Marugame Udon plans to grow to 25 sites by year end as it lines up second regional site: International udon noodles and tempura restaurant brand Marugame Udon plans to more than double its estate in the UK in 2023, to reach 25 sites by the year end, Propel understands. The business, which is a European joint venture backed by Capdesia and Toridoll (the brand owner), will open its tenth site here, in March, in The Strand. It will follow this up with its second transport hub opening in Liverpool Street station, and its first regional site in Reading, on the former Pizza Hut unit at The Oracle scheme. Propel understands the Keith Bird-led business has also lined up its second regional site, after securing the ex-Carluccio’s restaurant in Milton Keynes. It is also understood to be in legals on a number of other sites both in and outside London. Last month, the business opened its first west London site, in Kensington Arcade, and its first UK transport hub site at London’s Waterloo station, which came complete with its first breakfast offer. In December, Propel revealed Marugame Udon had secured further support from its existing backers to accelerate its growth in the UK and Europe. The business opened its first site here near Liverpool Street, in the City of London, in July 2021. It is thought the extra funding comes off the back of good trading across the brand’s initial openings in the UK, despite the challenging trading environment. In October, the business unveiled plans to open 150 kitchens across Europe by 2027. The sites will comprise a mix of company-owned and franchise kitchens as the brand starts to engage with potential partners for multi-unit franchise opportunities. Richard Brown, of RAB Retail, acts for Marugame Udon.

 

Next edition of The New Openings Database to be released today, to show details on 266 new sites, 12,700-word report included: The next edition of The New Openings Database will show the details of 266 newly announced site openings and upcoming launches for Premium subscribers when it is published today (Friday, 3 February), at midday. It includes which company has opened a site or its plans to open one in the future. It will have details on what type of site it is and its location, and there will also be a website link to the businesses. The database is published on a monthly basis, and the next edition features growing restaurant and bar brands, niche cuisine, and expanding experiential concepts. Premium subscribers will also receive a 12,700-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium subscribers also receive access to four other databases: the Propel Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; and the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage, which was sent to Premium subscribers for the first time last week. 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 Friday Wrap interviews and 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. In this week’s Premium Opinion, which will be sent to subscribers at 5pm today, he explores TriSpan’s investment in Mowgli and what it means for the Indian street food concept, its new stablemates, the market and its new investor, plus a look at news that Stonegate Pub Group may finally look to trim its Ei Group estate. 

 

Cattle and pig prices at historic high, pressure on supply of lamb shanks: Cattle prices ended 2022 at a historic high, according to analysis by catering butcher Birtwistles. Its latest market report showed in the four weeks to 31 December 2022, average prices for all prime cattle were slightly above the previous period at 442.6p/kg. In the final week of the period, and year, prices peaked at 448.1p/kg, the highest since records began in 2014. For the week ending 14 January 2023, pig prices increased 1.65p to stand at 201.85p/kg, a new record. Meanwhile, lamb prices have eased on the highs seen last year, but remain around 15% above the five-year average. The report stated: “Tight supplies are keeping prices supported as we enter winter peak demand with a notable demand for lamb shanks. Producers are choosing to export whole legs saving on production costs and taking advantage of a buoyant demand in the EU, and this means we will see lamb shanks in particular as the one cut, and the most popular during the colder months, become missing from the market for a period of time.” The report added duck legs and breasts are again starting to be in short supply from France as demand has picked up.

 

Like-for-like sales up 4.1% in January driven by bounce in London: Monthly like-for-like sales in hospitality were up 4.1% compared with January 2022, the majority of which was driven by a 15.2% bounce in London, according to data from S4labour, the people, productivity and payroll system. It said rising prices over the last 12 months have impacted raw sales data. Although sales figures are increasing, these numbers lag behind inflation, which in real terms, will be a decline for some operators, particularly those outside of London. Richard Hartley, chief innovation officer, added: “The figures aren’t adjusted for inflation, so we’d naturally expect to see some level of bounce. The capital took a lot longer to recover as we came out of Omicron, so last year’s figures act as a low basepoint. This reality goes a long way towards explaining why the 2023 numbers look better than they are.”

