Caffe Nero – we’ve been approached by a number of coffee businesses seeking investment: Gerry Ford, founder and chief executive of the Nero Group, the owner of Caffe Nero and Coffee#1, has said the company has been approached by a number of smaller coffee businesses regarding investment and part of the reason the company has several brands is to remain differentiated and “prevent a ubiquitous moment”. Over the past few weeks, Nero Group, which has more than 790 stores in the UK, and approximately 1,100 stores across ten countries, has acquired transport hub coffee business FCB Coffee and 200 Degrees, the coffee roaster and retailer. Ford told Propel: “We are an independent, family-owned business that has scale. Communicating that and trying to get people to understand is key. That's why we have had more success with people trying to sell their businesses and coming to us and saying, we think it fits better with you. You wouldn't believe how many people are coming to us now. Some of it is because of that reputation, and some of it is because they're just stuck and they don't have anywhere to go. They’re probably looking at a number of people, but if you look at who's gaining market share and who has a bit of scale, we fit into that category. And if you are an independent operator trying to figure out what to do with your business, we have started to become a logical go-to player.” Ford said the business currently has growth in “every single market we're in, as well as in every brand”. He said: “So as opposed to a lot of people who are trying to reconceive their identity or to reconfigure their business in order to have the business model work, ours is about how to manage that growth and those growth opportunities, because literally, in each country, we have a massive amount of opportunity. We don't have an endless amount of cash for growth, and we don't have an endless amount of human capital or management team for growth, but what we'll probably do is have small chunks of growth in every single market, which in total, will add up to a reasonable pace of growth overall for the group. We would look at opening 100 new sites a year, give or take.” Ford said one of the reasons the business likes to have a number of brands is to prevent a “ubiquitous moment like you might have with Costa in this country, or Starbucks in the US, where the feeling is there's just too many of them, they're not special anymore, and they're not differentiated”. He said: “I'm trying to preserve Caffe Nero from ending up like that. Yes, I've got a portfolio play, but if you have a brand that's high quality, and you have an entrepreneurial spirit behind it, why not tap into that and let them go. I've been doing this a long time, and so has my management team, and we can help them do what they're already doing well, better.”

Premium Club members to receive next Turnover & Profits Blue Book tomorrow featuring more than 1,000 companies, videos from Multi-Club Conference on 22 November: Premium Club members will receive the next Turnover & Profits Blue Book tomorrow (Friday, 15 November), at noon. The database will feature 114 updated accounts and 16 new companies, taking the total to 1,110. A total of 644 companies are making a profit while 376 are making a loss. The Blue Book is updated each month and ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors' earnings for the past five years. Premium Club members will also receive all the videos from the final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024 on Friday, 22 November, at 9am. They include Ben Lacey, managing director of Insomnia Cookies UK, who discusses the late-night bakery brand’s entry into the UK market, creating a highly engaged community on social media – especially with Generation Z consumers, and its ambition to build a nationwide presence. Meanwhile, Emma Bernardez, head of hospitality at haysmacintyre, talks to Lizzie Ryan, partner at Imbiba, Robin Rowland, partner at TriSpan, Andrew Fishwick, founder of Hestia, and Craig Rachel, director at AlixPartners, about the current investment market, where the buyer activity is centred and what is the current investment criteria in a volatile market. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, the New Openings Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the Who's Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Clubs members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including 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.

  

Harden’s – London restaurant market experiencing longest prolonged period of low growth in last quarter of a century: London diners are enjoying superior quality restaurants but with an ever-shorter lifespan, the new edition of Harden’s London Restaurants notes. Growth and churn rates suggest the capital’s restaurant market is experiencing the longest prolonged period of low growth in the last quarter of a century, it said. However, a continuing influx of new restaurants achieving high acclaim shows London is still holding its own when it comes to quality. In the last 12 months, the guide has added 132 newcomers, with only two years showing lower levels of openings since 2010. The rate of closures stands at 84 – not exceptional by the standards of 2013-2017 but high compared with most years post-2000 – while this year’s net growth rate of 48 is the sixth-lowest rate since 2000. Harden’s co-founder Peter Harden said while the data indicates a market reaching a state of maturity, the responses in Harden’s diners poll indicates a vibrant dining scene in the capital. “It is becoming increasingly clear that growth in London’s restaurants is stuck in low gear and has been for some time,” he added. “This trend was masked in part by the pandemic – low growth had seemed to be a consequence of covid-19 from which recovery would be imminent – but it’s now becoming clear that it was reflective of something deeper. Now, with our third year of data post-pandemic, this is looking like a seven-year flatline. But although London’s restaurant market is exhibiting a similar level of low growth to that experienced in the early nineties, the calibre of the eateries populating the city is a far cry from what was on offer 30 years ago.” Harden said even good restaurants can fail to turn a profit now, with so many offerings in a relatively fixed pool of dining spend. The lifespan of restaurants also appears to be getting shorter, contributing to the significant rate of closures, but price inflation is at last abating, with this year seeing a more reasonable 4.4% uplift in prices (compared with 9.2% last year). Harden added: “It’s important to not look at this too bleakly. The dining scene is still incredibly interesting and vibrant, but renewal is a problem. In this unforgiving market, restaurants are getting a shorter period in the sun in which to make their mark and secure their future. But we are seeing newcomers making an immediate impact, as demonstrated by The Devonshire in Soho, which leapt straight to the top of this year’s best bar and pub category. Compared with 30 years ago, we’re getting more quality openings, but the market that they are entering is a harder one, and how long they will endure is the big question.”

