Exclusive – Rekom Group looks to make UK return with Proud Mary and Heidi’s brands: Rekom, which is backed by Danish private equity firm CataCap and operates circa 150 sites across Denmark, Finland and Norway, is looking to return to the UK after its separation from Neos Hospitality earlier this year, Propel has learned. Rekom is understood to be seeking partners to take on its party bar brands: Proud Mary and Heidi’s Bier Bar. The company told Propel: “Since their launch, Proud Mary in Cardiff and Swansea have consistently exceeded profit expectations, quickly becoming the go-to destinations for both locals and students. In addition, Heidi’s Bier Bar has firmly established itself as the premier party bar brand in Birmingham and Cardiff, delivering exceptional levels of footfall and revenue. Rekom’s strategy is to expand these brands across the UK, working closely with local partners to ensure Proud Mary and Heidi’s Bier Bar bring the party to more cities across the country.” Rekom said its strategy will see Proud Mary and Heidi’s Bier Bar expand through franchising across the UK. It said: “Together with our franchise partners, we are confident the two brands will go from strength to strength, firmly believing both Rekom and its partners will grow and succeed together.” It said it is actively seeking local entrepreneurs, established hospitality groups and landlords to assist with relocating existing venues in Cardiff, Swansea, and Birmingham, and to open new venues in Manchester, Liverpool, London, and other key cities across the UK. Neos is rebranding the four sites in Cardiff, Swansea and Birmingham to its new party bar concepts – Bonnie Rogue’s Pub and Barbara’s Bier Haus. Rekom said: “While Rekom and Neos achieved considerable success together, they have mutually decided to part ways after realising that their long-term visions were not aligned. Rekom wishes Neos the best in its future endeavors.” Propel understands that Rekom is working with Tony Gorbert, former operations director at Rekom UK and ex-operations director at Deltic Group, on its expansion plans here. 

 

Next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality to be released today featuring 873 companies: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will be released to Premium Club members today (Friday, 25 October), at midday. The database now features 873 companies and more than 236,000 words of content. The database will feature 101 updated entries and 20 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 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.

 

Deadline to enter Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards and Rising Stars next week: The Restaurant Marketer & Innovator (RMI) Awards are back for their seventh year, celebrating outstanding achievements in marketing and innovation across the food and beverage sector. Finalists will be honoured at a grand awards ceremony in London on Wednesday, 22 January, the finale of the three-day Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit. The awards are open to any eating or drinking-out brand across Europe, with 14 categories including best communications, best new product development, best use of technology and innovator of the year. The closing date for entries is Friday, 1 November. In addition to the main awards, the Rising Stars programme is also returning, recognising talented future leaders under 30 in marketing, innovation and strategy roles. This programme is open to young professionals from anywhere in Europe, offering a platform for emerging talent in the sector. James Hacon, co-founder of the awards, said: “The RMI Awards celebrate the extraordinary creativity and forward-thinking that drives our sector. It’s a chance to stand out and be recognised among the industry’s best, whether you’re a start-up with bold ambitions or an established brand evolving to meet the demands of tomorrow’s market.” For more information and to enter the RMI awards, click here and to nominate for the Rising Stars programme, click here.

 

UKHospitality – excluding industry from discussions around obesity would be ‘concerning’: UKHospitality has said excluding the industry from discussions around obesity following the release of a House of Lords report into the “public health emergency” would be “concerning”. The Lords’ food, diet and obesity committee yesterday (Thursday, 24 October) published its report “Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken food system”. It called on the government to ban junk food advertising and tax firms that put too much sugar and salt into food, among other measures. It also recommended giving local authorities more powers to curb the rise of takeaways that “rely on sales of less healthy food” and said such businesses should also be excluded from discussions on the formation of policies to combat obesity. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “The committee’s recommendation to exclude, under certain circumstances, food businesses and the trade associations that represent them from discussions about food, diet and obesity policy is concerning. It would eliminate a key partner that is, ultimately, responsible for delivering the committee’s ambition to deliver a better food system. Let’s be clear, the hospitality sector shares this ambition and has already made significant progress towards that. Hospitality businesses have made significant progress to ensure there are plenty of healthy options available for consumers and continue to invest in this area. I’m pleased the government has already engaged with the sector about its future plans and I would urge it to continue this engagement, recognising the key partner we are to deliver its aims.”

