Farmer J founder – the vision is to hit a minimum of 50 sites in the UK: Jonathan Recanati, founder of all-day market concept Farmer J, has said the vision for the business is to hit a “minimum of 50 sites in the UK”, and that it has “only scratched the surface to continue to build a global brand”. At the end of last month, the business opened its 11th site in London, at 10 Hammersmith Grove. The company plans a further four openings this year, as it looks to accelerate expansion in the capital. It also hopes to take its first steps internationally next year, with a focus on the east coast of America, targeting locations in New York and Boston. The sites in the US will be company owned. Last month, Propel revealed that Farmer J is set to further strengthen its presence in London. The business, which earlier this year raised an extra £5.5m to further expand in the capital and aid an international launch, is planning an opening on the ex-HSBC site at 1 Woburn Place, and on the former Royal Bank of Scotland site at 127-128 High Holborn. The latest funding round was led by Beringea, the venture capital firm that also backs non-alcoholic beer brand Lucky Saint. Speaking on a video with Beringea, Recanati said Farmer J is on track to deliver between £28m to £30m of revenue in its current financial year, “a significant increase on last year, which was roughly £18m”. He said: “The vision for Farmer J is to hit a minimum of 50 sites in the UK. We also are planning to launch Farmer J in a new market. We think the brand could do great in the US. The goal is to have proof of concept by the end of next year. We think that Beringea can bring value through its wide network, especially in the US. It’s already been great to be introduced to many people in the sector that can add value. I’m really hungry for the future. I think that we’ve only scratched the surface to continue to build a global brand.”

 

Sponsored message – The Tronc Advisor offers free tronc review ahead of new legislation: With just over 40 days to go until The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act comes into force on 1 October, The Tronc Advisor is offering operators a complimentary tronc review to ensure businesses are fully compliant. This limited-time opportunity is designed to help businesses navigate the intricate world of tronc tax laws and regulations, “providing peace of mind and safeguarding against potential financial pitfalls”. The upcoming changes in tipping legislation “necessitate a thorough examination of existing tronc policies to avoid potential exposure to new penalties”. The Tronc Advisor, led by Andy Hamman – an expert with extensive knowledge of HM Revenue & Customs and Department for Business and Trade policies – specialises in providing businesses with advice on establishing efficient and compliant tronc arrangements. “Our goal is to ensure that every operator understands their legal obligations and minimises their tax liability,” said Hamman. “With the new legislation just around the corner, there’s no better time to take advantage of this rare opportunity for a free review. What do you have to lose?” Business owners are encouraged to act swiftly to secure their free tronc review. For more information or to register for your free tronc review, click here. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

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

 

UK households replenish savings as disposable income grows: UK households are prioritising saving over spending as disposable income levels reach the highs seen prior to the cost-of-living crisis. Figures from Asda’s Income Tracker show that despite a 14% increase in disposable income for the average household during the second quarter compared with a year earlier, consumption was down by 0.3% during the same timeframe. This suggests households are using spare cash to top up the savings depleted during the cost-of-living crisis. The uptick in savings comes as disposable income grew to £245 per week in July, the highest figure since March 2021. While all age groups are expected to witness further improvements in spending power as result of income growth continuing to outpace inflation, some groups are more insulated from volatility than others. The tracker found households with people aged above 65 recorded the strongest disposable growth in July and their disposable income now sits above the UK average. Unlike working age households, older households are less likely to be exposed to the impact the volatile job market has on disposable income, and benefit from their state pensions being locked. 

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a drinks business that is seeking a London-based regional sales director. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The company has a diverse portfolio of brands across the on and off-trade and is continuing to expand, so it is on the search for a senior sales leader. The regional director will be responsible for overseeing and driving the performance of the business operations across the south of the UK. This role requires a strategic leader with a proven track record in the drinks industry or a related field. They will manage a large team, ensuring that all regional goals are met, while also contributing to the national strategy.” For more information and to apply, email Mark Girdlestone at mark@corecruitment.com.

