Propel Newsletter Archive Page

Itsu – there is a lot of the country we are not in, seeing growth across all aspects of business: Greg Thorp, chief financial officer at Itsu, has told Propel the business is seeing growth across all aspects of the business, that there is a lot of the country the brand can still open in and that it hopes to add a fifth UK franchise partner this year. It comes as total group sales increased 19% to £176m in 2023, with like-for-like sales across its shops up 6.1%. Like-for-like sales across its travel hub sites climbed 21% during the year. At the same time, hot food made up 37% of sales and 39% of sales for the business were generated through the evening. On the grocery side, sales for the year grew 22.8%, while its distribution points reached 67,000, an increase of 23% year-on-year. Thorp said: “We are seeing growth across all aspects of the business. Whether that is grocery, in our stores, internationally, good transactional growth, in the City or in transport hubs, 2024 is about really accelerating that. We will build more shops in 2024 – both in London and the regions. Our pipeline is bigger sites – in the West End, in the heartland of the City, in larger cities around the UK where we are either not in or in with one shop and could do more. I think that reflects the confidence to build slightly bigger units and invest a little more. This year will be a really big one for shop openings, and we’ll see some international growth as well, which will be very exciting. We will look to do somewhere around 15 to 20 new sites, maybe a little more. And I think that’s sort of typical of what we want to do for the next two or three years. We’ve got two shops in Europe, and we want that to be significantly higher. So, European airports, more openings in France – in Paris – I hope we do five shops in Europe this year. We will open in the Netherlands in the next 12 months. In France, we’ve got a second or third shop to come out this year, and we want to do far more there. Another market or two this year would be great, and we have spoken to various big European partners to aid that ambition.” The company launched its first franchise site on the outskirts of Reading in August 2021, with Heart with Smart, and has since added three further franchisees in Savvi Group (a Costa Coffee franchisee), IVI Holdings (led by Atul Pathak, formerly the UK’s largest McDonald’s franchisee) and Scoffs Group (Costa Coffee’s largest UK franchisee). The latter will open its first franchise this spring in Exeter. Thorp said: “Scoffs will build more around the south west, south and some parts of the south east. We may take on a fifth partner this year, possibly a partner through the north and the Midlands may come through this year, but if not, we will do more sites ourselves. As a brand and as a franchise system, there is a lot more confidence in the business. It takes a few years to get these things right and understand how to franchise for a business that has been equity-led for a couple of decades. So, I think we’re in a much better spot.”

Industry News:

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Premium subscribers to receive two databases this week: Premium subscribers will receive two databases this week. The next edition of the UK Food & Beverage Franchisee Database will be sent on Wednesday (6 March), featuring ten new entries and updates to existing entries. The database is updated every two months, and the latest version features 130 businesses and more than 55,000 words of content. Among the new entries are three McDonald’s franchisees – CJ Rach, which operates six restaurants in Liverpool; Lewco Holdings, which runs three restaurants in Weymouth and Dorset; and Rookery Foods, which has disposed of nine of its 16 restaurants in Cheshire. Following this, the next Turnover & Profits Blue Book will be sent out on Friday (8 March). A further 18 companies have been added, while 37 have been updated. The database now features 889 companies, with 583 in profit and 306 in loss. Premium Club members also receive access to four other databases: the Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; and the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality. All members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to five 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 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 supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