 

Boston Tea Party challenges coffee brands to follow its lead and eliminate single-use cups: All-day dining casual cafe brand Boston Tea Party (BTP) has launched its “Hey, Big Coffee Chain” campaign, which challenges the UK’s largest coffee brands to follow its lead and eliminate single-use cups. With one million cups already saved from landfill since BTP’s own decision to ban single-use cups in 2018, the 23-strong group is urging others to take action and match its commitment to a more sustainable future. Chief executive Sam Roberts said: “We’re not just patting ourselves on the back here – this campaign is about shaking up the industry. If we can do it, why can’t the big guys? The environmental impact of single-use cups is something we can’t ignore any longer. The hospitality industry has immense power to drive real change, and we’re calling on everyone to step up and take responsibility.” In 2018, the company said it became the first UK café group to ban single-use cups. At the time, the UK was discarding 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups annually, with less than 0.25% being recycled, according to the UK House of Commons environmental audit committee. Roberts said: “We knew this wouldn’t be an easy move for us, and it won’t be easy for the bigger chains either, but that’s no excuse. If we don’t act now, we’re just kicking the can down the road. The reality is that this needs to become standard across the board. There’s no reason why bigger players with more resources can’t match or exceed what we’ve done.” BTP is encouraging the public to sign a petition to help drive a nationwide ban on single-use coffee cups and push the big brands to take responsibility for their environmental impact. 

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a food tech scale-up that is revolutionising commercial kitchens and is seeking a new general manager/managing director. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The individual should be used to a fast paced, and changeable environment, and preferably have knowledge of the food delivery space. This is a commercial role that will see the general manager/managing director managing targets, account management, customer lifecycle and relationships. They will be managing a team of about five direct reports with a wider team of 15 to 25 people.” The package is up to £120,000 and the position is based in London. For more information, email hayley@corecruitment.com. 

 

Simmons Bars looking to build out into cities across the north and Midlands after making regional debut, working with first food partner: Nick Campbell, owner of cocktail bar operator Simmons, has told Propel the business is looking to build out into cities across the north of England and Midlands following its debut regional site, in Manchester. The company, which is backed by Lonsdale Capital Partners, has opened in the former The Botanist site at 78 Deansgate. Simmons is also working with a food operator for the first time, offering New York-style pizza from Holy Slice. Campbell said Manchester was a “fairly logical step” for the 23-strong business and aims to kickstart its regional expansion. “We had been looking at a few other places, but Manchester is a great city with a nice mix of operators and has a fantastic nightlife,” he said. “It’s buzzing and the site we’ve got ticks all the boxes. The plan is to build a cluster of sites in Manchester – we think we can have three or four – and we’ll look to grow across the north and Midlands – cities such as Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham. The focus is on the Manchester site at the moment, although we are in negotiations on a couple more sites in London. We know the London market like the back of our hand, but the same can’t be said of Manchester or the rest of the UK, and we need to make sure we don’t end up learning our lesson the hard way like some others operators have. Lonsdale knows the market is difficult and continues to be supportive of our growth plans.” Campbell said the company has been evolving the concept over the last 18 months or so “with Manchester very much in mind”. He added: “It’s a bigger venue with a stage and there’s a focus on live music from Thursday to Sunday. We’ve also got a food offering for the first time and we’re looking at transferring some of that into parts of our London estate and also future openings.” Campbell said trading “has been pretty good in what has been a very challenging market”. He added: “The cost-of-living crisis has hit everyone pretty hard. We’ve probably been a bit luckier than other operators given we operate at the value end of the market – a bit like JD Wetherspoon. Trade has picked up quite considerably in the last six weeks and Christmas is shaping up very well – we’re currently 50% ahead of last year, and that was a record period. Hopefully we are turning the corner, but there are still a lot of unknowns out there at the moment.”

