Julian Metcalfe – Itsu grocery will soon be bigger than the restaurant business, it’s taken 20 years of hard work to go head to head with McDonald’s on the high street: Itsu founder Julian Metcalfe has said the company’s grocery arm will soon be bigger than its restaurant business, and that he prefers it to delivery. “Grocery is very interesting,” he told Casual Dining 2024. “Very soon, it’s going to be bigger than the restaurants business – it probably cannibalises Itsu on the high street already. Delivery from the restaurants is not my favourite thing, and less delivery is good. We do a lot of delivery, and we spend so much time, energy and money trying to get the product delivered to the consumer well, which is tricky. I prefer people to buy our food in grocery and cook it at home. On the whole, most of it is very easy and quick to cook in five to ten minutes.” As far as the restaurant business goes, Metcalfe is especially excited about the brand’s new presence in London’s Oxford Street, and the chance it provides to go head to head with McDonald’s. “We’re opening two Itsus next to McDonald’s in Oxford Street – one opened last week and the other is in build,” he said. “Ultimately, to trade right next to McDonald’s and do better than it – I don’t know what that means, but the quality of food and nutritional value is incomparably better – has taken 20 years of really hard work. To have the confidence to pay the landlord those eye-watering rents, we have to know we’re going to sell to 2,000 people each day, and they will come back. There’s definitely a move for more nutritious food – the UK consumer is guiding us, and healthier food, fast and at an affordable price is very compelling. Clearly there’s a remarkable opportunity there, and it’s very hard to do so you have to change formats, reinvent the whole time, embrace technology, fail with technology, start again – but we’re closer now than before. We have a series of new Itsus opening that are getting closer – something that is truly beautiful – we’re nearly there!” Metcalfe, who said regional Itsus are doing “very well”, was also in favour of labour costs going up – calling it “a good thing”. He added: “Our industry for too long has been spoilt by a never-ending stream of labour, and it made some people a bit too lazy. Pay rates are now better and I hope they continue to go up. We were very early with kiosks as I had a hunch labour costs would get progressively much higher, and I think in a couple of years they probably will, by which time our kiosk journey will be really great.”

Sponsored message – US prime rib restaurant brand Lawry’s seeks partners as it looks to make UK debut: US prime rib restaurant brand Lawry’s is looking to make its UK debut and is seeking partners to expand here. Although the first Lawry’s restaurant opened in Beverley Beverly Hills in 1938, the company was founded in 1922 by brothers-in-law Lawrence Frank and Walter Van de Kamp, when they opened the Tam O’Shanter Inn roadhouse in Los Angeles. The company also owns the English country inn-inspired Five Crowns and English gastropub-inspired Sidedoor in California, as well as two US and several overseas Lawry’s locations. Franchise consultant Nathan Lowry said he sees the potential for “half a dozen” Lawry’s in the UK and Ireland and that it would make an ideal proposition for hoteliers. “Lawry’s has a proud family heritage stretching back more than 80 years and has successfully expanded this classic yet modern brand by licensing nine international restaurants in eight cities, with nine more in development,” he said. “Lawry’s envisages the UK provides multiple opportunities for restaurants in major cities and potentially up to three in London, including Canary Wharf, the West End/Mayfair and affluent west London. Lawry’s restaurants provide best-in-class return on investment as well as some of the highest profit margins in the food and beverage business.” If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