Deadline unveiled for bookings for Propel Chicago study tour 2024, new operator visit announced: A deadline of Friday 15 March has been announced for the 2024 Propel Chicago study tour, which takes place between Saturday 18 May and Monday 21 May. Trip organiser Myles Doran said: “Those who want to come along now have less than two weeks to confirm their places.” The trip’s itinerary includes a wide range of restaurant, bar, speakeasy and nightclub tours, where delegates can explore and learn about the hottest concepts in the city. The trip now includes a visit to the new Guinness Open Gate Brewery, located in the vibrant West Loop neighbourhood. The revitalised historic rail depot now consists of a brewery, taproom, restaurant and the very first bakery globally, housed in a 15,000 square-foot newly transformed space. A ten-barrel brewing system will offer 12-16 rotating experimental draughts, most of which are brewed on site and exclusively available in the taproom. The brewery sources 100% renewable electricity from solar panels and renewable energy credits, operates a zero-waste-to-landfill facility and utilises a 100% electric boiler. Also on the itinerary is a full day at the National Restaurant Association Show, featuring more than 2,000 exhibitors. The itinerary also features a pizza making masterclass at Uno Pizzeria & Grill – the restaurant that created the deep-dish pizza – a study tour of the Fulton Market and two hosted dinners. Propel managing director Paul Charity said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable insight into the trends and concepts that are shaping the US hospitality market, which will no doubt provide fresh ideas and inspiration for delegates.” The single occupancy price is £3,500 and twin occupancy is £3,250 with the price also including flights, three nights’ accommodation, transfers, and a welcome drinks reception. For more information or to book, email myles@hospitality-inc.co.uk or call 07710 783485.

StarStock announces closure amidst market challenges: StarStock, the software company founded by Sam Ulph, has called time on its eB2B services in the UK hospitality market, Propel has learned. The latest platform “StarStock” has been turned off with immediate effect. The business said it had faced an “almost perfect storm” in the sector over the last few years, with covid, a downturn in the fundraising market and target customers facing their own battles with energy and product costs. The technology platform said it partnered with some major industry players to help them through these significant challenges, but Ulph said despite their best endeavours to “build a pathway to profitability as a standalone business, it just wasn’t meant to be”. The company said that with a major change in logistics structure in the UK coming down the line and with no alternative provider able to assist their operating model, StarStock had decided now is the right time to close its doors. Ulph said: “I would like to thank all my investors and all those amazing people who have supported our vision over the last 11 years. That includes the circa 5,000 on-trade customers who signed up to our services and all the major food and drinks suppliers who backed our platform along the way. It has been an incredible journey with some fantastic learnings, and I am proud to say we are ‘eB2B route to market’ experts. I didn’t think that is what I would be saying when I set out on this journey, I just wanted to help connect the industry. I’m so proud of what we have achieved – having taken a thread of an idea and turned it into a reality. It’s disappointing not to see the vision through but I hope StarStock’s software and management team have challenged the industry to think long and hard about how to digitise this very traditional marketplace in the future. Most of all, I would like to thank Phil Newton and my team who have worked tirelessly to deliver best in class technology, which we will now hold onto and explore other markets and verticals.” StarStock, in winding down the business, will retain the technology assets in the company and explore licensing or selling to major partners in other markets.

Loungers founder arches eyebrow at Whitbread move: Loungers founder Alex Reilley has signalled his displeasure after Whitbread opened a site called The Lounge. Writing in his Friday Premium diary, Propel group editor Mark Wingett wrote: “The Oscar Wilde quote is that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness’. I wonder if that came to mind for Loungers chairman Alex Reilley this week. Reilley – the co-founder of the Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside owner – took to social media site X this week to share a picture of the exterior of one of Whitbread’s Premier Inn Hub sites in London. Said picture highlighted the name of the food and beverage offer of the site… Lounge café bar, with a design that could arguably be described as close to that of his own company’s circa 250-strong Lounge business. Diary wonders if Whitbread will soon be receiving a polite letter/email from Loungers asking about where it gets its inspiration from. Reilley has already given his own shortened version of Wilde’s quote in response: ‘Imitation is limitation’.”

Rick Stein – sector needs to embrace its older workers: Chef Rick Stein has argued that employers should not “push older people out of the workplace” as his father Eric “struggled without all the camaraderie and pressure of work”. Stein's father, who suffered from bipolar disorder, jumped off a cliff near the family’s holiday home in Cornwall in 1965, shortly after he left his role as managing director of The Distillers Company. “My industry focuses on younger people, which is great, but older people often bring a nice balance,” he told Saga Magazine. “I’ve got a few sixty- and seventy-somethings working part-time in my restaurants, and they love it. And the customers love them, so let’s try to get older people back into the workplace. Dad took early retirement, and he struggled without all the camaraderie and pressure of work. Let’s not be too hasty to push older people out of the workplace.”