 

Exclusive – Brains CEO hands over baton as business set for further innovation and growth: Jon Bridge is to step down as chief executive of Welsh brewer SA Brain in December following four years in post, Propel has learned. Bridge will hand over to newly appointed managing director Nick Payne, who will take up his new role in January. As part of a long-term succession plan, Bridge will leave his role after navigating Brains through some of its most challenging times, including the covid-19 pandemic, which left the business with significant bank debts. Bridge successfully turned the business around, initiating his Project Phoenix, which saw Brains’ core pub estate leased to Marston’s as part of a strategic deal, and the freeholds subsequently sold to private equity. As part of the business turnaround, Bridge led a major restructure of the company. His career spans more than 30 years in the retail and hospitality sectors, and prior to his appointment as chief executive at Brains, he held roles as its operations director and director of people and culture. Bridge said: “I am confident that I’m leaving the brewery in excellent financial health, and with Nick taking the reins, it’s in a superb position to build for the future.” Brains chair Richard Westwood added: “Jon has been integral to the resurgence of Brains. His commercial acumen and strong strategic leadership have been paramount to the brewery’s continued success.” Payne joins the company from Cygnet Gyn, where he has been managing director for the past two years. The brand is owned by Katherine Jenkins and Andrew Levitas, and the process to find his successor is underway. Prior to that, Payne, who has more than 20 years of experience in the brewing and beverage industry, held roles with Budweiser Budvar UK, BrewDog and Marston’s. In his new role, Payne will oversee all aspects of the Brains operations, including brand, sales, marketing and further securing and developing the future of the brewer. He said: “I’m looking forward to my next opportunity, but until then, my focus is continuing the success Cygnet has seen across the UK and global markets as we continue our meteoric brand growth.”

 

Shake Shack to strengthen regional presence with Cambridge opening: US better burger brand Shake Shack is to strengthen its regional presence with an opening in Cambridge. The site, which will open next year, marks its 19th in the UK. The exact location of the restaurant has not been revealed. Shake Shack is also opening a site in Birmingham’s Grand Central shopping scheme, adding to its other regional locations in Cardiff and Oxford. Shake Shack also has 14 London sites – with a 15th set to launch in the former RBS premises at 78 Notting Hill Gate – plus restaurants at Gatwick airport and Lakeside in Essex. Last month, Diverse Dining, which operates Shake Shack in the UK, reported turnover increased to a record £49,014,248 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £44,182,914 the previous year. Pre-tax losses narrowed to £764,005 from £4,589,546 the year before. 

 

Bam Karaoke Box hires Andy Dempster as UK manager: Bam Karaoke Box, the France-based, high-end karaoke brand that made its debut in the UK earlier this year, has hired Andy Dempster as country manager for the UK. Dempster, who was previously operations director at the Romet Group, which operates the Figo brand, and head of operations at Busaba, is joining to help Bam establish a footprint in the UK. As revealed by Propel last summer, Bam, which was founded in France in 2014 by Arnaud Studer, made its UK debut earlier this year, in the capital’s Victoria Street. Bam, which stands for Boîte à Musique (music box), launched a 10,000 square-foot venue, which became the largest karaoke venue in Europe. It features 22 private karaoke rooms, a bar, outdoor terrace and a live music stage and DJ booth. The business currently operates eight sites across France and Spain, including five in Paris and two in Madrid. It is thought that bam will look to open further sites in the UK. 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 is available to Premium Club members. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

 

Latvian patisserie concept set to make UK debut: Latvian patisserie concept Cruffins is set to make its UK debut after securing a site in London’s West End. The concept, which combines a croissant and a muffin, is set to make its debut here in February after securing a prime retail space spanning 181 Drury Lane and 12 Stukeley Street. Cruffins currently operates a site in Riga, Latvia, where its flagship store has quickly become a “cornerstone of the city’s coffee culture”. The Riga unit serves more than 250 cups of coffee daily, alongside more than 300 signature cruffins. The London opening will be managed by Sight Group, with investment backing from the Amberstone Group. With a proven track record of success in Latvia, the company said it is confident that its unique combination of flavour and atmosphere will resonate with the London market. Salvatore Di Natale, of CDG Leisure, acted on the Drury Lane deal.

