Burger King UK CEO – there remains a lot to go after, pretty confident with where the business is at present, hires new COO: Alasdair Murdoch, chief executive of Burger King UK, has told Propel that there remains “a lot to go after” for the quick service restaurant brand when it comes to expansion across the country, and that he believes the group’s performance will pick up further in the remaining months of this year. Earlier this week, the Bridgepoint-backed business, which operates 561 restaurants, 285 of which are directly owned, reported a 30% rise in revenue to £381.8m in the year to 31 December 2023, with like-for-like sales growth of 3%. The company said its post year end trading has been “resilient” with total sales growth of 5%. Murdoch said: “If you look across hospitality at the moment it’s pretty tough. We feel we're very resilient, the numbers are resilient and better than a lot of the sector. Could they be better? Of course, but we are pretty confident with where they are at the moment. We are happy with our first half performance and we think that will pick up in the second half as well. If you look at the fourth quarter results, you'll see from Domino's saying they were quite soft. So, we see that rolling up. We've also got a number of initiatives coming over the next few weeks, both on our app and what we are doing with families – where we are really trying to reconnect, which should have a positive impact. I think we're pretty confident between now and Christmas, but there's always more work we can do.” Murdoch said the business is comfortable looking at opening somewhere between 25 and 35 sites a year, at a “fairly steady run rate”. He said: “We'd like the majority of those to be drive-thrus, but the drive-thru market is very competitive. Of our recent openings, we just opened in Bradford, a couple weeks ago, that's trading extremely well. So, we’re still bullish. We still see a lot of opportunity for more restaurants to open. We've got many less units, 400 to 500 less than KFC, and around thousand less than McDonald's, so there is a lot to go after.” Murdoch said the business wasn’t working on or looking at anything in terms of a sale process at the moment and that its strategy of acquiring multi-site franchisees was “largely complete”. Meanwhile, the business has hired Seb Monk, formerly of Elder – the live-in care marketplace, and tech start-up Lyvly, as its new chief operating officer. Monk, who will join in September, spent three years as chief operating officer at Elder, 18 months as chief experience officer of Lyvly, three years as director of direct retail northern Europe at Dyson, and five and a half years at Waitrose, including 13 months as its head of customer experience. He replaces Richard Dening-Smitheran, who has been chief operating officer of Burger King UK since November 2017, and is leaving to join Pets at Home, to head up its vets division.

Greene King people and culture director Vickie Elsey to speak at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference, open for bookings with 20% discount on tickets for Premium Club members: Vickie Elsey, people and culture director at Greene King, will be among the speakers 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. Elsey will talk about how Greene King is championing diversity and inclusion through various training programmes, including reverse mentoring, which flips organisational hierarchy on its head. 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 latest UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database today: Premium Club members will receive the latest UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database today (Wednesday, 14 August), at midday. It will feature 11 new additions, while one former entry that is no longer trading has been removed. This brings the total number of featured companies to 270, with more than 145,000 words of content. Among the new additions are Japanese sushi takeaway brand Iso Sushi, which is aiming to become “the UK’s go-to destination for takeaway sushi”; Knot Churros, which describes itself as offering “the world’s first churros afternoon tea and churros cotton candy combo”; Irish neighbourhood restaurant concept The Pantry, which currently has 14 sites in Ireland; and Korean street food concept Bunsik, which is the first concept to be franchised by multi-brand business Maguro Group. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book; 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.

UKHospitality – rollout of sector pre-employment programme can help people back into work, industry vacancies continue to fall: A pre-employment programme for hospitality should be rolled out to help those not working into new roles, UKHospitality has said. The trade body and the Department for Work and Pensions have worked together with training providers and businesses to help people currently unemployed into new roles in hospitality. The pilot delivered an 85% completion rate, with 80% of those finding employment in the sector. Now UKHospitality is calling for the scheme to be rolled out as new figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the rate of economic inactivity rate rose to 22.2%. The number of vacancies in hospitality continued to fall, with vacancies now at 100,000. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “With the number of economically inactive increasing, the government should look to hospitality as a sector that has a track record of helping people of varied ages, backgrounds and skill sets into employment. Our skills pilot with the Department of Work and Pensions was designed specifically to help those not working into new jobs and it was incredibly effective, with eight in ten successful participants securing a job. A rollout of that pilot could be transformational in helping people into work and would allow hospitality to help the government deliver its target of an 80% employment rate. Hospitality provides jobs for everyone, and this scheme can help get people back into work, as well as bearing down on persistent vacancies in the sector.” Meanwhile, the Inclusive Growth Commission, made up of leading UK groups including the manufacturers’ body Make UK and the Association of British Insurers, has called for the government to introduce a “skills tax credit” to reform the apprenticeship levy and incentivise employers to tackle skills shortages. The skills tax credit recommended by the commission would allow companies to deduct more than they paid towards the costs of training through the tax system, and offer a credit if the company is loss-making, reports The Times.

