Individual Restaurants CEO – open to consolidation opportunities, current trading ‘a little bit behind my expectations’: Andrew Garton, chief executive of Individual Restaurants – which comprises 32 venues across its Restaurant Bar & Grill, Piccolino and Riva Blu brands – has told Propel the business is open to consolidation opportunities. Garton said the business, which is privately owned by Sir Malcolm Walker and Tarsem Dhaliwal, is “well financially structured for the future”. On whether it was in a position to look at a consolidation play, Garton said: “Absolutely. I mean, we're financially robust to grow this business over the long term and that allows us to make the right decisions. That can be growing organically through extending our existing estate – whether that’s through new spaces at existing sites or building new sites, but we are always on the lookout for acquisitions at the same time, should they be complementary and appropriate for the organisation. We're not in a world where we're committed to say that we've got to double the size and turnover of the business at any cost, because that's not what you have to do as a private business.” On speculation that the business is gearing up to launch a quick service restaurant (QSR) pizza concept in Manchester, Garton said: “We're in premium casual and 28 of our restaurants are Italian, so we have some expertise here. We want to make a foray into the QSR market the right way. We will at some point open a pizza business in Manchester and we are very excited about it. It's in its infancy and we will provide more details later as it unfolds.” In terms of current trading, Garton said the business was “a little bit behind my expectations”. He said: “The weather is quite a challenge. The football was quite a challenge for hospitality and so was the election but we're where we need to be. We have grown guest numbers in the last month again and we're very optimistic for the year ahead. Our outlook remains solid for the commitments that we've made but I'd be lying if I said that April and May were a slam dunk because they absolutely weren't. I think we were trading against some pretty decent weather this time last year and you know, for an organisation like ourselves that has some beautiful terraces across the country, summer is important for us.”

 

KFC UK & Ireland chief people officer Kathryn York to speak at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference, open for bookings with 20% discount on tickets for Premium Club members: Kathryn York, chief people officer at KFC UK & Ireland, 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. York will talk about the success of KFC’s “The Hatch” youth employment programme, which looks to help young people into their first job, and its “The Kentucky Club”, which hosts jobs-based pop-up events around the country for young people. 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.

Next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality to feature 85 updated entries and seven new companies, released on Friday: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will feature 85 updated entries and seven new companies when it is released to Premium Club members on Friday (23 August), at midday. The database now features 878 companies, and this month’s edition includes more than 237,000 words of content. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, will have their most recent results reported as well as broader information around Ebitda, plans and trading style available. The database merges Companies House information, interviews and other public information to provide an easy to reference and exhaustive guide to the sector. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. All Premium Clubs members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including 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.

Parents call for action on UK’s ‘allergy epidemic’: The parents of a girl who died after an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger baguette have called for an urgent meeting with health secretary Wes Streeting to tackle the UK’s “allergy epidemic”. The Times reported that Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, whose 15-year-old daughter Natasha suffered a fatal reaction to sesame seeds in 2016, said Streeting needed to take action to “dial back on this crisis” and prevent further unnecessary deaths. The couple spoke out after an inquest ruled Hannah Jacobs, a 13-year-old girl who suffered an allergic reaction to the milk in a Costa Coffee hot chocolate, died because of a “failure of communication” at the coffee brand. In a direct plea to Streeting during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Nadim said they also had written to him calling for a meeting. He said: “This cannot continue to go on. We know if you start to follow through on some of the things we suggest you can make vast improvements and dial back on this crisis.” The couple, who founded the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, called on the government to appoint an allergy czar to bring together health, education and business to tackle the allergy problem, which they described as an “epidemic”. Tanya said that allergen training at businesses was “too basic” as she described the fear caused by the potential risks of eating even the smallest amounts of the wrong food. She added: “Every day can be fraught with anxiety… it is very, very frightening for families and for individuals too.” Michelle Victor, a solicitor who was part of the legal team at the inquest into the death of Jacobs, called on the government to ensure there was a “joined-up approach”. She told BBC Radio 4: “There needs to be a dedicated approach to allergens. We need to sit down and focus minds on this issue.”