Inn Collection Group people director Liz Robertson to speak at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference, open for bookings with 20% discount on tickets for Premium Club members: Liz Robertson, people director of the Inn Collection Group, 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. Robertson will delve into the award-winning Inn Collection Group’s mission statement of “making people happy”, which aims to support its people in their personal and professional development. 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 be released today featuring 878 companies: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will be released to Premium Club members today (Friday, 20 September) at midday. The database now features 878 companies and more than 237,000 words of content. The database will feature 42 updated entries and seven new companies. 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, 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. In this week’s Premium Opinion, Five Guys UK chief executive John Eckbert talks to Mark Wingett about the brand’s progress this year, its continued expansion here and in Europe, its funding options, plans to trial kiosks and dealing with increased competition from the US. At the same time, there is a look at the situation at TGI Fridays and whether casual dining has become a burdensome tag for some. 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 – decision to hold interested rates makes need to address business rates cliff edge more urgent: The decision to hold interest rates at 5% makes the need to address the business rates cliff edge in April more urgent, UKHospitality has said. The Bank of England decided against a cut despite the inflation rate remaining at 2.2%. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “It’s disappointing interest rates will remain unchanged, after another month of stabilised inflation. This positive sign should have emboldened the Bank of England to take decisive action that would inject some confidence into businesses and, crucially for hospitality, begin to relieve the pressure of covid loan repayments. These repayments remain a significant burden for businesses, particularly with interest rates remaining high. Without a rate cut, the need for the government to avoid a business rates cliff edge in April becomes more urgent. Venues face their bills quadrupling when relief ends, which is why we’re calling for action and for the government to introduce a lower, permanent and universal multiplier for hospitality.” Meanwhile, UKHospitality is urging the Welsh government to use new powers to immediately introduce a lower, permanent and universal multiplier for the country’s businesses. The Local Government Finance (Wales) Act has become law and introduces measures to easily reform business rates. This includes enabling changes to the calculation of payments for different categories of ratepayers and more flexibility to make changes to reliefs and exemptions. UKHospitality said the new laws also provide a framework of how the UK government in Westminster can implement similar measures to introduce a lower multiplier for hospitality businesses in England “in a cost neutral way”.

Staff to be offered contracts after three months under zero-hours crackdown: Companies could be forced to offer all staff regular hours after three months as part of a crackdown on zero-hours contracts. The Telegraph reported that deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told bosses and unions in a private call this week they were working on a policy that could force employers to offer zero-hours workers a regular contract after 12 weeks. One person involved in the discussions said the legal obligation would follow McDonald’s lead, after the fast-food brand offered staff the chance to switch to contracts with minimum guaranteed hours in 2017. At the time it said most chose to stay on flexible contracts. A Whitehall source said ministers wanted to put forward the three-month idea on the call as it was easier to get a “yes or a no” from bosses on a specific figure and then flesh out the details from there. Businesses and unions on the call were split over whether three months was the right amount of time, one source said, with one business executive understood to have suggested a longer period while a union representative made the case for a shorter one. Labour has been promising to ban “exploitative” zero-hours contracts as part of its package of reforms, but the details are still being thrashed out following a pushback from businesses earlier this year which led to a decision not to ban zero-hours contracts outright. A government insider said reforms were aimed at ending “one-sided flexibility”. Proposals being worked up include forcing companies to pay people for late-notice shift cancellations so that workers are not in a position “where their shift is cancelled when they’re already on the bus to work”. Hospitality and leisure bosses have been warning that a ban would make it harder to hire and cause “unintended consequences” for the economy.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a founder-led business within the bar scene that is seeking a non-executive director to support the company through its next stage of growth. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The business is looking for someone with experience across scaling and exiting a business with plenty of charisma. They will be an experienced non-executive/chief financial officer with extensive experience in overseeing numerous exit scenarios, ideally within late-night venues or bars. They will be able to advise on potential investment partners/buyers and have current contacts within the industry to aid with the expansion plans and exit portfolio.” The package offered is up to £40,000 for one or two days per month and is based in London. For more information, email emma@corecruitment.com.

KFC UK MD – we are seeing growth in the lower end of the market, competition makes you better: Meg Farren, managing director of KFC UK & Ireland, has said the business is seeing growth in the lower end of the market, and the entrance into the market of new brands “can only make the company better”. Talking at this month’s Propel Multi-Club Conference, Farren said: “We are seeing growth in the lower end of the market, and some of that will just be returned to behaviours, the morning occasions and coffee and snacking occasions. But some of that really is also down to just how much cash people have in their pockets to spend. And so, offering value is important. But it’s not just about low prices – you have to offer something that someone wants for that value. So, quality is important. We tend to be really, really competitive on abundant value. Our chicken is freshly made in our kitchens every day – it’s good value for money.” Touching on the rise of brands such as Popeyes and Wingstop, Farren said: “Competition makes you better. Someone, a relatively new starter, recently asked in a town hall meeting, should we be worried about it? I think it’s our job to be worried about the competition, but really, it’s our job to be worried about the consumer and doing a good job for them. And if those companies make us better, and they agitate, then I think generally it’s better for the market. And I think it’s a signal of how strong the market here is in the UK. I think stepping back, in any brand that is the scale and age of ours, so you know, a 60-year-old brand, 1,000 restaurants, the challenge is always, how do you really keep hold of what you are and what you're about, but modernise and constantly evolve yourself to be relevant? The agitation of new competition helps you do that. So, I feel it’s good for us and for the market.” Farren was among the speakers at this month's Propel Multi-Club Conference. Her video and the 12 others from the conference will be made available to Premium Club members on Friday, 27 September, at 9am. 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 a supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

