Exclusive – Gavin Adair to step down as Rosa’s Thai CEO, to be succeeded by Sarah Hills: Gavin Adair is to step down as chief executive of Rosa’s Thai, the TriSpan-backed business, at the end of this year, after seven and a half years in the role, Propel has learned. Adair, who was previously commercial and strategy director at Wahaca and finance director at ASK Italian, will become a non-executive director of Rosa’s Thai, supporting the board and management team as they continue to grow the business. He joined the then ten-strong Rosa's Thai in 2017 and hands over the executive reins ahead of the brand opening its 44th site in the new year. He will be succeeded as its chief executive by Sarah Hills, who will join the business next week. Hills was most recently chief operating officer at Côte Brasserie, as well as previously being managing director at Megan’s, Bill’s and Wagamama. Rosa’s Thai was founded in 2008 by Alex and Saiphin Moore. TriSpan acquired a majority stake in the then 13-strong business in 2018. Adair said: “It was with a heavy heart that I made the decision it was time to seek a new challenge, and I’m grateful to TriSpan and the board for the opportunity to stay involved with Rosa’s, even as I do that. Alex and Saiphin trusted me to run their wonderful business all those years ago, so it’s great all three of us will continue to be involved in this next phase of its growth under Sarah and a hugely talented executive team.” Rosa’s recently opened in London’s Kingston, on the former Wildwood site in the High Street. The company, which has also opened in Richmond, Bristol and Norwich this year, has openings lined up for next year in the ex-TM Lewin site at 16 Promenade in Cheltenham, and at Jackson’s Corner in Reading. Last month, the business entered into partnerships with Uber Eats and Just Eat as its delivery providers following a departure from Deliveroo, which it has used as its exclusive delivery partner for seven years. 

 

Premium Club members to receive next Turnover & Profits Blue Book today 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 today (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 Tim Shield, partner at leading sector licensing firm John Gaunt, examining all the key legal developments that impacted multi-site operators in 2024, setting out the latest legislation impacting the industry, and analysing the immediate and long-term legislative commitments a new government must consider if it is to aid the sector’s return to growth. Meanwhile, Gillian Nicholson, sales director at Zonal, talks to Rosie Lewis-Marsh, advisor to Our Yummy Collection, and Kat Schofield, head of sales and marketing at Gusto, about customer loyalty in hospitality and how this compares with other sectors, including a deep dive into the DNA of loyalty and what that means outside of loyalty programmes and reward schemes. 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. In this week’s Premium Opinion, Graeme Smith, managing director at AlixPartners, models the Budget’s impact on the sector and what factors businesses need to be wary of to understand which sites have the headroom to absorb higher costs. Meanwhile, Elliott Goldstein, managing partner The MBS Group, examines the progress of equity, diversity and inclusion within the hospitality, travel and leisure industries, and the areas that need improvement, and Meaningful Vision chief executive Maria Vanifatova looks at what to expect with pricing next year following the Budget. 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.

Sir Tim Martin – unless we campaign for and achieve tax equality, we will be looking at the death of UK pubs: Sir Tim Martin has warned that unless pubcos and trade organisations campaign for, and achieve, tax equality, “we will be looking at the death of UK pubs”. The JD Wetherspoon chairman has long been a critic of the tax inequality between pubs and supermarkets, previously calling it the biggest threat to UK pubs and the wider hospitality industry. Writing exclusively in today’s (Friday, 15 November) Propel Friday Opinion, Sir Tim looks back at French businessman Jacques Borel’s failed attempt, a dozen or so years ago, to lead a campaign redressing the tax inequality between pubs/restaurants and supermarkets in the UK. Borel, known as the man who introduced fast food to France – opening the country’s first Wimpy in 1961 – had previously campaigned, with great success in other countries, obtaining large tax reductions for the hospitality industry. However, his campaign in the UK fell flat after failing to win the support of the big pubcos. In his article, Sir Tim outlines why he believes Borel was right all along and looks at the consequences if pubcos continue to fail to understand “the basic economics of tax inequality”. Sir Tim will share his views in today’s Propel Friday Opinion, which will be sent out at 11am.

