Mamma Dough business placed on market: London better pizza business Mamma Dough has been placed on the market after falling into administration, Propel has learned. It is understood Williams & Partners has been appointed by the joint administrators of the business, which was founded by Jake Harrison in 2014, to find a buyer. Propel understands bids for the business are being sought by Friday, 13 January, with a sale hoped to be concluded by Thursday, 19 January. It is thought six of the company’s seven sites are included in the sale, which are based in Brixton, South Norwood, Sydenham, Peckham, Ladywell and Tooting. The company’s central production unit and its other site in Honor Oak Park are not part of the Mamma Dough group and operate independently, albeit paying a management charge to the company for use of the Mamma Dough brand. The business is understood to have been hit by losses attributed to the impact of Omicron and the war in Ukraine, which caused a significant spike in grain and flour prices. A new higher gas supply contract and increases in the cost of food products and wage inflation have also further impacted the business. It is the intention of the joint administrators to keep all (or the majority) of restaurants trading while a new owner is sought. Last year, Mamma Dough announced plans to expand across the country with a franchising model. It said it had built a loyal London fan base and was looking to replicate that on a wider geographic scale while maintaining its quality, atmosphere and service values.

 

Edelman to speak at Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit 2023, open for bookings: Mark McGinn, executive director, sustainability and social impact at Edelman, will speak at the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit 2023. The event is a partnership between Propel and Think Hospitality, aiming to build a community, promote the sharing of ideas, recognise talent and define the future of eating out. Bookings are now open for the two-day conference as the centrepiece of the January event series, taking place on 24 and 25 January at One Moorgate Place in London. McGinn, who works with some of the world’s leading brands, helping them drive sustainability and social purpose, will explain why trust is the only metric marketers should be measuring. More than 50 industry and agency leaders will take to the stage over two days representing brands including Burger King UK, Cornish Bakery, Gail’s Bakery, The Alchemist, Hawksmoor, Searcys, Press Up Hospitality Group, Vapiano, Popeyes UK, Inception Group, Oakman Group, New World Trading Company, Peggy Porschen Cakes, Krispy Kreme, KellyDeli, Red Engine, East Coast Concepts, Coco di Mama, The Cocktail Club, Tattu Restaurants, Hilton, Elior, MJMK, Lollipop, Chotto Matte, Ping Pong, Nobu, Gusto Italian, BrewDog, Kaleido, Darjeeling Express, Flat Earth Pizzas and Six by Nico. For the full speaker schedule for day one click here and for day two click here. Day one themes will be consumer and sector trends, start-ups, concepts and creativity and digital evolution, while day two focuses on purpose and responsible business, strategies for growth and communication and culture. Tickets for operators for the two days are £600 plus VAT and £350 plus VAT for one day. Tickets for suppliers are £950 plus VAT for the two days and £525 plus VAT for one day. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Jo Charity at Propel on jo.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

Brucan Pubs co-founder – ‘resilient’ industry will fight through recession just as it did with covid: The “resilient” hospitality industry will fight through the recession just as it did with covid but not without some collateral damage along the way, Brucan Pubs co-founder James Lyon-Shaw has argued. Accountants KPMG this week warned the UK has entered a “shallow and protracted recession” which it expects to last until the end of next year. Former ex-ETM operations director Lyons-Shaw, who founded the four-strong Brucan Pubs with former head chef of The Club at The Ivy Jamie Dobbin in 2018, believes the sector can once again tough it out. “What we all learnt from covid is we can adapt, and we are resilient as an industry,” he told Propel. “We can fight through these things; we’ve been in recessions before and there will be recessions again. It’s a case of making sure we stay aware and look after the teams and the customers. Sometimes you just have to accept this might not be our best year financially, but if we keep a keen eye on cash flow, stabilise the estate, look after the teams and focus on some internal challenges, that still makes it a good year once things come back to normal.” Lyon-Shaw told Propel earlier this year that Brucan was targeting growth to ten sites and was “looking along the M4 into west Berkshire” for its fifth site. He added: “Obviously the lockdowns and the pandemic skewed things a little bit, but we’re roughly on track. For now, it’s important to focus on the here and now and not get distracted by what’s down the road. So far, our growth tied leases have worked well and given us access to a large corporate infrastructure of talented people who work with our landlords. Because our model is food-led, the rent model strikes a good balance for us. I don’t think the horror stories of breweries treating their tenants badly exist anymore, it’s a much better model, built around mutually beneficial business partnerships. As we look to set ourselves up for future growth, we’re keen to acquire freehold properties, add letting rooms to our model and open up our business to further sources of investment and funding to enable us to realise our ambitions.”