Restaurateur Jeremy King planning two books: Restaurateur Jeremy King is planning new two books – alongside his three restaurant openings this year. The first, Food for Thought, due next February, offers life lessons based on his career. The second, still percolating in King’s mind, will be more of a memoir, although he’ll have to wait for certain figures to die before he can spill the beans. “Restaurant autobiographies are the most boring genre,” he told The Financial Times. “All those ‘it was a great honour to serve’. What I’m scared of is hubris and narcissism. It’s people who make everything about themselves that I struggle with.” His three restaurant openings are: Arlington, which takes its name from its location on Arlington Street, which taking bookings from March; The Park, a modern grand café, which is set to launch in May across the road from Kensington Gardens; and the newly refreshed Simpson’s in the Strand, “one of the last Grand Dame restaurants”, which is due to be unveiled in the autumn.

Covid inquiry – ‘no basis’ to stop pubs selling alcohol: There was “no basis” for stopping pubs selling alcohol during the pandemic, the covid inquiry has been told. BBC News reports that ex-Public Health Wales communicable diseases director Dr Roland Salmon said it seemed to be “an overly enduring legacy of the chapel heritage”. He also told the fourth day of the inquiry in Wales that school closures would translate to a “loss of life expectancy” among children. Another expert said that masks should have been mandatory sooner. Dr Salmon criticised the Welsh government’s decision to restrict access to certain supermarket aisles and prevent pubs from selling alcohol as part of its strategy to stop the spread of covid. “I can think of no basis on why you might think they would work,” he said. “Whether you leave the aisles open or you leave them shut really doesn’t matter. Actually, if people are going into the supermarket, why do you want to shut one aisle and not the other one? Pubs and restaurants settings are an issue when people congregate in them. Those people who are vulnerable are best avoiding them and advised to do so. But opening up and not having a beer? That seems perhaps an overly enduring legacy of the chapel heritage, I don’t know.”

Gift card sales set to smash 2023 levels following Mother’s Day boost: New data from e-commerce platform Toggle has revealed that total hospitality gift card sales are predicted to smash 2023 levels, with an increase of 177% in the lead up to Mother’s Day compared with last year. Furthermore, 2024 Mother’s Day gift card sales are expected to be up 58% on the last three years combined. There are also a growing number of consumers looking to purchase gift cards tailored to activity-based experiences for Mother’s Day, with Toggle recording a 96% surge in sales for such experiences over the last two years. In 2022, 35% of all experiences sold in March were afternoon teas, and in 2023, this grew to 45%. This is expected to hit 66% in 2024. Toggle said this demonstrates an untapped opportunity for operators to provide more experiences at their venues, such as afternoon teas for Mother’s Day. Analysis also shows that promotions are a key driver for revenue, particularly in the general total uplift when guests come to redeem their Mother’s Day gift cards. For those venues that offer gift cards with an additional promotion, such as ‘£10 off when you spend £30’, there was a 533% uplift in total spend from the original redemption value. Toggle chief executive Dan Brookman said: “It’s clear that consumers are seeking experiences, not just products, for key calendar dates like Mother’s Day. The economic outlook continues to be fraught with challenges, so it’s vitally important that operators are tapping into every opportunity to drive visits. A gift card is just that, the promise of a future visit, and should provide guests with a heightened experience that drives new customer acquisition and brand loyalty.”

US foodservice brands find lucrative growth in France: US quick service brands are finding France’s fragmented market which is well suited to quick growth. After the US, France is McDonald’s most profitable country, with more than €6bn ($6.5bn) in sales from over 1,500 restaurants in 2022. France is also the second-biggest market for Burger King, with €1.2bn in revenue last year. “France is an El Dorado for American fast-food brands,” said Xavier Expilly, a consultant who helped oversee the French openings of Burger King, Five Guys and others. “Habits are shifting – people are eating faster than before, and they want a different experience. The American chains know how to respond to that need perfectly.” American brands make up nearly 30% of all fast-food sales. The top five American fast-food companies in France had €8.6bn in sales last year, according to Xerfi, a Paris-based research firm.