 

UKHospitality Scotland – ‘latte levy’ would increase costs for consumers: UKHospitality Scotland has said a “latte levy” in the country would only serve to increase costs for consumers. The trade body said there is inadequate evidence to demonstrate that the proposed tax on single-use cups would meet the environmental aims of the scheme. In its response to the consultation on the issue, UKHospitality Scotland set out how a charge would disproportionately impact lower-income consumers. For example, it said a 25p charge on a £1.39 hot drink represents an 18% price increase, compared with a 7% price increase when the same charge is applied to a £3.50 hot drink. This, it said, would place a heavier burden on consumers with less disposable income. UKHospitality Scotland called on the Scottish government to instead collaborate with the sector on existing solutions, such as returnable cup and takeback schemes. “At a time when Scottish consumers are understandably being more discerning with their disposable income, the prospect of a tax on disposable cups is nonsensical,” said Leon Thompson, executive director of UKHospitality Scotland. “The ‘latte levy’ would increase the cost of an affordable drink, like a takeaway coffee, and disproportionately hit lower-income customers. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence and international precedent that sets out why this charge doesn’t work, and the Scottish government should save itself time and money by abandoning these proposals. There is already a number of initiatives to reduce the amount of single-use cups being used, and I would urge the Scottish government to focus its efforts on collaborating with businesses to build on this success rather than introducing an ineffective tax that will only penalise consumers.”

 

Experian-backed Reward acquires Hospitality Data Insights: Reward, the Experian-backed customer engagement and commerce media business, has acquired Hospitality Data Insights (HDI), the provider of card spending insight and pricing data to the UK hospitality sector. HDI currently delivers independent data solutions to more than 100 global and national brands in the hospitality and convenience sectors, including McDonald’s, PizzaExpress and Deliveroo. With a focus on high-spend, high-frequency sectors representing more than 20% of household spending, Reward said that HDI strengthens its capability to deliver significant consumer value, supporting the company’s commitment to deliver more than £2bn in rewards by 2025. Effective immediately, Darroch Bagshaw, managing director of HDI, will join Reward’s leadership team, reporting to chief executive Jamie Samaha. The companies said: “While HDI has been primarily servicing its global brands in the UK, Reward and HDI are well-positioned to scale their enhanced capabilities internationally. The combined efforts will start in the hospitality and convenience sectors and move into other high priority spend categories including convenience and grocery.” Bagshaw said: “HDI’s mission has always been to provide market-leading insights to businesses across the hospitality sector using accurate and actionable data. Reward’s endorsement of our services is testament to our aligned commitment to high quality data analytics that drive investment decisions for the world's largest retailers.”

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a high-end restaurant group on the verge of launching a new dining destination in Central London and is looking for an experienced general manager to oversee the venue. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The general manger should have a background in high-volume, upscale venues (£9m-plus turnover) who thrives on leadership and innovation. They will play a central role in shaping the launch and day-to-day operations of this two-floor venue, featuring a private dining room and bar. This role is ideal for a hands-on leader with an entrepreneurial spirit who is ready to create an extraordinary guest experience while steering the business to success.” The salary package is up to £120,000. For more information, email kate@corecruitment.com.

 