Britons cut back on clothes and eating out to afford their holidays: Britons are still splashing out on holidays but cutting back on shopping, eating out and going to festivals as financial pressures hit households, travel industry experts have said. The Times reported that while signs of a travel slowdown are said to be surfacing in the US, the UK has seen overseas holidays “boosted” by bad weather at home. Research by Abta, the UK trade body for tour operators and travel agents, found more people were planning to go abroad this year than last year. Consumers told the association that they would reduce their discretionary spending elsewhere to afford their holidays. A survey of 2,000 people found 57% planned to cut back on eating out, while 46% aimed to avoid leisure activities like festivals and 42% said that they would buy fewer clothes, shoes and accessories. More than half of respondents also said that they would spend “about the same” this year as they had during trips the year before, while 28% said that they would spend even more now. Overall, 64% of those surveyed said that they planned to travel this year, up from 61% two years ago. 

 

Costa staff were told girl, 13, had severe dairy allergy: The mother of a girl who died after taking one sip of a hot chocolate drink made in Costa Coffee said she had told staff that her daughter’s severe allergy to dairy products was not a joke, an ¬inquest was told. The Times reported that Abimbola Duyile, the mother of Hannah Jacobs, 13, said she had asked the staff to clean the jug used for the hot chocolate after placing an order for two takeaway soya milk hot chocolates, which they agreed to do. The teenager, who had been allergic to dairy products, fish and eggs since she was a toddler, suffered an “immediate reaction”. She died within hours of having the drink on 8 February last year, East London Coroner’s Court was told. “I made sure that the staff was aware that this was not a joke,” Duyile said, while giving evidence at the inquest. She said she was being “extra picky” about the order, even though she might sound like a crazy mum, because she wanted to be straight with the staff. “Hannah was busy telling me off for being so picky,” she said, adding: “I feel that [the staff member] did not understand what I was saying, which is why I leant forward so that she could hear what I was saying.” Duyile had ordered a hot chocolate with soya milk at the Barking branch. The teenager first took a sip of the drink while she was at the dentist, a short walk away, Duyile recalled, describing how her daughter “abruptly got up and went to the toilet and shouted: ‘That was not soya milk’.” Duyile said her daughter reacted quickly, coughing up phlegm and complaining of chest pains. She took her daughter to a nearby chemist as her “lips and mouth were very swollen and she was itchy”. She added: “My initial response was of anger to the Costa Coffee staff — it gave way to terror.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a family-run pub company that is looking to hire an operations manager in the east and Central London area. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The business has 30 sites and is growing. Following a recent restructure and with future growth in mind, the company is looking to hire for this new position. The ideal candidate will have at least three years’ operations management experience within a pub environment. They would need experience within both food and drinks-led venues. They must have a passion for the industry, and be a born leader.” The salary is up to £75,000. For more information, email stuart@corecruitment.com.

Breadstall secures debut bricks-and-mortar site in London’s Soho: Breadstall, the London biga-style pizza business, which is backed by Philip Eeles and Dorian Waite, two of the co-founders of Honest Burgers, has secured its debut bricks-and-mortar site, in London’s Soho. Propel understands that Breadstall, which was launched by Sebastian Vince during lockdown, will open at 92 Berwick Street in October. Propel revealed in July that Eeles and Waite had raised circa £1.2m to back the expansion of Breadstall, which offers authentic biga-style 20-inch pizzas that can be ordered whole, in halves or quarters. The business currently operates out of a shipping container in Northcote Road in Clapham. The site also features a bar offering frozen margaritas. The business has also been joined by Nathan Takoor, who previously spent more than five years at Honest Burgers. Vince, who has a 20-year background in bakery and bread making, has focused on using biga dough, which is a type of Italian sourdough that uses baker’s yeast instead of wild yeast, allowing for a longer dough fermentation period (72 hours minimum). He said this technique results in a lighter, crunchier crust than traditional sourdough. Waite, former operations director of Bill’s and current non-executive director at Brother Marcus, told Propel: “I live locally and was taken by Seb’s concept as soon as I tried it. We believe it can disrupt the pizza space and is a hybrid quick service restaurant/fast-casual concept, with a real focus on communal hospitality that is attractive to all demographics. There is nothing out there like this. We feel it has real roll out potential.” Eeles, who founded Honest Burgers with Waite and Tom Barton, growing it to more than 40 sites, added: “It’s the best pizza I’ve eaten – simple as that. I fell in love with the stall, the simplicity, the old school hospitality of the place, and with Seb’s unbelievable passion for dough. I’ve always thought the best restaurant brands have street food roots.”