Queen Street in Cardiff rated ‘most appealing’ high street in the UK: New research from American Express has unveiled the high streets in the UK offering a compelling mix of shopping and leisure experiences most desired by Brits. The study, carried out with GlobalData, surveyed 2,000 consumers across Britain to pinpoint what they believe makes for a great high street, which was then combined with in-depth analysis to identify the locations with the winning formula. Factors such as an attractive mix of retailers topped shoppers’ wish list (67%), with good parking a close second (62%). Shoppers also prize independent pubs and restaurants, with more than half (52%) saying these make a high street “great”. The magnetism of locations with ample entertainment and leisure options such as cinemas and theatres, was highlighted by more than a third (36%). Proximity to a train station and green spaces were deemed as less important by shoppers. Encouragingly, the research also revealed that almost three quarters (73%) of shoppers believe their local high street will remain important to their everyday lives in ten years’ time. Combined with its location close to historical landmarks and indoor shopping centres, Cardiff’s Queen Street is notable for its variety of retailers and scored most highly (compared with other locations) for accessibility and transport links. The central shopping streets (Northgate, Southgate, Eastgate and Westgate) of Gloucester ranked in second place, singled out for a “thriving independent restaurant scene”, and taking the top spot for leisure options. In third place was Eastgate Street in Chester, which scored highly for its range of independent retailers and overall aesthetic appeal – all assessed as part of the analysis. The rest of the top ten was High Street, Winchester; High Street, Exeter; Princes Street, Edinburgh; High Street, Worcester; Church Street, Liverpool; Buchanan Street, Glasgow; and Market Street, Manchester. 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a well-established international food and beverage brand that is in the process of ambitious expansion in the UK market and is looking to bring in a new product development manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The position will be responsible for shaping the future of the brand by developing innovative and commercially successful food and beverage menu items, by managing the end-to-end product development process, from concept to launch, ensuring that the offerings align with market trends and customer preferences.” This is a field-based role covering the London area. The salary is £60,000 plus benefits package. For more information, email Mikey Crump at mikey@corecruitment.com. 

 

Parogon Group – our Willow concept is generating average weekly sales of £60,000: Parogon Group, the award-winning premium gastropub operator led by Richard Colclough, has said its Mediterranean all-day dining concept, Willow, is generating average weekly sales of £60,000 as it prepares to open its second site under the format. The venue will open in Telford, Shropshire, in September. Parogon has secured the lease of the former The Flying Elephant Thai restaurant premises at Telford Southwater. The Willow concept was launched at the Trentham shopping village in Staffordshire three years ago. For the year ending 30 June 2024, sales at Willow broke £3m – an average of £60,000 a week. Site Ebitda broke £0.5m, an increase of £270,000 on FY23, while the net promoter score pushed to 81 and TripAdvisor scores of four stars were maintained. Propel understands over the last six weeks, covers have grown 8.5% and sales are up 13.8% on the previous year. Colclough said: “We’re excited to be launching our second Willow location this autumn. The concept has really thrived at Trentham and we can’t wait to introduce the Telford community to our unique dining experience.” In June, Colclough told Propel that “Willow has true scalable potential, helping to unlock faster growth for Parogon over the coming years with a variety of units suitable for conversion”. He said: “We have been busy refining the Willow concept over the past year to allow a roll out that will complement our core freehold estate.” Alongside the Willow opening, Parogon said it has plans to develop further sites across its 11-strong portfolio. Colclough added: “Expanding our group portfolio is one of our key goals over the next few years and rolling out Willow’s all-day dining experience across the UK is one of our main priorities. Telford is just the start.”

 

Burger King UK CEO – performance from ex-Karali sites powering the company, looking at ‘tuck in’ franchise opportunities: Alasdair Murdoch, chief executive of Burger King UK, has told Propel that the performance of the sites the business acquired from franchisee Karali Group are “driving the whole of the company”. In October 2022, Burger King UK acquired 74 Burger King restaurants from its second largest franchise partner, Karali Group. At the time, the deal increased the company’s directly owned portfolio to 266 restaurants, half of its then 533-strong UK store estate. It currently has 561 restaurants, 285 of which are directly owned. Murdoch said: “So 20 months ago, we bought the Karali Group – 74 stores, which is quite a lot to swallow, but a lot of the performance from those restaurants is driving the whole of the company. We’ve really got them motoring now.” Murdoch said that the group’s strategy of acquiring multi-site franchisees was “largely complete”. He told Propel: “As we have bought most of the bigger franchisees in, we do see some more what we call ‘tuck in’ opportunities. So, a good example would be, we just bought a drive-thru the other day, in Broadstairs, Kent. We will remodel that between now and the end of the year, giving it a fresh lease of life. That’s been trading well before we bought it and we think we'll get a big kick out of that after the remodel. So, we see ourselves tucking a few in here and there.”

