Big Fang Collective secures £5.5m funding for further UK expansion, eyes three new major cities for 2024 launches: Big Fang Collective, the Imbiba-backed entertainment venue operator that owns the Golf Fang brand, has secures £5.5m in funding for further UK expansion and is eyeing three new major cities for 2024 launches. The group, which also operates in-house pizzeria Nothing Cheezy and immersive karaoke concept Big Fang Karaoke, both of which launched within its Liverpool venue in 2023, secured the funding from alternative lender ThinCats. Founded in 2016 by Kip Piper and Dan Bolger, Big Fang Collective has grown from its original Ghetto Golf experience in Cains Brewery, Liverpool, to become a multi-venue group with six indoor sites across the UK, employing more than 260 people. Each of its venues in Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Glasgow and Cardiff offer a combination of crazy golf, bespoke art, DJs and signature cocktails. The business said: “Following a successful year in 2023, including the launch of our all-new Big Fang Karaoke concept and first in-house food brand, Nothing Cheezy, we are excited to further accelerate our venue growth plans with the support of ThinCats and our investors, Imbiba. We now have heads of terms signed across three major cities and a strong pipeline for the coming year. With the right people, property and funding now in place, we are set to make 2024 our best year yet.” Mike Dinnell, director of business development at ThinCats, added: “It is fantastic to be involved with a business like Big Fang, which clearly has a strategy to grow its brand across the UK. The management team has an ambitious vision and is really pushing the boundaries of the crazy golf experience. I am excited to see its continued growth and to be on this journey with it.” In September last year, Big Fang Collective said it was planning six new sites by 2025, with Chris Morgan leading the charge after returning to the business as chief executive. Morgan, who was previously managing director of the business until 2022, replaced Natasha Waterfield and will oversee a pipeline of openings that will include a site in Nottingham.

Sponsored message – Menu Engineering: The Tour to visit Bristol, Birmingham, London, Liverpool and Manchester this month: The Alchemist, Boston Tea Party, Pizza Pilgrims, Revolution Bars Group, Searcy’s and Wahaca are among the many brands confirmed to take part in hands-on menu engineering workshops as leading menu expert Annica Wainwright, of 2Forks, kicks off a UK tour later this month. The London and Manchester workshops are close to selling out (“act fast to grab the last few seats,” said Wainwright), but there’s still good availability for Bristol on 19 February, Birmingham on 20 February and Liverpool on 26 February. Independent restaurants are invited to apply for “pay what you can” seats and mix in with larger operators as delegates work in groups to learn the processes, strategies and science-based techniques that help menus work harder for their customers, their teams and their bottom line. Discounted seats are also available for team members working on the same menu. Past workshops have received rave reviews from a wide range of hospitality businesses, including Arcade, MJMK, Marcus Wareing Restaurants, Red Roaster, Roxie Restaurants, Sutton Hotel Collection, TAO Hospitality Group, Tonkotsu and Whistlepunks. For more details and a booking form with space to nominate locations for future menu workshops, click here. If you have a sponsored message you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

Sir Tim Martin to speak at first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024, open for bookings: Sir Tim Martin, founder and chairman of JD Wetherspoon, will be among the speakers at the first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024. The conference takes place on Thursday, 21 March, at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London’s Kensington, and is open for bookings. Sir Tim talks to Propel’s editorial advisor Katherine Doggrell about the current state of the UK pub market, the continued growth of Wetherspoon, and the evolution of its offer. They will also be joined by Emma Gibson, one of the company’s “employee directors”, to discuss the group’s approach to corporate governance. Operators can book up to three free places per company while Premium Club members who are operators can book up to four free places. To book, email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