Loungers group MD – trading in the sites we’re opening at the moment reinforces our growth ambitions: Justin Carter, group manager of Lounges, Cosy Club and Brightside operator Loungers, has said that trading in the sites the business is currently opening reinforces its growth ambitions. “We’ve talked about at least 600 Lounges, and trading in the sites we’re opening at the moment reinforces our confidence in that number,” he told Casual Dining 2024. “Cosy Club would be 70 to 80 sites, Brightside is an unknown quantity at the moment, but [overall] we’ll break through the 300-mark next year.” In terms of what is driving those sales, Carter said: “There’s a lot of price in there, but we’re not alone in that. We trade very well across the day, and we’ve skewed slightly towards daytime over the last few years, and that reflects when people want to go out. We’ve seen better growth during the day than in the evening. We strive to be somewhere that feels natural to be during all dayparts – and that gives us an advantage over some pub operators. We appeal to a broad section of customer and across the age ranges, and that allows us to open in places where others might struggle.” Carter said whereas Loungers used to have a 50-50 sales split in food and drink, it is now 60-40 in favour of food, and the business is in the process of “a big food elevation process at Cosy Club”, which will launch in the next month or so. Carter said 40% of sales also now go through the Loungers app. “We wouldn’t have dreamed of launching it pre-covid as customer interaction is a critical part of our equation, but we found people still wanted to use it even when they didn’t have to,” he said. “The challenge now is making sure the hospitality doesn’t suffer as a result.” Carter said the company is also working to ease the churn that comes from hiring younger predominantly people who tend to move on quicker, meaning a heavier reliance on outside recruitment. “We’re working to limit that and want to make it clear that if you’re young and ambitious, you will have the opportunity to progress,” he said. “We’re working hard on the training and scaling up that team gradually.” Carter added that the company’s latest concept, roadside format Brightside, had “a good summer”, and that its fourth site, which is opening soon on the A1 in Rutland, will be “a very different site to what we already have”.

Greene King promotes Alex Dawson to MD of Premium Ventures: Brewer and retailer Greene King has promoted Alex Dawson to managing director of its Premium Ventures division. Dawson returned to retailer Greene King, as business unit director for its Premium and Urban Pubs operation, after stepping down from Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), in summer 2020. Dawson, who was previously responsible for overseeing Greene King’s Pub Partners franchise division, spent four years at M&B, first as operations director for Castle Pubs, and then as operations director for All Bar One. He also previously spent a year at Soho House, where he was overseeing the growth of its restaurant brands. In his new role, he will head Metropolitan Pub Company and Crafted Pubs at Greene King. He will report to Jodie Tate, in her expanded remit of managing director of Destination Brands and Ventures, but will continue to operate autonomously of Greene King managed pub brands, as announced last week. Earlier this month, Propel revealed that Greene King had formed a new executive board structure, which saw Zoe Bowley become a permanent managing director, and the departure of three directors, as it looks to deliver the “next stage of its strategic transformation journey”. The Nick Mackenize-led business said that the next stage of its strategy will focus on delivery through a more agile organisation to “delight its customers and deliver outstanding experiences”. 