Swingers adds Boston site to international opening pipeline: Crazy golf brand Swingers has added a site in Boston to its international opening pipeline, which will become its fourth site in the US. Opening in autumn next year, the site at 777 Boylston Street in the Back Bay neighbourhood will open in partnership with Tavistock Restaurant Collection, long-time operators of Abe & Louie's and Atlantic Fish Co. Swingers will occupy 21,000 square foot of the second and third floors of the development, which will become “a hub for fun and fine dining” nestled between Tavistock's Boylston Street restaurants. The location will comprise a number of mini golf courses, bars, street food vendors and the third Swingers Carnival arcade. As previously reported, Swingers will open its first Middle East venue and first franchise site, in Dubai, later this year, at Bluewaters Island. Swingers will open its new US flagship location at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas strip in November. Set over 40,000 square foot and three floors of former nightclub space in one of MGM Resorts' properties, it will be the largest Swingers location to date. “We're excited to bring the Swingers experience to the global destinations of Dubai, Las Vegas and Boston, as we continue our international expansion,” said Matt Grech-Smith, co-founder and co-chief executive of Swingers. “The explosive growth of competitive socialising is reshaping the entertainment landscape, and we're proud to be at the forefront of this movement by offering an experience that blends immersive competition with DJs, craft cocktails and street food in global entertainment capitals.” In June 2022, the group opened its fourth global venue, in New York City. This site, added to the group’s two London venues and Swingers’ first Washington DC venue, which opened last March. In May 2023, Swingers’ parent company Competitive Socialising completed a Series-C $52m growth capital raise to fund its expansion through to 2026. A new report produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector was launched on 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 180 companies, 3,500 sites and a 35,000-word report. The report is available for £595 plus VAT although Premium Club members can receive the report 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.

Starbucks chair – new CEO sees this as ‘a speed bump in this company's history’, Howard Schultz calls appointment a ‘home run’: Mellody Hobson, chair of Starbucks, has said that incoming chief executive Brian Niccol sees the current challenges facing the business as “a speed bump in this company's history” and the brand has hired the “right leader for this moment”. Starbucks announced that Niccol, who has been Chipotle’s chief executive since March 2018, would replace Laxman Narasimhan next month. The change comes as the company's performance has struggled this year, impacted by weak sales in the US and China, its two largest markets, while it has come under pressure from activist shareholders and criticism from former chief executive Howard Schultz, who handpicked Narasimhan as his successor and remains its largest individual shareholder. Talking to CNBC, Hobson said: “Our board, a couple of months ago, started to engage in a conversation about the leadership of the company, and I made an overture through someone to Brian, and he took the call, and we thought we had the opportunity to engage with one of the biggest names in the industry. Someone whose track record is just clearly proven, not only through the spectacular results that he's had at Chipotle but also before that, at Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. He knows this industry, and we thought he would be the right leader for this moment. What we saw with Brian was someone who’s been there, done that, through all sorts of market environments, all sorts of cycles. And when I talked to him, I remember him saying: ‘I know what to do’. And he said: ‘This is a speed bump in this company's history – this is not something that I fear going into’, and that was something that, for our board, was extremely encouraging, because that's how we see it. We think this is a fundamentally sound company. The iconic Starbucks brand will continue to be great, and we’re happy to have Brian there help us restore that greatness.” Hobson said the company looked forward to engaging with all of its shareholders about this new development, and the recent results update was not the tipping point for the board to make the leadership change. Hobson said that Schultz was excited about the appointment. She said: “When I called him and told him what we were doing, and what I had been working on and what the board had been pursuing, he said: ‘Mellody that’s a home run’.” Starbucks shares surged 23% on the news of Niccol’s appointment, while Chipotle's shares fell more than 10%.