 

Fresh train strike planned in first week of January: Train drivers are to stage a fresh strike early in the new year, threatening travel chaos as people return to work after Christmas. Members of the drivers’ union Aslef at 15 train companies will walk out on Thursday, 5 January, after 93% of members who voted backed more industrial action in the long-running dispute over pay. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 14 train operators are also planning to strike on 3, 4, 6 and 7 January, meaning services will be crippled for a week. The companies affected by the Aslef strike are Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway (depot drivers only), SWR Island Line, TransPennine Express, and West Midlands Trains. Meanwhile, RMT boss Mick Lynch has held secret talks with Network Rail bosses amid hopes of an end to the dispute as public support for the strikes crumbles, reports The Telegraph.

 

Hospitality Against Homelessness campaign raises more than £22,000: The Hospitality Against Homelessness campaign has raised more than £22,000 since it began in October. The fundraising initiative was launched by Only A Pavement Away, the charity aiding prison leavers, veterans and those facing homelessness back into employment in the hospitality industry, and will continue into early 2023. It encourages operators, individual donors and partner organisations to give their support in a variety of ways, including helping fund the charity’s Member Stability Grants Scheme – a payment of up to £1,500 given during the first 12 months of starting employment within the sector. It has also received support, alongside other charities, from November’s CEO Sleepout and National Winter Warmth Week initiatives, while Flor founder Mollie Huckerby raised £3,000 through walking six marathons. Only A Pavement Away founder Greg Mangham said: “We’re delighted with the success we’ve seen with the Hospitality Against Homelessness campaign. We’d like to extend a big thank you to all the individuals and businesses who have taken part – it’s a real testament to our fantastic industry.”

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a global hospitality business that is seeking a group training and development manager. A COREcruitment spokesman said: “This role will be managing a large team, covering training needs across the portfolio. The head office is in London but some field-based work will be involved so it’s essential to be flexible to travel to the USA when needed. This role will see this person work closely alongside the senior management to source the best talent and assist the team with onboarding and induction, making sure the whole candidate experience is thoroughly thought out.” The salary is up to £100,000 plus benefits and the position is based in London. For more information, email lara@corecruitment.com

 

Giggling Squid reports profitability has ‘remained robust’ and trading levels ‘holding up’, business well placed ‘to thrive’ in next year: Thai restaurant brand Giggling Squid has said profitability has “remained robust” and trading levels have “held up” in 2022. Co-founder Andy Laurillard said the business is well placed to thrive in the next year due to its “fantastic food and competitive pricing”. Laurillard argued many businesses in the sector “are not as well positioned and some will not survive the next 18 months” and neither will many retailers “occupying great quality high street locations”. He added: “We are well resourced and intend to continue our measured expansion as desirable sites become available in our target locations.” It comes as the 46-strong business, which is backed by BGF, reported company Ebitda of £11.1m for the year ending 3 April 2022 compared with £5.5m the year before. As previously reported by Propel, turnover broadly doubled to £65.9m, from £33.9m in the prior year, which also included lockdown closures. Pre-tax profit increased to £8.57m from £3.99m the year before. Like-for-like sales performance remained positive through the year as the company benefited from the structural increase in demand for food delivery services, the shift to working from home in the regions where Giggling Squid restaurants are predominantly located and from investments in kitchen peak order flow management made during lockdown. The company said it remains well financed and is looking to acquire top-quality restaurant and retail units nationwide. Last week, Laurillard told Propel that Giggling Squid plans to open another 20 sites over the next 18 months. He added: “It is clear the sector will face significant new challenges as we enter the economic downturn needed to bring inflation back under control. With discretionary expenditure under pressure, brands more than ever need a clear proposition to offer the customer great value. With our fantastic food, competitive pricing and position as the best Thai restaurant in pretty much every location we trade from, we are well placed to thrive over the coming year.”

