Sbarro to open UK’s first dedicated pizza drive-thru, up to six further openings planned in 2024: US pizza-by-the-slice brand Sbarro, which is being rolled out in the UK by EG Group, is to open Britain’s first dedicated drive-thru for pizza and plans up to six more openings here in 2024. The drive-thru will open in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, on Thursday (27 June). The 750 square-foot venue, which will also provide click-and-collect and delivery, will be the 16th Sbarro location in the UK. The store will serve a large choice of flavours including Sbarro’s tradition cheese and tomato, pepperoni and Firecracker Chicken pizza, all made with fresh hand-stretched dough, and its range of sides including Sbarro garlic breadsticks and a selection of drinks and desserts. The drive-thru will also launch a new breakfast range, available from 7am to 11am daily, including Sbarro’s new breakfast Strombolini in two flavours – sausage, egg and cheese and ham, egg and cheese – in addition to a breakfast pizza, available as an extra-large slice or whole pizza. Lorna Watts, UK marketing manager at Sbarro, said: “The launch of the UK’s only drive-thru dedicated to pizza marks a milestone for the Sbarro team and we are pleased to be part of its UK expansion.” Watts told Propel that the brand is trading “very well” and has another five or six sites planned for 2024, “which are in the various stages of development”. In terms of the opportunity for the brand when it comes to drive-thru sites, Watts said: “As Sbarro’s USP is pizza by the slice, although it also sells whole pizza, this works very well as a drive-thru opportunity so customers can be served quickly and conveniently.” EG Group agreed a deal in November 2020 to become the master franchisee for Sbarro in the UK. The brand operates around 630 sites in 28 countries. Last week, EG Group said it plans to add more than 120 sites across the UK over the next three years through its EG On The Move division, which it set up last year to run the forecourts it did not sell to Asda, as it looks to roll out its foodservice brand partners. EG Group also works with operators including Starbucks, US fried chicken quick service restaurant brand Popeyes, Subway, food-to-go operator Greggs, US bakery brand Cinnabon and street food cafe Chaiiwala. 

Kerb CEO Simon Mitchell to speak at Propel summer conference and party, three free places per company for operators: Simon Mitchell, chief executive of Kerb, will be among the speakers at the Propel Multi-Club Conference and summer party on Thursday, 5 September, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry. The all-day conference will focus on “new ideas and directions in an era of strong headwinds” and will be followed in the evening by the summer party, with a barbecue and four hours of live music, including the UK’s best Ed Sheeran Tribute Act, The Ed Sheeran Experience; the UK’s top Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow tribute acts joining forces, Scott Borley and Daniel Hadfield; and the famous house band at Piano Works. Mitchell will discuss expanding both the food hall and catering parts of the business in the UK and internationally, what sets its market concept apart, how it nurtures food entrepreneurs and what the future holds for the street food sector. For the full speaker schedule, click here. There are up to three free places per company for operators but Premium subscribers can have up to four places. To book, email jo.charity@propelinfo.com. A room can also be booked for the evening. For more details, email jo.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

Propel’s next Multi-Site Database to be released on Friday with seven category segmentation including 927 operators from the casual dining sector: Premium Club members are to receive the next Multi-Site Database on Friday (28 June) at midday. The next Propel Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate, provides details of 3,161 multi-site operators and is now searchable in seven main segments. The database features 927 (29%) operators from the casual dining sector, 771 (24%) pub and bar operators, 524 (17%) cafe bakery operators, 433 (14%) quick service restaurant operators, 254 (8%) hotel operators, 198 (6%) experiential leisure operators and 54 (2%) fine dining operators. The database is updated each month and this edition includes 40 new companies. Premium Club members also receive access to five additional databases: the New Openings Database; the Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the Who's Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Club 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.

Pizza Pilgrims founder Thom Elliott to feature in Zero Carbon Forum webinar series helping business on their journey to net zero: Propel has partnered with the Zero Carbon Forum for a webinar series designed to help business on their journey to net zero. In the second webinar in the series, Thom Elliot, founder and chief executive of Pizza Pilgrims, will share his journey from early beginnings, when sustainability was not a priority for the business, to today, now that Pizza Pilgrims has achieved B-Corp status. The webinar will be sent to all Propel subscribers at 9am today (Tuesday, 25 June).

