Patisserie Valerie to reopen more cafes, launches business-to-business arm: Patisserie Valerie, which is backed by Irish private equity firm Causeway Capital, is set to reopen more of its cafes, Propel has learned. In December, the company reopened its store in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, as it looked to start reopening some of its once 200-strong estate, the majority of which closed following its collapse into administration in 2019. Propel understands that “further café openings along the lines of Cribbs are expected” and there will be “further news on this soon”. As well as circa 30 shops, Patisserie Valerie also has concessions inside around 400 Sainsbury's stores. It comes as Patisserie Valerie launches a new business-to-business arm. For the first time, independent cafés and hotels will be able to order Patisserie Valerie’s whole cakes, gateaux slices and afternoon tea as part of their foodservice delivery from Brakes – designed to cater to a variety of tastes and occasions. Patisserie Valerie said the partnership represents a significant milestone in its aim to reach a broader audience. “We are delighted to partner with Brakes to expand our reach and bring our beloved products to independent cafés and hotels,” said chief executive James Fleming said. “Our success over the past century has been built on a reputation for quality, using only the freshest ingredients and traditional baking methods. This collaboration allows us to share our lovingly handmade cakes and patisseries with even more people, ensuring that every customer can experience the joy of our creations.”

Sponsored message – Eager launches game-changing bar gun and draft machine: British drinks company Eager has designed and built a new draft system that serves “extremely high quality” carbonated soft drinks. A spokesperson said: “The unique system means the gun dispenses soft drinks with high carbonation levels equivalent to drinks served in glass bottles or cans. The metallic finished bar gun includes buttons for Eager products and space for guest drinks. Eager’s products include: tonic water, light tonic water, club soda, artisan lemonade, ginger beer, sparkling apple and Valencia sparkling orange. In addition to high quality soft drinks, the gun is considerably more economical than its glass bottle or can equivalent and the innovative new system also minimises packaging waste and collection. Over the last 16 years, Eager has sold fruit juice in the hospitality industry and launched a director-to-consumer model last year. Like our fruit juice, the bar gun is an example of how Eager takes unloved items like long-life cartons and now draft soft drinks systems and turns them into premium, design-led and hospitality driven items.” To find out more about Eager’s new bar gun, click here. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

Next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality to be released on Friday featuring 876 companies: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will be released to Premium Club members on Friday (21 June), at midday. Another 11 companies have been added to the database, which now features 876 companies. This month’s edition will also include 58 updated entries. 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 Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. All Premium Clubs members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including Social Media for Profit (18 July), the Talent and Training Conference (1 October) and Restaurant Marketer and Innovator (two days in January 2025). Operators that are Premium Club members are also 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.

Macrow – no investment more important than the ones we are making in young people, Makin’ It scheme reducing police call outs: McDonald’s chief executive Alistair Macrow has said “there’s no investment more important than the ones we are making in young people”, as the brand’s Makin’ It scheme looks to provide “safe spaces and trusted faces”. Launched in April with Children in Need, the Makin’ It scheme is about “improving youth worker provision”. Macrow said: “When you think about all the investments that we make in this country, there’s no investment more important than the ones we are making in young people. And one of the things that has happened over the last few years is that young people don’t have the same spaces to come together as they used to, youth clubs and the like are dwindling significantly in numbers. That affects us all in the hospitality industry. Quite a lot because often that ends up being antisocial behaviour. I think there is stuff that we can do to get to the crux of the issue around looking after young people in particular. We recently committed to a partnership with Children in Need called Makin’ It and it's all about improving youth worker provision, and we will use our restaurants as safe spaces for people. We know it’s often one of the few places that young people feel comfortable today. So, we talk about safe spaces and trusted faces, and we will give people the opportunity to come together with youth workers in our restaurants. We have already committed to funding 500 youth worker qualifications. We want to take that to 1,000 and that allows people access to opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have. Our franchisee in Brixton is one of the earlier runners of this. And you can imagine Brixton is an interesting trading environment. Since setting up that scheme, their call outs for police have reduced by 70%, and that's about giving people opportunities, helping young people have a space and a place, and helping them see things they can do with their lives. We think we’ve already helped 42,500 people take a slightly different course and we’ve only been running that for a few months.”