 

Chopstix hits 100-store milestone with Kilburn opening: Fast-growing quick service restaurant brand Chopstix has hit the 100-store milestone with an opening in Kilburn, north west London. The site, at 118 Kilburn High Road, is also a seventh store for franchisees RMT. Chopstix co-founder Sam Elia said: “Hello Kilburn. Store number 100. Good luck RMT on your seventh franchised store.” Rob Burns, marketing director for Chopstix, added: “We’re so pleased to be opening a further Chopstix store in the London area to round off a successful year of new openings. We have such a loyal set of customers across London, and we can’t wait to give everyone a taste of Chopstix!” At last month’s Propel Multi-Club Conference, managing director Jon Lake said he expects to have commitments for 150 new stores by end of 2022 as Chopstix “accelerates” into franchising. The previous month, franchise director Aaron Moore-Saxton told the Restaurant & Takeaway Innovation Expo 2022 that the company sees a runway for 500-600 UK stores by 2028, and is on its way to becoming “the largest Asian-inspired quick service restaurant brand in Europe”.

JD Wetherspoon to close three further pubs: JD Wetherspoon has announced the closure of three further pubs. It comes on top of the 39 locations that could close after being put up for sale earlier this year. The Edmund Halley in Lewisham will shut its doors for the last time on 31 December while The Postal Order in Worcester will close on 9 January. In addition, The Willow Grove in Southport will close in early 2023, at some time before April, reports The Sun. The 39 other locations earmarked for sale will remain open and trading under the Wetherspoon brand until they are sold. In September, the chain confirmed that it was planning to sell 32 pubs. Last month, a further seven pubs were put up for sale.

 

Bancone closes crowdfunding campaign after raising more than £900,000 to support expansion plans: Bancone, the all-day fresh pasta concept led by Will Ellner and backed by David Ramsey and Jason Myers, has closed its campaign on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube after raising more than £900,000. The business launched the campaign earlier this month aiming to raise £700,000 to support its expansion plans. Bancone was offering 4.32% of equity, giving a pre-money valuation of £15,508,020. The campaign has now closed after raising £911,608 from 940 investors. Bancone launched in Covent Garden’s William IV Street in 2018 and opened its second site, in Soho’s Lower James Street, the following year. The company said: “We have honed our business model and are now set to expand in London, with sites potentially lined up in Borough, Battersea, Notting Hill and Shoreditch/City (dependent on amount raised). We’ve successfully survived covid and are now serving circa 4,500 customers per week at our popular Soho and Covent Garden restaurants, which now regularly turnover £110,000-£120,000 per week and have generated year-to-date sales (nine months) of £3.8m, which are ramping up (Ebitda £53,000). We’re extremely proud of our credentials as a Michelin endorsed restaurant group, and we believe we have created a scalable business and disruptive model, offering Michelin quality food at casual dining prices.”

Odeon owner pulls out of talks to take on Cineworld cinemas: Odeon owner AMC Entertainment has revealed it was in talks to buy cinemas from lenders for Cineworld before backing out. Shares in Cineworld slipped lower on Wednesday afternoon after the collapsed talks were confirmed in regulatory filings, reports Yahoo. Cineworld filed for bankruptcy protection in the US in September after being hit hard by weaker-than-expected summer audience numbers. The company is exploring strategic options to secure its future. Earlier this month, the group, which also operates the Picturehouse chain and runs 751 cinemas globally, said it plans to emerge from the bankruptcy intact and stressed it did not intend to auction off any parts of its business. It came after reports that Vue was considering a merger deal. On Wednesday, AMC posted documents which confirmed it was in talks to acquire “certain strategic theatre assets of Cineworld in the United States and Europe” with lenders for the company. “A definitive agreement with the lenders has not been reached regarding the terms of any proposal to be presented to the debtors in the Cineworld cases, and at this time negotiations are not continuing,” it added. 