 

Pizza Pilgrims lines up debut Scotland site: Pizza Pilgrims, the pizzeria brand, has lined up its first site in Scotland, in Edinburgh. Propel understands that the 25-strong, Imbiba-backed business, which opened its first site in Wales, in Cardiff, last week, has lined up an opening at 7-15 Rose Street in the Scottish capital. Last week, the company opened in the former RBS premises at 1-4 High Street, Cardiff. In May, Pizza Pilgrims reported record results and laid out plans to expand into Scotland as well as Wales. In the year to 25 June 2023, revenue increased 37% to £28.7m (2022: £21.0m) and pre-tax profit more than doubled to £0.7m (2022: £0.3m). Ebitda before exceptional items was £2.4m (2022: £1.1m). Pizza Pilgrims said it typically opens six new sites each year. A new restaurant is scheduled to open in London’s King’s Cross in November, with the Edinburgh site set to launch by December.

 

London Papa John’s franchisee doubles estate with acquisition of nine stores: London Papa John’s franchisee Chatha Franchises has doubled its estate with the acquisition of nine stores. The group opened its first store 22 years ago and grew initially to seven sites across London, and then nine altogether before its latest acquisitions. “I’m proud to announce we’ve acquired nine new Papa John's locations, expanding our group from nine to 18 stores,” said managing director Preet Chatha, who took full control of the business four years ago, having previously been a multi-unit manager responsible for five Papa John’s stores. “Growing up around my dad’s pizza business, I’ve always admired his dedication and vision. It’s an honour to now lead and expand our family legacy in the pizza industry. A big thank you to Papa John’s International for its support.”

 

Blind Tiger Inns ‘well positioned’ to add six further pubs to estate after opening 20th site: North west multiple operator Blind Tiger Inns has said it is “well positioned” to add another six pubs to its estate after opening its 20th site. The company has opened The Grey Man in Daisy Hill, Greater Manchester, following a joint £150,000 refurbishment with Heineken-owned Star Pubs. The leasehold is Blind Tiger Inn’s 19th pub with Star Pubs, and the investment has seen the inside of the property opened up, the bar enlarged and a new stage installed. Outside, funds have been spent creating seating for more than 100 and includes children’s play equipment. The Blind Tiger Inns estate consists of community wet-led locals and town/city centre sites within an hour and a half of the company’s head office in Chorley. Managing director Chris Tulloch said: “We have funding and, having just expanded our head office team, are well positioned to add a further six pubs to our existing estate. We have typically grown by two pubs a year since we began in 2017. However, we’re not driven by reaching a target number of pubs. Our focus is on maintaining our core business, finding the right venues and a running a fun, sustainable business. We have enjoyed a strong few years since the pandemic. The market is clearly tough, not least with the utilities and labour costs seeming to be a constantly increasing factor. However, overall, the market is robust if you invest in your pubs and your people and strive to create great experiences for your customers. The past few years have seen many traditional pub companies fall in love with the model we have successfully operated for years, opting for percentage based/operator agreements. As a result, the leased and tenanted options are reduced. However, this pushes us to explore different opportunities, which is a lot of fun.”

 

Sixes plans to make south west debut with Bristol opening: Sixes, the cricket-based competitive socialising brand, is planning to make its debut in the south west with an opening in Bristol. Propel understands that Sixes is in talks to open a site on the first floor of the Bordeaux Quay building on the city’s quayside. It is thought the new venue will be operated by a new franchise, understood to be the Devine family, owners of Southwest Adventure Golf, which operates Pirates Bay Adventure Golf in Paignton, Devon. Sixes opened its first UK franchise site in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter at the end of 2022. Last month, Propel revealed that the cricket-based competitive socialising brand had entered into a partnership with TeamSport, Britain’s biggest indoor go-karting operator, which will see Sixes’ offer integrated into TeamSport’s sites. The first site under the new partnership has launched in the TeamSport site in London’s Docklands, with another following in Watford and further locations “to be announced soon”. TeamSport trades from 35 sites in the UK, three in Germany and two in the Netherlands. At the same time, Sixes opened its first site in the Caribbean, in Trinidad and Tobago. The company, which last June secured investment from 4CAST Investment Group – that includes England international cricketers Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer – opened a site in One Woodbrook Place, Port of Spain, for its second overseas site. Andy Waugh, co-founder of Sixes Social Cricket, will be among the speakers at the Propel Multi-Club Conference and summer party on Thursday, 5 September, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry. For the full speaker schedule, click here. There are up to three free places per company for operators but Premium subscribers can have up to four places. To book, email jo.charity@propelinfo.com. A room can also be booked for the evening. For more details, email jo.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