CMA starts dynamic pricing project: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has begun a project looking at how dynamic pricing is being used across different sectors of the economy. The project will gather views from businesses in various industries – including travel and leisure – that are using pricing practices that may be considered dynamic pricing. The CMA will also engage with a number of stakeholders, such as consumer groups and other regulators, to obtain their views. The watchdog said the project will consider different scenarios where dynamic pricing strategies are being used, commercial and consumer benefits of dynamic pricing strategies, and whether dynamic pricing strategies create challenges for consumers and competition. The CMA said the work will help inform government’s consideration of the issues raised by dynamic pricing, for example, as part of its upcoming call for evidence on price transparency in the live events sector. The CMA stressed the project is not a formal investigation, nor is it a formal market study or market investigation, and is separate to its investigation into the sale of Oasis concert tickets by Ticketmaster. Pub groups such as Mitchells & Butlers are using dynamic pricing at some venues, while Merlin Entertainments introduced the practice earlier this year.

Wahaca co-founder – we’ve been ‘inundated’ with offers from technology companies to replace human workers: Mark Selby, chief executive and co-founder of Mexican-inspired restaurant group Wahaca, has said that since the Budget he has been “inundated” with offers from technology companies to replace human workers. He told the Daily Mail: “Hospitality is about creating a nice experience for people. But more and more, people are going ‘why wouldn’t you look at robots and different ways of halving your workforce’?”. He said that Labour’s treatment of the industry feels “utterly unacceptable” and further calls into question the chancellor’s claim that her Budget would “protect working people”. Selby said: “It feels very ill-thought-out. You don’t create economic growth by hitting the biggest workforce groups and making it harder for them to grow.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a group of Mediterranean restaurants based in London that is looking for a head chef. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The head chef will be ambitious and passionate about fresh quality food. They will get excellent systems and support network from the company head office teams.” The salary is up to £60,000. For more information, email olly@corecruitment.com.

 

Fuller’s CEO – strength of balance sheet gives us flexibility to look at opportunities, our estate has never been in better shape: Simon Emeny, chief executive of Fuller’s, has told Propel that he expects the business to continue to gain market share, and when it comes to possible opportunities to add to its estate, the strength of its balance sheet “gives us that flexibility going forward”. It comes after Fuller’s reported strong current trading, with like-for-like sales up 5.4% this financial year and Christmas bookings up 15%. The company also said it is “positive and optimistic” about the future despite the “challenges” posed by the Budget. Emeny said: “They way we have built our teams and the way that we've invested in understanding our customers so well, we expect further momentum going into the second half [of the financial year]. For example, looking at the way our customers spend, and the places in which they choose to do so, has also opened new opportunities and encouraged us to push initiatives we know our customers like – such as prix fixe menus across some of our rural estate. It is early days, but we are excited by the opportunity to use this to build lunch and early evening trade. Running a similar offer across a number of sites also allows us to better leverage marketing opportunities such as paid social media. We’re very committed to the things that make pubs successful, such as the internal investment that we make in our pubs and the fact that we’ve doubled down on training and development. We also continue to be a place where people want to come and work to develop their careers. And I think that if you get those things right, alongside the continued evolution of our food and drink offer, and you put that in line with the investment we've made in marketing and digital, in particular, then I’m optimistic that we'll gain mark share.” Emeny said the company’s estate has never been in better shape thanks to the actions the business has taken over the last two years. He said: “The transfer of 23 managed pubs to our tenanted inns division, followed by the sale of 37 tenanted pubs to Admiral Taverns has left us with a first-class tenanted estate and the addition of the beautiful Lovely Pubs estate to our managed pubs and hotels division, has enhanced this part of our business. Lovely Pubs has settled in really well. Geographically it fits very well with us, and the way that Paul [Salisbury] and his wife run the business is very much along the same values as Fuller’s. It has well investing pubs, beautiful outside areas. It's a natural fit for us. We are three months in and delighted with the progress.” The business said it would continue to look to take advantage of “organic and organic opportunities”. Emeny said: “I look back to the global financial crisis of 2008-09 and by continuing to focus on what we do best, as I said about investment in our properties, investment in our people, continue to develop the offer, we were able to gain market share, and we were able to make some outstanding, long-term acquisitions. I think the strength of the balance sheet gives us that flexibility going forward.”