 

Motley Fool columnist – I am not worried by founder Sir Tim Martin selling £10m of shares: Columnist for investment platform Motley Fool, John Fieldsend, has voiced his commitment to owning JD Wetherspoon stock – despite founder Sir Tim Martin selling shares worth £10m. He wrote: “Wetherspoons’ ‘founder-led’ status is one of the reasons I am a shareholder. With someone at the top with ‘skin in the game’, I expect better long-term strategy and a lower chance of short-term profit squeezing. The data backs this up too. A study by Purdue University discovered founder-led companies on the S&P 500 outperformed the rest of the index by 3.1 times over 15 years. It’s true that Sir Tim hasn’t worked many wonders recently. Wetherspoon has struggled with pandemic lockdowns and the bite of cost-of-living pressures. Margins have been squeezed, leases have been surrendered, and the shares are down 55% from a pre-pandemic high. The issue of supply chain costs is not one that’s gone away and will pose a key risk to the firm however long Sir Tim sticks around. In spite of the gloomy macroeconomic situation, the latest news from the firm is positive. Like-for-like sales were up 5.8% in the ten weeks to 7 July. Sales per pub were more than a fifth higher than pre-pandemic levels. In Sir Tim’s words: ‘It hasn’t been a fast recovery, but sales are back at record levels. Costs are quite high, but the overall situation has improved immeasurably from a few years ago.’ Importantly, as far as I’m concerned, the increase in sales was some distance better than the benchmark for the sector. While the news of Sir Tim’s sale did cause a brief moment of alarm for me, I won’t be making any changes. It’s a small sell-off, really, and the investment case remains unchanged. The company owns very popular pubs that sell very cheap beer. I’m happy to hold.”

F1 Arcade adds Philadelphia to US opening pipeline: Kindred Concepts, the parent company of F1 Arcade, the Formula 1-licensed experiential brand, has added a site in Philadelphia to its US opening pipeline. Set to open in 2025, F1 Arcade will open what will become its fourth US site, at 1330 Chestnut Street in Center City. Spanning more than 19,200 square feet, the Philadelphia venue will feature the brand's signature full-motion simulators, and its globally-inspired food and drink menu. The company said the Philadelphia opening will mark the next phase of its US roll-out plan following the opening of its first location in the States, in Boston, in April. US president of F1 Arcade, Jon Gardner, said: “Philadelphia, with its rich culture and history, felt like the perfect next step for our US expansion. We’re thrilled to be joining the vibrant community of shops and restaurants in this amazing city.” There are plans to open an F1 arcade in Washington DC this October, Las Vegas in 2025, and 30 other locations globally over the next five years. Last month, Propel revealed that F1 Arcade had completed a $130m (£101.2m) growth financing raise to aid its further expansion. The transaction was backed by Cheyne Capital, Liberty Media Corporation, Permira Credit and OakNorth. Backed by Formula 1 and Liberty Media, F1 Arcade opened its first venue in London in 2022, followed by Birmingham last November. The company plans to launch multiple owned and operated sites in 2025, with a plan to launch five more in the US each year thereafter. The first franchise sites are also in development. 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.

Subway calls ‘emergency’ meeting with franchisees as sales plummet: Subway has called a hasty meeting with franchisees of its 19,000 North American sites as they grapple with faltering sales and profits. The New York Post reported that Subway, which sold itself in April for $9bn to Roark Capital, owner of Dunkin, Arby’s and Baskin Robbins, told franchisees it will reveal plans to improve traffic and win back market share at the meeting. “This conference is essential,” Subway said in the invite. “Join us…to discuss the state of the industry and an update on our business.” The confab, which one franchisee called an “emergency” meeting, noting that the invite was only mailed out last week, will include a recap of promotional offers that are being tested in restaurants. “There is no emergency virtual conference,” a Subway spokesperson said, disputing the “emergency” characterisation of the meeting. “We consistently and proactively communicate with our franchisees to share business updates and plans.” Discounting has become a contentious topic of late. A Subway franchisee with nearly 20 stores told The New York Post his like-for-like sales are down 5% to 10% in recent weeks compared with the prior year. He blames the brand’s recent price promotions as customer traffic has dropped. Subway does not give its franchisees national sales information, but an eastern US region with about 1,000 Subways saw average weekly like-for-like sales slip by 8.7% between 25 June and 16 July compared with a year earlier, according to data shared with The New York Post.

