Exclusive – Azzurri Group secures debut UK site for Dave’s Hot Chicken: Azzurri Group, the hospitality investment platform which operates ASK Italian, Zizzi, Coco di Mama and Boojum, has secured a UK debut site for Dave’s Hot Chicken, the fast-growing US quick service restaurant brand, in London’s Piccadilly, Propel has learned. Propel revealed in July that the US brand, which was founded in 2017 and has more than 200 sites, had signed a franchise agreement with Azzurri Group to open 60 locations across the UK and Ireland, with the first location planned to open in London by the first quarter of 2025. Propel now understands that the Steve Holmes-led Azzurri Group has secured the former Fratelli La Bufala site for an opening at the start of December. Dave’s Hot Chicken is one of the fastest growing restaurant brands in US history and is a social media sensation, with 2.4 million TikTok followers and 1.2 million followers on Instagram. Three childhood friends – chef Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan and Tommy Rubenyan – launched the business in a parking lot in Los Angeles in 2017 and opened an East Hollywood brick-and-mortar restaurant shortly after. In 2019, the team struck a deal with Wetzel’s Pretzels co-founder Bill Phelps to begin franchising the brand, with Drake investing in the brand alongside other celebrities such as Samuel L Jackson and Usher. The company has sold the rights to more than 700 franchise locations in the US, Middle East and Canada and will open 90-plus locations. Talking to Propel, Holmes said: “We really liked the business – it is a premium quick service restaurant (QSR) brand, it is a labour-lite model like Boojum, it is a different cuisine, it is a high-quality, affordable product – so it ticks a lot of boxes and we thought it would fit nicely in the Azzurri platform, complementing the other brands. It also gives us something to grow rapidly.” Holmes said the plan is to secure completely new sites for Dave’s, with conversions not on the cards. Holmes said: “The mindset is to open new ones, starting with a site in central London in the next six months. If we can do a few in the next calendar year (2025), then that would be brilliant.” The brand’s launch and expansion in the UK is being overseen by Jim Attwood, managing director of Coco Di Mama, who will lead both businesses. Thomas Rose at P-Three acted for the landlord on the Shaftesbury Avenue deal, while KLM Retail acted for Dave’s Hot Chicken.

  

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

 

Final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024 open for bookings with free places for operators, Wendy's UK and Europe MD Michael Clarke to speak: The final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024 has opened for bookings. The full-day conference – titled “new directions, new ideas” – takes place on Wednesday, 30 October at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London Kensington. Among the speakers will be Michael Clarke, managing director of Wendy’s UK and Europe. He will discuss how the return to the UK for the third-largest quick service restaurant brand in the US has gone, why it is succeeding this time around, its work with franchisees, and what the next stage of its expansion here will look like. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Operators can book up to three free places per company while Premium Club members who are operators can book up to four free places. To book, email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

 

Premium Club members to receive two new databases this week: Premium Club members are to receive two new databases this week. The next Propel UK Food & Beverage Franchisee Database will be sent out on Wednesday (11 September), at noon. The database, which is updated and published on a bi-monthly basis, has ten new entries. These include McDonald’s franchisees The Lee Collective and Zap Arches and Subway franchisee Symbro Group. Premium Club members will also receive the next Turnover & Profits Blue Book on Friday (13 September), at midday. The database will feature 57 updated accounts and 21 new companies for a total of 978. Premium Club members also receive access to four other databases: the Multi-Site 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 the Talent and Training Conference (1 October), Restaurant Marketer and Innovator (two days in January 2025) and Excellence in Pub Retail (May 2025). Operators that are Premium Club members are also able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club members receive their daily Propel Info newsletter 11 hours earlier than standard subscribers, at 7pm the evening before. They also receive videos of presentations at eight Propel conference events two weeks after they are held. This represents around 100 videos of industry insight over the course of the year. Premium Club members will be sent a dedicated monthly newsletter that will highlight key updates in the sector and direct subscribers to all the vital content their membership offers. Premium Club members also receive exclusive opinion columns every Friday at 5pm, which include the thoughts of Propel group editor Mark Wingett and a host of industry leaders from across the sector. A Premium Club subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

