Döner Shack – potential in US is ‘huge’, pushing to get something open by first quarter of 2025: Fast casual kebab concept Döner Shack has told Propel the potential for the brand in the US is “huge” and it is pushing it make its international debut there by the spring of next year. The brand announced last month that it would be launching a franchise programme in the US this autumn, coinciding with attending the MFV Expositions Franchise Expo South in Fort Lauderdale. Founder Sanjeev Sanghera said he will be doing “a bit of a takeover at the show”, with Döner Shack lanyards and van outside giving Americans “their first taste of the brand”. He told Propel: “We’ve always thought of the US as a primary market for us. In fact, I’d got as far as saying that if I started my journey again, we’d have gone to the US straight away and started there rather than in the UK. The opportunity for this type of brand is huge and I think the next food type to really take off on a world scale will be kebabs. It’s going from fragmented owner-operated businesses to bigger businesses getting involved and saying if you can create standards and trust in the market place, then we have potential to systemise it and grow.” Döner Shack first announced it was looking at the US market two years ago but saw it plans delayed by a rebrand and relaunch in the UK. Working through “complex legal frameworks” – with every state having different legislation and requiring different franchise disclosure documents – also required patience. But that now is set to pay off, with enquiries “flooding in” and a new trademark application in the US “likely to be approved in the next month or so”. Sanghera said: “We’ve identified who was at the top end of the industry and made connections with potential partners. Over the last year, we’ve had a lot of enquiries, which tells us there’s a huge market out there, and it’s a market that understands franchising intrinsically. We’ll be pushing to get something open by the first quarter of 2025, or second at the latest. If you look at a brand like Halal Guys, which started out as a street cart in New York and grew to more than 150 sites, I’d be disappointed if we didn’t replicate that kind of success. If you break that down, it’s only 15 partners signing ten-store deals, which really isn’t uncommon in the US. We have also got representation in the Middle East and Asia. If the right partners come up, we’ll look at it, and we have the systems in place to go into any market, but it’s about finding and developing the right ones rather than trying to operate in as many as possible. We’re looking at Canada, then we’ll look at the wider picture after that.” Sanghera also welcomed new chancellor Rachel Reeves’ proposed planning reforms, saying the less red tape there is, “the easier it is for hospitality businesses to grow”. He added: “This is something I have seen in the US, particularly Texas and Florida. They are very big business-friendly, and I was almost envious and asking myself, why can’t we have some of that?”

Sponsored message – Casual Dining to feature hand-picked quality suppliers, register to attend: Casual Dining will feature hand-picked quality suppliers showcasing foodservice products and ingredients, alcoholic drinks, signage, information technology, furniture and lighting, brand consultancies, desserts, confectionery and cakes, crockery, cutlery, place setting, interior design, kitchen equipment, soft drinks and more. Exhibitors making their show debut include Bute Island Foods, Disaronno, Donna Italia, Little Moons, McWhinneys Sausages, Pecan Deluxe Candy, Served, and Sweet Street Desserts. They’ll join returning names including Adnams, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Lamb Weston, Leathams, Pizza Si, Unox, Uber Eats, and Zonal. A Casual Dining spokesperson said: “For visitors looking to excel their drinks menu, a visit to the Artisan Spirits Lounge, The Taphouse and The Vineyard is essential. Featuring new spirits, low/no, wine and craft beer options, some brands to see here include White Claw, Funkin, Disaronno, Adnams, Moth, Served, Lockdown Liquor, Pimentae Drinks, Freedom Brewery, Sxollie, Rokit Drinks and Dutch Cocktail Club. Don’t miss the Innovation Challenge. Showcasing exciting new products that have launched in the last 12 months, buyers can visit the Innovation Challenge Gallery to see what’s new to the market, vote for the most innovative products and be part of the audience to hear the finalists’ pitches.” Register here and quote priority code VCD30. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

Panel debating the pros and cons of psychometric profiling to be held at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference, open for bookings with 20% discount on tickets for Premium Club members: A panel debating the pros and cons of psychometric profiling will be held at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference. The all-day conference takes place on Tuesday, 1 October at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings. The conference will showcase examples of outstanding people culture among companies within the sector and how the industry is attracting talent. Hosted by Abi Dunn, founder of Sixty Eight People, the panel will feature Tom Vivace, head of talent at Turtle Bay; Gina Knight, head of people for Flat Iron; and Rachel Masing, people director at ETM. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Tickets are £345 plus VAT for operators and £395 plus VAT for suppliers. Premium Club members get a 20% discount. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to book places.