 

Average price of UK pint surges by 23% in the past year: The average price of a pint in the UK has surged by 23% in the past year, according to research by comparison website Finder, reaching £5.17. This is compared with 2023’s average of £4.21. London is at the top of the expensive pint list, with a beer costing £6.75 on average, rising 14% from £5.90 last year. Outside of the capital, going to the pub in Oxford will set you back £5.69 per drink, while Belfast and Brighton follow close behind at £5.48 and £5.47 respectively, and Bristol is the fifth most-expensive city at £5.31 per pint. At the other end of the scale, a pint in Gloucester will cost just £3.35 on average, followed by Hull (£3.61), Northampton (£3.74) and Sunderland (£3.75), while Luton, despite its proximity to London, has the fifth cheapest pint in the UK at £3.77. In Derby, a pint in 2023 would have cost £3, rising 40% to £4.20 this year. Liz Edwards, money expert at Finder, said: “Several factors influence the price of beer in the UK, not least the rate of duty set by the chancellor, which looks likely to remain frozen at least over the summer. Other factors include staff costs, rent, energy and water – we’ve seen huge increases in the cost of these. But this year, another major factor is that the UK has had one of the wettest winters on record and spring has also been a washout. Fields have been left waterlogged – too wet to be planted or too wet for tractors to apply fertilisers. If the UK needs to import wheat, barley and oats, then beer prices could well be affected.”

Deliveries soar for restaurant groups in May as weather keeps some consumers at home: Britain’s leading managed restaurant groups achieved their biggest year-on-year growth in delivery sales of 2024 last month, CGA by NIQ’s latest Hospitality at Home Tracker reveals. Deliveries in May were 11.3% ahead of the same month in 2023 on a like-for-like basis. It follows cool and damp weather in many parts of Britain for much of May, which led some consumers to order in food rather than going out. However, takeaway and click-and-collect sales were down by 2.0% as people continue to migrate from pick-ups to the convenience of delivery platforms. The tracker shows combined delivery and takeaway sales were 6.2% ahead, an improvement on April’s figure of 4.5%. Restaurants’ at-home sales have now been up year-on-year for 12 consecutive months, while May’s growth is also well above Britain’s current rate of inflation. The tracker indicates that deliveries accounted for just under 11 pence in every pound spent with restaurants in May, while takeaways attracted four pence. Food took a 91.1% share of all at-home orders and drinks had an 8.9% split. Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “Twelve months of year-on-year growth in a row marks an excellent recovery for restaurants’ at-home sales after the post-covid drop in orders. While May’s positive trading was boosted by the mixed weather that caused some consumers to stay at home, it could also be a sign that people are becoming freer with their spending. The easing of inflation and interest in the Euro 2024 football tournament should help to sustain momentum into the summer, and we can be cautiously optimistic for solid growth in both deliveries and eat-in sales over the rest of the year.”

  

Promising growth opportunities in ‘dynamic’ Irish foodservice market’: There are promising growth opportunities in the “dynamic” Irish foodservice market, according to a new study from Meaningful Vision, the provider of pricing, promotion, location and traffic data to the UK foodservice industry. It said at 58.4 outlets per 100,000 people, Dublin has among the highest concentration of fast-food outlets in Europe. Other regions of Ireland, such as Kilkenny, Roscommon and Kildare, where there are fewer than ten outlets per 100,000 people, also offer “great potential”, the report said. The Irish market offers a prevalence of pizza (6.5 outlets per 100,000 people) and burger restaurants (5.8 restaurants per 100,000 people) but chicken shops are less developed at fewer than one outlet per 100,000 people. Morning traffic in Ireland is primarily driven by visits to coffee shops and bakeries, while lunch hours, dominated by burger outlets, constitute the most significant proportion of daily traffic, followed by evenings. Pizza brands capture almost half the traffic after 6pm in Ireland, with Apache Pizza taking the most significant share, followed by Domino’s and Four Star Pizza. Meaningful Vision chief executive Maria Vanifatova said: “While there are similarities in fast-food trends between the UK and Ireland, distinct factors such as population density, commuting patterns, and regional preferences shape the market differently.”