 

We Do Play preparing to open its biggest trampoline park yet, in Leeds: We Do Play, the multi-concept experiential leisure operator behind Putt Putt Social and Flip Out in the UK, is preparing to open its biggest trampoline park yet, in Leeds. Through a multimillion-pound investment, it will open a 100,000 square-foot site in Plateworks, in Coal Road in Whinmoor, next year, featuring more than 150 interconnected trampolines, airbags, basketball, reaction walls and a dodgeball court. It will also include an 18,000 square-foot inflatable area, a laser quest, an entire zone of “super slides”, a ninja obstacle course, a drift bike arena, a roller disco, interactive football pitches, a backyard football zone, soft play, an arcade area and state-of-the-art dodgems. We Do Play co-owner Richard Beese said: “This is a centre like no other. This site is so big we will introduce some stand-alone concepts too, making it the ultimate entertainment destination in Yorkshire.” We Do Play is also set to open new Flip Out sites in Coventry and Watford this year, bringing the number of parks it operates in the UK to 35. Beese told Propel earlier this month that Flip Out is “thriving” and that the new concept it is rolling out here, Canadian active play concept Activate, will be a “game changer”. 

 

Jamie Oliver to open new London cookery school and café in John Lewis Oxford Street: Jamie Oliver is set to open a new cookery school and café within the John Lewis in London’s Oxford Street. Opening in the spring of 2025, the new venues will span more than 4,600 square feet. The cookery school will offer a range of more than 40 classes, taught in two classrooms that each accommodate up to 24 guests, as well as a demo kitchen and event space. The café, meanwhile, will seat 50 and serve coffee, sparkling wine, salads, filled focaccias and a range of sweet treats – cooked fresh on-site. Jamie Oliver Group chief executive Kevin Styles said: “This is the next step in growing the footprint of the Jamie Oliver Cookery School across the UK and internationally, and central to making Jamie’s stripped back, chef-inspired food accessible to everyone.” Group director Ed Loftus added: “This is an exciting step in the evolution of the Jamie Oliver Cookery School – our cookery school in Jamie Oliver headquarters in north London has seen double-digit like-for-like growth since it first opened.” In its accounts for the year to 31 December 2023, published in August, Jamie Oliver Enterprises said turnover from its cookery school increased from £795,283 to £986,433. The business as a whole reported turnover of £27,070,623 (2022: £23,604,051) for the period, while pre-tax profit declined from £5,444,909 to £3,350,523. Sales were boosted by the opening of its new Catherine Street restaurant in Central London towards the end of the year, which contributed turnover of £335,983.

 

Social Pantry names Mark McQuater as new chairman: Social Pantry, the London operator and events caterer backed by Edition Capital, has hired Mark McQuater, the former chief executive of Revolution and Barracuda, as its new chairman. McQuater, who is also currently chair of the Parogon Group, Deckhouse and Professionals at Play, takes over the role from James Spragg, who stepped down earlier this year. Spragg, the former chief executive of Casual Dining Group, was named as the new managing director of Deckhouse, the all-day dining cafe and bar concept, earlier this year. Social Pantry currently works with more than 70 iconic venues across London and the UK including Somerset House, The National Gallery and The Royal Academy of Arts. Last month, Social Pantry announced it had achieved B Corp certification. The business, founded in 2011 by Alex Head, is now officially verified as meeting “high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability”.

 

Scottish family bakery to open sixth Glasgow site and 69th overall: Scottish family bakery Baynes is set to open its sixth site in Glasgow and 69th overall. Baynes took to social media to reveal it will be opening a new location in Saracen Street in Possilpark, reports the Glasgow Times. The post said it is “coming soon” to 247- 249 Saracen Street, joining its other Glasgow locations in Buchanan bus station, Cardonald, Govan Cross, Hillington drive-thru and Tollcross. Having originally opened in Fife in the 1950s, where the flagship store is still situated, Baynes is a traditional family-run business that has been expanding into the west of Scotland, with bakeries recently opening in places like Motherwell, East Kilbride, Barrhead and Renfrew.