The Hoxton operator fully repays almost £100m of bank debts, makes £4.1m profit on disposal of two London hotels: Norlake Hospitality – which operates a portfolio of hotels under The Hoxton brand across the UK, US and Europe – has fully repaid almost £100m of bank debts and made £4.1m profit on the disposal of two London hotels. In its accounts for the year to 31 March 2024, the group said it fully repaid its external banking facility on 10 June 2024. The group’s debt facilities, which had been partly repaid during the year, amounted to £99.2m at the year-end. The company also made a £4.1m profit on disposal of its Hoxton hotels in London’s Holborn and Shoreditch. These were sold to Archer Hotel Capital in January 2024 in a deal valued at circa £215m. During the year, the group had nine hotels trading under The Hoxton brand name, while a Hoxton in Berlin and Estelle Manor, a new Oxfordshire country house and hotel, began trading. Its portfolio consists of 1,660 rooms, 27 food and beverage outlets and 44 meeting rooms. “Most of the hotels performed comparably well against their competitor sets for the year,” said director Pravin Surana. “Given the continued success, the same strategy will be followed in the coming year, with ongoing focus on developing new ideas and concepts to remain competitive. Trade across the group hotels has started positively during financial year 2024-25, with performance exceeding in comparison of prior year. This positions the group well towards achieving its financial year 2024-25 performance targets.” During the year, the company also divested its 20.05% stake in KNSA Hotels France SAS, resulting in a loss of £537,000. It comes as the business reported a pre-tax loss of £64,817,000 for the year as costs rose by more than £20m, administration expenses were up by more than £10m, and there was a £10,460,000 loss of impairment of fixed assets. This compares with a pre-tax profit of £89,072,000 in 2022, a year in which it made a £96m profit on disposal of investments. The previous year, it had made a £10,073,000 loss. Turnover rose slightly from £184,458,000 in 2022 to £184,739,000. This includes £85,081,000 from the UK (2022: £67,197,000), £20,204,000 from Europe (2022: £39,117,000) and £79,454,000 from the US (2022: £78,144,000). No government grants were received (2022: £1,972,501) and no dividends were paid (2022: nil). Norlake Hospitality is owned by Bhatia Enterprises and Ennismore founder Sharan Pasricha.

 

Hawksmoor co-founder – we’ve tried to avoid the stripping-away of the human touch: Will Beckett, co-founder of Hawksmoor, has said that one of the steakhouse brand’s successes is it has worked hard to maintain human relationships where other restaurants have failed to. He wrote on Linkedin: “Recently, Pete Wells and Marina O’Loughlin, two renowned critics on either side of the Channel, have both written about retiring from the gig, about how the hospitality industry has changed, and about their own feelings towards restaurants. They both focus on one idea above all others in what makes a restaurant great (and what has been lost in many places) – the human touch. We all know restaurants have had to adapt. They’ve had to become quicker, encourage more social media, be more convenient. Customers expect it, and it’s what world-class service looks like now. We’ve obviously worked hard on these things too, but what the former critics bemoan is the loss of hospitality. Listen to Wells. ‘I thought of restaurants as one of the few places left where our experiences were completely human, [but there have been] a series of changes that have gradually and steadily stripped the human touch and the human voice out of restaurants’. No one answers the phone any more, hospitality is by-rote, everyone gets the same experience. This year, alongside trying to get faster and more convenient, everyone at Hawksmoor has worked so hard on human touch and hospitality. We’ve invested in a reservations team to make sure every call is answered, done a huge amount of training on hospitality, introduced a project called Journey to Regular, and tried to avoid the stripping-away of the human touch. One of the tragedies of restaurants is that as they grow, or over time, it can be difficult to constantly rekindle the fire of human relationships as staff and guests come and go. One of the successes of Hawksmoor I’m most proud of is that we’ve worked so hard to buck that trend.”