Wendy’s launches mobile app, could trial AI here and exploring travel hub opportunities: Wendy’s, the third-largest quick service restaurant brand in the US, has launched a mobile app in the UK, could trial artificial intelligence (AI) here and is also exploring travel hub opportunities. “Digital is here to stay,” Michael Clarke, managing director of Wendy’s UK and Europe, told the Propel Multi-Club Conference. “We see about 60% of orders in our restaurants come through kiosks, while the rest come through aggregators, drive-thru or people still wanting to order at a cash register, and we’re focused on designing an asset that supports each revenue stream. The one thing we haven’t had to this point is a mobile app. We’ve just launched it in two restaurants and will roll it out across our estate by the end of this year. We know delivery is here to stay, but the question is how to start being able to keep that data so we can allow access to exclusive offers. We’ve been trialling AI at our drive-thrus in the US – its early doors, but the results are really encouraging, so that could be an opportunity we implement here in the UK and across Europe. Travel hubs could very much happen too, nothing is off the table.” Clarke also said the brand decided to return here three years ago as it sees the UK as “a strategic market” where “there is still a huge opportunity”. He added: “We now have an offering we think will really work with the British consumer. We can really sweat our assets – we’ve got breakfast, we’re open until 2am most days, and also got delivery, which is really profitable as a revenue stream. When we came into the market, a lot of UK consumers were habitual, so we’ve had to work to get them to change their habits. We used a campaign called ‘cheat on your usual’ to launch in Liverpool, where we achieved record global sales. We will continue to stay in our lane, be great at operating restaurants, look at what’s happening in terms of consumer demand and pivot the offering to support that.” Clarke was among the speakers at the Propel Multi-Club Conference. His video and the 12 others from the conference will be made available to Premium Club members on Friday, 22 November, 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.

Puttshack promotes Andrew Willett to UK MD: Indoor mini golf experience Puttshack has promoted Andrew Willett to managing director of its UK division, Propel has learned. Willett joined Puttshack from Social Entertainment Ventures in January 2020 as UK financial director and was promoted to group finance director in July 2022. He will now oversee Puttshack’s four UK locations – Bank and White City in London, Watford in Hertfordshire and Lakeside in Essex. Last week, Puttshack opened its 16th US venue – and 20th globally – at the High Street development in Dunwoody, Atalanta.

Dessert brand Chocoberry lines up six new locations as it relaunches franchise programme: Dessert brand Chocoberry has lined up six new locations as it relaunches its franchise programme. The business, founded in Leicester in 2018 by Kashif Razzaq, has since grown to 14 UK sites, including four in its home city. Chocoberry also had three overseas locations – two in Dubai and one in Toronto, Canada. The new locations are set to be in London’s Leyton and Wembley, plus Peterborough, Bristol, Coventry and a further Leicestershire site. The new franchise programme will see Chocoberry outlets available in four models – flagship, café, express and virtual.

 

SSP signs deal for Lithuanian debut: SSP Group, the operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, has signed a deal to make its debut in Lithuania. SSP has secured a seven-year agreement at Vilnius airport, where the group will introduce six new units, with the first expected to begin trading in 2025. These will include a Burger King and a bespoke concept tailor-made for the Lithuanian market called Vilnius Bar & Bistro – Le Grand Comptoir. SSP will also open a Factory Bar and Kitchen plus in-house brands Ritazza, Upper Crust and Soul + Grain. SSP Nordics chief executive Bente Brevik said: “We’re delighted to be a part of the exciting project at Vilnius airport to elevate the passenger experience. It’s a testament to the hard work and know-how of our teams that Lithuanian Airports has decided to partner with us for these new food and beverage outlets.” Lithuanian Airports’ chief commercial officer Gintarė Norvilaitė-Tautevičė added: “Having seen first-hand the quality of SSP’s operations at many of the world’s leading airports, we’re certain that the food and beverage offering coming to Vilnius will enhance the experience of passengers traveling to and from the city. As we enter an exciting phase of redevelopment at Vilnius Airport, SSP’s ability to provide a brand mix and concepts that capture the charm and vibrancy of Lithuania with menus that appeal to our broad passenger base stands us in good stead.”