 

Premium Club members to receive updated Multi-Site Database with 3,200 operators and 50 new companies on Friday: Premium Club members are to receive the updated Multi-Site Database on Friday (26 July). The Propel Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate, provides details of 3,200 multi-site operators and is now searchable in seven main segments. The database features, 937 (29%) operators from the casual dining sector, 778 (24%) pub and bar operators, 532 (17%) cafe bakery operators, 436 (14%) quick service restaurant operators, 261 (8%) hotel operators, 200 (6%) experiential leisure operators and 54 (2%) fine dining operators. The database is updated each month and this edition includes 50 new companies. New additions to the casual dining sector include Shrimp Shack, a new seafood concept from Creams co-founder Balil Aqil; Greek concept ThatZiki and Yori, the Korean barbecue business set to increase its regional presence. 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 Clubs members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including the Talent and Training Conference (1 October), Restaurant Marketer and Innovator (two days in January 2025) and Excellence in Pub Retail (May 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.

David Roberts – failing to rule out capital gains tax rises risks penalising entrepreneurship: The failure by the new government to rule out capital gains tax (CGT) rises runs the risk of penalising entrepreneurship in the sector, David Roberts, head of the leisure practice at international law firm CMS, has warned. Writing in Friday’s (19 July) Premium Opinion, Roberts said: “We have so many founder clients that have taken huge risks, shunned lucrative salaried careers, put their house on the line, given personal guarantees, lived in cramped domestic situations and so on – all in order to save costs, create, build and ultimately try to exit from a hospitality business. These businesses are risky. They regularly fail. The margins are not high at the best of times. The one advantage that many saw as making the risk worthy is the fact that if you were one of the few that made it out and got some cash off the table (despite not having a pay rise for a decade), you could keep 80% of it. That seemed to me like a fair return for risking literally everything. If we want growth, we need a policy that will encourage folks to continue to shun big, safe jobs and take these risks. Never forget that in the meantime, hospitality businesses create a massive number of jobs, collect billions in PAYE and VAT revenue for the government, pay business rates and pay corporation tax on profits. Every business created, creates wealth for society. We need more, not less. Moving CGT to 45% feels like a massive penalty on growth. At the very least, if you are going to tax capital gains, don’t apply it retrospectively. If most of your gain was earned prior to September 2024 (if that is when change happens), why not apply the current rate of 20% to those gains and tax gains going forward at a higher rate? That would be fairer. One thing to think about though is if you tax gains on a business sale at the same rate you tax income, who in the next generation will shun safe, salaried positions to take the risks we need to grow the economy to ultimately reduce the tax burden?”

The Sunday Times – Pret shook up subscription offer because it was costing 1.25 million free cups of coffee and tea per week: Pret A Manger decided to shake up its Club Pret scheme because it was costing the company 1.25 million free cups of coffee and tea per week. Currently, subscribers can enjoy up to five coffees a day and 20% off food purchases for £30 a month. However, on Friday (19 July), the company announced that from September the deal will be that for £10 a month, users will get five drinks half price and there will be no discount on food. In a piece looking into why the shake-up was made, The Sunday Times stated: “Since 2018, Pret has been majority-owned by JAB, the investment arm of the German billionaire Reimann family. And it was from another JAB brand, the US bakery chain Panera Bread, that the subscription model was copied in September 2020, as Pret looked to lure customers back into its stores in the depths of the coronavirus crisis. However, while the Panera scheme drove additional weekly visits, the Pret version struggled. In part this was because many of its loyal customers already shopped at Pret more than twice a week – seen as the gold standard in the industry, experts said. Then customers quickly figured out workarounds to rinse the scheme. Students would club together to buy one membership, then pass the code around between each other to max out on free drinks, buying nothing else in the shop.” Kien Tan, a retail consultant at PwC, told The Sunday Times: “It was initially successful, but has become a bit ‘tail wagging the dog’.” The Sunday Times piece added: “It was a tail that soon saw Pret handing over 1.25 million free cups of coffee and tea a week. Pret co-founder Sinclair Beecham returned to the business as an investor a year after the subscription roll-out and some believe his influence was pivotal in the decision to revamp the scheme. Food quality and service are thought to be a cause for concern for Beecham, according to those that know him.” But sources close to Pret told The Sunday Times the shake-up was anyone other than chief executive Pano Christou’s call. They added that the savings generated can be used to invest in growth, particularly overseas. The first Pret in Madrid will open in the next fortnight. Another is being planned for the first time in the Indian city of Bangalore. 