 

Wingers opens in Derby: Buttermilk fried chicken restaurant concept Wingers has opened in Derby for its 12th site. Amaneek Choongh, Wingers’ youngest solo franchisee at 25 years old, has opened the store at the city’s Parks Farm shopping centre. No stranger to the quick service restaurant business, Choongh worked in her dad’s Subway franchise for ten years before getting a job in procurement. “Procurement was interesting, but I honestly missed the customer facing side of a busy food outlet in my day-to-day role,” she said. “I’d also seen the benefits of being self-employed and running a restaurant, and how much fun it could be. So, when the franchise opportunity came up with Wingers, I was able to secure a business loan, and I jumped at the chance to invest in the future and support the local community by creating jobs.” Choongh is also the sister of Wingers, Subway, Thai Express and Project D multi-unit franchisee TJ Choongh. She underwent comprehensive training, plus a six month stint working at Wingers in Hednesford, before opening her own store. The business, set up during the pandemic by brothers Amran and Dylan Sunner and their dad Bill, is aiming to grow to 20 stores by the end of the year ahead of wider plans for an eventual estate of 50. It is particularly seeking partners in the north east and north west – on the M1 and M6 corridors and in cities like Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield – as well as in Scotland.

 

Love Churros to open in London’s Camden and eyes further overseas expansion: Urban dessert experience Love Churros is set to open its fourth location with Boxpark, in Camden, and is eyeing further overseas expansion. Love churros, founded in 2015 by former professional footballer Jake Nicholson, currently has units within the Boxparks at Croydon, Shoreditch and Wembley, plus shopping centre outlets at Westfield Stratford, Atria Watford, Lakeside Thurrock, Eden High Wycombe and the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands in Cannock. “We are thrilled to announce our next launch at Camden’s Buck Street Market, marking our newest location within the Boxpark family,” Love Churros said. “This upcoming opening underscores our strong and growing partnership with Boxpark, and we are excited to continue expanding our presence across their vibrant properties.” At the same time, Love Churros, which has an overseas location in Bahrain’s Riffa Al Shamali, is set to increase its presence in the country and beyond. It has partnered with the Gulf Franchise Group to drive its expansion in the region, which will be kicked off by the launch of two airstream truck locations in Bahrain. “Following a successful launch into the Bahraini market earlier this year, and with more openings planned before year-end, we have now partnered with Gulf Franchise Group to drive our expansion across the GCC and MENA regions,” Love Churros added. “Our team in Bahrain is diligently preparing for the launch of two airstream trucks in the kingdom. The first will debut at The Courtyard at the beginning of September, followed by a launch at Al Liwan Seef Properties BSC the following month.” Love Churros’ target locations include Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and the UAE.

 

Parched London to open seventh site: South London pub operator Parched London is to open its seventh site. The independent group – run by Isaac Tooby, Michael Robinson, Neil Watson and Shane Ranasinghe – is relaunching Clock House Tavern in Peckham Rye. The two-storey pub is being restored ahead of its reopening on Thursday, 19 September. As well as the main bar, the pub will feature a snug area with a fireplace and a back area offering food. The upstairs bar will offer views of Peckham Rye Park and there will be a large beer garden outside. The drinks menu will feature English cask ale, beer, a global whiskey offer, wine and hand-crafted cocktails. The kitchen will be led by Gengelly’s, which is the brainchild of George Genn and Laurence Pengelly and hosted a residency with Parched at the Earl Of Derby in New Cross. Gengelly’s will be offering its menu of grilled fish and steak, seasonal flatbread and fresh pasta, as well as its Sunday roast. Watson said: “We are excited to be opening the Clock House Tavern right in our community. The pub is in such a fantastic location. It has great history and so much charm.” Parched’s other sites include The Montpelier and White Horse in Peckham, The Roebuck in Borough, The Railway in Streatham and Grove House Tavern in Camberwell.

 