Young’s CEO – price increases will likely come in at around 2%-3%, to supercharge Ram Agency, consumers returning to classic pub dishes: Simon Dodd, chief executive of Young’s, has said the impact of the Budget is set to see the company increase prices by around “2%-3%” next year, but that its integration of City Pub Group provides a “huge opportunity” for the business to mitigate some cost headwinds. Young’s completed the acquisition of the 51-strong City Pubs business for £162m this spring. Four City Pub sites have subsequently had a refurbishment, including the Roundhouse in Wandsworth, south London, with average weekly takings subsequently up 12%. On the impact of the Budget, Dodd said: “You can look at it two ways. You can cut everything, try and mitigate the costs, or you can look at efficiencies. The way we’re approaching it is that City comes with a huge opportunity next year. We’re only at the start of the journey in realising the full potential of City, in terms of driving the bottom line and getting it into the Young’s model. We’re also going to look at people. The thing we’ve got that a lot of the sector hasn’t cottoned on to yet is the Ram Agency (the group’s own internal staffing agency), which saved us in excess of a million pounds last year, so we’re going to try and supercharge that. If we can get another half a million or a million by getting more people on to Ram with that flexible working approach, we believe that’s a way of again helping mitigate the impact of the Budget changes. Our approach is going to be pragmatic and look for ways on how we drive sales, how we drive that culture and the people factor, and how we supercharge City Pubs.” In terms of pricing, Dodd said: “We have driven like-for-likes but we have also driven volume growth, so we only put through just over 2% on price this year, and we’ve driven about 2.5% in volume. Because we’ve been quite balanced over the last 18 months to two years on price, it gives us a little bit of ability on price when we need it. We have factored in a 2%-3% increase, which is in line with where we normally are.” In terms of its food offering, Dodd said that the “classics are selling really well”. He said: “We relaunched our fish and chips, increased the quality, and our sales are up 16%. We made our burger as good as it can be, and again sales are up 6%. We are seeing people go back to those classics when they're executed really well. On the drinks side, cocktails and spritz continue to perform extremely well. No and low is also starting to get some momentum. Our mix on this has almost doubled. I think we’re about 1.5% now, which sounds small, but it’s really growing, and no and low is up 98% in volume terms. We’re hoping to go live with Guinness Zero at the Guinea Grill very soon, and I think that will be a big game changer for the sector in the next couple of years, when that becomes available to everyone.”

 

The Restaurant Group CEO – concessions has had a great 12 months, much better year for Barburrito: Andy Hornby, chief executive of The Restaurant Group, has said the company’s concessions division has had “a great year”, with some of its airport sites “turning out up to £300,000 in sales a week”. Speaking at Propel’s Multi-Club Conference, Hornby said: “I really do have to give Jon Knight (TRG Concessions chief executive) and the team huge credit, because some of the volumes that we are getting through the airport sites are phenomenal. It is pretty phenomenal to see these brands now, some of which we created ourselves, genuinely turning out £250,000 to £300,000 in sales a week through the peak times. Everyone knows that the returns in travel are still tough. The rental negotiations with airports don’t get any easier. The capex requirements when you are renewing contracts don’t get easier. It’s definitely been the biggest step change in our run rate and our overall performance in the last 18 months, and I think the team has done a phenomenally good job. I think that all of us, as hospitality operators, need to always remember the very different investment cycle that you have in travel hubs over time, but I am really pleased at the way the business has performed.” TRG acquired Barburrito for £7m in July 2022, and Hornby said the 13-strong business has had “a much better year”. He said: “We’ve implemented quite a few changes. I think we’ve improved the menu, and although we haven’t expanded the business at all, in terms of site numbers from when we bought it, it’s trading very nicely. It’s ticking along nicely, and I’m a bit biased, but I still think that sector of the market can grow as an overall piece.” Hornby 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.

 

Auntie Anne’s to open in Guildford tomorrow: Pretzel brand Auntie Anne’s is set to open a new location in Guildford, Surrey, tomorrow (Saturday, 15 November). Auntie Anne’s will open a kiosk in the city’s The Friary destination. Offering freshly baked, hand rolled pretzels in both sweet and savoury flavours, it will be the US brand’s 40th UK store. Auntie Anne’s UK & Ireland managing director Max Burton said: “We’re delighted to be opening our 40th Auntie Anne’s in the UK and Ireland, and our seventh store this year, at The Friary in Guildford. This milestone is a testament to the growing love for our freshly baked pretzels and the hard work of our dedicated team and franchisees. We look forward to welcoming Guildford shoppers to experience the Auntie Anne’s tradition of handcrafted, warm pretzels and sharing our signature twists with the community.” Auntie Anne’s, which is operated here by Buckinghamshire-based Freshly Baked, is aiming to open 100 new stores across the UK and Ireland over the next decade. Freshly Baked also this year became the UK master franchisee for Dutch better burger brand Fat Phill’s.

