Sticks‘n’Sushi UK restaurants experiencing solid like-for-like growth, exploring opportunities outside the south east: Sticks‘n’Sushi has said its UK restaurants are experiencing solid like-for-like growth “both in terms of increased guest numbers as well as actual sales”, as it told Propel it was exploring expansion opportunities outside the south east. The company, which operates 12 restaurants in the UK, three in Germany, 12 in Denmark and three catering and delivery kitchens, said: “This is encouraging for the future years of growth in the UK. We believe we have a very strong portfolio of restaurants, which consist of a good variety of larger and smaller restaurants within London and outside the city. We are continuing exploring further opportunities for both new restaurants and our business-to-business arm through our catering and delivery kitchens in London. We will continue a long-term digital investment programme to meet the growing expectations from our guests in relation to online ordering of take-away and delivery food.” The company, which opened its latest UK site in The Bentall Centre, in Kingston-upon-Thames, last October, reported turnover of £47,874,000 in the year to 30 June 2023 (2022: £44,015,000). The company realised Ebitda of £5.6m against £8.8m the year before, and equity of £12.3m compared with £9.6m the previous year. Pre-tax profit stood at £3,874,000 (2022: £7,078,000). The business said: “The lower result versus last year is related to new restaurant openings, inflation, higher energy prices and an increase in costs from the overall group. As the expectations for the year were a positive Ebitda, the management is satisfied with the result of the year.” Chief executive Andreas Karlsson told Propel the company had started its current financial year well. He said: “I’m pleased with where we are and we are tracking in line with expectations.” The business will open a restaurant on the ground floor of the building on the corner of George Street and King Street in Richmond later this spring. Karlsson said: “We are working on our pipeline. Hopefully there’s one or two more to open after Richmond this calendar year.  I have started to look at opportunities outside of London and the south east for the next 12 to 24 months. We are working on a strategy to explore a new city and we always look at opening more than one where we go. It’s all about seeing if when we open in a city, we can do three or four restaurants over a period of two to three years.”

 

Last chance today to book for Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit 2024: Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit is returning for its sixth edition next week, and tickets are on sale until close-of-play today (Friday, 19 January). 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. The two-day conference is the centrepiece of the January event series, taking place on 23 and 24 January at One Moorgate Place in London. The conference will focus on marcomms strategies, proposition and concept development, the latest market insights, technology and digital developments, diversification of revenue streams and how brands are adapting to the new normal. It is designed for marketing, development and innovation teams, as well as senior executives and investors wanting to better understand the latest marketing, innovation and development opportunities to build market share and grow. Day one speakers include Andreia Harwood, marketing director – EMEA at Wingstop; Sam Bourke, marketing director at Fuller’s; Sarah Collins, head of marketing at the Rick Stein Group; Jessica Wight, marketing director at Bistrot Pierre; Heleri Rande, partner at Think Hospitality; François Blouin and Claire Diemer, chief executive and director of qualitative studies respectively at Foodservice Vision; Katy Moses, managing director at insight consultancy KAM; Lina Olea, marketing director at Wireless Social; Jack Jolly, senior marketing manager at Mission Mars and founder of H!JACK; Charles Spence, professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford; Amanda Mason, head of marketing at Roadchef; James Coldrey-Mobbs, sales and marketing director at East Coast Concepts; Anthony Pender, co-founder of Our Yummy Collection; Natalie Waldron, of Natalie Waldron Design; Dan Burns, of Natural Selection Design; Matt Preisinger, marketing and brand director at Brewhouse & Kitchen; Thom and James Elliot, co-founders of Pizza Pilgrims; Peter Critchley, UK chief executive at Trison; Siobhan Lloyd, head of marketing at 200 Degrees Coffee; Julius Wiesenhütter, co-founder and chief executive of GetViola; Megan Burton-Brown, marketing director at Tortilla; Joe Cripps, managing director of Feed it Back; Juliette Keyte, marketing director at Red Engine; Laura Lewis, marketing director at Arc Inspirations; Joanna Richardson, marketing director at Heartwood Collection; Vikki O’Neil, global marketing director at Vapiano; Simon Potts, chief executive of the Alchemist; and Natasha Sideris, founder and chief executive of Tashas Group. For the full schedule, click here. A one-day ticket for operators is £295 plus VAT while a two-day ticket is £550 plus VAT. Supplier tickets are £395 plus VAT for one day and £700 plus VAT for two. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Jo Charity at Propel on jo.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