 

UKHospitality – positive action taken to help London’s late-night economy recover but sector remains in a precarious position: UKHospitality has said positive action has been taken to help London’s late-night economy recover, but the sector remains in a precarious position. The trade body was responding to last week’s Economy, Culture and Skills Committee meeting on London’s night time economy – of which it said hospitality is a central pillar with almost 600,000 employees – many of these working at night. “Following the effects of the pandemic, the mayor and night czar have taken positive action to help London’s late-night economy recover,” said chief executive Kate Nicholls. “However, the sector remains in a precarious position. Businesses are continuing to contend with higher costs, fiscal and regulatory roadblocks and a decline in consumer confidence, which all present significant barriers to growth. Licensing issues across certain boroughs have held back the mayor’s plans for a 24-hour London, with some of the capital’s most densely visited areas facing regressive policies that set stringent limits on late-night trading hours. Late-night operators have also reported increased crime outside their venues, with some businesses making significant investments in security to protect employees and guests, both in and outside their venues, which has taken a toll on costs, as well as affecting customer confidence and staff safety. It’s crucial that the Greater London Authority (GLA) prioritises aligning areas where restrictive operating environments exist with the shared vision for a 24-hour London. We also urge the GLA to enhance current work with police and businesses to address street crime in late-night hotspots.”

 

NTIA – public scepticism towards dynamic ticket pricing wake-up call for live events industry: The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has said public scepticism towards dynamic ticket pricing should be a wake-up call for the live events industry. The issue came to a head earlier this month when Oasis fans found themselves queueing online for hours for tickets for the band’s reunion tour advertised at one price, only to find them another much higher price when they reached the front of the queue. It is now being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). NTIA chief executive Michael Kill said: “The growing public scepticism towards dynamic ticket pricing should be a wake-up call for the live events industry. With the CMA now investigating these practices, it's clear many fans feel disenfranchised. A large proportion of Brits have already stated they would avoid purchasing tickets entirely if this pricing model continues to be used. This represents a significant risk not only for artists and promoters, but for the broader night-time economy. If fans are priced out of events or perceive the system as unfair, we could see a sharp decline in ticket sales. We must also address the issue of transparency in ticket sales. When the public believes that ticketing platforms or touts are the primary beneficiaries of these systems, it erodes trust. Without action, we risk lasting damage to fan loyalty and the wider night-time economy.”

 

Former Le Caprice head chef and Soho House executive group chef launches new hospitality consultancy: Former Le Caprice head chef and Soho House executive group chef Kevin Gratton has launched a new hospitality consultancy. Samphire + Sage will provide practical operational and strategic advice to the industry. Gratton started his career with Marco Pierre White at The Restaurant in Knightsbridge and The Canteen in Chelsea before joining Le Caprice. In 2007, he opened Scott’s of Mayfair, and followed this with a stint overseeing menu development at 14 UK sites for Soho House Group. He was then chef director at Mark Hix Restaurants for six years and was most recently head of operations of the 21 Hospitality Group with Terry Laybourne, overseeing seven restaurants and a team of 170 across the north of England.

 

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

 