Premium Club members to receive two updated databases this week: Propel Premium Club members are to receive two updated databases this week. They will be sent the next UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database today (Wednesday, 7 February), at midday. Another ten companies have been added to the database, taking the total to 235. The database is an exhaustive guide to the companies offering a food and beverage franchise in the UK and is updated every two months. Premium Club members will also receive the next Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book on Friday (9 February). The Blue Book now features 875 companies and shows 564 of them are in profit while 265 are reporting losses. 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 Club members also receive access to four other databases: the Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage; and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. Members are also to be given access to the entire recording of the 2024 Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit Conference. Members will be sent 30 separate video presentations, featuring more than 60 speakers on Friday, 16 February, at 9am. Propel has evolved its Premium subscription offer by launching Premium Club. All circa 4,000 existing subscribers automatically became members. 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 Club 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 Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

UKHospitality – vast majority of businesses will not benefit from new Ofgem and energy ombudsman proposals: UKHospitality has warned that the vast majority of businesses will not feel the benefit of new proposals regarding Ofgem and the energy ombudsman. The government is proposing to expand access to the ombudsman while regulator Ofgem is proposing to widen the Complaints Handling Standards, but only to those that fit the “small business consumer” criteria. Also proposed is for energy bills to clearly include any third-party costs to brokers. While UKHospitality supports these measures, it has called for all businesses, regardless of size, to have access. “I’m pleased that Ofgem listened to UKHospitality’s concerns, and those of our members, by bringing forward a rigorous review into the market, which led to these proposals being introduced,” said chief executive Kate Nicholls. “While we support the measures, as they do increase protections for some businesses, the vast majority will not feel the benefit under the current proposals. No business should be excluded from these types of safeguards, just because they have grown to a point where they exceed an arbitrary figure for turnover, revenue or employees. We would urge Ofgem and the government to revise these measures to include all businesses or, at the very least, those that fall under the much-wider definition of a small and medium-sized enterprise.” Meanwhile, UKHospitality has argued that Martyn’s Law must be enacted in a flexible way that gets the balance right between practicality and safety. A consultation has started on Martyn’s Law, named in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, has been launched. The consultation will seek views to make sure new requirements do not place undue burdens on smaller businesses while ensuring the public is protected. “We have long been calling for Martyn’s Law to provide a flexible approach that enables venues to introduce safety measures that are bespoke and suitable for their premises,” Nicholls added. “Protecting our customers and staff alike is a priority for venues, who want to ensure that the great experiences hospitality offers also comes with the best possible safety and security for all.”

Brewing giants warn chancellor that hundreds of pubs could go bust if beer duty is not cut in spring Budget: Brewing giants including Asahi, Budweiser and Greene King have warned chancellor Jeremy Hunt that hundreds of pubs could go bust if beer duty is not cut in the spring Budget. The British Beer & Pub Association estimates a further 750 pubs could be forced to close by the end of the first half of 2024. And in a letter to the chancellor, bosses from some of the UK’s largest beer companies told Hunt he has a chance to prevent a repeat of 2023, when more than 600 pubs closed down due to soaring bills, the third-highest beer duty in Europe, and a lack of VAT relief for hospitality. They also said that by cutting alcohol duty by 5%, the government could unlock an extra 13,000 jobs, reports The Sun. The letter said: “No government should turn a blind eye to the erosion of such an integral economic and cultural asset. By underpinning a successful and thriving beer and pub sector, we will provide you the short cut to achieving genuine levelling up in every corner of the country. The spring Budget could help ensure that the Great British beer and pub sector can help contribute to wider growth and prosperity for the local high street and the wider national economy.” Meanwhile, leaders in the spirits industry warned that more venues could close their doors for good unless duties on gin and whiskey are also slashed. A spokesman for the UK Spirits Alliance said: “The chancellor must include the spirits sector in a cut to alcohol duty in the spring Budget. Spirits make up a third of all alcoholic drinks consumed in the pub, and with 80% of a bottle of gin already taken in tax, the hospitality sector is being priced out of business and pubs are closing their doors for good. It’s time to cut the duty to save our pubs.” A Treasury spokesperson said: “From April, eligible pubs will continue to get 75% off their business rates bills, which comes on top of a six-month alcohol duty freeze and our Brexit Pubs Guarantee commitment to keep duty on draught drinks lower than in shops.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a luxury hospitality business in London that is seeking a French-speaking finance manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “You will play a crucial role in supporting the head of finance and have a background in hospitality, ideally in a multi-site organisation. You will ensure adequate and appropriate financial controls, processes and procedures exist in respect of day-to-day financial functions while assisting with the year-end audit, and many more finance management-related duties.” The salary is up to £50,000 and the position is based in London. For more information, email fabian@corecruitment.com.