Council under fire for giving £200,000 of levelling up fund to Wendy’s: A council is under fire after giving £200,000 of levelling up funding to a new branch of US burger brand Wendy’s. The brand opened its newest outlet in Hull city centre earlier this month with the six-figure sum it received from the Hull City Council. The local authority benefited from £19.5m through the levelling up fund, which was set up by the previous Conservative government. The council gave Wendy’s franchisee Square Burgers £200,000 so it could occupy a previously vacant unit in Jameson Street. But The Telegraph reported the funding prompted a backlash from thousands of city residents – and claims the cash could have been better spent elsewhere. A petition branding it an “insult” to smaller traders and demanding emergency funding for independent businesses received more than 2,200 signatures. “Nobody visits Hull to sit in a big restaurant chain, you can get them anywhere,” it reads. “What makes this city unique is its independent traders and culture. These are the spots where communities are born, and these are the places that should be protected. We have already seen many unique, hardworking independents close their doors.” Council leader Cllr Mike Ross said local levelling up funding had been “really good for the city”, with 92% going to small and medium-sized businesses. Ross told BBC Look North that the funding had “helped create nearly 1,000 jobs in the city, has seen £25m of additional private sector funding come in... and has brought back into use a large amount of empty properties”. He said: “Many of these projects wouldn’t have been able to go ahead without this funding from the council.” Wendy's had benefited from a fund designed to help new businesses open in the city centre, Ross said, and he encouraged existing businesses to contact the council to find out what support might be available to them.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a premium casual dining concept in Central London that is looking for a general manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “This is a chef-led enterprise that breaks the mould. The business is on the hunt for an exceptional general manager who flourishes in a fresh food, independent restaurant environment. This role is all about people, food and unforgettable experiences. You will bring energy and passion to the role, ensuring guests have an outstanding experience – think Michelin quality but with relaxed, informal service.” The salary is up to £60,000. For more information, email kate@corecruitment.com.

 

Promoted content – meet Samarkand Palav, the Uzbekistan street food concept freshening up London: Akbar and Sanobar, the husband-and-wife duo, recently opened their street food business Samarkand Palav with the help of McCain’s Streets Ahead Programme, celebrating the unique cuisine of Uzbekistan. If their unique story and passion doesn’t grab your attention, their food certainly will. To find out more, click here.

 

GSG has ‘numerous cities and destinations on our radar’ for Bold Street Coffee, exploring expanding other concepts: GSG Hospitality has told Propel it has “numerous cities and destinations on our radar” for its Bold Street Coffee concept and is exploring expanding some of its other concepts. GSG opened its latest Bold Street site in April – at 2 Hardman Street in the city’s Spinningfields district – a third in Manchester and fifth overall for the concept. “Bold Street Coffee continues to be a priority for GSG, with numerous cities and destinations on our radar for potential locations,” said founder Matt Farrell. “Currently, we’re exploring several sites within close proximity to our current establishments. We’re eager to explore all possibilities for Bold Street Coffee. We’re also currently experimenting with baking our own focaccia and sourdough, so there’s definitely potential to incorporate these as well.” GSG, which last month acquired its first pub, The Hightown in Liverpool, also operates Salt Dog Slims in both Liverpool and Manchester, plus 81, El Bandito, Duke Street Market and Nord in Liverpool. Farrell said he has plans to grow the 81, Manolo and Duke Street Market concepts. “We’re exploring the possibility of bringing 81, or a similar concept, to Manchester, as we believe the city would embrace this style of bar,” he added. “We’re making progress on another Manolo-style site in Manchester, and we anticipate that we’ll be opening mid-August. We are still looking at rolling out a food and drink market concept. Duke Street has been a labour of love, requiring significant time and energy to create, and that effort has certainly paid off. The prospect of expanding this concept nationwide is definitely on the horizon for GSG.”