Job of the Day: COREcruitment is supporting one of its long-standing clients in the search for a financial planning and analysis manager. For the newly created position, it is seeking a highly skilled and motivated individual to oversee all aspects of financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and analysis for a very successful group of restaurants. The role will play a critical part in driving strategic decision-making and ensuring the financial sustainability and growth of the organisation. The salary for the position is up to £65,000 and is based in London. For more information, please contact oliwia@corecruitment.com.

 

Camile Thai Kitchen promotes Daniel Greene to CEO after founder steps down: Dublin-based healthy food delivery company Camile Thai Kitchen has promoted Daniel Greene to become its new chief executive. Greene has spent the last 11 years with the business in various roles – from marketing manager to head of marketing and, most recently, marketing director. He replaces Brody Sweeney, who has stepped back from daily operations at the company, having founded it in 2010, but will remain a majority shareholder, reports RTE. In his new role, Greene will prioritise expanding the Camile Thai franchise network and growing the footprint of its new Indian concept, Thindi. Innovations at the company also include the addition of a new robotic wok system to support kitchen staff, currently being trialled at one of its Dublin locations. Camile Thai is also expanding its partnership with Manna Drones, aiming to deliver from several new locations by the end of the year. Camile Thai now includes 50 locations across Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK. It recently opened a new outlet at Terminal 2 in Dublin airport following a partnership with Circle K, which established three Petite Camile food-to-go formats within its service station network. “We are so delighted to announce Daniel Greene’s appointment as our new CEO at Camile Thai & Thindi,” the business said. “Over a decade with the brand and experience across multiple areas, he’s one in a million and, bar none, the most qualified man for the job. Well done DG, and many great wishes to Brody Sweeney, who’s lead us brilliantly the last 14 years!” Last month, Propel reported that Camile Thai had started building back its UK estate, with launches in Bournemouth and Winchester, and is seeking new sites, with more to open in the near future. It comes after Propel revealed exclusively in April 2023 that Camile Thai had placed its UK operations into liquidation after failing in its attempts to expand into England. However, within months, Sweeney said he had plans to go back into the UK market and said the group maintains a foothold there despite the closure of several restaurants.

 

Blank Street Coffee lines up debut site in Birmingham as it looks to build a national presence: US coffee brand Blank Street Coffee has lined up its first opening in Birmingham and is understood to be searching for sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as it looks to build its presence across the UK, Propel has learned. Blank Street, which made its UK debut in summer 2022 and currently has circa 30 stores in London, is set to open at 80 New Street in Birmingham. The company opened its second site in Manchester this spring in King Street, following its first opening in the city, in Piccadilly Gardens. Propel understands that Blank Street has now lined up a third opening in Manchester, on an ex-Starbucks unit in the Trafford Centre. It comes as Blank Street has begun the search for general managers for Glasgow and Edinburgh, who would each be “accountable for four or five Blank Street locations”. It is also thought that Cardiff is on the company’s radar for future openings. Ignacio Llado, UK managing director of Blank Street, told Propel last year: “We are seeing more and more demand from customers and landlords to open up in new neighbourhoods in London and beyond. We will be looking to expand our footprint in London, alongside exploring other UK cities.” Simon Carson, of Newmark Retail UK & EMEA, acts for Blank Street. 

 

Urban Greens to open fifth site next month, ‘several more in the works’: London fresh salad concept Urban Greens will open its fifth site next month to coincide with its fifth anniversary and has “several more locations in the works”. The outlet will launch at 26 Copthall Avenue in the City and showcase a fresh new look for the business. First established in 2019 by long-time friends Rushil Ramjee, Houman Ashrafzadeh and Yannis Drivas, the new space will offer the trademark Urban Greens salads and the warm salad menu launched earlier this year at the High Street Kensington flagship. Ramjee said: “Our desire is to provide Londoners with a fast, healthy, delicious lunchtime offering, and our new location in Copthall Avenue has been built for maximum customer convenience, keeping efficiency and speed in mind to ensure as little queue time as possible, as well as offering collection and delivery.” Drivas added: “We have several more locations in the works and can’t wait for our loyal customer base to enjoy them.” Earlier this year, Ashrafzadeh told The Times that Urban Greens was looking to reach the £10m revenue mark by the end of this year, as it looked to open two of its next three sites in the City, with the other planned in west London.