Yolé reports 23% year-on-year UK growth to date in 2024: Yolé, the world’s first zero dairy and added sugar ice cream and frozen yogurt brand, has reported 23% year-on-year UK growth to date in 2024. It said this growth has come despite some “unpredictable” weather, with some of the wettest spring months on record and cooler-than-average temperatures in June and July making for “less than ideal” weather for ice cream. “In the UK, we’re known for our obsession with the weather,” said Lorraine Ellis, head of UK franchise for Yolé. “For those of us in the ice cream business, the weather is more than just small talk; it’s a real factor in our sales. This year, with such unpredictable conditions, you might expect a dip in ice cream consumption, but that hasn’t been the case at all. What we’ve seen is a steady increase in demand for our products, regardless of the forecast. In fact, our overall growth is up 23% compared with the same period (January to July) last year, showing that there’s a growing appetite in the UK for healthier ice cream options, come rain or shine.” Ellis was hired by Yolé earlier this year amidst ambitious UK expansions plans for the business, which was founded in Spain in 2014. With more than 80 stores in 15 countries, it has five sites across London plus one in the Lakeside shopping centre in Essex. Ellis told Propel last month that Yolé is targeting 150 UK sites over the next few years and is aiming to open a flagship store and first new franchise location this year.

 

Bleecker to open London Bridge site for first outlet since covid pandemic: Bleecker, the burger concept founded by Zan Kaufman in 2012, is to open a fifth site in the capital, near London Bridge – its first outlet since the covid pandemic. The business, which opened its last site in October 2019, at Westfield London, has secured a 1,130 square-foot site at 104 Tooley Street for an opening on Thursday (22 August). Kaufman said: “Our London Bridge restaurant will open the same day we celebrate our 13th National Burger Day! This site is the culmination of everything we have learned since our last opening. I’m thrilled to bring Bleecker to the people of London Bridge.” Bleecker, which also operates sites in Spitalfields, Victoria and Bloomberg Arcade, is named after the street in New York that connects the East Village to West Village. Marc Rogers, of MKR Property, and Dean Gambles, of Gambles & Co, acted on the Tooley Street deal.

 

The After School Cookie Club opens Victoria site: Plant-based cookie concept The After School Cookie Club, in which John Vincent, co-founder and former chief executive of Leon, the healthy fast-food brand, is an investor, has opened a new site in London’s Victoria. The company has opened its third site, in Victoria Arcade. Originally launched as Humble Dough by founder Jesse Jenkins, the business rebranded in 2019 and launched into Boxpark Croydon and Boxpark Shoreditch. It opened a site in Borough Yards last year. The site in Croydon has subsequently closed. It is understood that The After School Cookie Club is in talks on a further site in the capital and that it will eventually explore growth via franchising. It is thought that Vincent took a major stake in what is described as “first vegan and gluten free cookie business”. Vincent also invested in Invyted, the tech platform that “transforms how brands and influencers collaborate”, following the £100m sale of Leon, which he co-founded alongside Henry Dimbleby and Allegra McEvedy in 2004, to Asda-owners EG Group in 2021.

 

Gourmet wings concept confirms location for second Midlands site: Gourmet wings concept Wing Kingz has confirmed the location for its second Midlands site. Propel reported earlier this month that Wing Kingz was preparing to expand to the region with a launch in Coventry, and that a Solihull site was also in the pipeline. The company has now said it will be “coming soon” to Solihull’s Touchwood shopping centre, in Homer Road. “After the huge success of our most recent restaurant in Canterbury, we’re spreading our wings and heading to the West Midlands,” the company said. “Bringing unmatched vibes, the tastiest food and live sports all day, every day, you’ll be able to find us in central Solihull in Touchwood shopping centre. Our Solihull location will be showing all of the best sporting action.” The first Wing Kingz opened in Milton Keynes’ Xscape destination in October 2021 before launching its first franchise location, in a former YO! unit at 10-11 Sun Street in Canterbury, Kent, in April. The forthcoming Coventry site will be in the former Cafe Rouge unit in Belgrade Plaza.

 

Mitchells & Butlers rolls out solar panels to 100 sites, plans to double this next year: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has added onsite solar panels to more than 100 of its sites across the UK, self-generating renewable electricity to cut carbon and energy costs. The Harvester, Toby Carvery and All Bar One operator is aiming to have PV panels installed at 200 of its UK sites in 2025 as part of an ongoing drive to cut energy bills and meet climate targets across its nationwide estate. It forms part of a major programme of work being carried out for M&B by construction consultancy Edge, which said the scheme would allow M&B to cut its carbon emissions by 1,250 tonnes per year, or the equivalent of 500 homes’ worth of energy. Ian Reeley, head of building development and sustainability solar PV development at M&B, said: “We are committed to achieving a 70% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, and one of the key initiatives we’ve implemented to aid the delivery of this is the major rollout and installation of PV panels to our freehold in collaboration with Edge. Our PV locations are geographically spread, and each requires a highly bespoke series of works, so a one-size-fits-all approach was never a consideration.”