Exclusive – Liberation Group reports record FY, January trading ahead of last year, potential to achieve 700 rooms in existing estate: Brewer and retailer Liberation Group has reported a record performance for its 130-strong business in the year ended 27 January 2024, with total group revenue up 22.5% at £147m versus the previous year, Propel has learned. The Jonathan Lawson-led company said its UK managed pubs produced a “very strong performance”, with like-for-like growth of 8%, with like-for-like sales across drink up 8.6%, food up 6.2% and accommodation up 11.6%. It said the growth also reflected the contribution of the pubs acquired from Cirrus Inns in December 2022, which have been fully integrated into the Butcombe managed estate. The business said accommodation has ramped up in its importance for the group and now drives a substantial proportion of food and drink sales with 42 of the group’s 78 managed pubs offering accommodation. The company currently operates more than 420 rooms and said it believes there is potential to achieve 700 in the existing estate. The business said it had taken record bookings in January for accommodation this summer. It said its Channel Island sites continued to perform “very well and reap the benefits of bringing modern casual dining to Jersey and Guernsey”. The company said Goram IPA Zero, its award-winning alcohol-free IPA, performed “particularly strongly” in January with record volumes up 95% on the same period in FY23 across its managed estate as customers turned to “Dry January” and “zebra drinking”, which is where customers alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the night, in greater numbers. Liberation said its tenanted division had an “excellent year” with sales up 4.3% on the same period last year. Lawson said: “It is particularly satisfying to see the way that mature parts of our business continue to grow such as CI drinks, tenancy and Butcombe, while also seeing new elements coming through so strongly, such as accommodation. We should remind ourselves that in 2016 we only had ten rooms and now we have well over 400, with the potential to achieve 700 in the existing estate. We are increasingly seeing accommodation as a substantial lever for our overall managed business and see events and occasions as a fourth revenue stream in its own right along with drink, food and accommodation. The headwinds on cost have eased and the outlook is better than the one in our rear-view mirror and the improvement in consumer confidence is noted and welcomed. Our performance at Christmas was testament to the hard work from our teams, but also a reflection of the long-term trend in consumers valuing experiences more than stuff. We need to build on this and continue to provide amazing experiences for our customers.”

Australian ‘fresh tea’ brand tests UK market: Australian “fresh tea” brand Gotcha is testing the UK market for a possible franchise launch, Propel has learned. Gotcha said it is “much more than just another bubble tea brand” as its farms its own tea from a single plantation and brews it freshly for each individual order. Founded by Roger Fu in 2017, Gotcha has since grown to more than 200 stores globally, including circa 50 in Australia. It has also launched partnership with the likes of Hello Kitty and Sesame Street, which it said led to increased customer traffic and spend per head through branded merchandise. Gotcha exhibited at last week’s British & International Franchise Exhibition, held over two days at London Olympia. “Like a single origin coffee or a fine bottle of French wine from a single vineyard, Gotcha fresh tea flavour is unique and unmistakable,” the business said. “Our franchisees really are very well backed, and this is key to our business strategy. Even during the current period of notable inflation, we’ve refrained from increasing any costs to our franchisees during the past three years.”

London’s first Mexican ‘churreria’ to open in Covent Garden: London’s first Mexican “churreria” – a casual venue majoring on churros doughnuts – is to open in Covent Garden, Propel has learned. Aguamiel will launch this month at 24 Wellington Street, close to Covent Garden Piazza. The flagship dessert bar is the brainchild of Sarah Mi and Bernado Pro, a chef who has cooked in high-end kitchens in southern California and Paris. Churros, made fresh in-house, will be served with a choice of sugar or real cinnamon and sugar, along with one of three dips (dulce de leche, condensed milk or chocolate), partnered with coffee and specialist Mexican hot and cold drinks, including aguas fresca, horchata and spiced hot chocolate. Abbey Rooke, of DCL, acted on behalf of Shaftesbury Capital to let the 800 square-foot unit in Covent Garden. 