 

Flight Club lines up Newcastle site: Flight Club, the darts brand owned by Red Engine, has confirmed plans to launch a venue in Newcastle. The company has submitted a licence application to establish a site in Unit 6 at Grey’s Quarter in Eldon Square. According to the application, the site would operate from 10am until 2am daily. This would be the company’s first operation in the north east of England. A spokesperson for Flight Club told Insider Media: “We’re exploring bringing Flight Club to Newcastle. It’s a city that's notorious for epic nights out so it feels like the perfect place for our next home. It’s too early to confirm any details at this stage, but Newcastle is definitely on our radar and we hope that Flight Club will become a part of its buzzing nightlife at some point in the future.” Flight Club was established by Steve Moore and Paul Barham, who launched the first venue in London’s Shoreditch in 2015. Since then, it has expanded to operate across the UK as well as Ireland, Australia and the US with franchise partners. Flight Club is set to open a venue in Oxford next Friday (22 November), with sites from franchise partners launching in Philadelphia, Washington and Melbourne before the end of the year, taking the total to 33. In September, Moore told The Sunday Times that revenue at Red Engine, which also operates Electric Shuffle, is expected to hit £125m in 2024.

 

Yard Sale Pizza – first half sales up 15%, secures site in London’s Earlsfield: Yard Sale Pizza, the restaurant and delivery business that has sector investor Paul Campbell as non-executive director, has had an “extremely strong period of trading” in the first half of its financial year, with company sales up 15%, Propel has learned. The 13-strong business said Ebitda over the six-month period was up 19% year-on-year, and that it continued to generate “industry-leading Ebitda margin”. The company, which was co-founded by Johnnie Tate and Nick Buckland in 2014, said its performance was driven by the huge success of its Ottolenghi Test Kitchen collaboration, which was its best-selling collaboration pizza of all-time, its tenth birthday campaign and continued operational efficiency through its in-house delivery service. Yard Sale said that average delivery time for orders in the last six months was under 24 minutes, reflecting “industry-leading performance and an improvement year-on-year”. It said: “Our customer satisfaction scores are at an all-time high, after continued focus on product quality and service.” The company opened its latest site at 73 Tower Bridge Road in Bermondsey, east London, in September, which it said broke its eight-week opening sales record. Yard Sale has now secured a site in Earlsfield, south west London, for its next opening, in the first quarter of next year. Tate told Propel: “We’re thrilled to report another very successful period of trading for Yard Sale as we continue to grow the business in terms of sales and Ebitda. After another period of excellent operational performance, continued efficiencies in our in-house delivery service, breaking records for both collaboration sales and with opening sales for our Bermondsey shop – plus a brilliant celebration of ten years as an independent business in May – we are hugely positive about the future of the business.”

 

Rockfish acquires Mark Hix’s Oyster & Fish House site: Rockfish, the ten-strong, Mitch Tonks-led seafood restaurant group, has added Mark Hix’s former Oyster & Fish House site in Lyme Regis, Dorset, to its 2025 opening pipeline. Hix, who lost his London restaurant empire to the pandemic in early 2020, announced last week that he would be closing Oyster & Fish House after 16 years of trading. He said: “As one door closes, another one opens…and I’m sure you will be as happy as I am to know that Mitch Tonks will be opening a Rockfish on the site of the Oyster & Fish House in the new year. I have been friends with Mitch for many years. We opened our restaurants in the south west around the same sort of time and have always had the same ethos; focusing on freshly caught fish, seasonal produce, and supporting the fishing community. Mitch will be continuing with the usual guest chef evenings, so you can expect to see me hosting one with him in the new year. Although I will be sad to see The Oyster & Fish House close next month, I do feel the time is right, and I cannot think of a better fit than Rockfish to take its place. I know that Mitch and his team are looking forward to seeing you all and continuing to serve the best of locally caught fish and seafood, and local seasonal ingredients. I think it will be a brilliant addition to the town, and I will be looking forward to dining there myself!” In August, Rockfish opened its first seafood café in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, with Tonks telling Propel that the site would be a “test case for further expansion”. Rockfish also has restaurant openings lined up in Sidmouth, Salcombe and Topsham. 