Barburrito co-founder joins The Padel Group’s board to oversee day-to-day operations: Morgan Davies, co-founder of Barburrito, the burrito bar brand that The Restaurant Group acquired in summer 2022 for £7m, has joined the board of The Padel Group, as it looks to expand further. The company has appointed Davies as a non-executive director and Steve Herring as finance director, while the business has also hired former GB athlete Jake Bennett as commercial manager. Davies successfully founded and expanded Barburrito to 16 sites across the UK, where Herring was financial director. The team is joined by ex-pro athlete Bennett, who brings 15 years’ experience in leisure operations management including four at New York’s famous Chelsea Piers sports complex. The trio join The Padel Group founder and chief executive Jordan Ingoe in elevating the UK padel scene through the import and installation of courts via UK Padel Courts (the official UK distributor of Spanish court manufacturer Padelgest) and the opening of its first venue – The Hook Club – at Mottram Hall, Macclesfield, this summer. Davies, who will oversee day-to-day operations at The Padel Group, said: “I am excited to be joining the padel industry. I have been watching the space for a while and there is a real buzz on both the operator and player side. We have set up a fantastic relationship with Padelgest to bring quality courts to the UK and our first operation, The Hook Club, will stand out in the sector.” Ingoe added: “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve as a team. Morgan and Steve bring vast commercial experience, Jake has a great background in sports operations and I have experience with commercial builds and expertise in the padel industry. I believe we are well positioned to be a key business in the padel market.” A new report produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector will be available to purchase on Thursday, 1 August. The report profiles the current shape of the experiential leisure market – including brands, estate size, trading type and geographical location and future trends. It provides a detailed list of UK experiential leisure companies including key staff and Companies House information. The report includes more than 190 companies, 3,500 sites and a 35,000-word report. Existing Premium Club members can receive the report on Thursday, 1 August for £395 plus VAT. The report will be made available for free to existing Premium members on Tuesday, 10 September at 9am. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to order a copy.

Canadian pancake brand Fluffy Fluffy set to open make London debut: Canadian pancake brand Fluffy Fluffy is set to make its London debut, Propel has learned. Although an opening date and location have not yet been confirmed, Propel understands it will be located in the Southside shopping centre in Wandsworth. It will be a seventh site for the brand, which launched in the UK in Manchester in 2022 before expanding to Leicester, Reading, Leeds, Liverpool and Egham in Surrey. Fluffy Fluffy launched its signature souffle pancakes in 2018, in Toronto, and now has 22 sites across North America, plus multiple sites in Europe. The brand is aiming for 25 UK locations by the end of 2025, as it works towards an eventual estate here of 100-plus.

 

Greater Manchester petrol forecourt operator looking to roll out smash burger concept through franchising after going viral: Greater Manchester petrol forecourt operator Mebs Patel is looking to roll out his smash burger concept, Smashville, through franchising. Patel is operations manager at Monarch Service Station in Oldham, which specialises in offering American snacks as well as housing the first Smashville. Having gone viral on TikTok – with one post being viewed more than a million times and liked more than 80,000 times – the service station attracts visitors and food bloggers from across the UK, and even as far as Sweden, to try its fare. A second Smashville has now opened in Bolton, and Patel has teamed up with franchise consultant Paolo Peretti as he seeks to grow the concept across the UK. “We have been working with Smashville for some time to get it franchise ready,” Peretti said. “It has been doing some amazing things in a petrol station in Oldham! It is now looking for franchise partners across the country, especially existing forecourt operators.” Patel explained his concept’s success in a 2023 interview with Nisa Locally. “We came across someone who got on the train from Scotland,” he said. “I’ve got regular customers from Hull and Peterborough. We’ve got reach of the whole of the UK from a single site in Oldham. The TikTok videos have been going viral, but in the run up to that we’ve developed a proposition fitting with TikTok. We’ve created a whole concept across the store that works in tandem with the smash burger. Yes, we sell grocery, but our USP and key proposition is Smashville and American sweets. Growth in sales goes hand-in-hand with more customers and the key catalyst has always been Smashville. The exciting products that we have in store complements Smashville, and Smashville doing what it is doing complements the other product lines. The whole concept really has uplifted our volume and customer footfall, which we are delighted about. We are we are looking to take Smashville to more locations. We are looking at all the different formats available to us and hope to build on this success in the future. The station has put Oldham on the map again and now we must continue to develop our proposition.” 