Pret abandons final veggie-only stores: Pret A Manger is ditching its final vegetarian-only stores as fewer customers seek out specialist meat-free branches. The Telegraph reported Pret will convert its remaining three Veggie Prets in London and Manchester into regular branches by the end of this month. It will bring an end to the concept almost eight years after it first kicked off a trial of the stores, which sold only vegetarian and vegan options, including salad bowls and falafel sandwiches. At one point, Pret had ten veggie outlets and had been planning to convert the majority of EAT stores following its takeover of the chain in 2019. However, the plans ground to a halt during the pandemic. Pret closed a number of Veggie Pret sites in late 2022, as it said it was offering meat-free options at other stores so did not need stand-alone sites. A spokesman told The Telegraph that the plans to ditch the veggie concept meant that it would be offering an “even broader selection” to customers visiting its stores. Pret, which opened 41 new sites last year, said that one in three of the main meals it now sells is either vegetarian or vegan. The spokesman said: “Every Pret shop is a Veggie Pret shop, with new vegetarian and vegan-friendly products coming on to our menu all the time.”

Bunsik set to launch in Kensington for west London debut: Korean street food concept Bunsik, part of Maguro Group, is set to make its west London debut with the launch of its sixth site, in Kensington. Bunsik will open at 198-200 Earl’s Court Road in April, in a 1,625 square-foot venue, offering 40 covers as well as takeaway options. As well as its traditional Korean street food, the site will offer new dishes such as fish and veggie burgers, kimmari fried seaweed roll and veg mandu dumplings. Alongside its range of bubble tea, it will also for the first time offer bingsu – frozen cream or milk, shaved to create a snow-like dessert and served with various toppings. It comes after Bunsik launched its fifth site in December, in Westfield Stratford, which was the brand’s food court model debut. In September, Maguro Group director Jae Cho told Propel it is set to make Bunsik its first franchise, with an aim of 20 sites by 2026. Maguro Group also operates the Maguro Sushi, Gogi, Bullgogi, Itaewon Burger & Chicken and Pochawa Grill concepts.

Lyons Holiday Parks paid £42m to acquires five North Wales sites, sees drop in profit as admin expenses increase by almost £5m: Lyons Holiday Parks, which operates 20 sites in north Wales and Cumbria, paid almost £42m for the five sites in North Wales it acquired in July 2022. The company’s accounts for the year to 31 January 2023 showed a total consideration of £41,866,998 was paid for Sunnysands Caravan Park and the freehold interest in five of its holiday parks – Parc Caerelwan, Moelfre View Caravan Park, Tyddyn Goronwy, Sunnysands Caravan Park and Snowdon View Caravan Park. Further analysis shows that the acquired business contributed turnover of £2,849,199 towards Lyons Holiday Parks’ revenue of £46,539,107 for the period, up from £44,275,164 in 2022. The new parks also contributed a pre-tax profit for the period of £299,761. The company’s pre-tax profit fell from £15,614,798 in 2022 to £11,791,461 as administration expenses rose from £14,462,256 to £19,064,396. It received £7,500 in government grants compared with £237,570 in 2022. Dividends of £213,000 were paid (2022: nil). Director Geoffrey Mound said: “The group’s performance has again been strong despite competitive trading conditions due to the cost-of-living crisis, and this is reflected in the results. The directors continually aim to improve the performance of the group through focusing on its core activities both within existing sites and through acquisitions, and although the external commercial environment is expected to remain competitive in the foreseeable future, the directors believe that the company's financial position is strong, and they remain confident that they can continue to build on the current performance level and achieve their strategic aim of sustainable growth.” Post year end, in January 2023, the company took on more than 40 staff who had been made redundant by the closure of Pontins in Prestatyn.