 

Giggling Squad gets green light for Liverpool site: Giggling Squid, the Thai restaurant brand backed by the Business Growth Fund, has received the go ahead to develop a new restaurant in Liverpool. The Andy Laurillard-led business intends to occupy the lower ground floor and upper ground floors of 25-27 Castle Street. The grade II-listed building is located next to Castle Street Townhouse and is currently occupied by Point Blank. The application has now been approved by Liverpool City Council, reports Insider Media. In September, the 51-strong group reported restaurant turnover increased 4.3% to £76.4m for the year ending 31 March 2024, up from £73.3m in the prior year. Post year-end, it has opened restaurants in London’s Muswell Hill and Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quays, with further sites being lined up in York, Exeter and Leeds. Co-founder Laurillard told Propel that the company had a “pretty full pipeline”, adding: “We are still acquiring, and we are seeing some good quality assets come available.”

 

Roxy Leisure confirms spring opening for debut London site for Roxy Ball Room: Roxy Leisure has confirmed a spring opening for a debut London site for its Roxy Ball Room brand. Propel revealed last year that Roxy Leisure – part of the Professionals at Play portfolio that includes Roxy Lanes, Roxy Ball Room, King Pins and Star Pins – was lining up an opening in Exchequer Court, St Mary Axe, in the City. Roxy Ball Room will now open there in the spring, offering tech darts, basketball, beer pong, duck pin bowling, ping pong, shooting pods, pool, tech shuffle, karaoke, ice-free curling and crazy pool. Joel Mitchell, Roxy Leisure’s marketing director, said: “We will be bringing Roxy Ball Room to the capital for the first-time next year after spending the last decade cementing our name across the hospitality scene in the north. We understand that opening a venue in the capital is a whole new ball game, which is why we’ve spent a great deal of time researching and sourcing the right site for the Roxy Ball Room brand.” Founded by Matt and Ben Jones in 2013, Roxy Leisure has since grown to 11 Roxy Ball Room and eight Roxy Lanes sites. Having rebranded as Professionals at Play this summer, the business is now split into Roxy Leisure, which operates the Roxy Lanes and Roxy Ball Room brands, and Pins Leisure, which operates the family-orientated King Pins and Star Pins brands. King Pins currently had two sites in Manchester, with a Bristol location also lined up, while new concept Star Pins will launch next month in Coventry.

 

Wingers opens in Congleton, two more to follow by end of 2024: Buttermilk fried chicken restaurant concept Wingers has opened in Congleton for its 13th site, with two more launches to follow by the end of 2024. The business, set up during the pandemic by brothers Amran and Dylan Sunner and their dad Bill out of a kitchen in Birmingham, has opened at 2 Barn Road in the Cheshire town. Franchise consultant Anthony Round said: “On to Stafford next, then Wellingborough to give us 15 by year end. We already have a great pipeline for 2025, so it will be an exciting time.” In September, Wingers, which plans to open 50 new stores over the next four years, reported 59.5% growth in like-for-like sales figures between August 2023 and August 2024 for its established franchised restaurants – with one store seeing its sales quadruple. The business is now inviting further franchise applications in key development areas, including the north east and north west, and on the M1 and M6 corridors, and is also looking to expand in Scotland. 

 

Stack unveils vendor line up for Middlesbrough site: Leisure venue concept Stack has unveiled the vendor line up for its new site in Middlesbrough. The scheme – which is being created at the undercroft where the A66 flyover meets Exchange Square – will feature five vendors. Among these will be a tenth outlet for Greek food specialists Acropolis, which has been a regular at the town’s Orange Pip Market for the past seven years. “We love Middlesbrough, and we have lots of customers who come to eat our food at Orange Pip Market,” said Filip Tachan, co-founder of Acropolis. “It’s a great place, and we have loved meeting so many people over the past few years, so when the opportunity to be part of Stack Middlesbrough came up, we didn’t hesitate.” Joining Acropolis will be Bao Down, run by Alex Hindson, which offers a range of filled bao buns, gyozas, katsu curries and loaded fries, and which has also been a regular at the Orange Pip Market. The other vendors will be premium burger business Brack Burger, duck wraps concept Holy Duck and pizza business Zza Pizzeria. Stack Middlesbrough will also have three bars, along with a central plaza with seating and a stage for live entertainment. The venue will comprise 25 shipping containers, which are currently being put in place, with an early December launch planned. Stack currently operates three sites, in Sunderland, Lincoln and Newcastle. Other projects in the pipeline include a second site in Newcastle as well as venues in Manchester, Whitley Bay, Durham, Bishop Auckland, Carlisle, Northampton, Leeds, Wigan and Sheffield.