Company News:

Fat Phill’s franchisee lines up spring opening in south London for UK debut, settled on smashed burger brand as concept has ‘exploded’ here: Fat Phill’s first UK franchisee has told Propel it has lined up a spring opening in south London for its debut here. Propel revealed last month that Freshly Baked, which has held the UK master franchise for US pretzel brand Auntie Anne’s for the last 15 years, had signed a deal to bring the 17-strong Dutch smashed burger business to these shores, with plans for an eventual 100-strong estate. A London debut sometime in 2024 had been mooted, and Propel can now reveal it is aiming to open its first Fat Phill’s site in Clapham in April or May. “Following that, we are looking to get three stores open in the first two years, and thereafter, we will be driven by opportunity,” said Freshly Baked managing director, Max Burton. “Clapham is the perfect blend of footfall, residential and transport links. We will be looking outside of London too, but probably not towns of less than 150,000 – we’ll be looking for higher population density areas in the short term.” Burton said family-owned Freshly Baked, which has grown Auntie Anne’s to 36 sites with plans to add another 90, first considered taking on another brand last year. “We’d built a head office team to the point where it had skills transferable to other sectors in the F&B space,” he added. “We also brought in Anthony Baker as head of operations, who has several years of QSR experience, which gave us the confidence to look at QSR rather than just snack brands. We thought about pizza and gourmet sandwiches, but we liked the look of Fat Phill’s straight away, and it was really punching above its weight for a five-year-old brand. Smashed burger concepts have also really exploded in the UK over the past 12 months. We visited the Netherlands in June and did some blind test tasting, weighed up the opportunity for two to three months and spent another three to four months negotiating, to reach an agreement with Fat Phill’s Diner. Like Auntie Anne’s, we are starting with a fantastic product, which is the key to success we believe.” Fat Phill’s and Auntie Anne’s both feature in the Propel UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, an exhaustive guide to the companies offering a food and beverage franchise in the UK available exclusively to Premium subscribers. The database is updated every two months, and the latest version features 235 businesses. 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.

New tenant sought for former Le Gavroche site: A new restaurant operator is being sought for the former Le Gavroche site in London’s Mayfair. Last August, Michel Roux Jr announced the closure of Le Gavroche at its Upper Brook Street site, where the restaurant had operated for more than 55 years. The restaurant officially closed in January. Originally opened in 1967 by Michel’s father Albert and uncle Michel, Le Gavroche was the first restaurant in the UK to gain one, two and three Michelin stars (it closed holding two). It became known as “the last bastion in London of classically rich French haute cuisine” and a London institution, internationally recognised for its “culinary excellence and unparalleled attention to detail”. Michel Roux Jr, who headed the restaurant since 1991, said that he was looking for a better work/life balance without the “daily demands of a busy Michelin-starred restaurant” and that the end of his current lease gave him the opportunity to assess and consider his future. Propel understands that luxury residence operator Grand Residence Club (GRC) by Marriott has appointed leisure property specialist Davis Coffer Lyons to source a new tenant for the restaurant premises. An operator is sought for the 4,000 square-foot venue, which sits below GRC’s luxury residences. It is understood that the site’s “compelling history and sought-after Mayfair location” mean it is attracting a great deal of interest from a range of operators, including high profile chefs as well as new international entrants.