Inflation’s still not dead, warn sector bosses: Persistent inflation is far from dead, some of Britain’s top business leaders have warned, even as official figures are set to show that the rate is slowing. Roisin Currie, boss of high street food chain Greggs, warned that its costs would remain elevated. She told the Sunday Times: “We came into the year forecasting cost inflation would be 4% to 5%, and we still believe that. We are not in a deflationary environment, 40% of our cost base is in wages.” After peaking at 11.1% in October 2022, a 41- year high, inflation is on course to fall to the Bank of England’s 2% target rate this week. The last time the consumer prices index measure of inflation was at this level was July 2021, after which it rocketed when easing of covid restrictions led to supply bottlenecks and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed up energy prices. Bosses pointed to the 10% rise in the minimum wage to £11.44 in April as one factor pushing up costs. Simon Emeny, chief executive of the 400-strong pub chain Fuller’s, said: “For the hospitality sector, while some input prices have stabilised, wage costs certainly haven’t.” Sir Tim Martin, chair of pub chain JD Wetherspoon, said that while inflation was under control, it could quickly “re-emerge from the bottle again” if energy prices rose. Wednesday’s inflation data will come the day before the Bank of England makes its next announcement on interest rates, expected to be held at 5.25%, a rate set in August last year, its 14th consecutive rise.

US supreme court sides with Starbucks in union case over fired employees: The US supreme court has sided with Starbucks in the coffee brand’s challenge to a judicial order to rehire seven Memphis employees fired as they sought to unionise. The justices threw out a lower court’s approval of an injunction sought by the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordering Starbucks to reinstate the workers, reports The Guardian. Starbucks had argued that the judge in the Memphis case should have used a stringent four-factor test to weigh the bid for an injunction. This includes an assessment of whether the side seeking relief would suffer irreparable harm and is likely to succeed on the merits of the case. Starbucks contended that under a stricter standard, the case would have come out differently in the lower courts. About 400 Starbucks locations in the United States have unionised, involving more than 10,000 employees. Both sides at times have accused the other of unlawful or improper conduct. Hundreds of complaints have been filed with the NLRB accusing Starbucks of unlawful labour practices such as firing union supporters, spying on workers and closing stores during labour campaigns. Starbucks has denied wrongdoing and said it respects the right of workers to choose whether to unionise. Lynne Fox, president of the Starbucks union Workers United, said: “Working people have so few tools to protect and defend themselves when their employers break the law. That makes today’s ruling by the supreme court particularly egregious. It underscores how the economy is rigged against working people all the way up to the supreme court. Starbucks should have dropped this case the day it committed to chart a new path forward with its workers, instead of aligning itself with other giant corporations intent on stifling worker organising.”

Sector charity cycle ride rebrands: Pedalling for Pubs, the industry-coordinated bike treks raising money for Only A Pavement Away and the Licensed Trade Charity, has rebranded to “Hospitality Rides”. Organisers made the decision to rebrand “to meet demand from the sector to broaden the initiative to all of hospitality, and communicate that fundraising positively impacts the whole of the UK on-trade”. Organisers announced that the initiative’s first cycle challenge as Hospitality Rides will take place in the spring of 2025, with fundraisers set to take on a journey across Taiwan. The Hospitality Rides rebrand follows three highly successful charity bike rides under the Pedalling for Pubs name, with riders of this year’s campaign raising £320,000 thanks to fundraisers, donors, supporting partners and sponsors including KAM, Punch Pubs, Greene King and Fleet Street. As Hospitality Rides, organisers hope that the charity bike challenge will get even more people from the sector involved and raise even more vital funds to supporting the Licenced Trade Charity and Only a Pavement Away do for the sector. Ride founder Katy Moses, founder and managing director of KAM, said: “After three successful years under the Pedalling for Pubs name, we felt it was the right time to rebrand the initiative to ensure all of the hospitality sector knows this epic charity bike ride is open to all and that funds raised are used to support the whole sector. We hope this will encourage even more people from the sector to get involved and make future years bigger and better than ever.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a drinks company that is expanding further into the on and off-trade market that is seeking a head of sales. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “You will be responsible for managing and executing all sales strategies at a senior level within the business, reporting to the founders. You will be directly responsible for revenue growth, expansion of the business and developing the market presence. You will also be responsible for the increased expansion of the sales team in line with budgets and revenue. Overall, you will need to be passionate and driven with a thirst for success – along with a strong background in the drinks industry across both on and off-trade.” The salary is up to £90,000 and the position is based nationwide. For more information, email mark@corecruitment.com.