Gail’s lines up Midlands debut: Fast-growing Gail’s Bakery is set to make its debut in the Midlands later this summer, after securing a site in Stratford-upon-Avon. Propel has learned that the circa 125-strong brand has secured an “iconic period building set on two floors with more than 90 seats” in the Warwickshire town’s high street, with opening projected for Thursday, 12 September. Propel understands that a site in Moseley, the suburb of south Birmingham, is also on the group‘s radar. A Gail’s spokesperson told Propel: “We are actively looking in the West Midlands for more suitable neighbourhoods, but nothing as yet that we can confirm.” Gail’s, which made its debut in the north west last year with a number of openings in and around Manchester, made its debut in the south west last month with a launch in Bristol. Propel reported last month that Gail’s has set its sights on opening in multiple travel hub locations with the company’s first scheduled to open in London’s Liverpool Street station this summer. Gail’s, which is backed by Bain Capital Credit and Ebitda Investments, a fund led by serial restaurant investor Henry McGovern, said the move will see Gail’s extend its high-volume, high-speed model to offer “discerning on-the-go customers multi award-winning craft baking and specialty coffee, without sacrificing speed”. 

Sticks‘n’Sushi lines up Battersea opening as it increases London presence: Japanese premium restaurant group Sticks‘n’Sushi, in which McWin, the backer of Gail’s and Big Mamma Group, acquired a majority stake earlier this year, is to further add to its presence in London with an opening in Battersea, Propel has learned. Sticks‘n’Sushi, which currently operates 13 sites in the UK – 11 in London, plus sites in Cambridge and Oxford – has secured a site in Electric Boulevard, part of the Battersea Power Station development, for an opening before the end of this year. Propel revealed earlier this month that Sticks‘n’Sushi has also secured the former Neighbourhood site in Upper Street, Islington, for an opening this September. It will mark Sticks‘n’Sushi’s first venture into north London and is part of its growth strategy to extend its reach into the capital’s residential neighbourhoods, following the opening of Richmond in May. In February, Sticks‘n’Sushi secured a new £22m loan from OakNorth to support its growth plans. The new loan, alongside funding from McWin, will aid Sticks‘n’Sushi’s plan to accelerate its growth in its existing markets and also enter new markets over the next five years.

Birds reports greater footfall but rising costs force price increases, investing in food-to-go and set to start seven-day-a-week operations: East Midlands bakery business Birds has reported greater footfall in the year ending 31 December 2023 but said rising costs have forced it into price increases. The business is also investing in its food-to-go operations and is rebranding its stores, while preparing to begin seven-day-a-week operations. Turnover was up from £29,195,113 in 2022 to £33,595,033 while its pre-tax profit was down from £2,363,045 to £1,500,580 as costs rose by almost £3m. There was also a profit on disposal from two properties of £12,215 compared with £683,306 from five properties in 2022. “In the past year, we have seen a consistent increase in customer visits as foot traffic in the high street has gradually returned,” director Lesley Bird said. “However, we have also faced intense pricing pressure. This has forced us to increase our sales prices in order to maintain the high quality of our products. Despite these challenges, our efforts have paid off as we have achieved a 15.1% increase in turnover compared with the previous year. Margins, however, have decreased as we have absorbed some of the raw material increases as opposed to passing on the full increase to our customers. Over the year we have begun our journey of rebranding our Birds shops, with the first rebranded store opening in January 2024. 2023 also saw us invest in our food-to-go services through replacement ovens and coffee machines. In 2024, we will continue with our rebranding programme and expect to start trading seven days a week from the fourth quarter of 2024.” No dividends were paid during the year (2022: £10,175,000), but post year-end, dividends of £1m have been paid. Birds currently operates 61 stores across the region.

