Wagamama owner TRG sees share price rise 36% following £700m deal, analyst claims price too low and ‘does not reflect quality of estate’: Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) saw its share price rise 36% by the end of trading on the back of the business being set to be taken private in a £700m deal. Apollo is set to pay 65p a share for TRG, reflecting a 34% premium on its share price as of Wednesday’s (11 October) close. TRG's share price jumped 37% to 66p after news of the deal emerged – its highest percentage gain since April 2020 – being finishing the day up 36% at 65.80p. Shore Capital analyst Greg Johnson argued TRG's sale price was too low and doesn't reflect the quality of its estate. “80p per share would be a starting point more consistent with the longer-term opportunity – or maybe we just long for a bygone era for UK equities,” he wrote in a research note. “We do not believe it reflects the quality of the estate (especially having recently exited the challenged leisure business), the freehold asset backing (circa £160m) and the progress it was making across its strategic objectives on margin accretion (250-350 basis points) and deleveraging (under 1.5 times Ebitda).” Liberum analyst Anna Barnfather added: “We understand this was an unsolicited approach that has been bumped up three times from the original offer. Although it could be argued that a circa 30% premium is low in this market, we expect it to be successful due to the cash structure, activist shareholder support, helped by recently market turmoil.” As well as Wagamama, TRG owns Brunning & Price pubs and food concessions at airports – with a total of about 380 sites nationwide. Last month, TRG confirmed it was selling off its loss-making leisure division, which includes Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito, to Big Table Group, which owns Cafe Rouge, Bella Italia, Las Iguanas and Banana Tree. Propel group editor Mark Wingett will explore the deal in more detail in today’s (Friday, 13 October) Premium Opinion, which will be sent to Premium subscribers at 5pm. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription. 

Next edition of Propel’s Turnover & Profits Blue Book to be released today: The next edition of Propel’s Turnover & Profits Blue Book will be sent to Premium subscribers today (Friday, 13 October), at midday. It now features 763 companies that are turning over a total of £53.3bn. A total of 518 companies are making a profit while 245 are making a loss. The profit being made by sector companies is now outstripping losses by £1.48bn. The Blue Book shows the total profit of the 763 companies in the list is £3,462,090,613 and losses are £1,977,617,666. The Blue Book is updated each month and ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors’ earnings for the past five years. Premium subscribers also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage; and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. Premium subscribers are also to get access to the videos from this month’s Talent and Training Conference. They will be sent 13 videos on Friday, 27 October at 9am. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription. Premium subscribers are also being given exclusive access to the recording and slides to Propel Multi-Club Conferences. They also receive their morning newsletter 11 hours early, at 7pm the evening before; regular video content and regular exclusive columns from Propel group editor Mark Wingett.

Panel session looking at the state of the investment market to be held at final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2023, three free places per company for operators: A panel session looking at the state of the investment market will be held at the final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2023. The conference takes place on Thursday, 16 November at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London’s Kensington, and is open for bookings. The all-day conference will focus on “progress in an era of strong headwinds”. Emma Bernardez, head of hospitality at haysmacintyre, will talk to David Roberts, corporate partner at CMS McKenna; Chris Miller, chief executive of White Rabbit; Thomas Boszko, partner at Alchemy Partners; Lizzie Ryan-Podbury, partner at Imbiba; and Steve Crosswell, relationship director at Cynergy Bank; about the current investment market, where the buyer activity is centred and current investment criteria in a volatile market. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Operators can book up to three free places per company by emailing kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

Two weeks until Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Rising Stars nominations close: There is still time for nominations for The Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Rising Stars programme – which recognises talented future leaders in marketing, innovation and strategy roles within the sector who are under 30 years of age. Judges will look for creativity, confidence, commercial awareness, ability to collaborate, leadership skills and perseverance. They will also look for experience in senior stakeholder management, understanding of how to develop strategy, ability to self-reflect, and clear potential to be an industry leader of the future. Nominees should have at least three years' experience in the hospitality sector. Nominations close on Friday, 27 October. They can be made by anybody here. Self-nominations are accepted. Selected candidates will be invited to attend the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator conference and Rising Stars presentation evening at the newly launched Theseleff Group venue, Viajante 87, in Notting Hill in January. All those applying for a place will be automatically considered for the Future Marketing Leader of the Year prize at the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards.