McMullen’s reports retail sales pass £100m for the first time: Hertford-based brewer and retailer McMullen’s has reported its retail sales passed £100m, to £106.6m, for the time in its history in the financial year ended 30 September 2023. The company stated that wet sales reached £61.7m against £54.4m in 2022 and food sales reached £41m against £34.8m in 2022. The company stated: “Price increases and new pubs contributed to this growth, but there were also areas of real growth in underlying demand. For example, on a same-site basis, food covers were up on last year.” The company noted, however, that labour costs have risen £15m (up 78%) compared with pre-Brexit and covid costs. Overall turnover was £113.5m (2022: £101.4m) and pre-tax profit was £12.2m (2022: £13.3m). Tenanted pub income was slightly up on the year before but remains behind 2019 by 4.6%. Comparable beer volumes decline by 4.6% while own brewer cask production grew by 1.8%, helped by growth in its big London pubs (although still down 9.1% on 2019). The company added: “Well-run and well-located pubs continue to thrive and support all those that rely on them. In a time when the cost of living is particularly challenging, the ability for guests to support a pub and the ability for a pub to survive depends on the number of potential guests willing and able to afford the price increases necessary to keep pace with cost inflation.”   

Döner Shack to launch in the US this autumn: Berlin fast casual kebab concept Döner Shack is gearing up to launch in the US this autumn. The brand first announced plans to expand into the US, mainland Europe and Scandinavia at the end of 2022, and in March 2023, said it was aiming for a debut in the States in the coming months. Instead, co-founder Sanjeev Sanghera turned to taking control of its UK estate, completing the acquisition of three restaurants and several territories from its franchisees as it pivoted to focusing on company-owned expansion. Since then, Sanghera has repositioned and rebranded Döner Shack, and earlier this year relaunched it as a franchise, aiming for an eventual 50-50 split between equity and partner sites. With Döner Shack’s UK estate now back on track, Sanghera is once again ready to focus on international expansion. “I’m delighted to announce that after months of hard work and dedication from our team, finalising our legal frameworks and overseeing trademark challenges, we are finally ready to launch Döner Shack in the USA this September,” he said. “To celebrate the launch, we’ll be attending the MFV Expositions Franchise Expo South in Fort Lauderdale, in association with the International Franchise Association. It has been my own and (co-founder) Laura Bruce’s foremost goal to launch the brand in America, with a number of deals already in the pipeline and ready to progress on approval of our FDD (franchise disclosure document).” Following the acquisitions and rebranding exercise, Döner Shack currently operates UK sites in Leeds Trinity, Manchester Arndale and Glasgow Silverburn. Its flagship site in London’s Baker Street, which opened in the spring of 2023, has since closed and been acquired by Pho, the Vietnamese restaurant group led by Pat Marrinan and backed by TriSpan.

Chaiiwala founder – we have made history again with airport launch, Luton now its earliest opening site at 4am: Chaiiwala founder Muhummed Ibrahim has said the brand has made history again with debut airport launch at London Luton. Propel revealed in March that the Indian street food franchise was preparing to open its first airport site, which launched on Friday (14 June). Early in 2023, Chaiiwala launched the UK’s first Indian drive-thru, at Manchester Road in Bolton, and Ibrahim said the new location at London Luton, which has opened in a former Crepeaffaire site, is a history-maker too. “This will be the first time any food brand will be offering dedicated Indian street food in an airport setting,” he said. “We want to introduce the Chaiiwala brand across key markets in the UK. Our research has shown there is a growing desire for travellers to experience an alternative to the current offering available at airports and we aim to fill that gap and become an exciting addition to not only, London Luton, but similar locations across the UK. Making our debut at an airport also matches our ambitions perfectly as a young dynamic brand giving our customers the Chaiiwala experience wherever they are. This new store will help Chaiiwala extend our footprint nationally and internationally and it is a major part of our strategic vision.” The new 30-seat venue spans 1,500 square feet and provides both an all-day dining in option as well as a selection of a grab-and-go items. Operating approximately 16 hours a day between 4am and 10pm, it is the earliest opening of any of the 89 Chaiiwala sites in the UK (and 106 globally). Co-founder Sohail Ali has previously stated that the London Luton site will be one of many such locations Chaiiwala looks to open. Earlier this month, the brand secured a site for its second drive-thru location – at Mellor Brook, Blackburn – again in partnership with EG Group. Established in 2015 in Leicester, Chaiiwala has a stated target of expanding to 500 stores globally over the next ten years, with a keen focus on key growth markets including the US, Canada and the Middle East.