 

Sector more productive than pre-pandemic as hours worked growing at faster rate than overall headcounts: The number of hours staff are collectively working is growing at a faster rate than overall headcounts, according to new research. The findings by software provider Fourth revealed overall headcounts in December 2022 were 5% higher compared with 2021 but were 11% lower than in 2019. The hours worked in 2022 were 15% higher than 2021, but 14% lower than in 2019. This indicates pubs and restaurants are being more efficient and getting more from their teams, Fourth said. The figures may also be reflective of hospitality businesses being forced to adapt their opening hours to help them cope with pressures related to soaring energy costs and inflation, Fourth added. Fourth’s findings also reveal staff in hospitality were more productive in December 2022. Fourth’s spend per labour hour metric, which shows productivity by calculating total sales and dividing this by hours worked, was £42.69 in December, compared with £38.13 in 2021 and £37.10 in 2019. Meanwhile, the findings showed pubs and restaurants saw their best festive season for three years, but sales figures are still yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Combined sales between pubs and restaurants in December were up by 28% compared with 2021 boosted by the FIFA World Cup as well as it being the first Christmas without trading restrictions since 2019. However, sales were 1% down when set against 2019, and when inflation and price rises are considered, it indicates hospitality is still some way behind pre-pandemic levels, echoing the findings from the latest Coffer CGA Business Tracker. Restaurants sales were 2% higher in December 2022 than 2019 but were down in both November (by 5%) and October (by 2%) when compared with three years ago. Pub sales were 30% up compared with December 2021 but 8% down against December 2019. The best sales days of the month were across the first two weekends. New Year’s Eve was a success for the trade, with pubs seeing sales up 39% compared with 2021 and 1% versus 2019. Restaurant sales were up 38% compared with 2021 and 4% against 2019. 

 

NTIA – government’s economic plan does not deal with the immediate sector crisis: The government’s economic plan does not deal with the immediate sector crisis, the Night Time Industries Association has warned. Chief executive Michael Kill said: “This country is being brought to a standstill, with more than 500,000 workers on strike this week. The government cannot ignore the growing frustration and anger, not only from the UK-wide workforce, but the millions of businesses across the country that have been hammered by industrial action, inflation and the subsequent cost-of-living crisis. Our sector is predicted to lose more than £100m in revenue because of this week’s industrial action alone. We cannot emphasise enough that this industry will not survive further austerity, or crises. We are dealing with an immediate issue, which will not be resolved by a government that is focused on long-term strategic planning for investment and growth in the next three, six, 12 months. Can the government not see that these businesses will not be here to benefit?”

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with an international hospitality and food retail business that is looking for an e-commerce manager. The position offers hybrid working with some national and international travel required. A COREcruitment spokesman said: “Your key responsibilities will be to develop the e-commerce distribution channel via the consumer digital journey, innovate and manage seamless execution of that vision for future growth, expanding the company’s digital presence throughout the group to become the leader in the market. The ideal candidate will have experience as an e-commerce manager with three to five years of e-commerce/business to consumer experience.” The salary is up to £65,000 and the position is based in London. For more information, email abbie@corecruitment.com

 

Jamie Oliver set to make Germany debut: Chef Jamie Oliver is set to open his debut site in Germany after signing a franchise agreement for the country. Jamie Oliver Restaurants – which operates circa 100 sites across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and South America – has signed an agreement with BMB Gruppe. Established in 2003, BMB Gruppe has more than 30 hospitality outlets in Berlin offering a range of dining experiences. It is planning to launch a Jamie Oliver Kitchen as its first franchise site in Berlin this summer. Jamie Oliver Restaurants has a growing portfolio of eight franchised formats – Jamie Oliver Kitchen, Jamie’s Italian, Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria, Jamie’s Deli, Chequer Lane, Jamie Oliver’s Diner, Barbecoa and the experiential Jamie Oliver Cookery School – and BMB said it intends to explore the full range of the company’s brands in the coming years. Ed Loftus, restaurant group director, Jamie Oliver Restaurants, told Foodservice Germany: “I look forward to rolling out our Jamie Oliver Restaurant brands across the Berlin and Brandenburg region with BMB Gruppe, with the first location being the Jamie Oliver Kitchen concept. The future is looking bright for further growth across Europe, too.” Mirko Nikolitsch, managing director, BMB Gruppe, added: “There is a fantastic fit between our two businesses — we have a shared ethos of offering amazing quality restaurant services. We are so excited to launch a Jamie Oliver Kitchen this year, it will be a great addition to Berlin’s restaurant scene and just the start of where we see ourselves going with Jamie Oliver Restaurants.”