Bid buzz around bingo halls: Buzz Bingo, the 80-site operator that previously traded under the Gala brand, is working with investment bankers from Nomura amid speculation of a formal auction next month. The Sunday Times reported that sources close to shareholder ICG, the FTSE 100 investment company, insisted there were no plans to sell Buzz Bingo, with Nomura assisting with the operator’s five-year plan. Nevertheless, talks between Buzz Bingo and unsolicited bidders are understood to have taken place this year. Although access to a data room was given to at least one suitor, the bid was deemed derisory by the board and ICG, City sources said. Gala Bingo was sold by Ladbrokes to investment trust Caledonia for £241m. Crucially, however, Ladbrokes retained the rights to the Gala name. Caledonia was forced to hand over the business for a nominal amount in 2021 to ICG, which at the time was its largest lender. ICG is still owed £215m by Buzz Bingo, according to recently filed accounts. It also owes Barclays £19.5m, of which £8m are state-backed loans under the government’s covid initiative. The Barclays loan must be repaid in September 2025. Buzz Bingo and ICG declined to comment.

Service station group’s unwelcome dividends: Welcome Break has admitted to “unlawfully” doling out millions of pounds in dividends from its operating company. The Sunday Times reported that Britain’s second biggest motorway services operator discovered in May that it had paid £6.4m of excess dividends in error. “As a result of an error when reviewing interim reserves available for distribution, the company recognised it had paid unlawful dividends in December,” Welcome Break said. A spokeswoman for the company said that the erroneous dividend payment had not triggered a breach of loans totalling £369m. She added: “We disclosed this in our statutory financial statements to ensure full transparency. It was disclosed to our lenders and did not breach the terms of any loan agreements.” Welcome Break was founded by Ross Foods, part of the Imperial Tobacco Group, in 1959. The company opened its first site in Newport Pagnell a year later. The business has changed hands a few times since — most recently to Irish forecourt operator Applegreen, which acquired a 55% stake in Welcome Break for £320m in 2018. Applegreen was then acquired by private equity firm Blackstone. Welcome Break welcomes 85 million customers a year, more than pass through the terminals at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport. The unusual distribution of profit risks overshadowing a bumper year for the motorway services operator. It generated £44m of pre-tax profit — up 75% on the prior year — on £295m of turnover in the year to December 2023. 

Davenports expands Birmingham presence after acquiring M&B pub: West Midlands brewer and retailer Davenports has expanded its presence in Birmingham after acquiring a pub from Mitchells & Butlers (M&B). Davenports has bought The Crown in Kings Heath, which operated under M&B’s Stonehouse brand. The Alchester Road pub will close on Tuesday, 27 August for a refurbishment. It will reopen under Davenports’ My Local format and revert to its historical name – the Kings Arms. Katie McPhilimey, associate marketing director of Davenports, told the Express & Star: “The My Local pubs within our portfolio offer all the familiar comforts one would expect from their local – great value food, a super drinks line-up, all the sport that people love on the TV screens and free live entertainment at the weekends. Our My Local pubs make the customers spend a rewarding experience.” Managing director Baron Davenport added: “We are excited by this new pub and its great location. The company continues to grow year-on-year by ensuring it delivers what the customer wants and needs be that in our My Local portfolio, Pub & Kitchens, Sports Bars or Boutique Collection.” Davenports was established in Birmingham in 1829 and operates a portfolio of pubs across the West Midlands including The Queens Head in Birmingham city centre.

 

Chinese concept The Good Fortune Club secures third site: The Good Fortune Club, the Chinese restaurant concept from the team behind Tao Tao Ju in London’s Chinatown, has secured its third site in the capital, Propel has learned. The Good Fortune Club, which is led by Johnny Shik, has acquired the ex-Carmona Tapas in Wimbledon High Street, for an opening later this year. The company opened its latest site at the start of the year in the former Two Buns Burger restaurant in Ealing. The 1,160 square-foot ground floor premises sits opposite Ealing Town Hall and adjacent to the new Filmworks development. It also operates a site in Whetstone. The company is working with Marc Rogers, of MKR Property, on its expansion plans and is actively seeking further restaurant opportunities across the capital.