Epic Bars and Clubs adds two Fever Bars sites to opening pipeline: Epic Bars and Clubs, the venture from Mark Shorting and Nigel Blair, two of the founders of the Fever Bar business, has acquired two sites from its previous business from Stonegate Group, as it continues on its ambition to become the UK’s largest chain of bars and nightclubs, Propel has learned. Shorting and Blair sold the circa 30-strong Fever Bar business to Stonegate in 2019. The Jimmy Elias-led, 21-strong group has now bought back the sites in Taunton and Nuneaton. The latter will close later this month after a closing down party,before undergoing a £750,000 refurbishment and reopening later this summer. The Taunton site will continue trading under its current name, Elements, before undergoing a £750,000 refurbishment later this year and reopening under Epic’s Labyrinth concept. Epic told Propel earlier this year that it was on the expansion trail after seeing “growth and demand, rather than shrinkage and decline”. In July 2021, going into an uncertain, post-covid clubbing era, Epic launched five new nightclubs and two pre-existing ones and has since acquired a further ten sites across the UK. Most recently, it acquired sites in Andover, Camberley, Colchester and Hereford from Rekom UK. Epic’s existing portfolio includes the Labyrinth sites in Bath, Guildford and Windsor, and the Trilogy sites in Bangor, Blackpool, High Wycombe and Southampton. It plans to continue its expansion with a further five sites this year. To aid its expansion plans, the business has also begun a recruitment drive, seeking “sales-driven managers” keen to join the “fastest growing business in the late-night sector”. Nick Martindale, director at Epic Bars and Clubs, said: “Despite the industry facing some tough challenges, we set out our expansion plans earlier this year for an additional six to eight venues within 2024, and with our beloved Taunton and Nuneaton sites now under our Epic wings, we’re absolutely on track! The next phase of our expansion plan is a full-steam-ahead recruitment drive to find dynamic and sales driven people to join our Epic team of managers. Tough times don’t last, but tough people do, and that’s exactly who we’re looking for.”

EL&N to launch in Malta: Cafe and lifestyle brand EL&N is to make its debut in Malta after signing a partnership with the db Group. One of the confirmed locations for EL&N will be the St George’s Mall, which is part of a development at St George’s Bay being built by db Group, which will feature the ORA Residences and Malta’s first five-star Hard Rock Hotel. Alexandra Miller, founder of EL&N London, said: “We are very excited to be coming to Malta and working with the db Group. We look forward to a new clientele experiencing the exceptional offerings that have made EL&N a global sensation. Whether you’re looking for a delicious meal, a barista made cup of specialty coffee, or a picture-perfect setting, EL&N promises an unforgettable visit.” Robert Debono, chief executive of the db Group, added: “One of our missions at db Group is to attract the world’s best brands to Malta and EL&N is a perfect match. EL&N will offer a unique experience to visitors who value fun, creativity and delicious meals. We look forward to working together to find the perfect locations for this brand to come alive in Malta.” Last month, Propel revealed EL&N was looking to ramp up its international expansion plans and had begun the process of securing new partners across the globe. The business currently operates circa 40 sites across 12 countries. New territories under consideration are thought to include the US, Japan, India and further parts of Europe. The business, founded in 2017 by Miller, entered its 12th international market in October when it opened at the Westfield Arkadia scheme in Warsaw, Poland. It is also set to make its debut in Lebanon later this year and last week opened three new sites in the Middle East. Propel revealed earlier this year that it would be further increasing its presence in the UK with openings in Westfield London and the group’s first EL&N Deli & Bakery in Covent Garden.