Two Magpies to further explore evening dining, premium offering will ‘help get through leaner months’: Suffolk bakery Two Magpies is set to further explore evening dining as it gears up for rapid expansion over the coming years. Co-founder Steve Magnall said earlier this year he was seeking investment to triple the company’s seven-site estate and told Propel in August he sees potential for up to 50 sites in East Anglia. But he also sees further opportunity for growth in the company’s existing locations, which are dotted around the Suffolk and Norfolk coast. “There are opportunities in Norwich for evening casual dining, there are a few venues,” said Magnall. “But we could also be informal dining, so there’s actually further opportunities, it’s about how do I sweat the assets? At Holt, we have tried informal evening dining on a Friday and Saturday, and it’s kind of working, but we need to revisit what we’re doing as from a labour and cost point of view, two evenings a week doesn’t work for us.” Plans for its other existing locations include opening a satellite site at Southwold and using the same management team for both, as well as extending the hours at both Aldeburgh and Blakeney. Its last opening, in January 2022, has been “a roaring success” and one that Magnall sees as a template for future launches. “Woodbridge will do £1.2m this year, we could take loads of these sites,” he said. “I spent £110,000 and we took ten days to turn it around – it’s the best spend I’ve ever done. We’re quite good at turning sites around quickly if the layout is reasonably okay.” Magnall also believes his company’s premium offering will help prepare it for the worst of what the recession will bring. “Like all things, covid was great for opportunities, just as this recession we’re going into will be a great opportunity for businesses,” he said. “In earnings terms, 74% of our customers earn more than £50,000, 22% are on £150,000-plus and 12% £100,000 on top of that, so we’ve got high net worth individuals that spend with us. So, from a premiumisation and protection point of view, we stand a better chance going through the leaner months.”

 

Douglas Jack cuts Ebitda forecasts at Revolution Bars Group by average of 13% due to strikes and added costs: Peel Hunt leisure analyst Douglas Jack has cut Ebitda (IFRS 16) forecasts at Revolution Bars Group by an average of 13% due to the ongoing rail strikes and cost pressures the business faces. Issuing a “Buy” note on the shares with a target price of 20p, down from 35p, Jack said: “Like-for-like sales were minus 9% in the first quarter of the 2023 financial year (versus 2019) due to the return to holidays, and rail/tube strike disruption. Christmas bookings were ‘building nicely’, but we believe city centre operators have been disproportionately affected by the train strikes during the key trading period leading up to Christmas. Due to the ongoing strikes, recent cold weather and the National Living Wage rising by 9.7% (higher than expected), we are cutting our Ebitda (IFRS 16) forecasts by an average of 13%.” Jack forecasts Ebitda in 2023 will now be £17.9m instead of £20.8m, £20.5m rather than £23.5m in 2024 and £22.3m instead of £25.1m in 2025. Jack said: “Revolution Bars Group was debt-free at the beginning of the financial year, and has subsequently acquired Peach Pub Company to create a more balanced and diversified estate. Nevertheless, the current cost headwinds facing the sector are too great to offset in the absence of very strong like-for-like sales growth. Our revised 20p target price equates to eight times EV/Ebitda (2024E; IAS 17). In our view, the potential recovery in hospitality valuations should be significant when the cost and interest rate outlook improves. However, with limited government support and the train strikes continuing into the new year, we expect sector forecasts, and on trade supply, to remain under pressure in the short term.” 

 

Beavertown reports strong recovery from pandemic as turnover soars to £65m, returns to profit: London brewer Beavertown has reported turnover increased to £65,102,526 for the year ending 31 March 2022 compared with £26,635,093 the previous year as the business builds back from the pandemic. In the year ending 31 March 2020 when the final month of trade was curtailed by the start of the pandemic, the business turned over £35,161,896. The company, which also operates the Corner Pin pub in Tottenham, saw Ebitda recover to positive £9.6m from a loss of £0.7m the previous year. It made a pre-tax profit of £6,642,892 compared with a loss of £3,580,612 the year before (2020: profit of £1,145,027). In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “Covid-19 removed 84% of the business overnight in March 2020. Late spring and summer 2021 saw a gradual reopening of hospitality venues; however, the festive season trade was depressed due to the Omicron variant and vaccination roll out. New relationships with national on-trade pub groups and distributors were in place pre-pandemic, but growth in these channels only started in earnest in late summer 2021. Volume growth year-on-year was 104%, well ahead of the craft beer market, which was up 21%.” The business did not receive any government grants during the period (2021: £275,043). In September, Heineken purchased the remaining shares in Beavertown to take full ownership with founder Logan Plant stepping down as chief executive and assuming an advisory role. Heineken UK purchased a minority share in Beavertown in 2018 and since then has invested significantly, developing a new state-of-the-art brewery in north London. Beavertown continues to be operated separately to Heineken UK with its own functional teams, including sales, marketing, brewing and wider existing teams.