 

Escapism Bar Group plans Manchester opening for Mean-Eyed Cat bar concept: Escapism Bar Group, the Leeds bar business founded in 2004 by husband-and-wife team Phil and Mel Harrison, is lining up a third opening for its Mean-Eyed Cat bar concept, in Manchester, Propel has learned. Escapism Bar Group is understood to be planning an opening in Oldham Street, in the Piccadilly area of Manchester. The business will open its first site outside its home city, in Liverpool, on Friday, 24 February. The company will open the second site under its Mean-Eyed Cat bar concept in Seel Street. The original Mean-Eyed Cat Bar opened in Merrion Street in Leeds, in 2004. The concept is described as a “dive bar inspired by rock’n’roll legend Johnny Cash”. The bar offers free homemade pizzas with every drink ordered before 9pm, an array of cocktails and a fun dice game – where customers can roll the dice for the chance to win a free round. Escapism Bar Group operates a further six sites in Leeds including Call Lane Social, Cuckoo and the Brooklyn Bar.

 

Moscow restaurateur plans second London site for high-end pizzeria concept: Bocconcino Pizzeria, the high-end pizzeria concept led by Moscow restaurateur Mikhail Gokhner, is planning to open a second site in central London. Propel understands that Bocconcino Pizzeria plans to open on the ex-Barclays Bank site at 366-368 The Strand. The concept made its debut in the UK in November 2014, in London’s Mayfair at 19 Berkeley Street. Inspired by the quality pizza and Italian cuisine Gokhner experienced in Forte dei Marmi, a seaside town in northern Tuscany, Bocconcino Pizzeria specialises in authentic wood-fired pizzas and freshly made pasta dishes featuring premium, seasonal ingredients. Gokner previously said: “Bocconcino Pizzeria is founded upon the finest Italian traditions – first class service, the best quality fresh ingredients and classic Italian dishes, presented here in an elegant and contemporary dining environment.”

 

Historical theme park operator Puy du Fou eyes UK for its next destination: Historical theme park operator Puy du Fou is looking for a site of up to 400 acres in central England for its debut attraction in the UK. The award-winning business has instructed Savills as it looks to secure its first UK site. The international shows and theme park operator is looking for a 300 to 400 acre site in central England, preferably within a 40-mile radius of Oxford. Created in western France in 1977, it has grown to become France’s second most visited theme park. It has twice been named best theme park in the world. Last June, Puy du Fou was rated the number one theme park worldwide by visitors in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice ranking. The company is seeking to develop a number of sites across the world and the UK is one of the key destinations “attracted by Britain’s extensive and interesting history on which the shows will be based”. Ian Simpson, head of the leisure and trade-related team at Savills, said: “Puy du Fou is an incredibly popular interactive visitor attraction that centres its shows on a country’s unique history. The operator has been attracted to the UK because of the richness and depth of British history and culture and we are delighted to support the group in its search. In recent years we have seen the popularity of experiential and immersive visitor attractions grow in the UK and with the UK’s extensive history, this will add a unique experience for the British public.”