 

Bao to open new venture at Market Halls Victoria in London: London operator Bao, which was founded by Shing Tat Chung, Erchen Chang and Wai Ting Chung and is backed by JKS Restaurants, is lining up its next venture. The company is launching Bao Night Market at Market Halls Victoria on Tuesday, 26 November. Bao said the concept is inspired by “the grab-and-go spirit of Taiwan’s bustling night markets”. The menu will be “short and sweet”, with a heavy focus on boas. They will include a double prawn bao and a double stack pork bao. There will be a selection of “big baos” such as fried chicken or panko-crumbed aubergine tossed in a soy garlic glaze. Drinks will include caramelised brown sugar Taiwanese bubble tea and there will be a peanut milk soft serve. Chang said: “Growing up in Taiwan, the night markets were the best places to hang out. My friends and I would hop from stall to stall, each one renowned for a signature dish, ordering xiao chi or ‘small eats’. BAO started life trading at markets, so we’re excited to go back to our roots and bring that vibrant spirit to Market Halls Victoria. It’s a totally different energy to restaurants – much more fast-paced and dynamic – and we love the flexibility that comes with changing up the menu.” In September, Bao opened a restaurant and flagship KTV (Taiwanese “karaoke TV”) experience in the City of London, in the former Ekte Nordic Kitchen site in Bloomberg Arcade. The first permanent Bao restaurant opened in Soho in April 2015, following a successful stall at Netil Market in Hackney. Further sites have since been launched in Borough Market, King’s Cross, Shoreditch, Marylebone and Battersea.

 

F1 Arcade adds Denver site to 2025 opening pipeline: Kindred Concepts has added a site in Denver to the US opening pipeline of F1 Arcade, its Formula 1-licensed experiential brand. Following the launch of the brand’s first two US venues at Boston Seaport in April and Washington DC in October, the company said the new site in Denver’s RiNo District, marks the next phase of F1 Arcade’s plan to open 30 locations globally within the next five years, including venues in Las Vegas, and Philadelphia. Covering more than 15,000 square feet, the venue will feature 69 full-motion simulators, an outdoor terrace, and an island bar. The venue will also feature a private room, with a capacity for 100, 12 additional simulators, and patio access. “We’re excited to announce our expansion into Denver’s RiNo District, following the success of our Boston and Washington DC locations,” said Adam Breeden, founder and chief executive of F1 Arcade. “With its dynamic sports culture and thriving social scene, Denver is the ideal city for the next phase of F1 Arcade’s US growth.”

 

WHSmith – new café format performing in line with expectations: Retailer WHSmith has said that its first café under its new Smith’s Kitchen format, which opened earlier this year, is performing in line with expectations. In August, following the success of its Smith’s Family Kitchen food range launch, the company opened its first Smith’s Kitchen cafe at Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton. The 26-cover, 495 square-foot café sells coffee, tea, and iced drinks as well as hot breakfast choices, fresh pastries and cakes. It is the first time WHSmith’s own-brand store and food-to-go range had been brought together under one roof, with plans for the combined offer to roll out across more travel locations in the UK in the near future. UK travel is the largest division in WHSmith, operating 590 stores across the UK in airports, hospitals and railway stations. The company said: “While it is still early days, this new format is performing in line with our expectations and customer feedback has been positive. We see plenty more opportunities for us to continue to grow in this channel through our broad suite of brands (WHSmith, Marks & Spencer Simply Food, Costa Coffee and our proprietary coffee brands). We opened six stores during the year. We currently have 145 stores across over 100 hospitals, and we can see scope for at least one of our formats in up to 200 further hospitals.”