Cardiff looking to appoint NTE advisor: Cardiff is looking to appoint a night-time economy (NTE) advisor to replicate the success of Sacha Lord’s role in Manchester. Lord was the guest at a recent Cardiff Licensees Forum, where he expressed his wish to see NTE advisors across all major UK cities. Also speaking was Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, which is behind a drive to establish partnerships across the UK’s licensed sector. Chair of Cardiff Licensees Forum, Nick Newman, said: “The success of Sasha’s role in Manchester demonstrates that having advocates for the night-time economy is key to ensuring that Cardiff is a safe, prosperous and thriving city after dark, which in turn will have a positive impact on Wales as a whole.”

 

Gail’s – ‘Early Bird’ campaign helped to recruit for seven new bakery openings, prospective employees want recruitment experiences not processes: Jordan Moore, head of talent at the fast-growing Gail’s Bakery, has said the company’s recent “The Early Bird Never Works Late” recruitment campaign, which focused on the work/life balance, helped the business recruit for seven new bakery openings, with more than 300 new “bread heads” joining the group. Talking at this month’s Propel Talent & Training Conference, Moore said: “With the Early Bird campaign we wanted to tell our honest, authentic story to people that were potentially looking to explore us in a deeper sense. I often think that recruitment campaigns can be like lost keys, you know, if you look hard enough, they tend to be in the simplest of places. This ended up being kind of our call to action in a world where work/life balance, flexibility, well-being has never been more important. I think candidates now want to know exactly what they're signing up for. And for us, the Early Bird campaign was exactly that. Sometimes as an industry we don't always consider the local neighbourhood enough. A disengaged local workforce, especially outside of city centres, can mean not just the loss of a customer, but the loss of your local talent pool, which I think is huge. Recruitment experiences over recruitment processes for me are very important. I think we now sit in a world where people deselecting themselves is a positive thing. You're not going to be right for everyone. That's perfectly okay. But at least give the people the opportunity to kind of make that choice themselves. For us, giving people an honest experience has helped us significantly reduce turnover at all levels over the past 12 months. Or recruitment experience is an hour in a bakery, go and explore the kitchen, go and explore coffee areas. Understand what works for you, what excites you, and it's followed by a coffee, cake and conversation to explore each other's potential.” Over the course of the campaign, the average number of applications per role at Gail’s increased by 52%. Moore said: “This wasn't necessarily a good thing because it's not about trying to play the numbers game and attract the masses. But what it did do is it marked us as a career destination for a pool of candidates who potentially have never thought of us previously. It helped us to recruit for seven new bakery openings alongside our existing sites totalling more than 300 new ‘bread heads’. And we also received really positive feedback internally with a lot of our existing ‘bread heads’ organically sharing the video in their stories and on their own platforms. That resulted in a record number of hires coming in via referrals from our people.” Moore’s presentation will be among those from the Propel Talent & Training Conference sent to Premium subscribers at 9am on Friday, 27 October. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription. 

 