Krispy Kreme UK&I MD – there’s no reason why we can’t double our availability, in discussions with QSRs over partnerships: Krispy Kreme UK & Ireland managing director Jamie Dunning has said there’s no reason why the brand can’t double its availability, and that it is in discussions with potential quick service restaurant (QSR) partners. Dunning, who will soon step down from his role, to be replaced by Pret A Manger UK franchise director Guy Meakin, said Krispy Kreme currently has nearly 2,000 unique points of distribution – 140 stores and the rest through cabinets in grocery stores, railway stations and service stations. “I found a business model here that many have tried to copy and failed since, and it took the best part of 20 years to refine,” Dunning, who has been in the role since July 2022, told Casual Dining 2024. “What I observed was a model ready to be replicated to scale, with a culture and a set of systems and processes that could be relied upon. We expanded the business by another 20% in the time I was with the company, getting to the point where some of those systems and processes are creaking a little bit, and I think that’s the next interesting leadership challenge to take on. We’re still not in reach of more sweet treat occasions than we are, but we’re never going to build 2,000 stores like some of our competitors. Our reliance is on partnerships more than our own stores, and we’re somewhat clearer now in that we see expansion in a more mission-based consideration. Thus far, it’s been wherever we can go, we will go. Now, it’s more about what missions are we not currently present in. So, we’re not present at all in the convenience top-up shop mission, and we’re not present in the QSR daypart where we would be a complement to other brands. Convenience would be with our existing grocery partners, and we’re talking to a number of brands that do QSR and are looking for sweet treat additions which we would be ideal for. There’s no reason to think we can’t double our availability – not for the sake of it, but by being considerate of the missions we think we can be complimentary too.” Dunning added having “one of the most generous rewards programmes in terms of the points you get for your purchase” means it has, relative to the size of the brand, built a “phenomenal, engaged consumer database”. 

Wingstop UK hires Adrian Saunders as new head of acquisitions: Wingstop, which is being rolled out here by Lemon Pepper Holdings and is currently seeking new investment, has hired Adrian Saunders as its new head of acquisitions, Propel has learned. Saunders previously led the acquisition of approximately 90 restaurants for The Restaurant Group, including Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito locations. He also acquired 45 prime high street and shopping centre sites for Wagamama, including the brand’s first New York City location. In addition, Saunders was instrumental in restructuring better burger brand Byron in 2018 through a company voluntary arrangement, enabling the business to be sold and restructured, saving more than 1,000 jobs. Most recently he had a stint as the new site acquisitions manager at Mission Mars, the BGF-backed operator of Albert’s Schloss and the Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana brand. Wingstop currently operates 51 sites in the UK, and is on track to open 18 new locations in 2024, with a secured pipeline for 2025, and plans to exceed this figure next year. The company said that Saunders’ appointment is set to accelerate Wingstop's presence across the country. Saunders said: “The momentum Wingstop has built across the UK is phenomenal, and I look forward to applying my experience in driving growth and securing prime locations to take the brand to the next level.” Wingstop said its expansion strategy will continue to be supported by Mark Segal, of Brasier Freeth, who has been exclusively retained by the brand since 2020. Chris Sherriff, chief executive of Wingstop UK, said: “Adrian’s impressive track record in the restaurant sector and his strategic insight make him the perfect addition to our team. We’re on a strong growth trajectory, with 18 new locations set to open this year and a very healthy pipeline already in place for 2025.” Last month, it was reported that Wingstop UK, which is majority-owned by the trio of entrepreneurs who brought it to Britain in 2018, had hired Goldman Sachs to find new investors for the business. 

Experiential leisure slime concept backed by TV presenter Steph McGovern set to expand: Gootopia, the experiential leisure slime concept aimed at children, is looking to franchise in the UK and is also seeking hospitality operators who may have space for the concept. The company was created by husband-and-wife team Chris Saville and Nishi Bowan Saville in 2019 and currently has three London sites – in Lewisham, Brixton and its flagship venue in Wandsworth, which features two party rooms, a school workshop area, a shop and cafe. Gootopia offers a range of activities and experiences, including weekend slime workshops, birthday parties, drop-in slime-making sessions, school science workshops, and live slime-making demonstrations by “expert slime creators”. Chris Saville had a successful career in TV production before going full-time with the business and it's through his previous career that he got the backing of presenter Steph McGovern. “I was working on the show Steph's Packed Lunch and I mentioned to her I had a side business; she was intrigued and brought her daughter to a workshop,” he told Propel. “They both loved the experience and that led to Steph investing in the company. That capital enabled us to go full time and look to expand the business.” Gootopia has already secured its first franchise partner in Malta, which opened in April this year with another planned for the island later in 2024 or early 2025. The Malta stores are being designed by Gootopia's interior designer Siobhan Murphy, who was a finalist on Alan Carr's Interior Design Masters. “We are refining our franchise offer, which will also include a 'light' option,” he added. “This would be essentially providing the slime products and workshop training for individuals to create their own Gootopia slime parties on a mobile basis, so no venue necessary.” Saville also believes the concept would work well in partnership with existing hospitality businesses. “Experiential operators are often looking for new concepts and we think we would be a good partner for them or for other hospitality companies with some space who want to drive family footfall,” he said. A new report has been produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector. 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 was made available this month to Premium Club members. 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 a supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