The Rum Kitchen – poor first quarter of trading required a working capital injection which was not forthcoming: The Rum Kitchen, the Caribbean-inspired restaurant and bar concept, which closed all of its four sites earlier this spring, did so after having “had a poor first quarter of trading in 2024” and requiring “a working capital injection which was not forthcoming”. The business, which was launched in 2013 and led by Mike Parnham, shuttered its three sites in London – in Soho, Shoreditch and Brixton – plus its restaurant in Brighton. Azets was appointed administrators to the two companies behind the Shoreditch and Brixton sites. Now, an administrators report seen by Propel sheds some light on the difficulties the business, which in parts operated under a company called Icarus, faced. It said: “Creditor pressure continued to build within the group. The Soho landlord re-entered the Soho restaurant in early April following the missed payment of a quarters rent totalling £125,000. As a result of this, Icarus was unable to continue to trade the Soho restaurant from this date. Separately, a winding up petition was submitted by Drink Warehouse UK against Icarus, which was heard on 10 April 2024, with Icarus going into compulsory liquidation on that date. The lease for the group’s Brighton restaurant was held by Icarus, and as such, the Brighton restaurant also closed on that date. All of Icarus’ employees were subsequently made redundant as a result of the liquidation, which included those employees who worked at Shoreditch and Brixton. The group had a group VAT registration including all group companies except TRK Shoreditch. Icarus had significant HMRC arrears, and as a result of the liquidation of Icarus, the solvency of the wider group was at risk. The director [Parnham] considered whether the restaurants at Brixton and Shoreditch could continue to trade. Following a review, he believed that these restaurants could be Ebitda generative individually, and as such, key employees were re-employed by TRK Brixton on 11 April 2024. Shortly after this, a decision was made to close the Shoreditch restaurant on 13 April 2024, as this was subsequently deemed to be unviable. TRK Brixton continued to trade from the Brixton Property. However, a decision was made by Thincats to place TRK Brixton and TRK Shoreditch into administration on 23 April 2024 in order to protect the remaining assets of the companies.”

The Salad Project secures fifth site: The Salad Project, the all-day dining concept that launched in London in 2021, has secured its fifth site in the capital. The company was launched just before the pandemic by Florian de Chezelles and James Dare, who met at the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, and currently operates sites in Spitalfields, Old Street, Oxford Circus, and in Watling Street in the City. The latter site opened earlier this year under a new Spaces format – “a digital ordering-only, ultra-convenient version of our concept catering to our loyal City customers”. The business has now secured a 1,500 square-foot site at 30 Fenchurch Street, which will open later this summer. Earlier this year, the company said it was looking to open a further 16 sites in the capital over the next two years. Speaking at Propel’s Multi-Club Conference in March, De Chezelles said the company had fundraised £1m to aid its expansion plans. He said that the business invested £500,000 per location, with sites cash generative within two months. He said: “There are still so many people who have never heard of The Salad Project, so we'd like to be opening five locations between now and next February and think we can get to 20 locations by the end of 2026. Our desire is to grow in London. Once we’ve equipped ourselves with the right team, we’d love to be able to continue to grow in the UK, as we think it falls short in comparison with other countries in terms of healthy eating.” Dan Hull-Sieff at Etch Group acts for The Salad Project.

 