BrewDog Bars MD – UK estate seen 12.3% sales growth in first nine months of 2023, larger bars outperforming expectations: James Brown, global managing director of BrewDog Bars, has said the company’s UK estate is “performing in line with the market”, as it saw a 12.3% growth in revenue for the first nine months of this year versus the same period in 2022. It comes as the group’s UK bars business saw revenue climb 70% to £63.1m in 2022 (2021: £36.9m), while it posted a pre-tax loss of £10.9m (2021: £7.04m). Brown told Propel: “We were making some of our largest investments in new locations as well as investing in our teams with real living wage and profit share agreements. For the first nine months of 2023 we are seeing this growth in revenue continue with 12.3% growth on the first nine months of 2022 and estimating to finish above 10% growth in the year. This year our UK estate is performing in line with the market seeing double digit growth in the first few months of the year and slowing slightly over the summer with good weather in June and increased frequency of train and tube strikes. A total of 30% of our global bar's revenue is associated with bars trading in London and these locations are hit hardest by strike action and it's compounded by the post-covid trend of working from home on Fridays. We are delighted with the trading of our new and larger format bars in Waterloo and Las Vegas, which opened in the second half of last year. In line with this, our other larger format locations around the world are outperforming our expectations with DogTap's in Berlin and Columbus trading very well over the summer months and our venues in Australia continue to trade very well over the first nine months of the year. We are working hard to mitigate inflationary costs and do all we can to not pass these additional cost pressures on to our customers, we have not increased pricing in our bars for more than 12 months. We are excited about our schedule of openings to finish the year including our first bar in Amsterdam this weekend, Hong Kong shortly after that and Gatwick airport in November and before the Christmas period we will open in Chandigarh our fifth location in India. Early in the new year we are looking forward to our first bar in Thailand opening in Bangkok; our first bar in Dubai; our tenth location in the US, in Denver; as well as our fifth location in Australia opening in Perth.”

Haven looking to roll out more Chopstix and Slim Chickens sites as well as new brands: Haven managing director Simon Palethorpe has told Propel it is looking to roll out more Chopstix and Slim Chickens sites at its holiday parks as well as introducing new brands. Haven entered into a franchise partnership with fast-growing quick service restaurant brand Chopstix in May 2022, launching at the Craig Tara park in Ayrshire before expanding to two other sites. A similar partnership was struck with Slim Chickens owner Boparan Restaurant Group in June 2022, launching at the Hafan Y Mor park in Wales before expanding to five other sites. “We’re really pleased with Chopstix and our guests seem to be loving it,” Palethorpe said. “It complements our other food and beverage offerings, which is what I really like about it. We knew a couple of years ago that we were short of a chicken offering and we put Slim Chickens into some of our very biggest parks, and that seems to work really well too. We have a fish and chip offering at the vast majority of our sites – I think we’re actually the second biggest fish and chip shop brand in the UK with our Hooks brand. We have Burger King and Papa John’s – we know pizza works brilliantly, and you can now get delivery on our parks. We’ll certainly be rolling out more food and beverage from all our franchise brands, and we’re interested to talk to people with concepts they think might work well with our guests. What we do find is our guests like the branded proposition as it gives you all the things you look for in a brand – assurance of product quality, comfort around the price point. All the brands we have offer pretty good value for money, which with a squeezed consumer, becomes all the more important. There’s no new brands in the wings at the moment but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out. The one that’s always puzzled me has been Indian food, because given its popularity in the UK you’d have thought there’s be a branded offering, but there isn’t really one. Maybe one day we’ll create our own!” Palethorpe added Haven, which has a circa 40-strong estate of holiday parks, is always looking to add to its portfolio. He added. “There aren’t that many parks in the UK of the scale that could be a Haven, typically north of 500 pitches. Below 500 pitches it becomes hard to invest. I could probably name every park we’re interested in, and I’m sure the owner of each of those parks knows we’d be interested too.”

Sixes lines up two more UK openings: Sixes, the cricket-based competitive socialising concept from the founders of Mac & Wild, has lined up two more UK openings. The business, which earlier this summer made its debut in the US, will open its ninth UK site at Westquay, Southampton, on Tuesday, 24 October. Propel also understands that Sixes has also lined up an opening in Oxford. In June, the business opened at Grandscape, a shopping and entertainment destination in Dallas, Texas, which marked its first international site. Earlier that same month, 4CAST Investment Group – which includes England international cricketers Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer – invested in Sixes to aid its expansion in the UK and internationally. Created by Calum Mackinnon and Andy Waugh, Sixes opened its inaugural site in Fulham in December 2020. There are now four sites across London, plus further locations in Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton and Leicester.