 

Hotel operator DTP Hospitality ‘recovers strongly’ from covid as it returns to profit, undergoes £310m refinancing: Hotel operator DTP Hospitality has said the business has recovered strongly since the covid pandemic as it reported a return to profit. In September 2024, the group completed the refinancing of loan facilities amounting to £310m. The company reported turnover increased to a record £144,894,000 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £128,799,000 the previous year. Of this, £97,588,000 came from accommodation (2022: £86,973,000), £40,053,000 from food and beverage (2022: £35,559,000), £3,245,000 from spa and leisure (2022: £2,692,000) and £4,008,000 in other income (2022: £3,575,000). The company posted a pre-tax profit of £41,877,000 compared with a loss of £26,584,000 the year before after a reversal of impairment on land and buildings of £55,814,000. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The hotels have continued to grow strongly since the significant rebound in trading performance from covid noted in the prior year, and performance relative to the market has been encouraging with the hotel industry recovering well from covid, which has seen a strong rate-driven recovery, owing to the resurgence of domestic, corporate and inbound hotel demand. The increase in revpar, average daily rate and occupancy has helped to offset the high levels of wage inflation, inflationary pressures on overheads, rising energy costs and the impact of the war in Ukraine, representing a strong finish to the year despite the challenges in the market conditions. The continued improvement in trading performance together with the uplift in property valuations support the directors’ view the business has demonstrated a strong recovery with a return to profitability in the year.” No dividend was paid (2022: nil). The group, which was incorporated in 2019 and employs around 1,150 staff, comprises 12 Holiday Inns, three Crowne Plazas, three Best Westerns and one independent hotel – Cambridge Garden House.

 

Former Crepeaffaire operations director secures fourth south east site: Jon Abrahams, formerly operations director at Crepeaffaire and Le Pain Quotidien, has secured his fourth restaurant in the south east, in Arundel, West Sussex. Abrahams has added the former Prezzo and Thai Time restaurant in Arundel High Street to his Jonny's Restaurant Group vehicle. The site will reopen under the company’s Jonny’s concept, with the company aiming for an opening before Christmas. The business currently operates Jonny’s in Worthing and Goring and Kooks in Brighton. Abrahams said: “A huge thanks to my brilliant team who work tirelessly day in day out to deliver fantastic food and service to our wonderful customers and have given me the confidence to grow the business. We are looking forward to delighting the people of Arundel with our great breakfasts, lunches, extensive wine, superb cocktails and evening small plates!” Abraham, who was operations director at Crepeaffaire for a year and a half, launched his debut restaurant, Jonny’s, in Worthing in 2019.

 

Team behind Dom’s Subs set to launch new burger shack in London’s Netil Market: The team behind Dom’s Subs, the sandwich concept in London’s Hackney, is set to launch a new burger shack in Netil Market. Greg Boyce and Dom Sheringham, who founded Dom’s Subs in 2020 and have grown it to three locations across the capital, will next month open Jupiter Burger in the market, at 13-23 Westgate Street. Taking over the former Lucky Chips space, it will serve up California-inspired beef and veggie burgers as well as fries, soda and beer, reports Hot Dinners. The eponymous Jupiter Burger will be a lightly smashed beef burger with shaved onion on a Martins potato roll with mustard, ketchup, pickles, onion, tomato and lettuce. Boyce said the idea came from a trip to Los Angeles. “Burger culture in the city runs deep, and I know that London is having a bit of a smash burger moment, but I think there's just so much more to do in the Burgersphere,” he added. “Also, if you think of a hamburger as a type of sandwich, it’s not so far-fetched that Dom’s Subs would move into the burger world.” Earlier this year, Boyce opened a bar called Rasputins, in the former Deep Cuts bar at 171 Mare Street in London Fields.

 

Harrison Leisure sees turnover rise but profit fall in ‘challenging year’: Holiday park operator Harrison Leisure saw its turnover rise but profit fall in what it said was a “challenging year” to 31 December 2023. The business, which operates nine holiday parks across the north west, north east and Suffolk, reported a rise in turnover from £30,011,488 to £35,088,941. As previously reported, the business acquired its ninth site during the year, in August 2023. The company’s pre-tax profit fell from £6,917,441 in 2022 to £3,929,192 as costs rose by almost £4m and administration expenses by more than £4m. Employee numbers were up from 149 to 190. Dividends of £340,000 were paid (2022: £631,000). Director Michael Harrison said: “2023 has been a challenging year for our industry showing an economic downturn. The directors and leadership team have had to be agile, adaptable and responsive to the industry, turning to innovative systems and processes to further the organisations future proofing and efficiencies. We expect these challenges to continue and plan to respond by increasing connections inside and outside the business.”