Premium subscribers to receive next Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage today: Premium subscribers will receive the next edition of the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage today (Friday, 19 January) at midday. This month’s edition includes 838 companies and more than 227,000 words of content. There are a record 142 updated entries and 57 new companies. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, will have their most recent results reported as well as broader information around Ebitda, plans and trading style available. The database merges Companies House information, interviews and other public information to provide an easy to reference and exhaustive guide to the sector. Premium members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the New Openings Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. Propel is evolving its Premium subscription offer by launching Premium Club on Thursday, 1 February. All circa 4,000 existing subscribers automatically become members. The launch of Premium Club comes with even more benefits. All subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to four Propel paid-for events – The Excellence in Pub Retailing Conference (14 May), Social Media for Profit (18 July), the Talent and Training Conference (1 October) and Restaurant Marketer and Innovator (two days in January 2025). Operators will also be able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club members receive their daily Propel Info newsletter 11 hours earlier than standard subscribers, at 7pm the evening before. They also receive videos of presentations at eight Propel conference events two weeks after they are held. This represents around 100 videos of industry insight over the course of the year. Premium Club members will be sent a dedicated monthly newsletter that will highlight key updates in the sector and direct subscribers to all the vital content their membership offers. Premium Club members also receive exclusive opinion columns every Friday at 5pm, which include the thoughts of Propel group editor Mark Wingett and a host of industry leaders from across 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.

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a growing investment group enhancing its portfolio of hospitality and leisure brands and is looking to appoint a non-executive director. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “You will support, guide, and develop the growth plan alongside using your industry expertise to align the brand. This position is aimed at a successful founder or chairperson who holds extensive experience within the childcare or nurseries sector. Due to the growth opportunity, the business is looking only to speak with talent with experience of scaling a concept quickly.” The annual fee is up to £50,000 for two days per month and the position is based in London. For more information, email emma@corecruitment.com.

 

Heartwood Collection FY turnover tops £60m, invests circa £33m across its estate: Heartwood Collection saw turnover top £60m in the year to 25 June 2023, with like-for-like sales up 6.2% across its Heartwood Inns estate and 8.8% in Brasserie Blanc. The Alchemy Partners-backed company posted turnover of £60.3m (2022: £57.5m), which it said “comfortably beat budget”, with site Ebitda of £10.9m (2022: £9.6m excluding government support). Site Ebitda margin increased to 18.2% (2022: 17.5% excluding government support). Gross margins were 73.2% compared with 73.7% in 2022 (excluding government support), which the business said “is a very pleasing result when we consider the current inflationary environment”. The company invested £32.7m across its estate during the year, including the acquisition of eight of its freeholds. This was funded through a combination of bank debt of £20m and shareholder funding of £15m drawn in the year. Chairman Mark Derry said: “The finance team took measured and timely decisions in relation to fixing contracts and minimised the disruption. The combination of firm but equitable negotiation, the utilisation of one of our greatest assets of highly trained chefs, and a sensible approach to pricing have protected both our food margin and our like-for-like covers. Undeterred by the difficulties facing the entire hospitality industry, much of the focus has been on preparing for future growth, having moved to exclusively freeholds for the foreseeable future and embarking on a new and exciting market opportunity for the group in ‘pubs with rooms’. Across the tranche of sites programmed to open in the next 12 months, we will be operating up to 200 bedrooms. Just as importantly, Heartwood will need to recruit a further 700 people or more in the next year and our staff turnover is at an all-time low of below 70%.” Last month, the business opened The Plough & Harrow in Long Ditton, Surrey, following a £3m refurbishment programme – its 21st pubs site. Heartwood Collection is aiming to more than double its turnover by 2027, as it plans to reach 90% of site Ebitda from freehold sites. The business is currently turning over circa £66m, with a site Ebitda of £12m. Its pub sites are currently generating £45,000 in average gross weekly sales, and £405,000 average site Ebitda. The company is on track to grow to more than 60 inns and brasseries by 2027, with circa 45 of those sites set to be pubs. The group’s first site with rooms – the 56-bedroom White Horse – will open in Dorking next month.