The Scotsman Group secures £21.5m refinancing as turnover and profits increase: The Scotsman Group, which operates more than 50 venues in Scotland, has secured a £21.5m refinancing after its turnover and profits increased in the year ending 31 March 2023. “On 20 September 2023, the group refinanced its banking facilities with the existing bankers, Bank of Scotland,” it said in its accounts for the period. “The value refinanced was £21,549,000, which is repayable over a term of five years.” It comes after the group saw its turnover grow from £128,359,382 in 2022 to £159,733,959, with the 2023 figure including its share from a joint venture of £1,935,696. Ebitda increased from £23.8m in 2022 to £27.1m while its pre-tax profit grew from £12,293,957 to £13,383,890. The group continued its capex programme in the year, with a total of £31.63m invested in the estate and acquiring new properties (2022: £13.82m). Post year end, the group acquired properties in Scotland for a combined price of £5.6m (2022: £420,000), while one property has been sold for proceeds of £5.3m (2022: six for £2.49m). Group net assets increased to £100.3m (2022: £90.8m) while group external debt, at £99.6m, decreased by £2.8m (2022: by £2.9m). The group paid no dividend (2022: £365,000) and no final dividend has been recommended. It received £298,914 in Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme payments (2022: £2,367,188) and £122,531 in other government grants (2022: £1,598,307). “Investments were made in group restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and cinemas, consistent with the group’s policy of maintaining market position while achieving balanced growth,” director Stephen McQuade said: “Although the economy has followed an uncertain path in recent years, the group has continued to develop in the leisure and hospitality sector. While these economic conditions look likely to continue for a number of years, the quality of the venues and commitment to service excellence give the directors confidence that the group can address the challenges successfully and continue to expand. Further acquisitions will be factored into the development and refurbishment programme, along with a number of properties that the group will be converting for hospitality and leisure use.” 

EL&N to make debut in Poland: Cafe and lifestyle brand EL&N, the 34-strong London-based business, is to further increase its international presence, with an opening in Poland. The business, which recently made its debuts in Germany and South Africa, will open at the Westfield Arkadia scheme in Warsaw, on Saturday (14 October). Last month, the company, which was founded by Alexandra Miller in 2017, opened its debut site in Germany, in the Schadowstraße, in Dusseldorf. It follows on from four openings in August for the brand, in Johannesburg, Abu Dhabi, Paris and Kuala Lumpur. The new site in Poland will take EL&N’s global presence to 12 countries and represent its fifth new market this year following other debuts in Bahrain and Malaysia.

Sides to open at Merry Hill shopping centre for second standalone restaurant: YouTube collective The Sidemen has secured a second standalone site for its restaurant brand Sides. Earlier this week, The Sidemen revealed it would open its first high street location, in Dalston, east London, this month. Now Sides has agreed a deal with Sovereign Centros to join the food and beverage line-up at the Merry Hill shopping centre in the West Midlands. With space for 100 diners, the new 2,960 square-foot restaurant will offer Sides’ range of fried chicken dishes and plant-based alternatives. Founded in 2021, Sides grew initially as a delivery-only brand but intends to expand across the country, with as many as 200 sites over the next decade. Robin Mehta, chief executive of Sides, said: “The West Midlands was a key area for us to target in our expansion plans, and with Merry Hill being a flagship destination here, we always had our eyes locked on this location. Our fans have been calling for more restaurants across the country, and we’ve targeted key destinations to answer that demand.” JLL and Time Retail Partners represent Merry Hill. Sides dealt direct.