 

Yorkshire operator Nailmaker Pub Company to open third Barnsley site and eighth in total: Yorkshire operator Nailmaker Pub Company is to open its third site in Barnsley and eighth in total. The company is launching Nailmaker Tap 1 this month at The Glass Works scheme. The 708 square-foot outlet will be next to Coffee Boy and will offer real ale, craft beer, cocktails and quiz nights. Leah Lockwood, director at Nailmaker Pub Company, said: “We’re excited to be expanding our Barnsley offering this year. It’s a real source of pride to be able to open a bar in the heart of our home town.” The company also operates Nailmaker Tap 2 in the town while The Reading Room, in the Barnsley Civic theatre, is set to open this winter. Nailmaker Pub Company also operates five other pubs in the region, including The Wentworth Arms In Mapplewell and The Wharf in Wakefield.

 

Former regional McDonald’s manager turned franchisee sees turnover near £30m: West Sussex McDonald’s franchisee J5C Management has reported turnover increased 10% to a record £29,624,844 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £26,892,077 the previous year. Pre-tax profit was up to £1,668,579 from £1,294,709 the year before. In his report accompanying the accounts, franchisee John O’Dwyer stated: “The increase in sales is due to increases in product pricing to counter the continuing increase of food and utility costs. As a result, the company’s operating profit has increased slightly by £400,976 (2022: decrease of £1,613,256) and the operating profit margin has increased to 5.85% (2022: decrease to 4.81%).” The previous year, the company received £22,480 in insurance claim income. Dividends of £25,000 were paid (2022: £20,000). O’Dwyer rose through the McDonald’s ranks and ended up in charge of 235 restaurants as regional south east manager before going into franchising in and around his native Crawley in the mid-1990s. His company now operates six restaurants and employs around 730 staff.

 

Wine bar concept closing in on £150,000 fundraising target to expand physical stores, private wine tastings and subscription model: Wine bar concept Must Wine, founded by chief executive Mike Nuttall in 2018, is closing in on its £150,000 fundraising target to expand its physical stores, private wine tastings and wine club subscription model. Having opened his first Must site in St Albans in Hertfordshire in 2019, Nuttall, a former managing director of international retail and casinos at Ladbrokes, has since launched three London bars – in Hampstead (2021), Wanstead (2022) and Camden (2023). With two and a half weeks remaining, Must has already raised more than £136,000 from 30 investors on Crowdcube. Must is offering equity of 6.55% in return for the investment, giving the business a pre-money valuation of £2,139,700. “We believe many customers find ‘traditional’ wine bars stuffy, intimidating and exclusive, with limited opportunities for exploring a diverse wine selection in an accessible, affordable, informative and relaxed setting,” the business said. “Must’s solution is that wine is to be enjoyed, explored and experienced by everyone in a relaxed environment. The wine list, including accessible fine wine, and extensive wine tastings delivers a fun and informative wine experience for all levels of interest. We aspire to operate in the premium on-trade sector. Positioned in the luxury premium wine sector and differentiated by an extensive wine list by the glass, private tasting lounges and service standards, we attract a wide range of wine lovers and enthusiasts. Our plan is to extend our private wine tastings, advance our wine club subscription model, continue our CRM development and plan to expand our physical presence.”