 

Team behind Society food hall concept confirms plans for Birmingham site: PopCity, the venture from commercial property expert Nick Gregory and restaurateur Richard Sweet, has confirmed it is to open a site in Birmingham under its food hall concept Society. The first Society, which is circa 8,000 square feet and has capacity for 350 people, opened in Manchester in 2021 after a £1m investment. It opened on the former Pitcher & Piano unit in the city’s Barbirolli Square and featured local traders, including Dokes Pizzeria; Asian concept Manzoku Street Food; burger concept Slap & Pickle; and the Falafel Guys. Propel revealed in June that Gregory and Sweet, who were also behind the former Assembly Underground site in Leeds, had applied to open a second Society site, in Birmingham’s One Colmore Square. The site will feature local food vendors, bars, a coffee shop and DJ space, and will be spread across a 9,000 square foot unit, with capacity for 350 guests. It is scheduled to open next February. The food court will be home to five independent kitchens, while there will also be a Society-run bar, which will serve one of the largest selection of beer in the city with 36 craft lines. Gregory said: “Being the second biggest city in the UK, and a hub of culture and entertainment, it is a fantastic location with huge potential to bring something fresh, laid back and sociable. Society is about creating a community of independent food traders, breweries and locals, all set in a beautifully designed space with curated playlists and a premium sound system. It’s a place where people can come together in an atmosphere that naturally evolves throughout the day.” Sweet added: “We will aim to bring five quality, independent food traders to the site to give our customers the best possible choice. We would definitely like some local heroes in the line-up as Birmingham has such a thriving street food scene with some superb food on offer. The food guys will each get a permanent kitchen, which we think is a great opportunity for local, independent businesses in a prime city-centre site.”

Juniper secures ex-Tomahawk site for fourth restaurant: North west restaurant concept Juniper has secured its fourth site in the region, for an opening later this year. The concept, which offers an all-day artisan, internationally inspired menu alongside a diverse list of drinks, currently operates sites in Bramhall, Hale and Wilmslow. Its fourth site will be based in the former site of Tomahawk in London Road, Stockton Heath, which shut down earlier this year. Juniper, which is led by Damian Keeling, brands itself as “a collection of artisan brasseries serving an internationally inspired menu of fine food and beverages, together with attentive customer service to create a high-quality dining experience”.

Beefy Boys hires ex-Tiny Rebel MD as new head of operations: Herefordshire better burger business Beefy Boys has hired Paul Alexander, former managing director of Tiny Rebel and ex-operations director at Loungers, as its new head of operations, Propel has learned. Alexander spent 17 months as managing director of South Wales brewer Tiny Rebel. He left Loungers after more than 11 years with the listed-owner of the Lounge and Cosy Club brands in April 2021. Alexander spent the past four years as operations director of Cosy Club. Beefy Boys made its debut in London last week as part of a series of three pop-up events across the capital. The business – which was founded in 2011 and has sites in Hereford, Shrewsbury and Cheltenham – operated a food truck at Truman Brewery, which was followed with the hosting of a supper club at the Fortnum & Mason’s in Piccadilly and then the food truck was parked outside The Royal Exchange. The business is also celebrating the launch of its first book – “The Beefy Boys: From Backyard BBQ to World-Class Burgers”.

 

Travelodge to open two new hotels on east coast of England as it aims for 300 more sites across UK: Travelodge, which operates more than 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, has exchanged contracts for two new hotels on the east coast of England. The hotels in Skegness in Lincolnshire and Harwich in Essex form part of plans to add 300 more sites across the UK. The new 80-bedroom hotel in Skegness is being built on a former crazy golf site in South Parade. The hotel, which is expected to open next summer, will feature the company’s in-house restaurant 85 Bar Cafe, which will be located on the top floor of the six-storey building, giving views over the sea. The hotel will be built alongside a Starbucks drive-thru. A new 68-bedroom Travelodge hotel is also being developed in Harwich, located on a six-acre Stanton Europark site alongside Starbucks, KFC and Burger King, and will open next summer. Travelodge is continuing to expand its hotel portfolio in the UK, and has opened five hotels this year (London Oval, Bristol, Colchester, Rotherham and London Bermondsey), with a sixth site hotel (London Beckenham) to open later this year. Travelodge has a further requirement to open 300 more hotels across the UK, including further locations in Essex and Lincolnshire. Tony O’Brien, UK development director, Travelodge, said: “We are delighted to continue the expansion of our network of hotels throughout the UK and these new hotels will be fantastic additions to our portfolio. Both hotels are located in prime locations of Skegness and Harwich.” Carter Jonas acted on Travelodge’s behalf as its retained development manager for these projects.