 

Ottolenghi Group plans Bicester Village opening: London restaurant and deli operator Ottolenghi is set to make its regional debut with an opening in Oxfordshire. Propel understands that Ottolenghi is set to open on the former Le Pain Quotidien site in Pringle Drive, Bicester Village. Last month, Propel reported Ottolenghi was planning a further opening in the capital, in Richmond. The business, which recently opened its sixth deli and eighth location overall, in the former Carluccio’s unit at 32-34 Rosslyn Hill in Hampstead, has applied to open on the former And So To Bed site in Hill Street. Founder Yotam Ottolenghi also last year said he wants to expand internationally, with an opening in Paris being planned. 

 

Fazenda plans further sites in London plus European expansion after debut site in capital exceeds expectations, reports record December: Premium casual South American operator Fazenda, which operates five regional sites across the UK plus one in London, is planning further sites in the capital after its debut site there exceeded expectations, ahead of European expansion. Fazenda opened its first London site, and biggest in its group, in August, spanning across two floors in the 100 Bishopsgate Tower. Despite having been open only a few months, it contributed to a record December for the group, with £4m turnover achieved across all six sites during the five-week festive period, a 51% increase year on year. “The group’s latest opening in Bishopsgate has had a significant impact on the success, recording the strongest week in the festive period of all Fazenda restaurants, and is currently 45% ahead of budget since opening in August 2023,” said co-founder and managing director, Tomas Maunier. “Following the incredible performance of Fazenda Bishopsgate, we’re excited to reveal we’re actively looking for a second restaurant in London, with long-term plans to open a third site in the capital, as well as expansion into the EU within the next two years. We’re also planning on taking all regional Fazendas to the next level and elevate the menu and overall experience across the group, to match that of Bishopsgate, based on the success of our first opening in the capital.” Fazenda’s record December came on the back of a strong first three quarters of its current financial year, with 31% year-on-year growth, “despite a challenging climate across the hospitality industry”. It also achieved a strong net promoter score of 78 across the group, against an average of 63 across the industry.

 

Joule’s MD – current trading in line with expectations, beer prices held for fourth consecutive year, two pubs marketed for disposal and another two under review as new site in legals: Managing director Steve Nuttall has told Propel that Shropshire brewer and retailer Joule’s is currently trading in line with expectations after absorbing cost increases to hold its beer prices for a fourth consecutive year. He added that the business is in legals to add another site before the end of its current financial year, in March, and is currently marketing two pubs for disposal while reviewing another two. Nuttall said: “Trading this year to date has been in line with last year, most of our pubs have been pretty resilient and are holding firm. We have enjoyed some growth largely from the larger investments, which we have made in our upper quartile sites.” It comes after Nuttall noted in the company’s accounts for the year to 31 March 2023 that rising costs and interest rates had led to “material changes in our cost base”. He said: “The company has been able to absorb costs, we have held our beer prices for a fourth consecutive year. This action has been taken to protect our franchise model and allow our franchisees to be restrained with their retail prices. We believe price restraint will put our tap business in a strong position to weather the tough economic conditions we foresee in the coming months and years.” The pubs currently being marketed for disposal are both village sites, one of which is under offer. Nuttall said sales and earnings have stabilised to pre-pandemic levels, and while some pubs are “ahead”, a few which have been “slower to recover”, which tend to be village pubs and those with an older profile. He said the company has now largely withdrawn from the free trade so is “holistically a branded tap house business”. It comes after Joule’s saw its pre-tax profit grow from £1,103,116 to £1,475,083 during the year, although the previous year included a £631,969 loss on disposal of assets. Turnover also grew slightly from £6,851,149 to £8,875,7787. Of this, £4,634,718 came from brewery sales (2022: £3,959,761), £2,939,543 from managed pubs (2022: £2,001,080) and £1,301,517 from tenanted pubs (2022: £890,307). It received no government grants compared to £109,735 in 2022. No dividends were paid (2022: nil). At the year-end, the business operated 44 brewery taps, one more than in 2022. Since then, it has opened the flagship Henry Tudor House pub in Shrewsbury and acquired an Admiral Taverns pub, The Stags Head, next door to its brewery in Market Drayton.