JD Wetherspoon, WHSmith café and 472-cover food hall to open at Manchester airport: Manchester airport is set to welcome its first JD Wetherspoon pub next year, as part of the second phase of its £1.3bn Terminal 2 transformation programme. While the pub's name remains under wraps, Manchester airport has revealed the decor will pay homage to the north's sporting legends. In full, 22 new units will open next summer in the second and final phase of the airport's new Terminal 2. These will include The Great Northern Market – a 472-seat food hall bringing the “best of Manchester’s street food scene to the airport”, featuring six international street food kitchens including a Gooey desserts unit; new cafes, bars and restaurants, including a Fever-Tree Cocktails & Champagne bar, WHSmith's Grindsmith Café, Joe & The Juice and food-to-go operator Greggs; plus an extension to the Amber Alehouse by Salford brewery Seven Bro7hers. The first phase of the airport’s Terminal 2 opened in 2021 and features operators such as fast-food restaurant Archies, San Carlo, cafe concept Pot Kettle Black and brewpubs by Joseph Holt and Se7en Brothers. Richard Jackson, retail director at Manchester airport, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing such a varied offering to the second phase of our new Terminal 2, with local operators complemented by well-known high street names and options to suit every budget. On top of that our Great Northern Market will be a unique airport offering – allowing people to enjoy the popular ‘market hall’ style dining experience with a range of individual street food-style pop-ups around a central eating area.”

Lee Woolley steps down as Arc Inspirations people and culture director: Lee Woolley has stepped down as people and culture director at Arc Inspirations, after eight months in the role. Woolley brought a wealth of knowledge to the role with more than 30 years of experience within the hospitality industry. Having started his career as a qualified chef, Woolley quickly progressed to general manager at Scottish & Newcastle Retail, before transitioning to HR. He has held a number of senior HR and people roles at hospitality businesses such as Stonegate Group, Mitchells & Butlers, and Spirit Group. Prior to joining Arc, he served as director of learning and organisation development at Stonegate Group, a position he held for more than 13 years. Woolley said: “After an unbelievable eight months at Arc Inspirations, lots of learning and working with the fantastic team in Leeds, I am looking for my next adventure.” Earlier this week, Arc Inspirations described the 12 months to 31 March 2024 as a “transformational year for the business”, as it reported turnover increased 16.2% to £47.4m, and adjusted Ebitda climbed 37.1%. The Manahatta, Banyan and Box operator said average site Ebitda was up 22% to more than £550,000 per site. It also reported a conversion to profit (Ebitda) of 22.9%, up from 21.4%. The 21-strong group, which is led by co-founder and chief executive Martin Wolstencroft, said its performance was boosted by the launch of four new sites – Box Brindleyplace, in Birmingham; Manahatta Newcastle; Box Nottingham; and Manahatta Sheffield. 