Fletchergate Industries to open tenth site: Fletchergate Industries, which is behind Nottingham venues including The Hockley Arts Club and Das Kino, is to open its tenth site. The company is launching “tiki hideaway” Tahula’s Tiki Shack at the end of the month. Located in Carlton Street, Tahula’s Tiki Shack will occupy the former lower floor of Hockley Arts Club, which will continue to operate on the top two floors, but with a new hidden entrance “for added intrigue”. Dan Ellis, chief executive of Fletchergate Industries, said: “We’re always passionate about delivering unique experiences that set our venues apart. Tahula’s will offer Nottingham something fresh – a space to unwind in a tropical escape with inventive cocktails, great music, and unbeatable beach vibes.”

PureGym receives court approval for $121m deal for US operator Blink Fitness: PureGym, Britain’s biggest health and fitness club operator, has received court approval for its acquisition of US operator Blink Fitness for $121m. In September, Propel reported that PureGym was looking to expand in the US – where it currently has three gyms – after its subsidiary, Pinnacle Holdings US, entered into an asset purchase agreement (APA) with Blink Fitness, which filed for bankruptcy in August. Pure Gym’s winning bid includes up to 67 sites from the Blink Fitness portfolio in New York and New Jersey – subject to the APA being approved – with the right to reject a number of those if suitable rent reductions from landlords are not forthcoming. The APA has now been approved by the US Bankruptcy Court. Humphrey Cobbold, chairman of PureGym, said: “We are delighted with the court approval, which sets us well on the way to completion later this year. This is a transformational moment for PureGym in the USA.” PureGym currently has around two million members across more than 600 gyms in six countries. The group was launched in the UK in 2009, where it has 387 gyms. PureGym is jointly owned by Leonard Green & Partners, KKR and more than 100 members of the group’s management team.

Team behind Italian restaurant business Figo set to open new Greek restaurant: The team behind the three-strong Italian restaurant business Figo in London and Essex is set to open a new Greek restaurant. Hera, named after the Greek goddess, will open at 4 Arber Way in Stratford Cross on Thursday, 21 November – championing Greek cuisine and seasonal ingredients. Menu highlights include a selection of classic mezze including anchovies, kalamata olives and dips like tarama, tzatziki, and melitzanao to start with. Other dishes include vegetable moussaka, grilled baby chicken with herb salt, beef meatballs, lamb chops, grilled octopus, wild sea bass and calamari. The 200-seater restaurant also has its own cocktail lounge, offering signature cocktails and Greek wine. As well as three Figo sites, owner Tony Manconi is also behind neighbourhood Italian restaurants Bella Vita in Hackney and Venerdi in Homerton.

Portfolio that features sites let to Loungers and Costa brought to market with £7.5m guide price: A portfolio of nine properties let to retail and leisure operators, including Loungers, Cote and Costa, has been brought to the market, with a collective £7.5m guide price. The portfolio, which is being marketed by Eddisons, includes 24 The Promenade in Cheltenham, the Loungers venue in Malvern and two Costa outlets in Bolton and Norfolk. Stephen Hawkins, Eddisons’ regional managing partner, said: “These are diverse and high-performing assets that we have been instructed to sell as a whole or individually. A strong tenant profile includes Costa, Vodafone, Barclays Bank, Loungers UK, Cote and health testing company Randox.” The nine properties that make up the portfolio are located in Bolton and Hoylake in the north west, Stafford, Malvern and Cheltenham in the west and Midlands, Newbury, Chichester and Lewes in the south east, and Downham Market in East Anglia.