Former Fat Duck Group director to open fourth site with fifth to follow: Nigel Sutcliffe, former director of the Fat Duck Group, is to open his fourth site with a fifth to follow. Sutcliffe has joined forces with Josh Wilde – ex chef at Tom Kerridge’s two-Michelin starred pub the Hand & Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire – for Fare Eatery inside the grade II-listed Town Hall building in Wokingham, Berkshire. That will be followed by the relaunch of the Jack O’Newbury in the nearby village of Binfield. Sutcliffe, who worked alongside Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck Group from 1996 until 2021, told Propel that he hopes to reopen the pub, which has been shut for four years, in November, and has a management agreement in place. Meanwhile, Fare, which opens on Wednesday (19 June), will serve seasonal contemporary cuisine featuring a range of small to large plates predominantly cooked using a robata grill. Dishes will include roasted octopus with capers, raisins, and chorizo; and an onion tarte tatin with onion velouté and chicory. Fare will also offer an extensive wine list, with more than 100 handpicked bottles, focusing on sustainable, natural, organic, and biodynamic small producers from all over the world. Alongside this will be a handcrafted cocktail list. The site will feature a main room seating 38 covers with a further 12 covers available in the converted former prison cells at the rear of the venue. There will also be outdoor seating for another 40 guests. Sutcliffe and business partner, James McLean, help chefs develop their proposition through their Truffle Hunting Consultancy, which also operates The Oarsman in Marlow, The Crown in Bray, Berkshire; and The Mutton in Hazeley Heath, Hampshire. On current trading, Sutcliffe told Propel: “Overheads are very high, and although we are having to work very hard, we have a good business here.”

Puccino’s launches in Wimbledon, Rochester to follow later this year: Travel hub coffee brand Puccino’s has launched a new site in Wimbledon, with a Rochester location to follow later this year, Propel has learned. The latest opening, at Wimbledon station, is a fourth with the brand for Puccino’s franchisee Nadeem Khokar. “We are really excited to announce the opening of our new store at Wimbledon railway station,” said commercial director Adrian Ayers. “And what’s even better? Nadeem is now the proud owner of his fourth Puccino’s store! With more than 20 years’ experience as a Puccino’s franchise partner, it’s fair to say he knows his way around a coffee machine. Well done Nadeem and thank you for your continued support and confidence in the brand.” The Wimbledon launch is Puccino’s 37th in travel hubs, mainly in London and the south east, and number 38 will follow later this summer at Rochester station, in partnership with Southeastern Trains. Last year, Ayers told Propel that Puccino’s is looking to expand into new sectors as it seeks to grow to 125 sites by 2028. He said it would look to sectors like leisure, education and health, as well as exploring travel hub opportunities “both within and outside of the south east.”

Roti King to open fourth site: Malaysian restaurant concept Roti King is set to open its fourth site. The company is adding to its sites in London’s Waterloo, Battersea and Euston with a launch in the City. The venue is opening in Artillery Lane, just off Bishopsgate, reports Hot Dinners. The two-storey restaurant will offer Rot King’s traditional menu that includes roti canai, served with beef rendang, dahl and either fish, mutton or chicken kari. There will also be stuffed roti (spinach and cheese, chicken or lamb) alongside rice and noodle dishes such as Mee Goreng – stir-fried egg noodles with egg, chicken, prawns, peanuts and tofu. Roti King opened its debut site in 2014 and the concept encourages guests to eat with their hands and experience the food as they would on the streets of Malaysia.

Former Sushi Samba and Duck and Waffle vice-president of operations to open restaurant in London’s Greenwich: David O’Brien who used to be vice-president of operations at Sushi Samba and Duck and Waffle, is to open a restaurant in Greenwich, south east London. O’Brien is launching Highroad Social on Sunday, 7 July in Greenwich High Road, reports Hot Dinners. Taking over from Rivington Greenwich, the dining room is being given a complete overhaul, inspired by “modern Georgian townhouses peppered with tropical elements”. The kitchen will be led by Irish chef Fionnan Flood, previously of The Chelsea Pig. The menu will be “inspired by his grandmother’s love for cooking” and include Glamorgan pork croquette with toffee apple sauce, and shallot tarte tatin with British ricotta and thyme. There will be a separate raw bar menu, with seafood including Scottish scallops, Carlingford oysters, and Cornish crab. The menu also features raw Hereford beef on toast with smoked crème fraiche and cured egg yolk. The drinks list will feature wine focused on smaller, independent vineyards and beer.  As well as being vice-president of operations at Sushi Samba and Duck and Waffle between January 2020 and March 2022, O’Brien was also previously operations director at Caprice Holdings from April 2008 to February 2012.