 

London pub operator Whelan’s acquires ninth site, seeking further locations across south east: London pub operator Whelan’s Pubs has acquired its ninth site and is seeking further locations across the south east. The Austin Whelan-led company has opened The Fox in Palmers Green, which is also its sixth pub with Heineken-owned Star Pubs & Bars, following a joint £1.35m refurbishment. The revamp of The Fox is the largest joint investment Star Pubs & Bars has made outside of central London and has created 20 jobs. The pub, which is listed as an asset of community value and featured in the film Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, has been closed since 2018. The investment has transformed it into a “premium local” with a traditional bar, a spacious dining area and a large lounge that converts into a private function room, complete with its own bar, for up to 120 people. A new kitchen produces a menu focusing on pub classics such as fish and chips, sausages and mash and Sunday roasts, while drinks range from craft and cask beer to barista-quality coffee. It also shows live sports on nine screens in the function room. Austin Whelan, director of Whelan’s Pubs, said: “We always like to invest in new sites, and pubs have to move with the times to succeed. Despite the tough economic climate, we remain positive about the future. Our experience is that people still want a more premium offer and are prepared to pay for it. Palmers Green has excellent demographics and is crying out for a quality local.” Tim Galligan, Star Pubs & Bars’ operations director, added: “Whelan’s has a strong track record of running superb locals and is the ideal partner for such a major development.” 

 

Neds Noodle Bar rolls out staff profit-sharing scheme, has funds for new sites but seeking right locations: London noodle concept Neds Noodle Bar is rolling out a staff profit-sharing scheme across its six sites following a successful trial, Propel has learned. Neds – which operates two sites in London as well as locations in Basildon, Oxford, Milton Keynes and Southampton (its first franchise site) – introduced the scheme in its Oxford branch six months ago and is now extending it to its other restaurants. Co-founder Roberto Marroni told Propel. “It pays out every quarter, and the first quarter saw our staff in Oxford share £1,700. We used to do target bonuses but we had problems in that people could reach their targets and still be losing money, while others would reach their target and then stop making the effort. But profit-sharing will help staff understand the basics of business and what needs to be done to make sure no sales are lost.” Neds also paid its staff an extra cost-of-living bonus in December rather than hold a Christmas party, as well as increasing employee discounts to 50% and introducing a family and friends discount at the same level. Staff can also access a free financial literacy course and a peer support group and have financial open hours with a senior manager or director. “There was little enthusiasm for a Christmas party, so we invested what it would have cost back into their pay packets,” Marroni said. In October, Propel revealed that Neds was trialling robotic chefs in its South Bank site to help combat staff shortages. Although they are still just present in the one kitchen, Marroni still plans to roll the robots out too. “The staff are all trained with them and the guests love them,” he said. Marroni said the company, which is looking to expand through a mix of franchise and corporate stores, has funds for two new sites from cash flow but is waiting for the right locations to become available. He added trading is “good”, with only one site having not recovered from covid, but which had just enjoyed it best week since the lockdowns. “All other sites are back to pre-pandemic levels,” he added. “Our price point is really good.”

 

Little Door & Co reports record-breaking Christmas trading: House-party inspired late-night bar and restaurant concept, Little Door & Co, has reported a record-breaking Christmas, with overall revenue up by 116% throughout December 2022. More than £1.3m of sales was recorded across the four-strong group, with the company’s only central London venue, The Little Scarlet Door in Soho, accounting for more than £500,000 in sales alone. Propel understands that Little Door & Co is looking to add to its portfolio. Co-founder and director Kamran Dehdashti said: “We’re delighted with the company’s performance this Christmas, not only in terms of the financial results, but with the quality of the events we hosted and incredible customer reviews received throughout the period. It’s a testament to the strength of the brand and our team’s exceptional operational performance.” Co-founder and director Jamie Hazeel added: “The Christmas season is such an important financial event for businesses like ours, and losing out on it two years in a row due to various covid related factors was a real blow. To have enjoyed such wholeheartedly fantastic results this year, and to be looking at more than double 2021’s figures, is brilliant – especially having gone through the separate challenge of rail strikes!” Little Door & Co started out as a pop-up in 2014 and consists of four sites: The Little Yellow Door in Notting Hill; The Little Blue Door in Fulham; The Little Orange Door in Clapham; and The Little Scarlet Door in the newly redeveloped, multi-use Ilona Rose House in Soho’s Greek Street.