Former Peach Pubs directors open first gastropub for solo venture, targets five more over next decade: Two former directors of Revolution Bars Group-owned Peach Pubs have opened the first gastropub for their new pub and consultancy business, Makers of Hospitality. Bex Wilkins and Sarah Robinson, who previously held marketing and pub director roles at Peach Pubs, have partnered with head chef Peter Jackson, from Michelin-starred Carters of Moseley in Birmingham, to open The Wildmoor Oak in Wildmoor, Bromsgrove. The pub is the first of five they plan to open in the area in the next ten years as they target becoming a £5m business in that timeframe. Once established, Makers of Hospitality will offer support and training to other hospitality businesses to drive growth in the sector, from marketing and training to financial support. With over 40 years’ combined experience running quality gastropubs between them, both at Peach Pubs and other independent pub companies, the founders identified The Wildmoor Oak as the ideal pub for their first tenancy site. After an 18-month closure, the pub was undergoing a £500,000 investment by Heineken-owned Star Pubs. “When we learnt the site was under redevelopment, we immediately knew it was one for us,” says Wilkins. “We were in the process of setting up Makers of Hospitality and searching for our first pub. We’re local to the area – I grew up in Bromsgrove – and knew that the area was missing a place to find seasonal food and good drinks with great hospitality. That is our focus – real hospitality and restaurant standard food in the setting of a proper yet easy-going pub.” The 84-cover bar and restaurant offers a further 90 covers on a covered patio, while Jackson’s menu showcases the best of British produce, including Aubrey Allen 28 day dry-aged steaks and burgers, free-range chicken, wild fish and seafood and seasonal British fruit and vegetables. “Having run great gastropubs for others over the years, we are incredibly proud to have opened the first of our own and get Makers of Hospitality off to such a great start – feedback on the new Wildmoor Oak has been really strong,” Wilkins added. “It’s a fantastic start to the ambition we have for the business.”

Chaiiwala opens first university site, debut airport location exceeding expectations with second to follow: Street food cafe franchise Chaiiwala has opened its first university site and said its debut airport location is exceeding expectations, with a second to follow. Its first university has opened in Calgary, Canada, where Chaiiwala now has 13 locations across the country. It comes just weeks after the brand opened its first airport location, at London Luton, which it said was the first Indian street food business to open within a UK airport. “Our journey in Canada has been amazing so far, and we look forward to a prosperous future,” co-founder Sohail Ali said. “With 13 locations now trading across the east and west coast and our first ever university site is also now open, at the University of Calgary. We have a pipeline of over almost 50 locations set to open over the coming two to four years. Thank you for all the love and well wishes on our first airport site in London Luton airport, the response has been phenomenal and definitely exceeded our expectations. We are announcing some exciting airport news very soon we will be brewing in another UK airport.” Earlier this month, the brand secured a site for its second drive-thru location – at Mellor Brook, Blackburn – 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.

Promoted content – meet UTOPIA, led by the refugee entrepreneur making London taste better: With her Syrian-inspired street food, McCain Streets Ahead alumni Hind Danoun shares her journey to trading at three markets and looking to the future with a bricks-and-mortar site. To find out more, click here.

London artisan Indian sweets and snacks business seeking new partners to expand with: London artisan Indian sweets and snacks business Barfia is seeking new partners to expand with. Founded in 2013 by Sam Garcha Sidharh and opening its first store in 2015, Barfia is named after a milk-based sweet popular in south Asia and has since grown to 11 locations across the UK. “We are thrilled to announce that we are expanding our presence in the Wembley, Gravesend, and Hornchurch areas and are actively seeking partners to open Barfia stores,” Sidharh said. “This is a fantastic opportunity to join our growing network with huge concessions available!”