Young’s adds to Surrey portfolio with Farnham pub with rooms: Young’s will open a new pub with rooms this autumn in Farnham, Surrey. The Teller’s Arms will open in the former Lloyd’s Bank building, in the town’s Castle Street. The pub will open in October complete with nine boutique rooms and a rooftop terrace. Young’s already runs the Onslow Arms and The Weyside in Guildford and The Bear in Esher, among other pubs in Surrey. Last month, Young’s reported that its like-for-like sales were up 3.4% for the first 16 weeks of its new financial year with revenue up 26% in total as its “strong trading momentum continues”. The company said for the five weeks since its year-end preliminary results announcement on 19 June, revenue was up 33.8% in total and 10.6% on a like-for-like basis. 

The Big Table Group to open third Amalfi site: The Big Table Group – the Epiris-backed operator of Las Iguanas, Bella Italia, Frankie & Benny’s and Banana Tree – is to open a second site in central London under its Amalfi concept. Propel understands that Big Table Group will convert its existing Café Rouge site in St Paul’s to the premium Italian restaurant concept. The Alan Morgan-led business began a trial of Amalfi at the Center Parcs in Woburn Forest in summer 2021, after converting its Strada site in the Buckinghamshire resort. This was followed with an opening in March 2022 on its Bella Italia restaurant in Argyll Street, near Oxford Street in London. The company currently operates ten sites under the Café Rouge brand, including five with Center Parcs. Morgan said: “Right now on like-for-like sales, Cafe Rouge is performing well but we’ve only got five on the high street and then a handful in Center Parcs. I'm not going to do anything more in the future with the brand but I'm also not in a hurry to exit those that are doing very well. We will be converting Cafe Rouge St Paul’s to our more premium Amalfi format, probably nearer the end of the year or early 2025.” On Amalfi, he said: “It’s not going to be a big roll out but as we've always said, if there's a site that makes sense, we will look at it.”

Wendy’s opens Liverpool drive-thru site, lines up second Sheffield opening: Wendy’s, the third-largest quick service restaurant brand in the US, has added to its drive-thru estate in the UK, with an opening in Liverpool. The group’s newest company-owned site is located on a main route connecting Liverpool and Manchester, in Kirkby. The site features the brand’s new “global next generation design” with a high-capacity kitchen, and it opened with “huge crowds and record-breaking sales”. Michael Clarke, managing director of Wendy’s Europe, said: “We’re thrilled to expand into the great city of Liverpool and bring our offering to another big city in the north of England.” Wendy’s, which has opened circa 30 sites since its return to the UK in 2021, also operates drive-thru sites at Brampton Hut, Cambridgeshire, and in Colchester, Essex. At the same time, the brand, which recently opened its third site in the Hull area, will open a second site in Sheffield tomorrow (Thursday, 15 August). It will be located at the former Papa’s Fish and Chips venue at 3 Arena Court, near the Utilita Arena, in the city. Earlier this summer, Wendy’s said the UK serves as the foothold for growth across Europe. The company expects to see up to 50 restaurants in the market by year-end and said it was in a great position to continue growing the brand in the UK to 400 restaurants over time.

XP Factory hires Owain Loft as new finance director: XP Factory, which operates the Escape Hunt and Boom Battle Bar brands, has hired Owain Loft as its new finance director. Loft spent a year and a half as finance director at Clays, the Imbiba-backed, indoor interactive clay shooting experience concept. Prior to that he was at Mayfair Casino for just over four years, including two and a half years as its chief financial officer. Earlier this month, XP Factory said that its trading for the first quarter of the financial year to March 2025 was “in line with expectations, with volume-driven like-for-like growth across both of its brands”. The company said it will release its results for the 15 months ended 31 March 2024 on 2 September 2024, when it will give a comprehensive update on current trading and outlook. 

Caviar House & Prunier places UK airport business on market: Seafood brand Caviar House & Prunier has placed its UK airport business on the market, which includes sites at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Propel understands that SIA Group is marketing the opportunity, which comprises two premium seafood restaurants and one upscale licensed venue, each “situated in highly desirable airside positions, ensuring a steady flow of travellers and high visibility”. It is understood that all expressions of interest had to be registered by no later than midday on Tuesday (13 August), with all final offers to be submitted in writing by midday Friday (16 August). Caviar House also operates a site in London’s Piccadilly, which is not thought to be included in the sale, while the wider company has sites in France, Switzerland, China and Germany.