Luxury coffee brand Workshop completes £1m funding round to support next stage of growth: Workshop Coffee, the luxury coffee brand formerly owned by Barkby Group, has completed a £1m funding round to support its next stage of growth. The investment, secured via multiple new high net-worth investors and The FSE Group, will be primarily used to drive growth in Workshop’s business-to-business division and launch a new website and e-commerce platform. It comes after the business last week brought in Prestige Purchasing founder David Read as its new chairman, which followed last year’s appointment of former Origin Coffee operations director Andy Phillips as chief executive. Founder James Dickson said: “We are thrilled to have completed this funding round following our successful management buyout. Our wholesale division is experiencing an unprecedented level of growth, and we’re pleased to have welcomed several new five-star hotels to our client base in recent months. With Andy and David in place, we believe we now have the best possible platform to scale the business.”

 

Loungers opens its first site in 2024, lines up next four openings: Cafe bar operator Loungers has opened its first site in 2024 – in Ashby De-La-Zouch, Leicestershire, and lined up a further four openings, including what will be its 250th site in total. Centivo Lounge launched in the former HSBC bank premises in Ashby’s Market Street this week and marked the group’s 249th site in total and 210th Lounge. The business is also set to open Pionero, Verraco, Pontio and Riparo Lounges in Rochdale, Bromsgrove, Chepstow and Broadstairs respectively, with the opening in Rochdale set to be the group’s 250th site in total. The company, which also operates the Cosy Club brand and Brightside concept, has also lined up an opening in Ilkley. Loungers will open a site in the town’s Brook Street in March. Named Vitello Lounge, it will open on the former Banyan site, which closed earlier this month. Loungers has a long-term aim of 600 Lounges and 65 Cosy Clubs, with a current roll-out rate of around 34 sites per year. 

 

The Ivy Collection to make Northern Ireland debut later this year: The Ivy Collection, the Richard Caring-backed restaurant chain, is to make its debut in Northern Ireland later this year. The company is taking circa 12,000 square feet in Cleaver House, on the corner of Donegall Place and Donegall Square. Last month, It was reported that Caring was considering selling a big stake in The Ivy Collection in a deal that analysts believe could see it valued at around £1bn. Sky News reported Caring has begun exploring the sale of a chunk of his hospitality empire and has appointed bankers at HSBC, which is a big lender to his companies, to advise on the process. Sources cautioned that it was not certain that Caring would decide to sell a controlling stake in The Ivy and Ivy Asia concepts. His other restaurants, which include London's Scott's, Sexy Fish and J Sheekey, are understood to be excluded from the prospective process. Caring also backs Bill’s. Finch acted on the Belfast deal. 

 

Manchester barbecue smokehouse business launches franchise offer: Manchester barbecue smokehouse business Pitmaster has launched a franchise offer as it looks to expand. The restaurant, located at 31 Wilmslow Road, caters for dine-in, delivery and events – offering 16-hour smoked brisket, eight-hour slow smoked ribs, brisket burgers and smokehouse burgers. It has partnered with Bee Smart franchise consultants and is offering set up costs from £250,000, plus royalty fees of 6%. The business said it has £1m-plus in sales and net profits of 15%-plus. “Centred around the theatre of barbecue cooking and the love of feeding its guest, Pitmaster wishes to leave all customers feeling like they’ve experienced quality barbecue and grill cuisine, in a comfortable and engaging environment,” the business said. “It is imperative that we create a consistent brand presence across all platforms with quality at the forefront of our values.” The fully halal business opened in 2021, with Amjad Khan and Zain Suleman its directors.

 

Kent Domino’s franchisee opens 17th store in former south east London Truman’s pub: Kent Domino’s franchise Zaan Group has opened its 17th store, in a former Truman’s pub in south east London. The takeaway has opened in Woolwich Road, Charlton, in the former The Victoria pub, which has been a derelict shell since closing in the 1990s. Its exterior has survived, however, and Zaan Group has managed to preserve the pub’s eagle emblem, which hung over the entrance. The group, based in Gillingham, gained planning permission in 2019 to convert the former pub into a takeaway with a single flat to the rear. “Thrilled to announce the grand opening of our 17th Domino’s Pizza store, located in Charlton,” the business said. “We’ve transformed the historic Truman pub into a pizza haven, complete with its majestic eagle emblem. Opening our doors has been a dream come true, and we can’t wait to serve the local community with delicious pizza and warm smiles.” Zaan Group was founded in 2004 and is led by Babar Mumtaz. It reported turnover of £21,909,638 for the year to 30 April 2022, up slightly from £21,048,674 in 2021. Its pre-tax profit dropped from £2,569,842 to £1,888,715 but it reduced its net debt by £934,000. 