Burger & Lobster co-founders team up with London chef Chris Denney for latest venture: George Bukhov-Weinstein and Ilya Demichev, the co-founders of surf and turf restaurant group Burger & Lobster and Mediterranean restaurant Wild Tavern, have teamed up with London chef Chris Denney for their latest venture. Propel revealed in March that Bukhov-Weinstein and Demichev had acquired 300 Kings Road in Chelsea for a new opening. They have teamed up with Denney – previously of 108 Garage in Notting Hill ¬– to launch neighbourhood restaurant Fantômas next month. Denney’s menu will focus on European dishes while the drinks menu will include cocktails and wine. The restaurant will have 78 covers, including a private dining room with adjoining courtyard. Denney said: “It is such a prosaic thing to say because everyone says it, but truthfully I’m excited about working with the team. It's such a good team, it’s cherry picked – people that I worked with in the past. And in this current climate, not everyone has that. I'm also very excited to get our farinata oven running. I’ve been doing it for the last 20 years and it’s never been on the menu.” Bukhov-Weinstein and Demichev who are also behind steak brand Goodmans, opened the first Wild Tavern in Chelsea’s Elystan Street in December 2019. They followed that up with an opening in Notting Hill, at 202 Westbourne Grove, last year. Restaurant Property acted on the King’s Road deal.

DHP Family reports turnover and profit boost but revenue remains below pre-covid levels: Live music venue and club operator DHP Family has reported revenue increased to £33,984,808 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £30,647,105 the previous year. However, revenue remained below the £44,595,774 reported for the year ending 31 December 2019 – the last full year before the covid pandemic. The company – which operates eight venues across London, Bristol and Nottingham and employs about 400 staff – saw pre-tax profit increase to £2,970,579 from £2,582,412 the previous year. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “This was a robust performance despite the inflationary pressures and economic challenges presented by the cost-of-living crisis in the UK during 2023. The financial outcome underscores the company’s resilience and the effectiveness of its strategic management in navigating a difficult economic landscape. The business experienced sustained cost pressures due to the high inflation rates in the UK. These pressures were particularly pronounced in the events sector, where the number of suppliers has decreased compared with pre-pandemic levels, despite a high demand for festivals.” A dividend of £2,450,000 was paid (2022: £1,900,000).

Burger Drop lines up Manchester site as one of four new openings before year end: Newcastle craft burger concept Burger Drop, which is looking to expand across the UK through franchising, has lined up an opening in Manchester, as part of plans to open four sites before the end of the year. The business, which was founded in 2020 by Hasan Hamid and Amer Qayyum and currently operates two sites in Newcastle, has also lined up openings in Whitley Bay, Sunderland and Edinburgh. The Whitley Bay site will be its first franchise location when it opens next month. Hamid told Propel in January that he is targeting 150 stores in the next decade and is looking to open five this year.

Two Magpies opens fourth smaller format site as it rebrands Holt restaurant: East Anglia bakery Two Magpies has created its fourth “Mini Magpies” site as it looks to meet the rising demand from customers looking to eat on-the-go. The group, which has six bakery and cafe sites across Suffolk and Norfolk, along with “Mini Magpies” outlets in Southwold, Beccles and Wells-Next-The-Sea, has rebranded its Holt restaurant, bakery and café to its smaller “Mini Magpies” format. The site now offers an extensive range of viennoiseries and takeaway baked goods, as well as 27 covers available for those looking to dine in. Operations director Yasmin Wyatt said: “We are excited about the rebrand of our Holt site, which will better suit the needs of those in the local community, offering all the same great customer service and delicious bakes, but placing more emphasis on items that can be eaten on the go. Our Blakeney cafe is also just five minutes away and offers the restaurant experience, if customers prefer.” Since opening in Southwold in 2013, Two Magpies has established a central bakery and baking school in Darsham, as well as its bakery cafes and now four “Mini Magpies” sites.

Scottish restaurant group Scoop to open underground bar and restaurant in Glasgow for fifth site: Scottish restaurant group Scoop is set to open an underground bar and restaurant for its fifth site. The company will launch Sebb’s in November that will pair a dedicated cocktail kitchen with a menu focused on food cooked over fire. The venue in Glasgow’s Miller Street will be based underneath the group’s forthcoming restaurant, Margo, which is set to open next month. Sebb’s will take inspiration from the vinyl bars of Europe, hosting DJs from the city. The venue will seat 68, with a further 12 covers in the private dining room, “The Record Room”. Alongside cocktails and alcoholic slushies, the drinks menu will feature a selection of low-intervention European wine on draught as well as beer. The kitchen will be led by head chef Danny Carruthers, whose experience includes time at Le Gavroche and Acme Fire Cult, with a menu of grill-led snacks and sharing plates such as chicken wings with fermented hot sauce and ranch; and grilled aubergine and cauliflower, served with salad, pickles, hot sauce and garlic yoghurt or tahini. The group launched with the Ox and Finch restaurant in Glasgow’s Sauciehall Street a decade ago before introducing south east Asian concept Ka Pao to the city’s Vincombe Street in 2020. Scoop branched out to Edinburgh in 2022 with a second Ka Pao site, in the Scottish capital’s St James Quarter.