 

Cafe concept Abuelo begins to roll out across the capital: Abuelo, the London cafe concept from mother and daughter team Lynette and Cloe de la Vega, has opened its second site in the capital, with plans to open two more. Originally launched in Southampton Street, Covent Garden, in 2018, the Australian-meets-South-American café concept has now opened a site in Cavendish Place, Marylebone. Propel understands that Abuelo has further openings lined up in Mayfair and Soho. Lynette de la Vega founded restaurant group Zigolini's in Australia in the 1980s. laying claim to having invented the Babyccino, in the process.

 

West Midlands bakery concept opens fourth site under cafe format: West Midlands bakery concept, Baked In Brick, has opened a fourth site for its cafe format Bakehouse, in Digbeth. Bakehouse’s menu features a variety of sandwiches made with homemade sourdough, daily rotating salads, overnight oats, and an assortment of freshly baked pastries, cakes, and other treats. The café also serves variety of beverages, from fresh juice to soft and hot drinks. On Friday and Saturday evenings, Bakehouse transforms into a venue for pop-up events, including wine and cheese nights. Baked in Brick began when founder Lee Desanges started baking in a converted mini, winning best street food trader in 2016 at the British Street Food Awards. The first permanent Baked In Brick venue opened in Digbeth in 2019. DeSanges said: “Opening The Bakehouse just a stone’s throw away from our Digbeth restaurant is a full circle moment for us after having branched out into different areas in Birmingham. We’re looking forward to broadening our Digbeth footprint and once again joining the other amazing venues in the neighbourhood.” Baked in Brick also has Bakehouse sites in Sutton Coldfield, Wylde Green and Broad Street in Birmingham while it is also due to open one in the city’s Jewellery Quarter.

 

Greek street food business Mr Souvaki to open Coventry concession: Greek street food business Mr Souvlaki is to further expand its portfolio with a new concession in Coventry. Mr Souvaki is opening inside the new Neighbourhood Social in Moseley Avenue in October, reports Coventry Live. Andreas Alexeas founded Mr Souvlaki in the 1940s, bringing Greek tastes and traditions to New York City. His legacy has been continued by his grandson Ilias who branched out to the UK, offering “authentic food with an artisanal twist”. At Neighbourhood Social, he will be serving a variety of dishes, including gyros and Greek salads. Mr Souvaki operates sites in Banbury, Cheltenham and Leamington along with Bermondsey in London.

 

FB Holdings to convert tapas-inspired restaurant at Solihull shopping centre to Indian street food kitchen concept: FB Holdings, which is behind the Dirty Wild Wings virtual restaurant brand and the four-strong Jaqks chicken concept, is to convert its tapas-inspired Alioli site at the Touchwood shopping centre in Solihull to its Indian street food kitchen concept Indico. The company launched Alioli on the ground floor of Touchwood in June 2022. But the restaurant closed earlier this month and has been boarded up ahead of the relaunch in November as Indico. The concept has sites at the Mailbox in Birmingham and Shirley. The menu includes traditional north Indian small plates, curry and thali, tandoori dishes, paratha and Indian sweets, plus a selection of cocktails, wine, spirits and beer. Ranjit Singh, operations manager at FB Holdings, told Birmingham Live: “We continuously monitor our dining options at Touchwood to ensure they are meeting the wants and needs of visitors as well as the market demand. After a thorough review, the decision was made to close Alioli. However, we are excited Indico will be coming to Touchwood in November.” FB Holdings also owns Jamaican restaurant Jamaya, which can be found upstairs in Touchwood as well as concepts including Karaage at Resorts World, The Mayan in The Mailbox, Baloci in Edgbaston and Qavali in Brindleyplace in Birmingham. The company is also set to open a new Japanese fine dining restaurant, Satori, at the site of the old Michelin-starred Carters of Moseley.