lina Stores has confirmed an opening date of Monday, 20 June for its next site, in London’s Marylebone. As revealed by Propel last year, the White Rabbit Projects-backed company has taken over the former Sourced Markets site in Wigmore Street. Set over two floors, the ground floor will feature an all-day restaurant with an open kitchen and an open-plan delicatessen, which will transform into a seated wine bar at night. On the lower-ground floor, the restaurant will continue with a more intimate dining setting. Devised by head chef Masha Rener, the menu will include signature antipasti and focus on handmade fresh pasta, with new dishes including gomiti, peas, guanciale and Pecorino Romano; and saffron linguine, with anchovies, datterini tomatoes and pangrattato. In the deli, new salads will include fusilli with artichoke, mushroom and semi-secchi tomato; and grilled courgette salad with toasted hazelnuts and salsa verde. Rener said: “We are delighted to open in Marylebone this summer. With its neighbourhood feel and strong sense of local community, Marylebone Village is the perfect location for us to open both a restaurant and delicatessen for the full Lina Stores experience.” Lina Stores, which opened its first site outside the UK in Tokyo last summer, currently operates restaurants in London’s Soho and King’s Cross as well as its original delicatessen in Brewer Street, and is believed to be eyeing a site in Clapham.

 

Former Nando’s worker opens new independent Nigerian restaurant in Basingstoke: Former Nando’s worker Ezekiel Osundina has opened a restaurant in Basingstoke with fiancée Carlee Smith offering food based on his Nigerian background. The couple have launched Afrizi after signing a five-year lease on a 1,900 square-foot unit in the Hampshire town’s Festival Place development. With a nod to sustainability, the restaurant uses compostable containers and bamboo cutlery for takeaway, while its interior design is made from upcycled materials. Smith, who will manage front of house, said the menu offers a range of choices from mild to hot, with options including vegan and vegetarian, adding: “We want to make Nigerian food the next big cuisine.” Afrizi is the latest food and beverage operator to join Festival Place following the recent opening of BrewDog and Five Guys. Russell Jewell, head of private equity funds at AEW, which acquired Festival Place in 2015 following its launch, said: “We see the evolution of our food and beverage offer as key to help ensure the success of Festival Place. While the arrival of flagship brands like Five Guys or BrewDog are integral to our strategy, we strongly believe in the power of attracting localised and independent brands to differentiate our offer from other venues.” Last month, food and beverage performed strongly at Festival Place, with fast food reporting an uplift in revenue of 25.5% versus 2019. Lunson Mitchenall and Cushman & Wakefield acted for Festival Place, while CBRE is the managing agent for the centre.

 

South Devon-based vineyard to open new restaurant and visitor centre: South Devon-based vineyard Sandridge Barton, the home of Sharpham Wines, will next month open a new restaurant and visitor centre. The venue, based on the banks of the River Dart between Totnes and Dartmouth, will open in early June, in time for English Wine Week (18-26 June). Exeter-based events caterers Circa has signed on as catering partners for the restaurant. It will offer local and seasonal produce, including South Devon beef and hand-dived scallops and crab landed at Brixham. The venue will also feature guided and self-guided tastings, walking trails, a gallery bar and a shop stocking wine and local produce. Duncan Schwab, chief executive and head winemaker, said: “We are excited to be partnering with Circa to develop our restaurant offering at Sandridge Barton. In the past, when we were positioned on the Sharpham Estate, we had around 20,000 people a year visit us, and we expect a similar number of visitors at the new site.” Rob Weeks, head chef and co-founder of Circa, added: “We’re really looking forward to sharing our local produce and dishes with Sandridge Barton’s visitors, including South Devon beef carpaccio, hand-dived scallops baked in seaweed butter and foraged pine and spruce tart with gorse flower ice cream.” The Sandridge Barton estate also offers self-catering accommodation in its main house, boat house and newly-renovated farm house.

Starbucks expands US healthcare benefit plan to include assistance with abortion and gender-affirming procedures: Starbucks has expanded its healthcare benefit plan for US partners to include assistance with abortion and gender-affirming procedures. It follows the ongoing US Supreme Court case regarding Roe versus Wade – the 1973 decision which legalised abortion nationwide. In a letter to Starbucks partners, Sara Kelly, acting executive vice president partner resources, outlined the company’s commitment to ensuring partners have access to quality healthcare – “regardless of where you live or what you believe”. Referencing the case, she wrote: “I know this is weighing on many of you, so let me be clear up front – regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality healthcare. And when actions impact your access to healthcare, we will work on a way to make sure you feel supported. We are expanding our US healthcare benefit to further protect your personal health decisions. Regardless of where you live or what you believe, partners enrolled in Starbucks healthcare will now be offered reimbursement for eligible travel expenses when accessing abortion or gender-affirming procedures when those services are not available within 100 miles of a partner’s home. This benefit will also apply to dependents of partners enrolled in Starbucks healthcare. Whatever healthcare choice you believe is right for you and your family, you deserve access to those services and the benefits that Starbucks provides.” The benefits also include assistance with costs for adoption, surrogacy or fertility treatments; paid leave for partners who become new parents; options for preventative care and contraception; and free mental health and counselling sessions. Kelly added: “At Starbucks, we have 240,000 US partners with diverse views. That’s okay because it’s what makes us Starbucks. My hope is that we will continue to honour and respect one another.”