 

Hero Brands appoints new franchise director to grow brand portfolio: Hero Brands – the company behind German Doner Kebab, Choppaluna and Island Poké – has appointed Nil Naik as its new franchise director. Naik has more than 20 years’ experience in franchise sales and operations, working across a variety of franchise models including brands such as Domino’s Pizza, Papa John’s, Chaiiwala and Coffee Republic. Hero Brands said Naik will play a pivotal role in developing and implementing the growth strategy of the group and will work closely with Choppaluna co-founder Nikras Agha, aiding with franchise sales acquisition strategies for the food-to-go salad concept. Following its London Bloomsbury and Berlin restaurants, the concept is forging ahead with plans to open a number of new restaurants across the UK in the coming year. German Doner Kebab is also forging ahead with expansion plans in the UK and globally, with 700 franchisees already signed-up to its growth strategy. Recent growth in the group portfolio includes partnering with the Sidemen – the global YouTube collective – to launch chicken brand Sides. Hero Brands’ estate also consists of Island Poké and New York City-inspired food and cocktail concept Dirty Bones. Jon Cullen, chief development officer global at Hero Brands, said: “Nil brings a wealth of international franchising experience with world leading brands and his knowledge will be invaluable as we look to build on our tremendous growth, and work to complete a number of key acquisitions in the near future.”

 

Donald Trump’s Scottish golf courses see losses nearly treble to almost £15m despite flagship Turnberry resort returning to pre-covid levels of trading: Donald Trump’s Scottish golf courses saw losses nearly treble to almost £15m, despite its flagship Turnberry resort returning to pre-covid levels of trade since reopening. Accounts for Trump Turnberry’s parent company, Golf Recreation Scotland, showed turnover increased to £13,120,845 for the year ending 31 December 2021, compared with £6,727,548 the year before. Prior to the pandemic, the business was turning over £19,667,000. Pre-tax losses rose to £14,728,056 from £5,294,876 the previous year (2019: loss of £6,781,000). In November 2021, the company decided to exit its long-term hotel franchise agreement with a third-party provider, which resulted in a payment of £2,197,696 being made. In his report accompanying the accounts, director Eric Trump stated: “The group successfully navigated the significant impact of covid-19. The property was closed for the first three months of FY2021 due to the ongoing impact of covid-19 and operational and travel restrictions imposed by the UK government. The property reopened in April 2021 and has returned to pre-covid levels of trading since. Upon reopening, there was a significant increase in ‘staycation’ bookings driven by the outbound travel restrictions in place during that period. Ownership remains fully committed to the resort and future plans are set to enhance the resort further.” The business received government grants of £932,554 (2020: £2,197,696). No dividend was paid (2020: nil).

 

Island Poke to open in Portobello Road, linked to Newcastle opening: Island Poké, the White Rabbit Projects and Hero Brands-backed business, is to further increase its presence in London next month with its 15th opening in the capital, in Notting Hill. The company will open on the former Santander site at 174 Portobello Road on Saturday, 4 March, complete with a newly created limited-edition Portobello poké bowl. Island Poké founder James Gould-Porter said: “Opening in the iconic Portobello Road has always been a goal of mine for the brand and I’m excited about the opportunity we’ll have to embed ourselves in the local community, bringing our fresh Pacific flavours to even more people in London.” Hemanth Bollini, Island Poké’s largest franchise partner, added: “This will be my fourth Island Poké that I’ve opened with the team and couldn’t ask for a better location than Portobello Road.” Propel also understands Island Poké is looking to open in the former Pret site opposite Newcastle’s Monument, which had been previously linked to becoming a Gloria Jean’s Coffee, for what will be its debut in the north east. Last October, Island Poké appointed Nicolas Barnoin as its new managing director. The former Itsu and Byron executive was appointed to work closely with Gould-Porter, to grow the business and its network of franchise partners to establish the brand as “a fast-growing success story”. It said it had already sold more than 80 locations across the UK due to open over the next five years, with debuts in Cambridge, Birmingham, Bristol and Scotland lined up, plus a further 150 potential locations identified yet to be sold.