 

Fireaway overfunds on £500,000 crowdfunding campaign to support growth: Fast pizza brand Fireaway, the Mario Aleppo-led business, has overfunded on its £500,000 crowdfunding campaign to expand its central operations and brand reach and enhance its technology platform. Fireaway, which has 166 sites, has raised £508,738 from more than 800 investors with one day left. They have been offered 2.47% equity in return for the investment, giving the business a pre-money valuation of £20,049,056. “A huge thank you to everyone that has invested and wanting to be part of our exciting future as we take over the pizza industry,” the business said. “All funds will be invested in growing our business and generating additional value for investors. 2024 is set to be another bumper year for Fireaway as we continue to open new stores, both locally and globally, as well as innovate our menu and tech stack.” Aleppo added: “Within 14 days we have raised more than £500,000 to help with our expansion, but more importantly, now we have in excess of 800 brand ambassador investors on board.” Earlier this week, Fireaway reported a record December, which it said followed a 32% like-for-like increase in total franchise store sales for the 12 months ending December 2023.

 

Surrey-based hotel Beaverbrook secures £52m to aid future growth: Beaverbrook, the luxury country house hotel in Surrey, has secured a £52m loan from OakNorth, which will be used to refinance existing facilities and “fund future growth”. Beaverbrook is spread over 475 acres and boasts 57 rooms, four restaurants, two bars, tennis courts, a private cinema and The Coach House Spa, with a full range of facilities including indoor and outdoor pools. The business also operates Beaverbrook Town House in Sloane Street, Chelsea. Joel Cadbury, co-founder of Beaverbook Holdings and the former owner of Bel and The Dragon, said: “We are grateful to the team at OakNorth, which has built an in-depth understanding of Beaverbrook, and we are delighted to have refinanced our debt on terms that reflect the maturity of our business and the completion of development works.”

 

Purple Story welcomes new non-executive chairman as it makes three senior appointments: Entrepreneurial performance consultancy Purple Story, led by former operators Karen Turton and Lynda Merryweather, has made three senior appointments to build on the double-digit year-on-year growth of the business. Brian Bagnall joins the board as non-executive chairman. He is also a non-executive director at north west brewer and retailer Hydes and formerly a member of the Punch retail board, operations director at Greene King and at Park Resorts, and commercial director at Roadchef. The appointment reunites him with Turton, who he first worked with at Allied Domecq. Jody Bennett also joins the board as a non-executive director, alongside her role as people director for Brewhouse & Kitchen. Meanwhile, Matt Howcroft will take up the full-time role of head of operations in March. He is an award-winning area manager, currently working for Stonegate. Turton said: “The level of expertise, passion, and shared values that Brian, Jody, and Matt bring to Purple Story will help us to scale the business and reach a wider audience than before. Alongside a new range of ‘on demand’ digital courses, plus my research-driven specialist expertise in maximising the power of our multi-generational workforce, Purple Story is going to be unstoppable in 2024 and beyond.” 

 

Developer set to reopen former south London JD Wetherspoon pub with co-living scheme above it: A former JD Wetherspoon pub in south London is set to reopen, with a new co-living development above it. The Crown & Sceptre in Streatham Hill, which is namechecked in The Clash’s song Stay Free, was closed by Wetherspoon in 2019 but reopened a week later under new management. It was acquired by a private investor and operated by LT Management Services, but closed again in 2022. The site is now being redeveloped by developer Kosy Living, which wants to retain the pub at ground floor level and turn the upper floors into co-living apartments – which is where people living in a group of homes share some facilities. A proposal for the scheme has been put forward to Lambeth Council. Paul Brundell, chief executive of Kosy Living, said: “We are excited to bring back to life this locally acclaimed public house in the heart of Streatham, with its great links to music legends, bringing a new lease of life to the area.” The pub dates to 1825 and retains its original Truman exterior tiling.