Carlsberg lifts full-year organic growth outlook despite weaker than expected second quarter: Danish brewer Carlsberg has lifted its full-year organic growth outlook despite posting weaker than expected sales for the second quarter. The company said it now expects full-year organic operating profit at between 4% and 6%, up from 1% to 5% previously. “As a result of continued solid execution and good cost control, we're increasing our earnings expectations for the year despite volumes in the second quarter being challenged by bad weather and weak consumer sentiment in some Asian markets,” chief executive Jacob Aarup-Andersen said. Carlsberg's sales for the April to June period came in at 21.64bn Danish crowns (£2.48bn) from 21.38bn Danish crowns (£2.45bn) a year earlier, which was below the 22.1bn Danish crowns (£2.53bn) forecast by analysts.

Former Hub Box ops director to launch new restaurant venture: Sameer Shetty, formerly of Hub Box and the Rick Stein Group, is set to launch a street food-inspired restaurant venture in Devon. Shetty, who spent six years as operations director at south west operator Hub Box, has teamed up with Christian Burnell to develop Crave Street Kitchen, which will open its first site on Exeter Quay later this year. The concept is born out of the pair’s delivery business. Shetty and Burnell also own Wingleaders, which has been serving fried chicken burgers at The StandOff sports pub in Exeter and through Deliveroo since the start of the year. In an Instagram on the new venture, the pair said: “Welcome to Crave Street Kitchen, Exeter’s newest culinary gem, where the vibrant flavours of global street food come alive! Started by Sameer and Christian, who bring years of hospitality experience to the table, Crave Street Kitchen is set to offer an unforgettable dining experience that celebrates the rich and diverse tastes from streets around the world. After the success of Wingleaders, which Exeter has warmly embraced and supported over the past six months, Sameer and Christian are excited to launch this new venture. At Crave Street Kitchen, we pride ourselves on using the finest local produce, ensuring that every dish is fresh, flavourful, and crafted with love and care. Each order is cooked fresh to perfection, reflecting our dedication to quality and our love for good food.”

Safestay adds Budapest property to openings pipeline: Hostel operator Safestay has acquired a leasehold city centre site in Budapest, Hungary. Following refurbishment, the acquisition will add approximately 150 beds to Safestay’s existing portfolio, which numbers more than 3,580 beds across 18 sites excluding the group's recently announced Brighton and Calpe Costa Blanca locations. The site comprises five storeys and a large courtyard and is located in the heart of Budapest. Safestay has signed a five-year lease for the property from Curzon Capital and under the terms of the agreement has the option to extend this over two additional five-year terms. The first eight months of the property's €150,000 annual rent will be waived while Safestay obtains the required licence to operate the property as a hostel and, subsequently, refurbish the property at an anticipated cost of €600,000. Should Safestay be unable to secure the correct licence, the agreement will be terminated. Once operational, the Budapest hostel is expected to contribute estimated revenue of approximately €350,000 and Ebitda after rent of €50,000 to the group during its first year of operation. This is expected to increase as the site matures. Larry Lipman, chairman of Safestay, said: “We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of a leasehold property in the heart of Budapest, a vibrant European tourist destination. This site has excellent potential and, following refurbishment, will be a fantastic addition to Safestay’s portfolio of premium, well-located hostels. This agreement builds on the group's exciting expansion over the past few months and reflects continued progress against our growth strategy.” Earlier this month, the business announced it is to exit “our only unprofitable site”. The company is surrendering the lease of its 52-room property in Vienna to the landlord.