Former Mitchells & Butlers executive seeking to expand two of his concepts following London debut: Former Mitchells & Butlers executive Mike Palmer has told Propel he is seeking to expand two of his concepts after securing a London debut for one of them. Palmer will later this month (Thursday, 19 September) open Khao Bird above The Globe Tavern in Borough Market – an evolution of his Lucky Khao northern Thai barbecue concept in Brighton. It will add to the two Redroaster restaurants and Lucky Beach Cafe that Palmer – who also consulted with brands such as Pret, Leon, Flat Iron and John Salt – operates in Brighton. “We’ve been planning it for a while (expanding to London),” Palmer told Propel. “We’ve got two formats down here that are doing very well, and we’ve been looking for a London site for Redroaster for a while. We are actively looking for a suitable site, as well as another site here for Khao. We came up with Khao Bird as something which would be simpler to scale than Lucky Khao, which is quite a complicated offer. While working in Thailand last year, the team decided it was time to try something different, and we trialled Khao Bird as a pop-up a couple of times in Brighton. That would be the one we would roll out, and there is room for Redroaster in London too. We’ve been focusing on our Redroater coffee roastery and relaunching our wholesale coffee business, which has grown continually since it began in 2016, and now we’re ready to look at the next steps.” In an ideal world, Palmer said he’d love to have “thousands” of Lucky Beach Cafes but that “it only works well when the sun is out” and its trade is heavily slanted towards the summer months. In 2018, Lucky Beach launched the UK’s first ‘bleeding’ plant burger with Moving Mountains, and it was the cafe that Palmer, in 2022, made the first hospitality business in the UK to introduce buy now pay later technology. “It’s not massively popular, and I thought the uptake would be higher, but I was intrigued and happy to see how it worked,” Palmer said. “It’s still there as an option for guests.” One concept which won’t be seeing the light of day, however, is Strong Ron’s Lucky Drive Thru, which Palmer developed with Leon co-founder John Vincent in 2021. “We crafted the idea based on Lucky Beach’s burger range, but it just didn’t get off the ground,” he added. “We felt we were a bit late in terms of finding locations, with the likes of Five Guy’s and Wendy’s coming into the UK market.”

Former Cineworld boss plots return to UK with new screen chain: Former Cineworld boss Mooky Greidinger is plotting a return to the UK with plans for a new cinema operator that is seeking to snap up some of the struggling chain’s sites. Greidinger built Cineworld into one of the world’s biggest cinema companies before it imploded under a mountain of debt when covid hit. The Sunday Times reports that he is in talks with Cineworld’s landlords to convince them to ditch the chain in favour of his as-yet unnamed new venture, according to City sources. Cineworld landlords have been left fuming at demands for swingeing cuts to rent under an aggressive restructuring deal backed by its hedge fund owners. A complicated court-led process has left landlords with the choice of either accepting rent cuts or booting out Cineworld in favour of a rival operator. As chief executive, Greidinger was credited with transforming Cineworld into a FTSE 100 business before stepping down last year. Sources said he has flown into the UK in recent weeks to hold talks with property owners. Greidinger has not put a cap on the number of Cineworld sites that his new venture could take on. One source suggested that it could be “five, 15 or 25”. Cineworld has more than 100 sites in the UK and Ireland. Greidinger is said to be supported by some of his former advisers for what is one part of the tycoon’s return to running cinemas around the world. “We intend to come back,” a source in Greidinger’s camp said. Cineworld, which employs 4,400 people in the UK and Ireland, collapsed into administration in July last year under a £4bn debt pile. A group of hedge funds — led by opportunistic Wall Street firm GoldenTree, the owner of Travelodge – then seized control of the business through a debt-for-equity swap.

Black Sheep Coffee secures debut site in Northern Ireland: Speciality coffee shop operator Black Sheep Coffee, which opened its 100th site in June, is to make its debut in Northern Ireland after securing a site in Belfast. The brand is believed to have taken a 2,500 square-foot site on the ground floor of the newly refurbished Pearl Assurance House in One Donegall Square East, Belfast. Last week, the business told Propel it was “doubling down on growth” by offering up its entire UK site pipeline to franchisees. It comes as the business, which is backed by NBA player Kristaps Porzingis and was founded in 2013 by former university flatmates Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth, said it has doubled system sales every year for the last five years. Holth told Propel: “We always believed in the long-term resilience of the UK retail market, and so for us it was a perfect time to acquire flagship locations that were historically difficult to get our hands on and to acquire them at discounted rents – so we decided to double down on growth and sign a ton of leases on incredible terms.” The business now has more than 100 shops worldwide, with 26 pipeline locations on “attractive covid-adjusted lease terms that are ready to open”.