 

L’Eto Caffe secures Mayfair site: L’Eto Caffe, the upscale international restaurant and cafe brand, has secured a new site in central London, in Mayfair. The business, which was founded by Artem Login, has secured a site in South Molton Street for what will be his sixth opening in the capital. The company, which launched in the UK in 2011, also operates circa 35 L’Eto sites across the Middle East and My & Sanne in Brompton Road, Knightsbridge. George Collison, of Savills, acted on the Mayfair deal. 

 

Adventure golf operator sells Nottingham development site to Skegness leisure company to focus on operations in and around London: Adventure Experience, the five-strong adventure golf operator, has sold its development site in Nottingham to focus on its operations in and around London. The site has been bought by Skegness leisure and entertainment operator, Teen Spirit. The development will be built at Stockhill Park at the junction of the A610 Nuthall Road and Stockhill Lane, midway between junction 26 of the M1 and Nottingham city centre. Planning and full design is in place for an 18-hole adventure golf centre, with a former pavilion building to be refurbished as a retail kiosk, together with car parking. As part of the deal, Teen Spirit has signed a new 25-year lease with Nottingham City Council, with construction due to start early in 2023. Scott Sinclair, managing director of Adventure Experience, said: “Following the opening of our latest Jurassic Island adventure golf centre in Harrow this summer and with the remainder of our portfolio being located in and around the M25, we took the strategic decision to focus our activities in the south of the country.” Adventure Experience also operates Pirate Cove in Greenhithe, Kent; Jurassic Falls in Waltham Forest, London; Dinosaur Escape in Northolt, London; and Dinosaur Safari in Borhamwood, Hertfordshire. Director of Teen Spirit, Charlton Cooper, added: “Our current portfolio of businesses is focused on coastal locations. The opportunity to grow the adventure golf business and incorporate a more suburban concept with a fantastic catchment, and with planning already in place, fitted our plans perfectly.” Christie & Co acted on the deal.

 

Ready Burger turns remaining site into a dark kitchen: Ready Burger, the plant-based restaurant concept founded by boxer Anthony Joshua’s former personal chef, has converted its remaining site in London’s Crouch End into a dark kitchen. The business, which last summer closed a campaign on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube after raising £2m, has converted the site in Park Road for delivery only. The company has also closed its Finchley Road store and is looking to move location. The business – founded by Adam Clark, who worked for Joshua during five of his world title fights, and entrepreneur Max Miller – said: “We have our sights set on Kentish Town. This will allow delivery to as many of the same postcodes and get Ready Burger back available to you all as quickly as we can.” Last summer, the business mooted an opening in Camden and expansion out of the capital via a franchise model.

Chef Alex Bond opens ‘upmarket fried chicken restaurant’ in Nottingham’, eyes further roll-out: Alex Bond, chef patron of Michelin-starred restaurant Alchemilla in Nottingham, has opened an “upmarket fried chicken restaurant” in the city and plans a further roll-out of the concept. Propel reported in August that Mollis was set to open in a former Chinese restaurant called One More in Derby Road, next door to Alchemilla, offering “good fried chicken, hip-hop beats and soft service ice cream”.  Bond told Nottingham Live. “We wanted to do something that was more casual, and with this being next door, if it didn’t happen here then it wouldn’t happen anywhere. It seemed to make sense, and I love fried chicken and soft-serve ice cream, so I wanted to do something with those things. It’s another side of what I do as life doesn't revolve around fine dining. It needs time to settle itself in, but I don’t see why it couldn’t be rolled out. Alchemilla couldn’t go anywhere else as I couldn't replicate it, because it just wouldn’t work. When it comes to Mollis, whatever place you are in, you could put together a local team there.”