 

The Breakfast Group to launch underground bar Lucy Wong: The Breakfast Group, the Eric Yu-founded restaurant and bar company, will launch its latest bar opening in central London, Lucy Wong, later this month. Opening on Thursday, 23 February, in Fitzrovia, Lucy Wong is described as an “eclectic underground cocktail bar with a hidden outdoor terrace in the heart of central London”. A tribute to the 1957 novel “The World of Suzie Wong” by Richard Mason, the new location in Rathbone Place is inspired by the book’s setting of Hong Kong in the 1950’s, while featuring a nod to later eras of Yu’s own memories of growing up in Hong Kong. It will become the group’s ninth site in the capital. Yu said, “Lucy Wong will be an exciting launch for us in London – a new style and concept for our bars and restaurants and a site that is very special for me. It’s a tribute to my mother and allows me to tell my story of growing up in Hong Kong. The cocktails will be simply amazing, with Dré Masso providing his expertise.”

 

Alfa Leisureplex Group acquires Bournemouth site from Peel Hotels: Alfa Leisureplex Group has acquired The Norfolk Royale in Bournemouth from Peel Hotels for an undisclosed sum. The four-star property, which is the former home of the Duke of Norfolk, will join Alfa Leisureplex Group on Monday, 3 April, and is its 22nd site. The 95-bedroom hotel has undergone a multimillion-pound refurbishment programme in recent years. Emma Russell, managing director of Alfa Leisureplex Group, said: “After the sale of our hotel in Bournemouth in 2021, we have now found the perfect replacement. Bournemouth is an extremely popular resort with our holidaymakers, so we are delighted to welcome the Norfolk Royale to the group. This purchase, along with a multimillion-pound refurbishment programme across our existing hotel estate and the imminent arrival of seven new 2023 plate Mercedes Tourismo touring coaches, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing our guests with quality, value for money holidays.”

 

Operators invest in artificial intelligence driven carbon analytics platform to tackle growing energy and climate crises: Burger King, French brasserie Côte and Fridays have invested in an artificial intelligence driven, live carbon analytics platform to deliver carbon and cost reductions across all their outlets in the UK and Ireland. Further forum members including State of Play and McMullen’s are also planning to harness the platform from social enterprise and Zero Carbon Forum founder, Zero Carbon Services. The tailored analytics platform will enable operators to instantly identify energy waste, take control of their consumption and deliver much needed cost and carbon savings.  The live carbon analytics dashboard displays bespoke and actionable insights to help organisations identify and eliminate carbon inefficiencies, accelerating the progress to net zero emissions. Its artificial intelligence driven insights engine also automatically uncovers and alerts users to emerging usage trends hidden within their data so remedial action can be taken. As part of the programme, operations teams can be assigned dedicated “carbon coaches” for training and on and off-site support and assistance with reporting on high wastage sites, identifying key causes, help with remedial actions and benchmark performance. 

Buzzworks launches workforce well-being platform: Scottish restaurant and bar operator Buzzworks Holdings has launched a digital well-being platform offering its staff tools to help with their mental, physical and financial wellness. The Buzzworks Wellbeing Hub offers employees online access to fully tailored services such as exercise videos, nutritional recipes, money guides and a collection of mindfulness and meditation audios. This comes on top of the company’s “employee promise”, which already offers the team discounted gym memberships, flexible working, well-being days and access to an employee assistance programme. Nicola Watt, head of people at Buzzworks Holdings, said: “The success of our business is built on the hard work and dedication of our team, and we recognise the importance of ensuring our people are well looked after.” The new hub provides a combination of resources across four different categories – move, munch, money and mind. While “move” helps team members to reach their fitness goals, “munch” provides nutritional information across hundreds of recipes. “Money” allows staff to access expert guides to improve their financial well-being and “mind” collates tools to reduce stress, increase productivity and improve sleep. Buzzworks operates 15 venues across Scotland, alongside the three-strong Herringbone business it acquired last year.