 

Esquires opens in Newbury: Esquires, the Cooks Coffee Company-owned business, has opened its latest site, in Newbury, Berkshire. It has opened at 21 Northbrook Street for its 66th UK site. “Our latest store is now open in Newbury, nestled in the heart of rural Berkshire,” the company said. “Amidst economic challenges, the UK’s branded coffee market has demonstrated remarkable resilience, surpassing the 10,000-outlet milestone. The estimated value of branded coffee shop outlets has soared to £5.3bn, a 9.2% increase, with sales exceeding £5.7bn, up 10.7%. Our regional developer system allows us to strategically choose our locations by leveraging local insights and partnering with passionate franchisees who share our ethos and values. With ethical coffee credentials rising by 11.6% since last year, there is a clear and growing preference among consumers for responsibly and ethically sourced coffee. We are excited about our ongoing expansion and look forward to opening more locations across the country, continuing our commitment to quality and sustainability.” Last month, Cooks Coffee Company said it was targeting 305 UK and Ireland stores (it currently has 14 in Ireland) by 2034, as it focuses its expansion plans on the UK. Its pipeline of stores “coming soon” includes Buxton, Camberley, Cardiff, Chesterfield, Clifton, Congleton, Cranleigh, Hemel Hempstead, Eastcote, Greeenford Quay, Walthamstow, Maidenhead, Market Harborough, Nottingham, Paddock Wood and a fifth Aylesbury store, in Kingbrook.

Hotel group sees strong trading driven by events and increase in international travel, refinances £36m loan: Hotel group Centre Island saw strong trading in the year ending 31 December 2023 driven by events and an increase in international travel. The group, which operates nine hotels across Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Preston and Ellesmere Port, also refinanced a £36m loan. The new facility, with AIB, replaces an existing one and is payable over a five-year term, with a final repayment date of 3 May 2029. Centre Island’s turnover rose from £34,026,528 in 2022 to £36,963,990. Pre-tax profit fell from £2,544,344 to £1,994,930. Revpar increased 6.2% through an increase in occupancy of 1.8%, boosting average daily rate by 3.6%. Food and beverage revenue increased 6.02% driven by weddings and tapping into new corporate markets. Director Mark Sutton said a successful year’s trading came on the back of a strong event year, most notably Eurovision 2023 and The Open golf both taking in place in Liverpool. He said there was a notable increase in corporate business from the EU and US, while the stabilisation of air travel saw more inbound groups, from mainly Asia and India, primarily in the Manchester hotels. The air crew segment in both Manchester and Birmingham also stabilised as flight schedules returned to previous levels and “delivered good base business”. The regional locations in Preston and Ellesmere Port “performed well, with strong midweek occupancy”. “Following on from a successful 2023, the outlook for 2024 remains positive in terms of overall revenue, albeit the forward event calendar across all locations is not as buoyant as 2023,” Sutton said. “Midweek and weekend leisure demand is forecast to remain strong across all locations and is predicted to continue throughout the year. Previous recruitment challenges now appear to have stabilised, but the ongoing escalation of other costs will add additional pressure on profitability.” Dividends of £250,000 were paid (2022: £250,000).

Team behind El Gato Negro to convert Leeds site to second venue for luxury sports and gaming concept: Mills Hill Development has revealed it is opening the second site of its luxury sports and gaming concept, Black Cat Club, in place of its El Gato Negro restaurant in Leeds. Chef-patron and creative director Simon Shaw revealed last month that the Park Row site, which has now closed, would be converted into an “exciting new concept”. The company has now said it will be the second Black Cat venue having launched the format in March this year in Manchester. The Leeds venue – which will open on Friday, 13 September – will offer interactive shuffleboard and darts as well as nine screens showing live sport, and live DJs every weekend. The food menu will feature dishes such as buttermilk chicken bites with curry mayonnaise, salt and pepper ribs, dirty fries and its £10 lunch offer. There will also be a bar offering cocktails and a variety of beer and wine. Shaw said: “Thanks to the incredible success of our first Black Cat Club concept site, we’re ready to go again and bring this high energy and premium concept to Leeds. Black Cat Club strives to bring the community together through contemporary food, gaming and an unrivalled entertainment experience in luxurious settings, like no other.” Mills Hill Development also operates El Gato Negro restaurants in Liverpool and Manchester, plus Canto Manchester.