Fallow restaurant group hires Julia Gilbert as new MD: The team behind sustainable restaurant group Fallow has hired Julia Gilbert, formerly of the Richard Caring-backed Ivy Asia, as its new managing director, Propel has learned. The company, which is led by chefs Will Murray and Jack Croft, alongside chairman James Robson and also operates Fowl and Roe in the capital, said Gilbert met Robson two decades ago at the Metropolitan Hotel in London’s Mayfair during the height of the Met Bar fame. Since then, she has assisted with the launch of Mews of Mayfair, opened the food and beverage at the W Hotel on Soho, and most recently grew the Ivy Asia from one site to eight, creating £50m-plus annual revenue within five years. As Propel previously reported, Paul Robinson-Webster joined the company as openings and operations director a year ago to assist with the opening of Roe in Canary Wharf. He now moves to chief operating officer of Fallow and Fowl and Roe to complement Gilbert’s appointment. Robson said: “When we started Fallow, both Paul and Julia were continuously on our radar as the dream candidates to assist with our long-term growth. It took us close to four years to convince Paul to come on board, and Julia marginally longer. It’s a testament to the long-standing team that we are now in the very fortunate position to have such a high calibre directors’ team. We look forward to seeing how they mould and grow the company over the next few years.” Fallow in London’s St James’s recently secured B Corp certification less than five years after its launch.

Thirty-year-old entrepreneur becomes England’s youngest McDonald’s franchisee: A 30-year-old entrepreneur has become England’s youngest McDonald’s franchisee thanks to a six-figure funding package from HSBC UK. Chirag Pandya, who owns CJP Group Operations, will operate the McDonald’s restaurant on Castle Bridge Road, Nottingham, having completed a McDonald’s franchise training programme earlier this year. He has used the funds to purchase the 450 square-metre site, which serves an average of 1,600 customers per day. Across its two floors, it has a seated capacity of 150, features a ‘drive thru’ and a 40-space car park. It is something of a career change for Pandya, who trained as a pharmacist before he left for the City of London as a strategy consultant for PwC. He was then headhunted to become a director at the NHS in the UK at the age of 27. Pandya said: “While I trained as a pharmacist, I knew I always wanted to own my own business. I spoke about my ambitions with HSBC UK franchise director Marc Talbot almost two years ago, and now this deal has made my dream a reality. I can finally say I’ve taken the leap from pharmacy to finance to fries, and I’m loving it!”

Bleecker hires Antonia Smith as new FD: Bleecker, the burger concept founded by Zan Kaufman in 2012, has hired Antonia Smith, formerly of Chilango and The Athenian, as its new finance director. Smith, who spent a year and a half as finance director of Chilango, was previously a consultant finance director at Bleecker, from the summer of 2019 to the start of 2022. She has also been a non-executive director of the business since the summer of 2022. Propel revealed last month that Bleecker was to open a fifth site in the capital, near London Bridge – its first outlet since the covid pandemic. The business, which opened its last site in October 2019, at Westfield London, opened a 1,130 square-foot site at 104 Tooley Street. Bleecker, which also operates sites in Spitalfields, Victoria and Bloomberg Arcade, is named after the street in New York that connects the East Village to West Village.