 

Lina Stores confirms plans for South Kensington opening: Delicatessen brand Lina Stores has confirmed it will add to its estate in London with an opening in South Kensington this spring. Propel revealed last November that the White Rabbit Projects-backed company was to open a site on the former Le Pain Quotidien site in Exhibition Road. The 140-cover all-day restaurant will feature a 22-cover wraparound terrace and an additional 28-cover terrace on the square right in front of the site. It will add to the six restaurants and delis Lina Stores currently operates across London, the latest having opened in Clapham in June. The business is also set to open a site at 180-182 Shoreditch High Street. Last October, Lina Stores opened its third site in Japan, and its first in the Kansai region. The company also opened a “hidden aperitivo bar” at its site in London’s Soho last year. Propel understands that Lina Stores is close to securing a further site for its core brand in the capital.

 

Midlands gourmet chicken wings concept seeking new franchisees as it looks to diversify menu: Midlands gourmet chicken wings concept Wingtrapp has said it is seeking new franchisees as it looks to diversify its menu. Wingtrapp launched in Leicester in 2018 before adding its second location and first franchise site in 2022, in Birmingham. Further sites followed last year, in Nottingham and Coventry, and it is now seeking new single and multi-unit franchise partners. A spokesman for Wingtrapp said: “We believe wings are a growing market in the UK and we aim to capitalise on this gap in the market in the years to come. We welcome all new franchisees who are aligned with our brand vision and growth strategy and can add to value to the brand as a whole. While wings will always be our core product, we understand the need to diversify our menu to continue to meet customer demands. This isn’t something we intend to stop doing in 2024, with several exciting new products in the pipeline.” Wingtrapp co-founder Firoz Hafeji last year said his target is to open 50 sites by the end of 2025.

 

JD Wetherspoon certificated as top employer: JD Wetherspoon has been certificated as a top employer in the UK for 2024. It is the 19th time the pub company has been certificated by independent organisation the Top Employers Institute. The certification is based on independent research which shows Wetherspoon has “outstanding people practices and offers excellent working conditions”. It also includes talent acquisition, learning, well-being and diversity and inclusion. Wetherspoon people director, Tom Ball, said: “We are proud to be considered among the best employers in the UK, particularly as the recognition comes from an independent organisation, which researches numerous companies. The company employs more than 41,000 staff across its pubs in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, as well as at its head office. Wetherspoon is committed to offering employees the best opportunities to succeed and grow within the company, including studying for qualifications and apprenticeships. This is evident in the number of staff progressing to more senior positions at Wetherspoon.”

Artfarm opens wine bar at its new central London farm shop and cafe: Artfarm, the independent hospitality business run by former Fortnum & Mason chief executive Ewan Venters, has opened a wine shop at its new central London farm shop and cafe. The company – which is also behind Roth Bar & Grill, the Fife Arms Hotel and Mount St Restaurant – launched Farm Shop on the corner of South Audley Street and Aldford Street in Mayfair in December. It has now opened a 35-cover downstairs wine bar, where guests can enjoy a glass of wine alongside a menu of cheese, charcuterie and sharing boards. It offers a 200-bin wine list, with around 40 wines available by the glass. There is also cider and a variety of house spirits. Among the charcuterie options is three types of salami and a selection of cheese from the south west of England and Switzerland, alongside dishes such as minestrone soup, baked Vacherin Mont d’Or and steak tartare with sourdough toast. All wine is available to purchase by the bottle and takeaway. 

 

Brazilian steakhouse concept Rio confirms February opening for Scottish debut: Brazilian steakhouse concept Rio has confirmed a February opening for its first restaurant in Scotland. It will open a 150-cover restaurant in the former Jamie’s Italian site in Edinburgh’s historic Assembly Rooms building, in George Street, on Friday, 9 February. Guests can enjoy cuts of meat carved tableside in a traditional Rodizio style, while watching chefs prepare dishes from a central sushi bar. It will also offer an unlimited gourmet salad bar and an array of imported cheese, meat and Brazilian flavours. It will be an eighth opening for the concept, co-owned by Rodrigo Grassi and Howard Eggleston, which is also aiming to open a new Sunderland restaurant in May. Grassi said: “It’s an exciting moment for us to announce the date for Rio’s arrival into Edinburgh, bringing our unique concept to Scotland for the first time.” Co-owner Eggleston is also behind the 11-strong Tomahawk Steakhouse.