Timothy Taylor CEO – I sometimes feel we’re successful despite the government: Tim Dewey, chief executive of Keighley brewer and retailer Timothy Taylor’s, has joined calls for the government to take action to save pubs by cutting the taxes ahead of this week’s Budget, but said he sometimes feels “we’re successful despite the government, and certainly not with its assistance”. It comes as the Sunday Times reported that the company’s Taylor’s on the Green pub in Keighley will make a loss of more than £100,000 this year. The company said that its 19 pubs, just like taverns up and down the country, are being strangled by high taxes. Dewey said: “This year we will lose six figures on that pub. It has the whole brewery behind it, but if that was being run by a husband and wife, they would be losing their living and closing it. It’s not the big pubs that will close, because they get enough people to cover those fixed costs. My worry is that you’re going to lose a lot of these smaller outlets that are part of the whole social setting and fabric of that community. I sometimes feel we’re successful despite the government, and certainly not with its assistance.” From April, the national living wage for those aged 23 and over will rise from £10.42 per hour to £11.44, a £1.02 increase. It will also apply to those aged 21 and 22 who currently earn the national minimum wage, resulting in a £1.26 increase. Dewey said the increase will cost just one of its venues, The Woolly Sheep Inn, in Skipton, an extra £43,000 a year. He said: “That doesn’t mean they have to do £43,000 more turnover. They have to do £250,000 more turnover to put £43,000 into the profit column. Look, of course, why shouldn’t people on lower pay have higher wages? But businesses are going to pick that up and they are already under severe pressure. The government has got to look at other ways that they could give pubs some relief.” While Timothy Taylor’s already pays slightly above the minimum wage, the company said it would need to increase this to retain a competitive advantage, and then raise wages accordingly further up the pay scale.

Black Sheep Coffee opens first two Middle East stores, two more to follow in coming months: Speciality coffee shop operator Black Sheep Coffee has opened its first two Middle East stores, with two more to follow in the coming months. Propel revealed in May 2023 that the business had signed a franchise deal with Al Farran Investment to expand into the region, with plans to open more than 250 shops there in its initial 15-year term. Marking the London brand’s Middle East debut, the first two outlets have opened at ACT Towers and Boulevard Plaza Tower in Dubai, serving regional products alongside Black Sheep Coffee’s full menu. It will open two further UAE outlets in the second quarter of 2024, at Dubai Mall and Yas Mall Abu-Dhabi. “A historic day as we opened our first shops in the UAE, in the heart of downtown Dubai,” said Gabriel Shohet, co-chief executive at Black Sheep Coffee. “Thanks to our awesome Emirati customers for such a warm welcome and hats off to Mohamad Al Farran and his incredible team at the Al Farran Group on delivering two flawless openings in one single day. Stay tuned for more exciting updates from the Middle East.” Black Sheep operates circa 80 stores across the UK, alongside a single site in France, and is also set to make its US debut year. In January, Propel revealed that Black Sheep Coffee had converted a £2m loan note into equity and raised additional financing through equity issues after its turnover more than doubled in the year to 1 January 2023. Turnover rose from £10,709,936 to £21,348,236 during the period as the company made net 11 store openings. Of the 2022 figure, £21,337,672 came from the UK (2021: £10,706,338) and £10,564 from the rest of the world (2021: £3,598). A total of £20,870,557 came from operation of coffee shops including online sales (2021: £10,706,338) and £477,679 from franchise fees and recharges (2021: £3,598). But its pre-tax loss also more than doubled, from £2,835,195 in 2021 to £5,800,820 – which the company said was “anticipated at this stage of development”.

Asda ‘focused on leveraging Leon’s heritage as a pioneer and well-established sector brand’: Retailer Asda said it is focused on “leveraging Leon’s heritage as a pioneer and well-established sector brand”. The supermarket operator took full ownership of the circa 75-strong healthy fast-food chain in November after completing the acquisition of EG Group’s UK business for an enterprise value of £2.07bn. An Asda spokesperson told The Telegraph: “The business is focused on leveraging Leon’s heritage as a pioneer and well-established sector brand, investing to grow its offering through continued menu innovation and the ongoing expansion of Leon in the right locations and formats. We continue to bring the Leon business into the Asda family, where the brand benefits from additional customer insights and data capabilities to deliver on its mission to make it easier to eat and live well.” In December, Propel revealed that Leon was looking to open new restaurants, review its existing estate and explore new formats, and that its buyout by Asda would give it the opportunity to further expand the brand. In its accounts for the year to 25 December 2022, the business reported its pre-tax loss widened during the period from £9,177,342 in 2021 to £13,268,097, as costs grew by more than £6m. Turnover from owned sites was up from £37,515,376 in 2021 to £52,179,430. Of this, £50,440,944 was restaurant income (2021: £36,639,304), £1,663,353 from franchise income (2021: £852,887) and £75,133 from other royalties (2021: £23,185). Propel reported last year that the brand, which operates “hundreds” of branded coffee stations in supermarkets across the UK, had closed its two drive-thru sites.