Michelin-starred chef Akira Back to open four concepts at new Mayfair hotel for UK debut: Michelin-starred chef Akira Back has revealed further details of his forthcoming opening at the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, with four concepts set to open at the new London hotel. The openings will mark the UK debut for Back, whose restaurant Dosa in Seoul, South Korea, was awarded a Michelin star in 2018. Back will be responsible for all of the food and beverage offerings in two restaurants, a lounge and a rooftop experience. The concepts will include his eponymous restaurant, with dishes inspired by his Korean heritage and his modern interpretation of Japanese cuisine. Comprising 148 seats, including three private dining rooms, this will be the largest outlet in the hotel. Back is also bringing Dosa to the hotel, offering the “ultimate culinary theatre experience” with contemporary Korean dishes served in a 14-seater counter-style setting, “using seasonal ingredients and cutting-edge techniques”. The ABar Lounge will be a cocktail bar with live DJs performing in the evenings, while, the ABar Rooftop will offer “a choice of epicurean delights, Asian influenced cocktails and panoramic views over London”. The former professional snowboarder turned Michelin-starred chef, has a variety of restaurants including in Paris, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, Dubai, Seoul and Singapore. The hotel in Hanover Square will have 50 guest rooms and 77 private residences when it opens this spring and is a second London site for Mandarin Oriental Group.

 

House of Gods to open second site in May: Boutique hotel brand House of Gods, which is backed by Imbiba, will open its second site in May, in Glasgow. The company, which was founded by brothers Mike and Ross Baxter in September 2019 and opened its Edinburgh property that year, is set to open a 31-bedroom venue in Glasgow’s Glassford Street. The owners originally planned to open in Glasgow in autumn 2022, but after being subject to several post-lockdown delays, are now looking at an opening in late May. If all goes according to plan, the Baxters will also open a third location in Manchester in the late summer. Mike Baxter told The Scotsman: “Edinburgh happened very organically, so we’ve created Glasgow with the benefit of knowledge and experience. It’ll be the next level of House of Gods.” Baxter said the new site will feature “Prosecco buzzers” in every room. In summer 2021, Imbiba invested an additional £5m in House of Gods as part of a £9.8m package to expand its offering, including two new sites. House of Gods also secured a £4.8m loan from OakNorth Bank. The funds are helping the Baxters create the two, four-star, boutique hotels in Manchester and Glasgow, and launch “new destination restaurant” Casablanca Cocktail Club, with the first launched at the Edinburgh site and the intention of further expanding the brand to other UK cities.

Aqua Restaurant Group global executive director to launch Mexican concept: Tony Geary, global executive director at Aqua Restaurant Group, and Yahir Gonzalez, previously executive chef at Aqua Nueva, have joined forces to launch a Mexican concept. The duo are launching restaurant and bar Zapote in London’s Shoreditch. The venue will open in the former St Leonards restaurant premises in Leonard Street on Wednesday (8 February). The 65-cover venue will feature an open charcoal grill along with a cocktail bar with a private dining room to follow. Gonzalez, who hails from the city of Aguascalientes but relocated to London in 2010, will be serving traditional Mexican fare with creative twists. Dishes will include seabass aguachile, fennel, dill and cucumber; and beef tartare taco with roasted bone marrow. The cocktail bar will offer an all-day menu with snacking plates – such as crispy pork skin with pico de gallo or whitebait and habanero alioli – but the full restaurant menu will also be available. The drinks will include a European-focused wine list, including organic, biodynamic and skin-contact options, along with cocktails featuring tequila and mezcal, reports Hot Dinners.

Harrods partners with three Michelin-starred Japanese chef: Harrods has agreed a partnership with the three Michelin-starred chef Masayoshi ‘Masa’ Takayama. It brings chef Masa’s signature Japanese cuisine to the UK for the first time, in a prime location within the iconic Knightsbridge store. Further information on the partnership will be announced in due course.