UK’s first rice pudding bar to launch in south east London: The UK’s first rice pudding bar is set to launch at the Canteen Food Hall in Greenwich, south east London. Rizz Rice will pop up at the venue most weekends throughout the year, offering rice pudding with a range of different flavours and toppings, using organic and local ingredients. Flavours include creme bruleé, sticky mango, rocky road and cookies and cream, while an example of seasonal specials is the strawberry rice pudding with cherry compote topped with heart sprinkles, white chocolate drizzle and a glace cherry for Valentine’s Day. Founder Jayson Jansen Van Vuuren said: “We want folks to see rice pudding in a new light. For some, it’ll be about reliving a childhood moment with their favourite flavours from around the world. For others, it’ll be trying something brand new, unexpected, and bursting with originality.” Canteen Food Hall is a neighbourhood food hall and bar in the heart of Greenwich Peninsula, hosting regular events and street food from six independent kitchens.

Punch acquires Congleton pub: Punch Pubs & Co, the Fortress Investment Group-backed business, has acquired the Young Pretender pub in Congleton, Cheshire. The Lawton Street pub was formerly owned by The Beer Parlours, which also operated The Treacle Tap in Macclesfield, until both pubs closed suddenly in August 2022. The Treacle Tap has since reopened under the ownership of Buxton Brewery, and the Young Pretender, which is set within a grade II-listed building, is now set to follow suit, having joined Punch’s circa 1,300-strong pub portfolio. It will be renamed Bench Bistro, with publicans Richard and Verity Shaw, who have run the Bench Bistro in Nantwich since 2018, at the helm. Punch Pubs & Co head of estate development and acquisitions, Andrew Cannons, said: “We are pleased to welcome the Young Pretender into the Punch family and look forward to working with Richard and Verity in bringing these plans alive. We will provide them with Punch’s industry-leading investment and support, to allow this fantastic pub to flourish once again. We look forward to providing the community with further updates as these plans progress.”

Arepa & Co and Noko to open in Elephant Park: Asian street food restaurant and bar Noko and Venezuelan all-day eatery Arepa & Co have signed for their second and fifth London locations respectively, at Lendlease’s Elephant Park development. At the same time, Kiki and Miumiu, the independent food market specialising in pan-Asian produce, has launched its upsized store at the scheme. Noko has selected Elephant Park's casual dining zone, Sayer Street, for a second location, joining its site in Camberwell. With 60 covers inside and 15 outside, the 1,710 square-foot restaurant will serve Noko’s fusion Japanese, Chinese, and Korean inspired cuisine, including a variety of dumplings, noodles, flame-grilled robata, and fried chicken. As previously revealed by Propel, Arepa & Co will be joining Ash Avenue, Elephant Park's lifestyle hub. The new 2,000 square-foot restaurant will serve traditional sweetcorn cachapas, cornbread arepas, and small plates including yuca fries and pastelitos to up to 100 covers, including 25 outside. Nash Bond, CF Commercial and Shelley Sandzer represented Lendlease.

 

Administrators for family-owned Cheshire hotel business put two sites on market: The administrators for family-owned Cheshire hotel business Flat Cap Hotels have put two of its sites on the market. Begbies Traynor were last month appointed as administrators to Flat Cap Hotels, which was founded by brothers Oliver and Dominic Heywood, the third generation in a family line of hotel owners, in 2015. Of its three venues, The Vicarage in Cranage and The Bridge in Prestbury have continued to trade while The Courthouse in Knutsford has ceased trading. Christie & Co is now marketing The Vicarage and The Bridge on behalf of joint administrators, Gareth Prince, Mark Malone and Julian Pitts, of Begbies Traynor. Tom O’Malley, associate director hotel broker at Christie & Co, said: “The properties are available as a package or individually and we anticipate wide-ranging interest from investors and operators both national and independent. Over the years, the hotels have built a strong reputation as popular food-led destinations in picturesque, grade II-listed heritage sites. The Vicarage is a 23-bedroom property, which sits on the banks of the River Dane, overlooking the Cheshire countryside. Featuring architecture dating to the 1700s, the hotel blends old with new, with a restaurant, modern industrial bar and surround sound sports bar on offer to guests. The Bridge is a 27-bedroom hotel and restaurant located on the banks of the River Bollin in the Cheshire village of Prestbury. The contemporary restaurant and bar features a vaulted ceiling, while the Riverside gardens featuring an outdoor bar called ‘The Shed’ make it a popular wedding location.” 