Ballerz preparing for May launch: Ballerz, the new competitive socialising concept backed by ex-professional footballers including Rio Ferdinand and Bobby Zamora, is preparing to launch in May. Propel revealed last summer that the concept – to be housed in a purpose-built dome with a world class 5G pitch, mini stadium bench and tech-laden skills zones – had lined up Bluewater in Kent for its debut site. Final preparations are now under way for the 30,000 square-foot Ballerz arena following a £3m investment in the concept and fit-out. The 500-capacity all-weather dome also features stadium-style seating, a players’ tunnel, pro changing rooms and real-time pitch technology, with big screen action replays. It will also be home to the Ballerz Cafe and Players’ Lounge, which will offer a full menu of light bites, mains, cocktails and drinks and can also host evening entertainment and corporate events. Ballerz co-founder, Nick Weir, who is also managing partner of leisure property consultants Shelley Sandzer, said: “We’ve brought together a passion for the game and teamed it with a premier all-day entertainment venue and the latest technology – to create a new concept for both kids and adults. There’s been a significant move towards competitive socialising in the hospitality industry – yet there remains a gap in the market when it comes to football. The trend is expected to grow further over the next five years, and we have plans to expand the Ballerz brand to other areas of the UK and internationally.” Mark Warne, brand account director for hospitality and leisure at Landsec, added: “Successful leisure concepts add value to retail destinations, and competitive socialising venues in particular are growing in popularity, with guests are looking to try something new. Ballerz is a unique concept which combines competitive socialising with fitness and skills training, allowing it to appeal to a wide range of audiences.” The operational team includes ex-Groucho Club managing director Matt Hobbs and former Chelsea FC development coach Sam Hubert. Ben Childs, formerly of Puttshack and Junkyard Golf, has joined as operations director, and hospitality agency Bums On Seats is heading up marketing and sales strategy. Ballerz is expected to attract 250,000 visitors in its first 12 months and is creating 50 jobs.

23.5 Degrees appoints Maureen Sandbach as new people director: Maureen Sandbach, formerly of BaxterStorey and Honest Burgers, is joining Starbucks’ largest UK franchisee, 23.5 Degrees, as its new people director. She spent nearly 16 years at BaxterStorey, including six years as its people director. Nickie Bartsch, who has been head of people development at Honest Burgers since June 2023, has been promoted to its people director. She was formerly at Leon for five and a half years, as its head of learning and development. She also spent a year at Pint Shop as its head of people, and a further nine years at Leon, including nearly four as its head of people. 23.5 Degrees operates more than 100 Starbucks stores nationwide. In December, 23.5 Degrees opened its 105th site and reported turnover increased to a record £83,539,389 for the year ending 31 August 2023, compared with £74,979,078 the year before. Pre-tax profit was down to £1,628,035 from £8,032,900 the previous year as costs increased by more than £7m.

Grounded Kitchen closes Watford site: Korean-inspired concept Grounded Kitchen has closed its Watford site and put the unit on the market. The commercial space at 43 High Street has been put up for sale for £100,000 a year or £8,333 per month, reports the Watford Observer. The town’s branch of the restaurant chain is now listed as temporarily closed online and was removed without an announcement from the company’s website, the newspaper said. The restaurant, which opened in August 2022, was the brand’s first in the south east, although it recently opened in Northwood’s Eastbury Road. Grounded Kitchen opened its first restaurant in Leicester in 2017 and now has 13 sites across the UK. It stated an ambition in the summer of 2022 to open 50 new locations and sign up franchisees for up to 25 sites at a time. The following year, it made its casual dining debut, with an opening in High Wycombe seeing the business offer table service, alcohol, glassware and cutlery for the first time. A second casual dining site opened in Solihull later that same year.