Haven owner Bourne Leisure made £173m profit from Butlin’s sale, extends loan facilities after making a loss: Haven owner Bourne Leisure made a £173m profit from the sale of its Butlin’s business and has extended its loan facilities after making a loss in the year to 31 December 2023. The group, which also operates Warner Leisure Hotels, sold Butlin’s to the Harris family, who co-founded Bourne Leisure in 1964, for a reported £300m. In its accounts for the year, the group said: “On 19 October 2022, the group sold Butlin’s Skyline and its subsidiaries for a cash consideration of £287.1m, less costs of disposal of £14.9m. The carrying value of net assets at the date of disposal was £99.1m, leading to a profit of £173.1m being recognised on disposal.” It added: “Following the year end, on 24 May 2024, the senior term facility repayment date was extended by two years to 26 February 2028. The revolving credit facility repayment date was also extended by two years to 26 August 2027. At 31 December 2023, the senior term facility was £1,760m and was fully drawn and the revolving credit facility was £200m, of which £135m was drawn. Following the year end, the group received additional loans of £120m from Bard Midco (an intercompany loan).” The group made a pre-tax loss of £166,566,000 in 2023. In 2022, it made a profit of £64,987,000 (£54,086,000 from continuing operations). There was a £5m loss on disposal (2022: profit of £173,142,000). Turnover in 2023 was £1,051,656,000. In 2022, the group turned over £1,193,117,000 (£960,133,000 from continuing operations). Ebitda in 2023 was £239,689,000. In 2022, Ebitda was £276,101,000 (£224,787,000 from continuing operations). Director Iain MacMillan said the decrease in turnover was due to the 2022 accounts including ten months of trading for Butlin’s before its sale. He said the increase in Ebitda shows “the strength of the continuing business and its resilience during periods of economic uncertainty”, and the directors expect Ebitda to continue to increase during 2024. He, said guest loyalty and repeat business “underpins the long-term growth of the group”. Capital expenditure was £217.9m (2022: £219.4m), including £14.9m (2022: £10.6m) for the development of guest focused apps and websites. The 2023 capex also includes part of the conversion of its Runnymede on Thames hotel in Surrey into a Warner hotel, which will open later this year.

 

Plan Burrito set to open in Swansea for Welsh debut: Burrito franchise Plan Burrito is set to open in Swansea for what could be its Welsh debut. An exact location has not yet been confirmed, but the company has teased the opening on social media. It also has plans for a Welsh location at 18 Park Street in Treforest, Pontypridd, but that has not yet opened. The business, which has so far opened locations this year in Southend and Gillingham, has 12 sites overall. In July, Plan Burrito, founded in 2015 by Stephen Hopper, appointed consultants Catesby as advisors to assist with its next stage of growth as it eyes national and international expansion. “With a number of our existing franchisees looking for second sites, we see it as the appropriate time to start concentrating on the next phase of growth for the brand,” Hopper said at the time. “There is considerable white space for the business, and we feel there is the potential for at least 500 locations across the UK. While our existing franchisees have played a pivotal role in getting the brand to where it is today, by appointing Catesby, we are hoping to accelerate the growth of the brand by unlocking some of the leading multi-unit operators across the country.” 

 

Arc Cinema opens in Rotherham: Arc Cinema has opened a new eight-screen cinema in Rotherham – the centre piece of the town’s Forge Island regeneration project. Each screen is equipped with luxury reclining seats, and a 30-strong team is led by general manager Laura Vickers. Arc Cinema group director Brian Gilligan said: “Rotherham is an area with a large population that has been underserved by cinema facilities for a long time. We hope that the opening of our cinema, will not only create a location where film lovers can enjoy the latest blockbusters, but in time it will become an important part of the local community.” The Arc Cinema group is a family-owned business established in 2014 which now operates 12 cinemas across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

 

Zip World set for London debut: Private equity-backed outdoor adventure specialist Zip World is set to make its London debut for its ninth site. It will next year take over The ArcelorMittal Orbit at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, following a £2.6m investment. Standing at 114.5m tall, it will feature the world’s tallest and longest tunnel slide, where visitors can reach speeds of up to 15mph as they twist, curve and turn down the 178m-long track. The ArcelorMittal Orbit has been in operation for 12 years, attracting more than 1.12 million visitors to date, and will be reopened by Zip World at the beginning of 2025. Andrew Hudson, Zip World chief executive, said: “The site marks our first in the south east of England and joins our flagship locations in Wales and the north of England, reflecting our plans to expand and reinvest in existing sites. We hope this is the first of many new adventures to open at Zip World London and look forward to welcoming visitors old and new at the beginning of 2025.”

 

Smashburger opens in Cambridge for eighth site: US better burger brand Smashburger has opened in Cambridge for its eighth site. It has opened at 27 Hills Road – joining the brand’s locations in Bath, Brighton, Newcastle, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Wednesbury and Dunfermline. Smashburger was founded in 2007 in Denver, Colorado by Rick Schaden and Tom Ryan, with the first UK site opening in Milton Keynes in 2016. It now has more than 370 restaurants globally in nine countries.