 

Greene King opens fifth Nest Pub: Brewer and retailer Greene King has opened its fifth Nest Pub since the franchise concept was launched just three months ago. The Red Lion in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, has been transformed both inside and out via a £375,000 investment from Greene King. The pub will be operated by franchisee Ollie Roberts, who was previously running the pub as its general manager, having worked all his career in hospitality. “I am really excited to take the step up and run my own pub business as a Nest Pubs franchisee,” he said. “The franchise agreement and Nest Pubs concept means I have a ready-to-trade pub business and full support of Greene King. Having previously managed The Red Lion, I am excited for its next chapter and to continue serving the community I am so close to.” Dan Robinson, managing director of Greene King Pub Partners, added: “Reaching the milestone of five Nest Pubs in just three months is an incredible achievement. As a wet-led pub concept with a very compelling but simple to deliver food offer, we believe Nest Pubs has a lot of potential. We’ll continue to grow the concept this year alongside Hive Pubs and supporting our core leased and tenanted partners.” Nest Pubs is the second franchise format from Greene King following Hive Pubs, which Greene King launched in 2021 and now operates in more than 50 sites.

 

Manchester operators to open fifth site for their New York-style pizza concept: Manchester operators Jonny and Charlotte Heyes are set to open a fifth site for their New York-style pizza concept, Nell’s Pizza. The husband-and-wife team – who operate Nell’s sites within two of their venues in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Common and The Beagle – also operate a stand-alone Nell’s at the Kampus neighbourhood near Manchester Piccadilly. Earlier this year, they announced plans for a fourth location, in the ex-Croma site in Manchester’s Clarence Street. Nell’s will now also open a new space within Stamford Quarter’s Foundation building in Altrincham, offering its signature 22-inch pizzas, cocktails and ice cream sandwiches. New menu items added this year include calzoneta filled with cheesy marmite and an iceberg wedge salad with ricotta salata. “We’ve been hoping to open a Nell’s in Altrincham for years,” Jonny said. “We love the town, it’s so vibrant. It almost feels like coming on holiday when you head over here, and we can’t wait to be part of it.” Nell’s Altrincham will open in September. As well as Common, Beagle and their Nell’s portfolio, the Heyes’ are also behind Port Street Beer House, in Port Street, and previously operated The Pilcrow in Hanover Street, which is now Sadler’s Cat.

 

Yorkshire holiday park operator reports record turnover of £15.9m: Yorkshire holiday park operator Flower of May has reported turnover increased to a record £15,930,121 for the year ending 31 October 2023 compared with £14,352,542 the year before. The company, which operates 12 sites across the region, saw pre-tax profit drop to £3,653,040 from £10,072,576 the previous year, when the company made a profit on disposal of £5m after selling one of its parks. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The greatest challenge facing the business is rising costs due to high levels of inflation. The board has taken swift and decisive action in response to rising costs to minimise the impact on the business and are not reliant on any individual supplier. The group has access to considerable funding from the bank to ensure it remains in a strong position during these times. The board expects demand for UK holidays to remain strong, due to the equivalent cost of foreign holidays. The company intends to continue improving its existing caravan and holiday parks in order to maintain the quality and range of facilities available to customers.” The group received £3,279 of government grants (2022: £32,113). No dividend was paid (2022: nil).

Slim Chickens to open in Basingstoke: US brand Slim Chickens, which is being rolled out in the UK by Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), is set to open a new restaurant in Basingstoke. It will next month open a 3,503 square-foot unit in the town’s Festival Place, offering 85 covers. Ben Blore, head of operations at Slim Chickens, said: “We’re thrilled to announce that Slim Chickens will be launching at Festival Place this summer, bringing a touch of Southern hospitality to Basingstoke for the very first time.” Poppy Radford, asset manager at Sovereign Centros from CBRE, added: “The signing of Slim Chickens at Festival Place is the latest in a series of exciting announcements on the destination’s evolving F&B line-up.” Lunson Mitchenall and GCW represent Festival Place.

 

Stonegate to launch new Be At One elevated cocktail offering: Stonegate, the UK’s largest pub group, is launching a new elevated cocktail offering at its Be At One location in Nottingham. Following a £350,000 refurbishment, the Victoria Street venue will reopen on Friday, 5 July with a range of innovative additions. These include a “chef’s table” style bar, a selfie booth, an infinity mirror bathroom and a dedicated cocktail masterclass space. The 65 square-metre site will now have space for up to 250 guests, who can also book VIP highlight booths fitted with LED walls.