Alex Xu opens fifth site in London’s Chinatown with launch of new noodles concept: Restaurateur Alex Xu has opened his fifth site in London’s Chinatown with the launch of a new noodles concept. He has opened Noodle Inn at 4-6 Old Compton Street, offering dishes from the north west Chinese province of Gansu, with the noodles prepared freshly in front of the customer, reports Hot Dinners. It comes two months after Xu launched Chinese burger concept Xu at 104 Shaftesbury Avenue, offering a range of burgers and fillings in a sourdough Chinese-style bun. Xu is also behind the Kung Fu Noodle restaurant, bubble tea concept Happy Lemon and Taiwanese dessert parlour Meet Fresh in Chinatown.

 

Husband and wife team to open debut site in November after partnering with MJMK: Husband and wife team, John and Desiree Chantarasak, will open their debut site in November, in partnership with MJMK Restaurants. Following on from a number of pop-ups and residencies, the pair will be bringing AngloThai – their take on Thai-British cuisine – to their first bricks-and-mortar site in Seymour Place in London’s Marylebone. Opening on Thursday, 7 November, it brings to an end a near four-year search for a suitable site. John Chantarasak will serve his personal interpretation of Thai cuisine, drawing inspiration from both his Thai and British heritage. The food will be complemented by a European wine selection “that focuses on Desiree’s passion for excellent wine grower craftsmanship”. There will be 50 covers in the main restaurant, and in early 2025, “Baan”, named after the Thai word for home, will provide a private dining space. Founded in 2018 by Jake Kasumov and Marco Mendes, MJMK opened its debut site, Casa do Frango, in London Bridge. Since then, the group has launched Kol and Fonda with Santiago Lastra, Lisboeta with Nuno Mendes, and a further three Casa do Frango sites. 

Chef opens modern British bistro in Cheshire: Felix Shore, who has worked in restaurants across the globe including Kontrast in Oslo and Restaurant Frantzen in Sweden, has opened a modern British bistro in Cheshire. Shore and his wife, Anna Roseblade, have launched 209 in Farndon. The space at Top Farm offers an evening menu that changes almost daily and features snacks, small, large and sharing plates, handcrafted desserts and an extensive wine list. “We’re doing this because we love it,” Roseblade said. “It’s about sharing our passion with others and creating a space where people can feel at home. We’ve always dreamed of having our own restaurant. After spending time abroad, including a serious consideration to settle in New Zealand, we knew we had to come back home and make that dream a reality.”

 

Welsh entrepreneur acquires 51% stake in Powys brewery: Welsh entrepreneur Mike Harris, who has a multimillion-pound business portfolio, has acquired a 51% stake in Powys’ Monty's Brewery. The Montgomery-based brewery brews Welsh beer, ale and stout and has picked up a number of awards for its products. Harris has a portfolio spanning across sectors including telecommunications, consumer goods and sport. The acquisition is the first brewing acquisition made by Harris’ investment vehicle, Ubuntu Holdings, with others expected on the horizon. It follows Harris’ recent acquisition of Welshpool’s distillery, Henstone Distillery, as Ubuntu continues to expand on its operations across Wales and beyond. All products currently produced by Monty’s Brewery will continue to be produced and still be available through existing outlets. There are plans for further growth on a national scale currently in the works. Harris said: “As one of the region’s most popular breweries, I’m excited to help Monty’s Brewery increase production and distribution on a national scale.” Russ Honeyman, commercial director at Monty’s Brewery, added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us here at Monty’s Brewery. Mike has always had strong visions for the local area and community. We are looking forward to sharing our multi-award winning beer with a wider audience and creating new products to add to The Monty’s range.”