Drayton Manor’s new programme of events and experiences ‘a success story’ but revenue and profit hit by poor weather and rising costs: Staffordshire theme park Drayton Manor said its new programme of events and experiences has been “a success story” but its revenue and profit have been hit by poor weather and rising costs. Its turnover for the year to 30 September 2023 fell to £29,334,469 from £30,778,637 in 2022. Of this, £23,066,763 came from the theme park (2022: £24,584,935) and £6,253,231 from hotels and events (2022: £6,182,762). Its pre-tax profit fell from £3,576,158 to £2,003,240 and no dividends were paid (2022: nil). “A success story for the year was the new schedule of events and experiences that took place across the resort,” said director Laurent Bruloy. These included Halloween scare experiences, dinosaur shows and parades and a Viking festival, while over the King's Coronation weekend and various holiday periods, the theme park extended its opening hours and put on live music and DJs. “While the events calendar was well received by our guests, trading for the current financial year has been impacted by the rising cost of living, inflation and energy prices in the UK,” Bruloy said. “Coupled with wet and cold weather at peak times, this has resulted in a reduction in revenue and an increase in many costs compared to the prior year.” Bruloy also said the business received no government financial support but has focused on cost control and savings. It has also opened a new Thomas the Tank Engine themed submarine splash ride and will next year launch a new roller coaster on the site of the Apocalypse ride which closed in September 2023. Capital expenditure in the year totalled £4.9m. A cash pooling arrangement with Looping Group, which acquired the theme park out of administration in 2020, “continues to sweep all surplus cash to Looping Park UK bank account at the end of each day”. This cash is available back to the company on demand daily to cover any outgoings, while a small nominal balance is held at the end of each day in Drayton Manor’s account. 

Former operations manager at Michelin-starred Sorrel in Dorking set to reopen historic West Sussex pub: Angus Davies, former operations manager at Michelin-starred restaurant Sorrel in Dorking, is set to reopen an historic West Sussex pub. Davies, who has also worked at Chez Bruce and Lorne in London, will reopen the 14th century The Swan Inn in Fittleworth in October following a two-year refurbishment project. The grade II-listed pub, originally established in 1536, has been restored to its former glory by Davies, fresh from his first solo venture as landlord at the Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded The Hollist Arms in nearby Petworth. The building has hosted some famous names over the years, including J.M.W Turner and John Constable, while Rudyard Kipling's signature could be found in the original guestbook, which vanished several years ago. It now has a 46-cover dining room, a barn restored for breakfast and private dining and 12 ensuite bedrooms, two of which are housed in a converted stable block. The menu will include dishes such as Sutton Hoo chicken, calves’ liver with polenta, monkfish with ratatouille and sharing plates such as a whole shoulder of South Downs lamb and Longhorn rib of beef. Davies said: “We’re so looking forward to opening the doors of The Swan Inn once again. The restoration has been an incredible project for us, and we can’t wait to fill the pub once more with locals, residents and guests from further afield. We are not a gastropub by any means; our intentions are to offer consistently good food, great drinks and well-appointed rooms, in hopefully, a very well-loved setting.”

NQ64 confirms site for Leeds launch: NQ64, the immersive retro arcade bar concept, has confirmed the site for its forthcoming opening in Leeds. Propel revealed earlier this month that the 12-strong business was planning a launch in the city this summer, having completed on a location. It will now open in the former Manahatta site at 11 Merrion Street at the end of the summer, creating 20 jobs. It will offer cocktails and craft beers and a range of retro arcade machines, pinball and classic consoles with games such as Pac-Man, Mario Kart and Guitar Hero forming one of the brand’s largest selection of games to date. The 5,000 square-foot venue has a capacity in excess of 250, with further space to utilise, which will form part of a phase two opening at a later date. It also has an outdoor seating area, a hidden private area, bookable seating throughout and the “Wall Boy” – which allows guests to play a Game Boy on large screen. Matt Robson and Andy Haygarth, directors at NQ64, said: “We’ve been eyeing up a site in Leeds for a while now, so when the space on Merrion Street came up we were very keen to make it happen. The venue has loads of rooms for our fan favourite games and should suit the way we like guests to experience our offering perfectly.” As well as game-themed signature cocktails, there will be craft beers, wines, spirits, sodas and non-alcoholic cocktails on offer, alongside childhood favourite snacks such as Space Raiders and Monster Munch.