We Do Play planning Putt Putt Noodle in Coventry: We Do Play, the team behind Flip Out and Putt Putt Noodle, is planning to open a new Putt Putt Noodle in Coventry. The concept, which pairs adventure golf with pan-Asian cuisine, currently has sites in Bedford, Norwich, Poole and Telford, having launched at the end of 2021. It is now set to take over the former TJ Hughes branch at 98-100 Lower Precinct, reports Coventry Live. We Do Play is also set to open a Putt Putt Noodle and Laser Quest in the former Primark in Gloucester’s Kings Walk, alongside a You Me Sushi restaurant, as reported last month. It currently also operates 30 Flip Outs across the UK, and in January, signed a deal to take the trampolining concept to Sweden. The company told Propel last year it is aiming for 40 Putt Putt Noodles and 20 more Flip Outs in the UK by 2026.

Interactive burger bar with rude waiters terminates its Brighton franchise: Interactive burger bar Karen’s Diner, where customers pay for “rude waiters” to insult them, has terminated its franchise in Brighton after high drug readings were taken by police. The chain, which originated in Australia and has six other UK sites, took action as police prepared to ask city councillors to revoke the premises licence. Significant traces of drugs were found throughout the restaurant, at 3b The Broadwalk, including on a baby’s changing table, reports the BBC. Police also found the diner had broken various licensing and safety rules and the branch is due to cease trading today (Monday, 4 March), the day before a council licensing panel hearing. A report prepared for the panel said police raised safeguarding concerns after a high reading for cocaine was found on a baby changing surface in the restaurant toilets. During the licensing check on 2 February, officers found traces of cocaine, heroin, MDMA (ecstasy) and ketamine in the toilets, kitchen, reception and on a customer table. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service also inspected the premises in December after a complaint and issued a formal notice identifying 14 areas of non-compliance with fire safety rules. A follow-up inspection found “little effort” had been made to address the issues, which included not having an adequate fire detection and warning system. A spokesperson from Karen’s Diner said: “Our restaurants are intended to offer outrageously funny experiences and never to cause offence. Clearly the restaurant has operated outside of our guidelines, and this is unacceptable. We take this opportunity of thanking the thousands of people who have been brave enough to visit and we share their disappointment as we announce this closure.” The chain closed three of its ten Australian locations last summer but said it was seeing “steady growth” in the UK and was eyeing further expansion here. The Brighton site opened in August 2023.

Ireland-based Address Collective opens first site outside of the country: A new luxury hotel and restaurant in Glasgow has been opened by The Address Collective, which is based in Ireland. The Address Glasgow, on Renfield Street, is a 95-bed hotel, offering an in-house cocktail bar and restaurant North, gym and a wellness suite with a bespoke sauna and plunge pool. It is the first venture outside of Ireland for family-owned Irish hospitality group. The Address Collective invested more than £9m to revamp a six-storey building originally built in the 1990s. Ciara McGettigan, one of the directors, has curated the look and feel of the new hotel, merging Irish design with Scottish motifs throughout the building, from Irish wool furnishings to exclusively designed fabrics from Edinburgh Weavers. The Address Collective has three sites in Ireland, with a fourth open in Sligo this month.

Michelin-starred Michael O’Hare to open Psycho Sandbar this Friday: Chef Michael O’Hare, who has run the Man Behind The Curtain on Leeds’ Vicar Lane for nine years, will open his new venue, Psycho Sandbar, on Friday (8 March). He said the rebrand was influenced by Brexit, the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Promising a “fish-heavy” restaurant and the same quality of food diners have come to love at The Man Behind The Curtain, O’Hare said Psycho Sandbar would be more versatile and accessible, with a “surf-shack” theme. He said the restaurant would be run by the same team as his Man Behind The Curtain venture, and the only thing changing would be the offering, outlook and name. Man Behind The Curtain closed on 31 December. O’Hare said: “As an industry, we’ve been hit by three major, major waves – Brexit was the first, we had the pandemic, and then we had the cost-of-living crisis. That’s three huge things that impact the sector in such an enormous way. The new restaurant is going to be called Psycho Sandbar based on those three waves – a fish heavy, surf-shacky kind-of-feel restaurant that is brutalist in design, where you can eat beautifully-grilled fish; you can have pitta bread with plankton; you can have champagne, cocktails – you can do whatever you want. You could do six plates, or you can have a whole roast duck if you want.”

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