North east fish and chip operator Downey’s to open fine dining restaurant: North east fish and chip operator Downey’s is launching its first fine dining restaurant. Downey’s former unit at Stack Seaburn in Sunderland has undergone a £200,000 refurbishment to create the 34-cover restaurant, which will offer a range of menus, along with a special Sunday lunch offering, and opens on Friday (15 November). The à la carte menu will operate from 5pm to 9pm, with starters of mussels, king prawns and a terrine of black pudding and chorizo among the dishes on offer. Mains will include lobster with thermidor butter, pan-seared hake and monkfish. Owner Glen Downey said: “We are excited to branch out and introduce our family-run fine dining restaurant, Seafood & Steak Co. We believe Sunderland has been missing an outstanding seafood and steak restaurant, and that’s exactly what we’re bringing to Stack Seaburn, a high-end dining experience that everyone can enjoy.” Downey’s operates three sites in Sunderland and one each in Houghton le Spring and Seaham.

 

Doh’hut founder Tom Stafford to open bakery and café in Leeds: Tom Stafford, the founder of doughnut concept Doh’hut, is to open a bakery and cafe for his third site in Leeds and fifth overall. Stafford is launching Bake early next year, which he said aims to “give the British bakery a renaissance”. Selling sweet and savoury pastries, bread, sandwiches and other baked goods, Bake will “combine the precision and artistry of French patisserie with renowned British classics”. Located in Mustard Wharf, the canal side café will have 30 indoor and 25 outdoor covers. Stafford said: “The whole ethos of Bake is based on nostalgia, creating classic and much-loved sweet and savoury bakes but making them the best they’ve ever tasted. We’ll be reinventing everyday favourites and taking them to the next level while creating a relaxing space for people to take a moment to really enjoy every bite.” Stafford launched Doh’hut in Leeds in 2020 and has since expanded it to Exmouth Market and Spitalfields in London. He is also behind sandwich shop Things in Bread that opened in Leeds in 2023.

Welsh café concept secures biggest site yet: Welsh café concept Haystack will open its third, and biggest site yet, next March, in Cardiff. The company, which was founded in 2018 and already operates sites in Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil, will open in Cowbridge Road in the Welsh capital’s Canton area, within an old Barclays unit. Haystack serves traditional meals in creative and quirky ways, in particular its farmers breakfast, which is brought to the table in a skillet frying pan. Director Liam Lazarus told Wales Online: “We’re going to be opening in Canton, towards the end of March, in Cowbridge Road, the old Barclays unit, which will be our biggest site to date, and then a fourth site hopefully to come – as a teaser – I’m looking at somewhere down west. I just want to continue to grow, I think being given such an opportunity by our customers, giving me the ability to grow into new sites, is so awesome and such a privilege, I feel it would be a shame if I didn’t go for it and keep growing and keep providing a good service. I feel obliged to try and put the Haystack in most towns in Wales.”

 

Independent London brewer set to launch new taproom: Independent London brewer, Pretty Decent Beer Co, is set to launch a new taproom. The company, which already has taprooms in Walthamstow and Forest Gate, will launch its latest site on Wednesday, 4 December at Bow Wharf in Grove Road Old Ford. The canalside building, near Victoria Park, used to be a distillery for East London Liquor Co. The new taproom will feature 12 Czech-style side-pour taps offering its range of beer as well as weekly specials, reports Hot Dinners. The 12-cover site will initially be launching with beer only, but with food trucks outside. From next year, the team behind East London Korean tacos and wings business Mexican Seoul will launch a new kitchen, Seouls of Mischief, there permanently. Sarah and James Casey founded Pretty Decent Beer Co in 2017.

 

Liverpool entrepreneurs transform ferry into £3.5m restaurant, bar and events space: Liverpool entrepreneurs Philip Olivier and Joshua Boyd are opening a new restaurant, bar and events space. Oliver, who runs site seeing tours, and Boyd, who runs festivals and events, are launching Daffodil on Monday, 9 December. Following a £3.5m transformation of the former Mersey Ferry, MV Royal Daffodil, the newly named “Daffodil” will be permanently moored in Canning Dock on Liverpool’s waterfront. The restaurant offering will be on the main deck of the ship and will serve modern British cuisine rooted in tradition. The Promenade bar area of Daffodil will be situated on the upper deck offering cocktails, Champagne, wine and beer as well as an all-day menu featuring a selection of small plates and light bites. Boyd said: “We’ve poured our hearts into restoring this iconic vessel and can’t wait to introduce it to the people of Liverpool and visitors from around the world.” The team also confirmed the Wheelhouse mini-museum exhibit, dedicated to the history of the Mersey Ferries, is still in the pipeline, pending funding. Olivier added: “Daffodil is not just another venue; it’s an iconic piece of Merseyside’s history reborn for a modern audience.”