Propel Newsletter Archive Page

Exclusive – Wahaca to return to the expansion trail with an opening in Paddington: Mexican-inspired restaurant group Wahaca is to return to the expansion trail with an opening in London’s Paddington, Propel has learned. Set to open this April, the new restaurant will be the group’s first opening under the Wahaca brand since 2018, and its 14th overall. The 150-cover site will be located at the heart of Paddington Square, a new dining destination integrated with Paddington Station. The company said that the bespoke design of the restaurant’s interiors will reflect the vibrancy and style of contemporary Mexican gastronomy, and is inspired by a recent visit to Oaxaca by Wahaca’s head chefs, general managers and leadership team. The southern Mexican city and state served as the original inspiration for co-founders Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby, who opened the first Wahaca restaurant in Covent Garden in 2007. Around 50 jobs are expected to be created with the new opening, and the site will be led by seasoned Wahaca managers, general manager Rafael De Lima and head chef Mirko Emanuele. Wahaca’s managing director Gemma Glasson said: “Paddington is certainly on the up. The new development means it’s becoming a distinct destination in its own right in addition to its status as a major transport hub. We couldn’t be happier to be opening our latest restaurant in this evolving and exciting area of London and to be bringing our delicious dishes to residents and visitors alike. I am equally as excited to see our beautiful restaurant designs come to life which channel the colours, craftsmanship and design elements of Oaxaca, Mexico. I hope that Paddington provides for our customers a re-imagined view of what it means to dine at Wahaca and I can’t wait to open our doors in April.” Last September, Selby, co-founder of Wahaca and DF Tacos, told Propel that the opportunity for the business to be the national Mexican brand is still there, and he is excited by the potential of the latter concept. The business currently operates 13 restaurants under its eponymous brand and six DF Tacos sites, including three in Market Halls. Selby said that the business had a “few interesting opportunities coming our way now”. He said: “We’ve certainly been looking at sites, but we are now getting quite a few interesting opportunities coming our way. We are currently live in two to three different sites with regards to finalising legals. Hopefully, within the next year, we will certainly have one to two, maybe even three new sites.” Thomas Rose of P-Three acts for Wahaca.

Propel’s Multi-Site Database improved for 2024 with unique segmentation: Propel’s leading database, the Multi Site Database, which provides the details of more than 3,000 multi-site operators, has been redesigned so Premium subscribers will be able to search the data segmented into key industry sectors. This new straightforward segmentation will allow users to search quickly in key categories such as Pubs and Bars, Cafe Bakery, QSR, Casual Dining, Fine Dining, Hotel and Experiential Leisure. Subscribers will be able to drill down into the details and updates for these specific areas – so, for example, the circa 640 multi-site operators in the Pubs and Bars sector and 150 operators in the Experiential Leisure area can be examined in a stand-alone format. This new functionality will be available later this month when the latest Multi-Site Database is released on Friday, 26 January at midday. An updated Multi-Site Database is published every month, with an average of 50 or so companies added each month. Phil Pemberton, Propel’s director of premium services, said: “The new ability to segment this vital information is unique to the industry and is an element that our Premium subscribers requested. It will provide even more clarity and search capability to each segment of the sector.” A Propel Premium subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. 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. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up. The Premium subscription service currently has more than 4,000 subscribers.

Tube strikes suspended: Planned strikes which would have crippled London Underground services this week have been called off, according to a union. Sky News reports that RMT say the industrial action by its workers on the Tube network – scheduled to take place from Monday to Thursday in protest at a 5% pay offer – will no longer go ahead, after positive talks with Transport for London (TfL). But TfL has warned travellers there will still be some disruption on Monday because the walkouts were called off so late. The union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “Following further positive discussions today, the negotiations on a pay deal for our London Underground members can now take place on an improved basis and mandate with significant further funding for a settlement being made available. This significantly improved funding position means the scheduled strike action will be suspended with immediate effect and we look forward to getting into urgent negotiations with TfL in order to develop a suitable agreement and resolution to the dispute.” UKHospitality had warned the strike was expected to cost the sector up to £50m. Former Punch Pubs managing director Paul Pavli, who is a non-executive director at pub and restaurant group The Yummy Collection, said: “It is positive, but a lot of damage will still be done. Tomorrow (8 January) will be a write off with disruption and lots of plans will have been changed for meetings and travel into London because of the strikes, plus those that have already made plans to WFH this week, will still do so.”

London restaurant launches almost back to pre-pandemic levels: The number of new restaurants opening in London last year was almost back to pre-pandemic levels, despite the headwinds facing the wider hospitality industry. The Times reports that in 2023, 253 new restaurants were opened in the capital, 4% more than in the previous year and 13% more than in 2021. For comparison, 281 new eateries opened their doors in 2019, according to data compiled by Hot Dinners, the London restaurant website, and Robert Irving Burns, a property agent. However, the headline number masks the difficulties that most operators, especially at the low-to-mid-price points, are enduring. The vast majority of new openings were upmarket, expensive establishments, with almost half in the W1 postcode, which includes wealthy areas such as Mayfair, Fitzrovia and Marylebone. Among the new openings was Aragawa in Mayfair, where wagyu steaks will set diners back up to £900. A ten-minute walk away, Claude Bosi, the two-Michelin star chef, opened Socca, a French-Mediterranean restaurant. London’s fine dining restaurant scene was also bolstered by the opening of two billion-pound hotels: The Peninsula, near Hyde Park Corner, and Raffles at The OWO (the Old War Office building), close to Trafalgar Square. The Peninsula’s restaurant offering is led by Bosi, while Raffles has nine restaurants, including three by Mauro Colagreco, the three-Michelin star chef. Antony Antoniou, the chief executive of Robert Irving Burns, said Mayfair, in particular, was experiencing a “boom in terms of hospitality and leisure”, with some units being let out for 20% more than the initial asking price. “We are seeing a rise in fine dining as diners look to enjoy higher-quality meals, but on fewer occasions,” he said. However, operators outside the ultra-luxury part of the hospitality market are struggling as a combination of higher energy bills, elevated borrowing costs and food and wages inflation eat into profitability, while more consumers are staying at home amid the cost-of-living crunch.