 

Newcastle craft burger concept set to expand to Sunderland for fourth site: Newcastle craft burger concept Burger Drop, which is looking to expand across the UK through franchising, is set to expand to Sunderland for its fourth site. The new site, located at 12 Derwent Street, will open its doors to the public later this summer, offering smashed burgers, fried chicken wings and thick shakes. “We are incredibly excited to open with our new franchisees in Sunderland city centre,” said Hasan Hamid, founder of Burger Drop. “Sunderland is a vibrant and fun city with an aspiring culinary culture, and we are eager to become a part of that community. Our team has worked tirelessly to create a space that reflects the energy and spirit of Burger Drop, and we can't wait to welcome burger lovers from all over the area, later this year.” Burger Drop, founded in 2020 by Hamid and Amer Qayyum, currently has two sites in its home city and will also this summer open its first franchise location, in Whitley Bay. Hamid told Propel in January that he is targeting 150 stores in the next decade and is looking to open five this year.

 

Westmorland has plans for new Cheshire motorway services site called in by government: Motorway service business Westmorland has had its plans for a new site in Cheshire called in by the government. The service area, planned for the 39-acre green belt site between junctions 7 and 8 on the M56, was approved by Cheshire East Council last year. But that green light led to uproar from local campaigners, who successfully demanded the government call-in the decision. The Planning Inspectorate will assess the plans at an inquiry from 15 October. The plans include a fuel refilling station, a farm shop and kitchen selling local produce and a 100-bed hotel. A Westmorland spokesperson told Business Live: “While we are obviously disappointed by the inevitable delay from the government, taking away the decision from the locally elected leaders who had already approved it, we remain steadfastly committed to the project. Delivering the unique Westmorland model, Tatton Services is a sustainable solution to a very large gap on the M56 and M62 motorways around Manchester in both directions.” Westmorland also operates Tebay Services in Penrith in Cumbria, Cairn Lodge services in southern Scotland and Gloucester Services on the M5. The company also runs the junction 38 Truckstop off the M6 in Cumbria, the Westmorland Hotel in Tebay and the Rheged callery and cafe near Penrith.

 

Soft play leisure business acquires Lincoln site for third venue: Soft play leisure business Bounce Central has secured a site in Lincoln. Bounce Central will occupy Unit 20 at the Carlton Centre, a retail park just north of Lincoln city centre. The new venue will provide more than 8,500 square feet of space for trampolines, soft play equipment, open sessions, classes, parties and events. Established in 2016, the family-run business operates two venues in Salford and Oldham. James Fearn, managing director at Bounce Central, said: “Having grown up in the area, I know Lincoln very well, and opening up a Bounce Central branch in the east of the country has been part of our business growth plan. Lincoln has changed a lot since my childhood. Recent regeneration and investment in the city centre, in particular, sees the area raising its game in responding to changing habits and expectations of a young and vibrant demographic. It’s a market and a vibe we want to tap into.” Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co represented the landlord on the deal.

 

Big Fang Collective extends partnership with Glasgow better burger concept, launches third arcade gaming hub: Big Fang Collective, the Imbiba-backed entertainment venue operator that owns the Golf Fang brand, has extended its partnership with Glasgow better burger concept, Smokey Trotters Kitchen. Founded by Robert Lorimer, Smokey Trotters initially operated as a street food pop-up before finding a permanent home within Glasgow’s London Road. Following its takeover of the kitchen in Big Fang’s Glasgow venue, Smokey Trotters is now bringing its stacked burgers and sandwiches, tenders, wings and fries to Big Fang Newcastle. Smokey Trotters’ burgers include The Dirty Dipper (with pepper sauce mayo, crispy onions and haggis), The Odyssey (with Stornoway black pudding, caramelised onions and truffle mayo) and The Drippin Chicken (with salt and chilli fried chicken, American cheese, onions, curried mayo, crispy onions and satay sauce). The Newcastle venue has also become the third Big Fang location to house a Big Fang Arcade, the brand’s in-house gaming hub features a host of retro games. The company, which earlier this year secured £5.5m in funding from alternative lender ThinCats for further UK expansion, will later this year make its debut in London with an opening in Waterloo. The group, which is behind Golf Fang, Big Fang Karaoke, Big Fang Arcade and Nothing Cheezy, already operates six sites around the UK and will also open sites in Bristol and Nottingham this year.