Italian gelato brand Amorino secures Bracknell site: Italian gelato brand Amorino has secured a site in Bracknell for its 28th UK location. It has signed for a unit at the Berkshire town’s The Lexicon destination, owned in a joint venture between Schroders Capital and Legal & General Capital. Amorino, which also has stores in Paris, Rome and Qatar, has previously targeted having 50 UK stores by 2025. It is one of three new tenants to have signed up at The Lexicon, with another being cafe bar operator Loungers, which will open a 3,400 square-foot venue there. Propel revealed last month that a site in Bracknell was among a pipeline of openings Loungers has scheduled for the coming months. The new deals bring the shopping centre’s occupation to 95% let, having seen average consumer spend rise 24% last year compared with 2022. Rob Morris, general manager of The Lexicon, said: “We’re delighted that The Lexicon’s diverse range of retail, leisure, and dining operators, supported by our award-winning events programme, has resulted in impressive footfall across 2023, and we hope to build on this success in 2024.”

We Do Play set to open Putt Putt Noodle and Laser Quest in Gloucester: We Do Play, the team behind Flip Out and Putt Putt Noodle, is set to launch a Putt Putt Noodle and Laser Quest under the same roof in Gloucester. The new multi-brand activity centre will open in the former Primark in Kings Walk on Saturday (10 February), also featuring the city’s first You Me Sushi restaurant. We Do Play owner Rich Beese said: “I am really looking forward to bringing Laser Quest to Gloucester and the former Primark store in the city centre is the perfect location. We also believe the Putt Putt Noodle concept is perfect for the centre of Gloucester. These leisure and entertainment blends are changing the retail landscape across the UK and there’s definitely a gap that needs to be filled in Gloucester.” It comes after We Do Play launched a flagship venue in London’s Canary Wharf in December, sharing a space in Cabot Square with go-karting concept Capital Karts. Beese told Propel last month that the venue has welcomed 40,000 guests in its first four weeks, and that We Do Play had signed to launch its Flip Out trampoline park concept in Sweden later this year. It currently operates four Putt Putt Noodles and 30 Flip Outs across the UK. The company told Propel last year it is aiming for 40 Putt Putt Noodles and 20 more Flip Outs by 2026. 

Banana Tree confirms February opening for north west debut: The Big Table Group, the Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Café Rouge operator, has confirmed its Banana Tree brand will make its north west debut this month. Propel revealed in January that Banana Tree, which recently appointed Kate Wilson as its new managing director, would open its first site in the region at Salford Quays. It will now launch on Monday (12 February), at the destination’s Lowry Outlet Mall, seating 150 guests inside and a further 70 outside. Banana Tree marketing director, Tom Patrick, said: “We’re excited to be opening our first restaurant in the north and open our first restaurant in the vibrant city of Salford. This will be our 19th restaurant and we couldn’t have secured a better location.” Propel also revealed last week that Big Table Group, which has ambitions to grow Banana Tree to circa 50 sites over the next two years, is converting its Cafe Rouge site in Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quays to the Banana Tree brand.

Penta Hotels appoints former GM of brand’s first UK hotel as CEO: Penta Hotels, which has 23 hotels worldwide, including six in the UK, has appointed a new chief executive. Former chief of operations and commerce Andrew Munt has been promoted to the role following the departure of Rogier Braakman to spend more time with his family in the Netherlands. Braakman, who has led the German-headquartered group for the last four years, will remain with the company on an advisory basis for now. “The decision was not easy, but my family comes first,” Braakman said. “But the fact that I will remain with Penta as an advisor shows how important Penta is to me.” Munt joined the business in 2010 as general manager at the brand’s first UK hotel, in Reading, which opened in 2009. “I know that I have big shoes to fill, but that being said, I am excited for the challenge ahead,” he said. “To have the chance to lead a company that has been such a huge and impactful part of my career is more than a privilege.” Originally launched in 1971 as a joint venture between five European airlines, launching hotels in major cities that they flew to, Penta was relaunched as Pentahotels in 2007 by the Rosewood Hotel Group and is now operated by Penta Hotels Worldwide. Its other UK locations are in Birmingham, Derby, Inverness, Ipswich and Warrington.