South coast McDonald’s franchisee uses new bank loans of circa £2m to finance opening of two new restaurants, company makes a loss as costs bite: South coast McDonald’s franchisee Bennett Restaurants has used new bank loans of circa £2m to finance the opening of two new restaurants in 2023. The company took its portfolio to 20 restaurants across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Jersey with the launches, one of which was the former Pizza Hut unit in Christchurch Retail Park. “Subsequent to the year end, the company purchased its 19th and 20th franchises for a combined total of £1,930,228,” the business said in its accounts for the year ending 31 December 2022. “These purchases were mainly financed through new bank loans.” During the year, the company also completed refurbishments at four of its sites and invested a total of £1,954,514 into fixed assets. It comes as the business, led by Tony Bennett, made a loss for the period. A pre-tax profit of £6,137,466 in 2021 become a loss of £266,275 as costs rose by almost £4m. Turnover was up from £67,826,056 in 2021 to £71,456,385, while dividends of £698,076 were paid (2021: £964,000). “Despite an improvement in turnover, significant costs pressures have led to a fall in margins and reduction in the operating profits,” Bennett said. “Gross profit margins fell due to the increase in food costs that were driven by the war in Ukraine and the worldwide squeeze on grains, sunflower oil, fertilizer, energy, fuel and agricultural labour. The increase in the National Living Wage from April 2022 also increased labour costs, adding further pressure on operating margins. The net assets of the company are £6.1m (2021: £7.0m) at the balance sheet date, reflecting the solid position of the company from a solvency and liquidity point of view, and this strong balance sheet is the foundation on which the company can continue to grow and prosper.”

Morgan Pub Collective takes on sixth Greene King site: Morgan Pub Collective, the multi-site operator led by Richard Morgan, has taken on its sixth pub with Greene King Pub Partners, The Gardener’s Arms in Oxford. The pub, located in North Parade, Jericho, has reopened after a £270,000 investment by Greene King Pub Partners, Inside, the pub has all new seating, tables and fixtures and fittings including new lighting. The outside of the pub has also been significantly upgraded with new frontage including all-new signs. The Morgan Pub Collective operates more than ten pubs across London and the south, including the six pubs in partnership with Greene King Pub Partners. Morgan said: “We’re pleased to add The Gardener’s Arms to our growing portfolio of pubs with Greene King. The pub is in an area that fits the profile of what we look for and where we think our premium offer will be popular.” Dan Robinson, managing director of Greene King Pub Partners, added: “We are delighted to see The Gardener’s Arms reopen under the stewardship of Richard and the Morgan Pub Collective. It is exciting to be growing our already successful partnership with the Morgan Pub Collective and we look forward to opening more successful pub businesses together.” Meanwhile, Greene King has presented Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline with £50,000 at the City of Quebec, London's oldest LGBTQ+ pub. This is the third year that the pub company and brewer has supported the charity, bringing its total support to £70,000. 

Team behind north west escape room brand Breakout to launch interactive game show venue in Manchester: The team behind north west escape room brand Breakout is launching an interactive game show venue in Manchester this month. Challenge Point will combine a host of classic TV game shows, a Mission Impossible-style laser maze, a “wild” crazy golf course and remote control tanks trapped in a Tokyo-based maze – and is centred around the fictitious story of “Breakout Studios” and its hit TV Show “Challenge Point”. Breakout opened its first live escape room venue in May 2014 in Manchester. Breakout now has 17 rooms and has grown its team to 60 employees in operation across the city – with sites also operating in Liverpool and Chester. The Breakout brand has also sold escape room designs to more than 20 countries across the globe as well as having a room situated within a TUI cruise ship. Breakout has now eyed an interactive game show experience as its next expansion route. Challenge Point will see teams of two to six battle it out in a series of fun mini games, with the aim of earning as many points as possible to win a host of prizes. Each mini game offers a range of challenges that encourage teamwork, coordination and skill. Teams that reach the target figure of 100 points across the mini games will go forth to play Challenge Point’s elusive final game, The Point. Every three months, the teams that top the leaderboard will be invited back to compete in a champion-of-champions game, where the winners will be rewarded with up to £4,000 worth of prizes.