Peter Pizzeria confirms plans for third site: Independent Leicestershire pizzeria concept Peter Pizzeria has confirmed it plans to open a site in Nottingham this summer. Located in Pepper Street, the 2,500 square-foot site will be bringing 30 jobs to the city, with a launch set for August. It marks the business’ first location outside Leicestershire and follows Peter Pizzeria's sites in Loughborough and Leicester which the company said have both built a “cult following since opening more than a decade ago”. David Hallam, managing director of Peter Pizzeria, said: “Nottingham has always marked a real opportunity for us. It's a city of food lovers who relish creativity – which is a key part of the Peter Pizzeria ethos. So, it was a natural fit for us, and the perfect location for our first expansion out of Leicestershire. Since first opening in Loughborough in 2013, we've been on a mission to cure the injured name of pizza, and we've spent time refining our offering to create a fun, casual pizzeria that's far from your typical. We can't wait to show Nottingham what we're all about.” 

Kent bakery owners set to open third site: Kent bakery owners Wes Burden and Pete Nelson are set to open their third site. The pair first opened Docker Bakery in Folkestone’s Harbour Arm in 2016, which closed in 2022 due to reduced footfall at its seaside location. They have since opened another bakery in West Hythe, and then added the Docker Bar taproom in Sandgate, reports Kent Online. Now, the business is set to return to where it all began and bring its sourdough bread and pastries back to Folkestone, when it opens at Park Farm in August. “We started here, grew here, and now we’re excited to come back to a larger space that allows us to serve our customers better and diversify our offerings,” Burden said. “Staying in Folkestone means we continue to be a part of this vibrant community, supplying our neighbours with the best local and sustainably sourced products.” It will also serve coffee from Kent roastery Curve Coffee.

 

Somerset gym operator to open third site: Somerset gym operator Trident is set to open its third site. Owner Craig Stephens has secured £200,000 to help expand his business, including finish fitting out his new facility, in Yeovil. Stephens opened his first gym in Bridgewater in 2019 and added a second site earlier this year, in Weston-super-Mare, taking over a unit that was previously a Mothercare store. The former builder said he would use the new funding, secured from alternative lender Reward Finance Group, to kit out his new Yeovil site, expand his membership from 1,300 to 1,500 and drive increased revenue from sales of his Trident-branded gym equipment. The remaining working facility will be used to secure a plot of land behind his home in Glastonbury, with the long-term aim of transforming it into a glamping and camping site. 

  

London Indian tapas concept set to open second site: London Indian tapas concept Bonoo is set to open its second site in the capital. It is gearing up to open this month at 4-5 Fortis Green in Muswell Hill, adding to its debut site at 675 Finchley Road in Hampstead. Founded in 2016, it was named London Curry Awards champion in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. Offering small plates from across India, dishes include sweet potato onion bhajis, railway lamb curry, masala corn and aubergine curry with yoghurt and curry sauce, reports Hot Dinners.

  

Kent brewery acquires Cheshire counterpart: Kent’s Wantsum Brewery has acquired Cheshire’s Tatton Brewery, which closed earlier this year due to “unprecedented increases” in the cost of living, fuel prices and raw materials. Tatton’s founder, Gregg Sawyer, stepped away from the business due to family responsibilities and the team said it was “no longer viable” for it to carry on. Wantsum, located between Herne Bay and Margate, has now taken over the site on the Longridge Trading Estate in Knutsford and plans to brew again in the coming weeks. New owner James Sandy told the Knutsford Guardian: “The reason we went with Tatton is that we had reached maximum capacity. We’ve looked to expand our footprint, and sadly, Tatton came on our radar as a brewery in trouble likely to go bankrupt. I knew it brewed good beer, so we decided to buy it. Tatton is a very well-structured brewery with very nice equipment and it will fit very well into our portfolio. It is really tough trading out there – breweries have been put through the ringer since covid with rising prices of electricity and raw materials. It is not easy, but this is a good time for us and we felt it was too good an opportunity to turn down. I don’t intend to be tinkering with the day-to-day production, we will allow Tatton the freedom to do what Tatton does very well. We will do everything we possibly can to make it a success.” Wantsum also operates a taproom and brewery shop at its brewery in St Nicholas-at-Wade.