 

Former restaurant GM to open ice cream shop and wine bar for third of three new concepts in London’s Islington: Former restaurant general manager George De Vos will open the third of his new three new concepts in London’s Islington next month. Originally from Rotterdam, De Vos has worked with Nuno Mendes at Taberna do Mercado as well as holding general manager positions at London venues Ropewalk – a cocktail bar and restaurant in Bermondsey’s Maltby Street Market, and Brilliant Corners – a Japanese restaurant and music venue in Dalston. He partnered with entrepreneur Alex Young to open speciality coffee bar Day Trip, located on the corner of Halliford Street and Elizabeth Avenue, focusing on the art of pour-over coffee. This was followed by wine bar and restaurant Goodbye Horses in the same building. Now, the duo will launch ice cream shop and wine bar The Dreamery, in Halliford Street, on Thursday, 5 December. The seasonal ice cream menu will include options such as Christmas pudding and gingerbread, alongside mint chocolate chip and croissant and custard. With room for 20 guests, at the centre of the space will be a large stainless steel bar, which functions as both the ice cream counter and wine bar.

  

Team behind Cornish better burger concept set to open third site: The team behind Cornish better burger concept Herd is set to open its third site. Co-founders Peter Davis and Tom O’Brien opened the first Herd restaurant in 2023, in Newquay’s Fore Street, before launching American-Italian restaurant Rosa in Tower Road, also in Newquay. They are now planning to expand to Truro for their second Herd site and third overall, in a “prime high street location”. Herd, a finalist (reaching the last 16) in this year’s National Burger Awards, offers cheeseburgers, fries, milkshakes and soft serve ice-cream.

 

Moscow restaurateur behind Bocconcino concept set to open new seafood restaurant: Moscow restaurateur Mikhail Gokhner, who is behind the Bocconcino pizzerias in London’s Soho and Mayfair, is set to open a new seafood restaurant in the capital. He will open Osteria Del Mare at 366 The Strand on Monday, 9 December, offering fresh lobster, crab and turbot that guests can select from a fresh fish display. Chef Matteo Massafra, formerly of Barrafina, Prada Milano and Cafe Dior, will be behind dishes like moscardini served in red wine sauce and paccheri with red mullet, while there will also be cocktails and a mainly European wine list. Opening in a former bank, the old vaults will also be transformed into a private dining room, reports Hot Dinners.

 

North London café concept opens second site: North London café concept Fantail has opened its second site. Having launched two years ago in Islington, the new site has now opened in Finsbury Park, in a long-vacant spot at 250-252 Seven Sisters Road. Like its sister site in St Paul’s Road, the new outlet offers home-baked goods such as cinnamon buns, almond croissants and seasonal fruit loaves alongside matcha latte and coffee, reports Hot Dinners.

London nightclub Egg heads into fresh era under all-new management company: Egg London, one of the capital’s longest-running nightclubs, is heading into a fresh era under all-new management company Chapter 1 Creations. The loft, middle floor and garden arenas have all been extensively renovated with upgraded sound systems. Long-standing promoter Ali Bee and former head of operations Sen Jay have come together to establish Chapter 1 Creations and take over from Egg founder Laurence Malice. Bee and Jay have for many years been putting on a wide range of events at the 1,000-capacity nightclub housed in a former Victorian warehouse in King’s Cross. “We’re extremely passionate about preserving this historic nightclub while driving it forward with our recent renovation works,” said Bee. “For more than two decades, we’ve set the standard for unforgettable clubbing experiences, and we’re dedicated to ensuring that legacy continues.” Egg London has also partnered with London Sound Academy (LSA) to offer a new DJ course, with all graduates will receiving LSA certification and a spot to perform at the venue. Opened in May 2003 by Malice, the space has hosted many legendary DJs, brands and parties.

North east hotel, wedding venue and restaurant seeks buyer after appointing administrators: A long-established hotel, wedding venue and restaurant in the north east is seeking a buyer, after appointing administrators. Allan Kelly and Steve Ross, partners at FRP Advisory, were appointed as joint administrators to Eslington Villa in Gateshead on 5 November. The site includes 18 bedrooms and will continue to trade as normal while administrators look to secure a buyer. Bespoke Hotels will act as management agents throughout the administration process and Christie & Co is marketing the business for sale. Kelly said: “It's been a challenging few years for hospitality, there's no getting away from that. But this is a business with a lot of potential, and we're hopeful of finding a way forward for Eslington Villa.”