Lola Cupcakes FY turnover tops £22m but increased costs lead to decline in profitability: Lola Cupcakes saw a 17.4% increase in turnover to £22,462,005 in the year ending 31 December 2022 (2021: £19,135,041), but said increased costs across the board, impacting both labour and raw materials, led to a decline in profitability during the period. The business reported a pre-tax profit of £380,023 (2021: £1,328,206) and Ebitda of £1,314,935 (2021: £2,561,2543) representing 5.9% of sales. The company said: “The directors of the company consider the performance and current growth of the business to be satisfactory, and after a positive start to 2023 as we see further growth in our online business and pre-covid activity levels in many of our stores, the directors look forward to another successful year. We are currently seeing price rises and volatility in many of our edible raw materials, labour costs and utility prices. Though our ingredients are predominantly sourced from overseas suppliers, the business principally buys in sterling. with the price being impacted by foreign currency movements. The risk of both currency movement and underlying price rises is mitigated as far as possible by the placing of frequent forward contracts with major suppliers to reduce risk as far as possible of any large movements in raw material pricing.” The company said it continues to invest in innovative designs and products, promotional activity and web development to raise brand awareness and drive online sales. It said: “We also continue to extend our geographic coverage beyond our traditional south east market.”

Poppies to open fourth London site: London fish and chip restaurant Poppies will open its fourth site in the capital this December, in Portobello Road. The 64-cover site will join the company’s existing sites in Spitalfields, Soho and Camden. The company said the new site will include a nod to the site’s former occupants – wood panelling from its term as a bank and signage from when it was George Portwine’s butcher shop – plus additional retro touches and tributes to Poppies founder, the late Pat “Pop” Newland. Pop’s son, Danny Newland, said: “We couldn't leave west Londoners without decent Poppies fish and chips any longer, they deserve to taste the best! Poppies, like Portobello Road, is dedicated to preserving London’s rich traditions and history that makes it the perfect fit.”

Former The Fat Duck Group executive head chef Ashley Palmer-Watts to make return to restaurant scene: Ashley Palmer-Watts, former executive head chef at The Fat Duck Group, will return to the restaurant scene early next year with a collection of openings based in the Surrey village of Cobham. In spring 2024, Palmer-Watts, who during a 20-year career with The Fat Duck Group saw the Dorset-born chef earn two Michelin stars at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, will launch the first phase of a new culinary destination. Plans to transform the former site of The Garden Cobham are well underway. The destination will incorporate a 35-seat high-end restaurant with additional seating on a garden terrace, a 52-seat wine bar, a cafe, and a bakery. In time, luxury guest accommodation will be added to the offering. Alongside the varied dining options, the outside space is being restored to its former glory, with an extensive kitchen garden. Palmer-Watts launched Artisan Coffee Co two years ago and will be showcasing the coffee products throughout the business. He said: “I can’t wait to be back in the heart of the industry, drawing on all my experience of opening various restaurants at different levels within The Fat Duck Group. It’s an incredible location, and with food history being of such interest, particularly in recent years, to be able to bring life back into the walled garden and reimagine it with a collection of food experiences is a dream come true for me.”

Sumosan Twiga sees losses increase as revenue remains below pre-covid levels: Sumosan Twiga, the Japanese and Italian crossover concept in London’s Knightsbridge owned by Billionaire Life, has reported turnover increased to £6,353,605 for the year ending 31 December 2022 compared with £4,560,927 the previous year. However, revenue remained below the £7,218,468 reported for the year ending 31 December 2019 – the last full year before the covid pandemic. The restaurant, which opened in 2016, saw pre-tax losses increase to £474,609 from £28,495 the year before (2019: profit of £419,722). At the year end, the business had shareholders' funds of £887,010 (2021: £1,761,619). No government grants were received (2021: £222,675).

Michelin-starred chef Robert Ortiz opens second site for debut solo restaurant concept: Robert Ortiz, the Michelin-starred chef behind acclaimed Peruvian restaurant Lima in Fitzrovia, has opened a second site for his debut solo restaurant concept, Chakana. Ortiz, who became head chef of Lima in 2012 and gained his Michelin star a year later, opened the first Chakana at a former bank branch in Alcester Road, Moseley, in August 2019. He has now expanded Chakana, which gained a glowing review from food critic Jay Rayner in 2021, to London for his second site, which has opened at 41 Broadway Market in London Fields. Dishes include Hake Amazonia with roasted avocado and braised seaweed; and confit suckling pig with corn tamal, charapita chillies and ocopa sauce, reports Hot Dinners. 