Rosa’s confirms March opening for Richmond site: Rosa’s Thai, the TriSpan-backed business, has confirmed its new restaurant in Richmond, south west London, will open next month. Propel revealed in December that the Gavin Adair-led, 39-strong business had acquired the former Bone Daddies site in Hill Street. It will now open on Monday, 18 March, offering dishes such as spicy drunken noodles, paid thai and som tum papaya salad, alongside Thai-inspired cocktails and a signature range of bubble tea. Founded in 2008, Rosa’s Thai also has openings in Cheltenham, Bristol and Reading in the pipeline.

London hotel operator sees turnover and profit exceed pre-covid levels: Hazlitt’s Hotels, which operates three sites in London, has reported turnover increased to £8,211,214 for the year ending 30 April 2023 compared with £4,408,595 the previous year. Revenue also exceeded the £6,446,510 reported for the year ending 30 April 2019 – the last full year before the covid pandemic. Pre-tax profit at the company – which operates Hazlitt’s, Batty Langley’s and The Rookery in the capital – was up to £1,978,159 from £345,976 the year before (2019: profit of £597,637). In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The group has no immediate plans for further expansion. The management is entirely focused on maintaining current performance and product standards while managing the operational costs across the business.” The company did not receive any government grants (2022: £125,526). A dividend of £800,000 was paid (2022: nil).

Former Great British Menu contestant set to open third Brixton restaurant: Former Great British Menu contestant Brian Danclair is set to open his third restaurant in London’s Brixton. Danclair, who competed in last year’s season of the BBC2 programme, will open Veg & Tings at 4 Granville Arcade on Tuesday, 20 February. It will be a third site in the south London suburb for Trinidad-born Danclair, who opened Fish, Wings & Tings in 2012 and Danclair’s Kitchen in 2021. Focusing on vegetarian Caribbean food, it will offer dishes such as curried chickpeas on flatbreads, corn soup, stewed lentils with seasoned rice and curried mango with stewed vegetables, reports Hot Dinners.

 

Lantana achieves B Corp status: Lantana, the Aussie all-day dining concept, has achieved B Corp status. The company, which operates four sites in the capital, joins a global community of businesses “striving to prioritise purpose over profit”. B Corp businesses are certified by non-profit global organisation, B Lab, and are audited on their commitment to bring benefit to not only shareholders, but also their stakeholders, including their staff, customers, communities, supply chain and the planet. Shelagh Ryan, Lantana co-founder and food director, said: “B Corp certification is not just a milestone for Lantana; it’s a testament to the collective effort of our community. We're proud to be part of a global community striving for a better future.”

 

AO Arena’s £50m redevelopment to include restaurant with menus from Simon Rogan and Tom Barnes: A £50m redevelopment of the AO Arena in Manchester will include the opening of a restaurant with menus from Simon Rogan and Tom Barnes. The works, which are set to finish in March, will also increase the venue’s capacity by 2,000 to 23,000, including a 100% jump in standing floor capacity to 6,200 supported by a new lower concourse. A range of new bars and expanded food offering will include The Mezz, featuring offerings from Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan and Tom Barnes, of Skof. Chris Bray, executive vice-president for Europe at ASM, the venue operator, said: “We really wanted to raise the standard of catering in the arena space, and we’ve got Tom and Simon doing some signature dishes. There will be fine dining in the restaurant, unfussy food specific to the type of show, and in the bar, it will be a grazing menu. We have also dramatically expanded the standing floor space, which means it will compete with any other venue in the UK. We are excited to continue to host the world’s biggest and most exciting events here in the heart of Manchester.”