 

Company behind Camino falls to loss: The company behind Spanish restaurant group Camino has reported turnover increased 8% to £11,546,858 for the year ending 26 November 2023 compared with £10,679,673 the year before. The company, which also operates the Big Chill House in London’s King's Cross, posted a pre-tax loss of £573,090 compared with a profit of £265,410 the previous year. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The directors continue to be offered, and seek for themselves, new venues and trading opportunities in the bar restaurant sector. Continued growth in current venues is expected to be maintained, and the cash flow this yields will facilitate the provision of funds for further expansion.” No dividend was paid (2022: nil). The group, which operates Camino restaurants in King’s Cross, Monument and Shoreditch in the capital, employs about 180 people.

 

Yorkshire better burger business makes delivery kitchen debut for fifth site: Yorkshire better burger business Urban Fresh Burgers & Fries has made its delivery kitchen debut for its fifth site. It has opened at 7 Wortley Manor Road – joining the brand’s two sites in Doncaster, one in Rotherham and one in Barnsley. “Introducing Urban #5,” the company said. “We’re thrilled to announce the opening of our very first delivery kitchen, in Leeds. This milestone is a testament to the incredible dedication and hard work of our team, who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this vision to life. With this new delivery-first model, our team is solely focused on crafting the best burgers and fries, ensuring top quality with every order. Leeds marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for us, and it’s no secret there’s huge potential for this approach as we continue to grow into new markets. We’re feeling incredibly positive about what’s to come.” Founded in 2017 by husband-and-wife team Mehmet and Zerin Kent, Urban Fresh Burgers & Fries launched a franchise programme earlier this year and has targeted an eventual UK estate of 200 sites.

 

Charnwood Brewery opens third micro-pub: Charnwood Brewery, the East Midlands micro-brewery founded by former Batemans executive Andrew Reed and wife Andrea, has opened its third micro-pub. It has opened The Fox Cub in a former hairdresser at 6 North Street in the village of Barrow upon Soar, in Leicestershire. It has a single room bar inside and an outdoor drinking area to the front. As with its other micropubs, The Fox Cub serves the brewery’s own cask and craft beer, imported German lager, “quality” wine and a range of English tapas. It comes as the brewery, which began brewing in November 2014, prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

 

Birmingham restaurateur opens cafe concept for second site, aiming to expand through franchising: Birmingham restaurateur Dan O’Reilly has opened a new cafe concept for second site and is aiming to expand through franchising. O’Reilly has opened Rosetta Lounge in the former Joe Richards greengrocer’s on Harborne High Street following a £100,000 refit. The independent café serves barista-style coffees, freshly baked cakes, pastries, muffins and croissants as well as sandwiches, wraps and baguettes. The owner is now searching for a second location in Sutton Coldfield and told Birmingham Live he is hoping to turn Rosetta Lounge into a franchise, with the potential for further sites across the Midlands. O’Reilly, who also runs Japanese kitchen and bar Koi Ki over the road from the new café, said: “I was stood in Koi Ki one day, which has become a very successful restaurant, and could see the agents’ signs going up across the road and ended up going straight over and made an offer. We love Harborne – it’s one of the best high streets in the country in my opinion.”

 

Leaf Hospitality opens new DoubleTree by Hilton hotel at Sheffield United FC's stadium: A new DoubleTree by Hilton has opened at Sheffield United FC's Bramall Lane stadium. The DoubleTree by Hilton Sheffield City hotel is owned by the football club and operated by Leaf Hospitality. The hotel has 155 guest rooms, event space for up to 250 visitors, a fitness centre, a deli bar and a restaurant. General manager James McDevitt said: “Our close proximity to the home of Sheffield United will undoubtedly enhance the matchday experience for all fans at Bramall Lane and allow us to forge unforgettable memories with our guests, as we host pre and post-match celebrations.”