 

West Sussex hotel operator sees turnover and profit dip: Historic Sussex Hotels, which operates three hotels in West Sussex, has reported turnover fell 2.4% to £14,521,668 for the year ending 26 November 2023 compared with £14,882,793 the previous year. Pre-tax profit was down to £1,937,427 from £2,811,119 the year before. Staff costs as a percentage of revenue was 38% (2022: 37.01%). The company, which employs about 275 staff, received government grants of £1,808 (2022: £18,000). A dividend of £373,000 was paid (2022: £373,000). The group operates The Spread Eagle Hotel in Midhurst, Ockenden Manor in Cuckfield and Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa in Climping.

 

Team behind London restaurant Blanchette launch wood-fired concept: The team behind French bistro Blanchette has opened a wood-fired restaurant concept in London’s Soho. The business, which is the brainchild of brothers Maxime and Yannis Alary, has launched Goldies in a 1,100 square-foot space on the ground floor of Kingly Court, having previously agree a deal with landlord Shaftesbury Capital. The Goldies’ menu focuses on the use of a wood-fired grill, with a selection of small and large plates “connected by rich, smoky flavours”. Dishes include marinated baby chicken with smoked yoghurt; and grilled wild mushrooms, baby leek, and a confit egg yolk. In a nod to the founders’ French roots, variations of the frites are the signature of the restaurant, which are hand-cut and twice-cooked, in either beef dripping or vegetable oil. The restaurant has 44 covers inside and 25 outside. Maxime and Yannis said: “After spending a decade in the West End, it’s a special moment for us to open our new concept, Goldies. We have carefully curated every detail of the Goldies experience, from the food to the ambiance, and we cannot wait to share it.” Blanchette, which was launched in 2013 and named after Maxime and Yannis’ mother, currently operates a site in D’Arblay Street, Soho. 

 

New York-inspired plant-based cookie concept to open debut site: New York-inspired plant-based cookie concept Crumb is to open its debut site, in Islington, north London, this autumn. The concept is the brainchild of baker Amy Gastman, who also runs a vegan bakery nearby called Eat By Amy after leaving her job on the Waitrose Food Magazine. Crumb is launching in Camden Passage in mid-September and will also sell coffee to go. Gastman told Hot Dinners: “Crumb offers a grab-and-go experience with treats that are 100% plant-based – but you wouldn't know it.” There will be four core flavours on offer – one of which will be gluten-free – and a monthly changing special that for opening month will be The Parent Trap, a peanut cookie stuffed with a whole Oreo.

 

Gateshead’s Metrocentre set to create new F&B space as part of £6m redevelopment: The Metrocentre in Gateshead is set to create more than 18,000 square feet of additional food and beverage space as part of a £6m redevelopment of its Green Mall entrance. The proposed scheme includes enhanced biodiversity and landscaping that would be framed by new outward-facing restaurant venues. The new food and beverage space would be across three units adjacent to Marks & Spencer. Ben Cox, director at Sovereign Centros from CBRE, asset manager of Metrocentre, said: “Redefining the entrance to Green Mall is a natural next step in Metrocentre’s evolution following major investment across other malls over the last four years. This project would enhance Metrocentre’s day-to-night economy with a new take on our food and beverage offering, and create a much-improved sense of arrival at Green Mall. We are in early discussions with some top quality operators.”

 

Award-winning Korean fried chicken concept Oh Gee to open Shoreditch pop-up: Oh Gee, featuring Korean fried chicken from the winner of Netflix’s K-Chicken War, is to launch a pop-up at The Hoxton, in London’s Shoreditch, next week. Chef Byung Tae Ahn, who was crowned grand champion of the South Korean show in 2022, will be serving his fried chicken alongside a menu of anju (drinking snacks) and cocktails at the new residency. Since winning K-Chicken War, Ahn has collaborated on the launch of 101 Chicken in the States, of which he is executive chef and co-founder. The pop-up, which is due to run until the end of November, will open for soft launch on Tuesday 27 August, with 25% off food until Sunday, 1 September. It will then be fully up and running at full price from Monday, 2 September.