 

Cornish hotel owners acquire Newquay holiday resort: The owners of The Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall have acquired a nearby resort for an undisclosed sum. The company has bought the Sands Resort in Porth, with plans to expand its capacity in the new year. The hotel’s owners said they were looking to add 24 new guest lodges to the 11-acre site, which is around a mile-and-a-half along the north Cornish coast from its Newquay property. The Sands Resort, which currently offers 72 beds and a three-star hotel close to Newquay and Porth beach, will remain open throughout the planned redevelopment on site in 2023. It will be operated by The Watergate Bay Hotel’s self-catering holiday brand Beach Retreats. Its new owners said guests would have access to “high-end leisure facilities”, while there would also be collaboration with local food, drink and entertainment businesses on pop-up and regular events. Will Ashworth, chief executive of Watergate Bay Hotel, said: “The domestic tourism market is changing. Following the seismic shift of 2020-21, many self-catering holidaymakers want more from their coastal breaks than solitude and similarity – but to date it’s a demand that has not truly been met in this sector.” He added the business would “look beyond the seasonal holiday market to drive year-round demand”. The deal comes as Sands Resort founder Nicholas Malcolm retires from the hospitality trade after running the site for 45 years.

 

Rockwater Branksome plans approved: Rockwater Group, the Luke Davis-led business, has been granted approval to turn Branksome Beach café in Dorset into a second Rockwater Village development. Despite objections to the plans, the business, which opened Rockwater Hove at the end of 2020 after a £4m investment, has now received approval for the Branksome development from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. In January, the team behind Rockwater, which operates the three-storey food and beverage destination and community hub in Hove, confirmed it would open similar ventures in Dorset. It intends to turn restaurants and kiosks at Sandbanks and Branksome Beach into Rockwater Villages. The company said the two prime seafront sites will help drive tourist footfall. It is preparing to spend £12m between the Branksome project and the similar proposal at Sandbanks.

 

Japes secures second London site: Deep dish pizza concept Japes has secured its second site in London, in Greenwich. The business has taken over the former Buenos Aires Café in Nelson Road. Jovana Kostadinovic and Aleksandar Aleksic opened the debut Japes in December 2018 in Soho and claim it was the first Chicago-style pizza restaurant to open in the UK. They took over the former Firezza site in Dean Street. Adam Bowers, of onepoint2, acted on the Greenwich deal.

 

Birmingham hotel management company reports sites exceeding pre-pandemic sales figures amid increased demand: Birmingham hotel management company, Switch Hospitality, has said its West Midlands hotel portfolio is recovering well post covid-19. The group said its venues – Park Regis in Birmingham and the Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South – are exceeding 2019 sales figures. At Park Regis, occupancy levels have recovered, with a 5% increase in visitors from January to November 2022, compared with the same period in 2019. Switch said this has occurred against a backdrop of a 7.3% decline in occupancy across 2022 for Birmingham as a whole. Christmas covers at Park Regis have increased by 48% compared with 2019, with a strong demand from both corporate guests and visitors. The increased demand for corporate bookings and conferences has meant Switch Hospitality has seen its average day rate for Park Regis grow by 16% in 2022, compared with 2019, and Holiday Inn Express Birmingham South increasing by 22%. Park Regis is expected to grow its total revenue for the financial year April 2022 to March 2023 by 41% compared with 2019. John Angus, chief executive at Switch Hospitality, said: “It’s been an exceptional year for our West Midlands hotels, and hugely encouraging to see the strength of demand from corporate bookings as well as our leisure visitors.”

 

African better burger brand opens second UK site: African better burger brand Dooh Ponto has opened its second UK site, a delivery-only location in Edmonton, north London. Founded in Angola in 2016 by former communications engineer Helivelton Francisco, Dooh Ponto has since grown to more than 20 locations in five countries – including South Africa, Mozambique and DR Congo. Its first UK site opened at 6 High Street in Harrow, north west London, in August, through a franchise agreement with The Linden Group.

 

New high-end restaurant and bar to open in Burton: A new high-end restaurant and bar is opening in Burton today (Thursday, 22 December). Nathan Dawe, who is a DJ and was born in the Staffordshire town, is launching Isabel’s Restaurant and Bar in Station Street. The 1,201 square-foot site, which is named after Dawe’s late grandmother, will offer cocktails, food and music. Ruston Hickman acted on the deal.