 

Team behind The Tamil Prince and The Tamil Crown set to open second site for its south Indian street food concept: The team behind The Tamil Prince and The Tamil Crown pubs in Islington is set to open a second site for its south Indian street food concept, Tamil. Former Roti King executive chef Prince Durairaj and ex-Market Halls operations director Glen Leeson launched Tamila in the Hackney Bridge food court in 2021 before last month opening its first permanent venue, in Northcote Road, Clapham. They are now set to open a second Tamil location, at 6-8 Caledonian Road near King’s Cross station. Opening next month, it will offer south Indian-inspired curries such as mutton curry dosa, paneer butter masala and Chettinad lamb curry, reports Hot Dinners. Leeson is also a former general manager at JKS, while Durairaj worked in various kitchens across London before teaming up with Leeson at Roti King, the pan-Asian restaurant in Euston.

 

London Italian restaurant Artusi to open in Soho theatre for second site: London Italian restaurant concept Artusi is to open a second site. Founder and head chef Jack Beer is opening the restaurant on Friday, 1 November at the Underbelly Bouevard theatre in Soho, in the first-floor space previously occupied by Cafe Kitty, which has closed after nine months. Artusi specialises in seasonal produce and fresh pasta dishes and currently operates a site in Peckham, which opened in 2014. The menu changes throughout the week and is served alongside a selection of Italian wine. Beer said: “Soho is the ultimate dining location, and Underbelly is the perfect fit for our down to earth neighbourhood style restaurant.” Beer is also behind another Italian restaurant, Marcella in Deptford, which opened in 2017. 

 

Lancashire steak concept where meat is served on lava rocks opens third site: Lancashire steak concept The Firepit, where meat is served on lava stones, has opened its third site. Peter Novak founded The Firepit in 2014, first launching in Rawtensall and serving up steaks, burgers, hanging kebabs, pan-seared fish, salads and cocktails. The steaks are served via a 350-degree lava rock that allows the meat to be cooked at the table until it is done to how the customer likes, reports the Manchester Evening News. Following the opening of a second location, in Blackburn, it has now launched in Greater Manchester for the first time, in a former Frankie & Benny’s unit in Bury’s The Rock shopping centre. The Firepit offers a bottomless brunches menu, featuring two courses for £19.95, and a date night special comprising three courses for £29.95. Novak said: “Opening a restaurant in Bury town centre has been an ambition of ours for a number of years and we are excited to now be making that a reality. The Firepit is a firm favourite among many diners in Rawtenstall and Blackburn, and we are looking forward to bringing that same dining experience to the people of Bury.”

 

Isle of Man pizza and pasta concept closing in on first mainland site: Isle of Man pizza and pasta concept Just Pizza & Pasta is closing in on its first mainland site. The restaurant was launched in Douglas in 2016 by Mitch Sorbie, who previously ran several nightclubs in Glasgow and one on the island. Sorbie launched a franchise programme at the end of last year and told Propel he is aiming for an eventual estate of more than 30 sites. Propel understands a first franchise location is “nearly across the line”, in Manchester, and that Sorbie is looking to open a company-owned restaurant in the city too. He added that the Isle of Man restaurant is doing “really well” in a “very competitive” catchment area, with more restaurants per head of population than his native Glasgow. “We are doing 1,200 to 1,500 covers a week and our repeat business is phenomenal,” he added.

 

Italian sandwich shop concept opens in London’s Mayfair, plans further sites: Italian sandwich shop concept Focaccia Factory has opened its debut site in London’s Mayfair, Propel has learned. Focaccia Factory has opened at 6 Shepherd Street ahead of a planned roll out of further locations. The business, incorporated last summer by Guiseppe Aprovidolo, offers “freshly made focaccia sandwiches where traditional Italian flavours meet the heart and soul of London’s vibrant culinary scene”. TCPW acted for Focaccia Factory.