Welsh hotel group reports turnover and profit boost despite ‘another challenging year’: Welsh hotel group Snowdonia Hospitality and Leisure has reported turnover increased to £8,006,847 for the year ending 31 January 2024 compared with £7,367,678 the year before. The group – which operates the Royal Oak Hotel, the Waterloo Hotel, Stables Lodge and Y Stablau in Betws y Coed – saw pre-tax profit rise to £884,086 from £472,470 the previous year. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The 2023-24 year was another challenging year. With the covid restrictions behind us, trading income levels returned to pre-covid levels. Recruiting suitable staff continues to be a challenge. However, the fact that the company is a living wage employer enables it to be well positioned to attract the best possible staff to its organisation. The company has continued to implement its plan of strengthening its supporting business assets through the renovation of off-site staff accommodation. This will improve the company's ability to attract the best possible staff and improve room availability within the hotels. The soaring fuel and energy costs during the pandemic were a challenge to the company's budget especially since some of the renewal dates fell when the prices were high. New contracts have now been signed that will bring these costs under control. In the interim, the company undertook an energy review of its assets and has undertaken works to improve energy consumption. As part of this process, the company has also installed a solar energy generating unit at the Waterloo site. It should also be noted that the company continues to look forward to the future with confidence and has been granted full planning permission for the development of the Waterloo site, which will see a new extension built next to the hotel, to build the company's resilience and provide future capacity to resource growth.” The company, which employs about 140 staff, received government grants of £1,050 (2023: £1,272). A dividend of £148,764 was paid (2023: £148,764).

  

Historic Star Pubs & Bars pub in Liverpool closes as company reviews its options for venue: A historic Liverpool pub owned by Heineken’s Star Pubs & Bars brand has closed as the company reviews its options for the venue. The Pig & Whistle, on the corner of Chapel Street and Covent Garden in the city centre’s business district, dates back to the early 18th century and became a pub in 1875, taking its name from crew bars on ships. A Star Pubs spokesperson told the Liverpool Echo: “The Pig & Whistle was leased to an independent business person to run as their own. They took the decision to close the pub. We are currently reviewing our options for reopening the pub. In the meantime, it will remain closed.”

 

South Wales coffee shop opens second site: South Wales coffee shop Bread & Bean has opened a second site. It has opened in the former unit of The Nook restaurant, which closed in April, at 4 St Johns Crescent in Newport. Bread & Bean was founded in 2018 when owner Jess Fletcher returned from travelling in New Zealand, opening its debut site at 36 Lion Street in Abergavenny. It offers an all-day brunch menu that changes seasonally, and everything is made to order and sourced from local suppliers. “Thrilled to announce our second location – Bean & Bread Rogerstone!” Fletcher posted to Facebook. “The moment I laid eyes on The Nook, I knew it was the perfect spot. Opening a site here feels like coming home after growing up in the Newport area and I’ve always wanted to give back to the community.”

Former St John Bread and Wine head chef closes west London restaurant: Chef Tom Pemberton has closed his west London restaurant Hereford Road after 17 years. The restaurant was opened by Pemberton, a former head chef of St John Bread and Wine, in Hereford Road in Westbourne Grove. Much like St John, the venue focused on British cooking with dishes such as roast guinea fowl with mushrooms and wild garlic, reports Hot Dinners. The Hereford Road website stated: “After 17 wonderful years, Hereford Road is now closed. Thank you to all our customers – you have been a true delight.”

Herefordshire cafe owners acquire first pub: Herefordshire cafe owners Charlie Baker and Rebecca Pickup have acquired their first pub. The couple, who run the Paddle Café in Kerne Bridge, have acquired the Riverside Inn in Ross-on-Wye and have thrown their life savings into renovating the derelict site. They acquired the pub, which has not been operational for more than a decade, at an online auction in May. Baker said it was a last-minute decision to enter the auction, having only managed to secure a viewing the previous evening. He said: “Once I had got into the building, I immediately saw the potential and fell in love with it. I could see past the damage caused by squatters. We were aware of the building’s troubled past, but we have ambitious plans to make this work both in the short term and long term. We’ve already received so many positive comments about saving this once much-loved pub.” Pickup said their immediate plan is to convert a wooden hut on the site into a café while the pub renovations are ongoing. The upper floor of the main building will also be converted into five en-suite rooms, with a view to opening next Easter.

 

London catering company owners open debut cafe: London catering company owners Toby Williams and Lianna Jewell have opened their debut cafe. The husband-and-wife team, who also run local catering company Sabel Food, have opened Abney Park Cafe in Abney Park, Stoke Newington High Street. The launch is part of a wider £5m restoration of the park, reports Hot Dinners. The cafe’s “ingredient-led, taste-focused menus” include sandwiches, pastries, cakes and buns, including rosemary brown butter cakes and goat’s curd, slow-roast fennel and tapenade sandwiches.