Suffolk pub operators open restaurant at The English Distillery in Norfolk: Suffolk pub operators Grant and Lucy Newland have opened a restaurant at The English Distillery in Norfolk. The Newlands, who run the Kings Arms in Haughley, near Stowmarket, have launched The Grain Kitchen, located within the grounds of the distillery in Roundham. The purpose-built restaurant unit overlooks the grounds, with plenty of outdoor seating. The Grain Kitchen offers a “distinctly English menu, sourced from local suppliers”. Everard Cole was instructed by The English Distillery to source and secure the new tenant.

Former Roti King duo and Tamila founders set to open second site for joint pub venture: Former Roti King executive chef Prince Durairaj and operations director Glen Leeson are lining up a second site for their joint pub venture. The duo, who also launched south Indian street food concept Tamila in Hackney in 2021, opened The Tamil Prince in the former The Cuckoo pub in Islington’s Hemingford Road last summer. They have now taken over the Charles Lamb pub site on Elia Street, also in Islington, with the aim of reopening it as The Tamil Crown next month. Spanning two floors, it will offer draught beer at a speakeasy bar as well as sharing platters in the dining room, snug or outdoor area, with the regular menu divided into bar snacks popular at The Tamil Prince (okra fries, onion bhaji, chicken lollipops) as well as new offerings (shoestring masala fries, banana chips, samosas), reports Hot Dinners. There will also be Sunday roasts with an Indian twist, where diners can choose from roasted lamb shank, Masala roast beef or Masala roast chicken along with trimmings, such as turmeric roast potatoes, coconut lentil cabbage, potato and green peas thokku, spiced fried cauliflower and beetroot raita. There will also be cocktails, wine on tap and cask beer. Leeson is also a former general manager at JKS and operations director at Market Halls, while Durairaj worked in various kitchens across London before the pair teamed up at Roti King, the Chinese and Malaysian restaurant in Euston.

Zip World to resubmit plans for Cumbria attraction as it sets sights on ten new sites by 2028: Adventure tourism operator Zip World has said it intends to resubmit plans for a new attraction at a quarry site in the Lake District, as it sets its sights on ten new sites by 2028. The company, which has been backed by private equity firm LDC since 2018, had its plan for the Elterwater Quarry in Great Langdale, Cumbria, turned down by the Lake District National Park Authority. But Andrew Hudson, who was promoted to chief executive in August, has said the company will try again with the plans, which would see it operate the site owned by Burlington Slate, a member of Holker Group. “While it is disappointing, we’re resilient, and only good will come from this,” he told Insider Media. “We will be resubmitting plans very shortly, meeting the even higher expectations for sustainable transport If it becomes the exemplar model for future applications and improves transport sustainability offerings, then that has to be a good thing. The plans will be scaled back, with an indoor heritage offering. We want to roll out our short stay proposition and acquired a hotel last year in Capel Curig. We are building accommodation lodges in our first site right now, to open this month. We also want to push our sustainability offering, investing in cable cars and an e-bus network between sites rather than cars. Now we have seven sites and having 17 sites is our five-year goal.” Propel reported last month that Zip World reported turnover increased 23% to £28,664,738 for the year ending 31 December 2022 compared with £23,542,833 the year before. But Ebitda before exceptional items decreased by £600,000 to £10.2m and pre-tax profit was down to £109,299 from £1,868,367. 

London restaurateur April Jackson opens cocktail bar: April Jackson, who is behind Wood and Water in London’s Brixton, has opened a cocktail bar. Jackson has launched SideChick in the old 1930s Eel & Pie House in Coldharbour Lane in Brixton. The bar’s menu is split into “Signatures”, “Fallen Friends” and “Forgotten Classics”. The food menu is inspired by American soul food. Jackson told Hot Dinners: “The food is a little naughty. I remember when I was living in New York, on Sundays I would devour a plate of fried chicken and red velvet waffles in Brooklyn while a musician played R&B covers on his violin.” Wood and Water, which serves modern British food with a Jamaican twist, is also in Coldharbour Lane.