 

Wingstop UK opens in London’s Wood Green: Lemon Pepper Holdings, the company behind the rollout of Wingstop in the UK, has opened a site in Wood Green, north London. Propel revealed in September 2021 that Wingstop UK had secured a site in Capital & Regional's The Mall scheme. The opening of 58-cover restaurant at 159 High Road marks the 48th UK site and has created 60 jobs. Following two openings in south London, the new site bolsters Wingstop UK’s presence north of the Thames, joining restaurants in Islington, Dalston, Gloucester Road, Beckton and Watford, as well as its flagship site in Shaftesbury Avenue. Next week, Wingstop UK will open its largest restaurant to date at Westfield Stratford City – the UK’s largest shopping centre. Tom Grogan, co-founder of Lemon Pepper Holdings, said: “We began our expansion journey in north London and it’s a real privilege to have shared our exciting growth journey with such a loyal group of customers – we can’t wait to offer them more of our delicious flavours.” Mark Segal, of Brasier Freeth, acts for Wingstop UK.

 

New Bangladeshi casual dining concept to open at London’s Hawley Wharf development: A new Bangladeshi casual restaurant concept is opening at Camden Market’s Hawley Wharf development in north London. Dhakaah will launch on Wednesday, 24 July. Dhakaah is billed as a “celebration” of the street food and specialities of Bangladesh and is named after the country’s capital Dhaka. The menu is split into bar snacks, small plates and bigger plates with dishes such as the Beef Kathi Roll – a heavily spiced mezbani beef curry, wrapped in handmade parota; and the Chicken Roast – free range chicken leg, caramelised with onion, mixed nuts and cardamon forward masala spices. On the drinks side, the house gin and tonic will be flavoured with Bangladeshi lemon, a hybrid between lime and mandarin orange, while the Dhakaah Dirty Martini will be based on Jolpai, a giant olive-like fruit found across the Indian sub-continent. A spokesperson said: “Dhakaah is part of a larger vision to bring Bangladeshi culture and its specific cuisine to the UK, highlighting the individuality and diversity of this often overlooked culture. By bringing the essence of Bangladesh to a British audience in a way that has never been done before, Dhakaah aspires to update the representation of Bangladesh in the UK and bring it into the mainstream.” Dhakaah is the first hospitality venture from Dotlines, a Bangladeshi technology company well established across Asia.

Independent Leeds bistro closing in on new £40,000 goal after smashing initial fundraising target: Independent Leeds bistro The Swine That Dines is closing in on a new £40,000 fundraising goal after smashing its initial target. The independent Leeds bistro, run by chef couple Jo and Stu Myers, launched a £25,000 crowdfunder earlier this month to help fund its move to a bigger venue. Having hit that target in just 48 hours, it is now nearing its stretch target of £40,000 to help purchase a “swinemobile” van, to help cater for private events. Jo Myers said: “We’re completely overwhelmed by the support we’ve received for our crowdfunder and are on cloud nine to have hit, and then overtaken, our initial target! The Swine is a real labour of love, which we’ve nurtured and grown through some tough times. We’ve seen so many wonderful restaurants close their doors over the last few years, that for us to finally realise our dream of opening a bigger Swine in the city we call home is a real privilege.” The current Swine That Dines has only an 18-cover capacity and a tiny kitchen, while the proposed new restaurant space will double its covers as well as include a private dining room with an additional 15 covers. Its crowdfunder saw more than 400 people invest from as little as £10 up to £2,200 for a variety of rewards. The Swine that Dine started life as a sandwich shop, The Greedy Pig in 2012, with the current venue opening in 2018. The brand-new bigger Swine that Dines will be ready to welcome guests this autumn.