Sponsored message – unlock the potential of cutting-edge recruitment technology with Talent Unlimited: Talent Unlimited is a revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) platform that uses advanced voice interview technology to dive deeper than standard phone screenings. It crafts personalised interviews tailored to each candidate’s CV, job specifications and specific business needs. A spokesperson said: “Each interview is uniquely designed to reflect the candidate’s background, helping you recruit faster and smarter. The platform can interview an unlimited number of candidates, any time, any day, without any operational disruption – thanks to its cutting-edge AI technology. With a straightforward fixed pricing model based on expected usage, it’s easy to forecast recruitment spend and manage budgets with confidence. Talent Unlimited will help take the candidate experience to the next level by providing personalised feedback to every single candidate. State of Play Hospitality – the brand owner of Bounce, Hijingo, Flight Club US and AceBounce US – has onboarded with Talent Unlimited and is already realising the benefits of the platform in the UK and you can too! Sign up today to schedule a demo and unlock the potential of our cutting-edge recruitment technology with our special offer of 25 free interviews. Don’t miss the opportunity to see how our technology can elevate your recruitment strategy.” For more information, click here. Terms and conditions apply. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

John Gaunt partner Tim Shield to speak at final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024, open for bookings with free places for operators: Tim Shield, partner at sector licensing firm John Gaunt, will be among the speakers at the final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024. The full-day conference – titled “new directions, new ideas” – takes place on Wednesday, 30 October at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London Kensington and is open for bookings. Shield will examine all the key legal developments that impacted multi-site operators in 2024, set out the latest legislation impacting the industry, and analyse the immediate and long-term legislative commitments a new government must consider if it is to aid the sector’s return to growth. 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 updated segmented Multi-Site Database tomorrow featuring 442 QSR operators: Premium Club members are to receive the updated Multi-Site Database tomorrow (Friday, 4 October). The next Propel Multi-Site Database provides details of 3,246 multi-site operators and is now searchable in seven main segments. The database features 958 (30%) operators from the casual dining sector, 782 (24%) pub and bar operators, 544 (17%) cafe bakery operators, 442 (14%) quick service restaurant (QSR) operators, 266 (8%) hotel operators, 200 (6%) experiential leisure operators and 54 (2%) fine dining operators. The database is updated each month, and this edition includes 16 new companies. New additions in the QSR sector include American Pie, a North American Chicago-style pizza concept, and Hop, the Vietnamese street food concept. Premium Club members also receive access to five additional databases: the New Openings Database, the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, 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.

NTIA – Lamé’s achievements must be recognised, we now have the chance to rebuild London’s nightlife with a fresh perspective: The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has said outgoing London night czar Amy Lamé’s achievements must be recognised, but that “we now have the chance to rebuild the capital’s nightlife with a fresh perspective”. Lamé has stood down from her role after eight years in the job following recent criticisms that she had failed to stem the closure of nightlife venues across London. It is unclear whether Lamé – whose salary, which rose to £132,846 this year, has also been criticised – will be replaced with a new night czar. “During Amy’s eight-year tenure, while there has been criticism, several achievements must be recognised,” said NTIA chief executive Michael Kill. “Her work on women’s safety at night, and the establishment of enterprise zones, have been hugely beneficial for the sector. The role of night czar has always been crucial, but also an enormous challenge, especially during one of the toughest trading periods for the night-time economy. Representing such a vast market in a capital city like London is no easy task. With the formation of the new Night Taskforce, I am optimistic that we are entering a new era. We now have the chance to rebuild London’s nightlife with a fresh perspective and stronger foundations. It’s time to remind everyone that the capital is one of the world’s leading night-time economies.”

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a leisure group that is seeking an HR manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The company is looking for someone with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, looking after entry level employees to operations directors. The ideal individual will have strong experience in senior HR, delivering employee engagement as well as having some exposure to employee relations. They will have the ability to transform traditional HR practices into effective outputs to help create a new way of working and drive cultural change, explore new ways to make the company the most attractive hospitality company to be part of, and much more.” The salary is up to £60,000 and the position is based in Cardiff. For more information, email david@corecruitment.com.

 

Golf club concept Pitch teams up with England footballers for Manchester site: Golf club concept Pitch, which is the brainchild of friends and golf professionals Elliot Godfrey and Chris Ingham, has entered a joint venture with England and Manchester United footballers Luke Shaw and Mason Mount to open a site in Manchester, Propel understands. Under the new agreement, Pitch will open a site in the Goods Yard Building, the scheme at the heart of the St John's regeneration development in the city, which also houses the first regional opening from Caravan. Pitch has set up a new company – PVM Golf – for the new venture, of which Shaw and Mount are directors and shareholders. This summer, Pitch laid out plans to open new sites across the UK and add further sites internationally. The business was launched in London’s Bishopsgate more than four years ago, complete with state-of-the-art golf technology. The company opened its second site, in April 2022, in Soho’s Meard Street, with a third site in the capital set to open later this year, in Canary Wharf, under the WeWork site at 30 Churchill Place. Earlier this year, Propel revealed Pitch was to open its first international site this autumn, in Dublin, which will be the concept’s first franchise site – in partnership with entrepreneur Christopher Best. The business also plans to open a site at Snow Hill station in Birmingham in early 2025, while a furthers opening are planned in Brighton and London next year. Internationally, Pitch plans to expand to Melbourne. Ingham said: “Our vision is to put the club experience first to attract an audience beyond existing golfers. These new locations will enhance our offering and broaden Pitch’s appeal.” A new report has been produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector. The report profiles the current shape of the experiential leisure market – including brands, estate size, trading type and geographical location and future trends. It provides a detailed list of UK experiential leisure companies including key staff and Companies House information. The report includes more than 180 companies, 3,500 sites and a 35,000-word report. The report is available to Premium Club members. 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.

Shepherd Neame CEO – ‘business has never been in better shape but roadblocks keep being put in the way when it comes to growth’: Jonathan Neame, chief executive of brewer and retailer Shepherd Neame, has told Propel the “business has never been in better shape” but “roadblocks keep being put in the way when it comes to growth”. Speaking following the company’s full-year results, where the group reported record revenue of £172.3m, Neame also said he believes it will be the end of 2025 or the start of 2026 before “we see real consumer growth”. He said: “There was a post-election bounce back and we traded very strongly in parts of the business that had not performed so well for a while. We’ve seen that drop-off a bit in the run-up to the Budget, and hopefully this is temporary. From a consumer point of view, people have had to deal with covid, then the energy crisis, and then there’s been that hit to mortgages with the rise in interest rates. With interest rates hopefully coming down, consumers will have more disposable income. I think it will be the end of 2025 or the start of 2026 before we really see that translate into real growth in terms of footfall etc. It’s a cycle we’ve seen before in the 1990s and then again post-2008. We are a country that is overtaxed and overregulated and we need less of it. From the reports we’re seeing, the government appears to think the route to growth is more tax and regulation – I’m unable to square that particular circle in my head. With rising labour costs, higher taxes on alcohol, it’s holding us back. We are chomping at the bit to help grow the economy, but we need a clear run. We want certainty – not more headwinds. Looking at our core business and our pubs, they are in the best shape they’ve been in. We’ve got a pipeline of investment planned and a great pipeline of work with our beer brands where we’re winning some fantastic accounts.” Neame said recruitment issues were easing and its 219-strong leased and tenanted was fully let. He added: “We’ve got fantastic people in the business and some great licensees in our leased and tenanted pubs. The level of creativity of some of these licensees coming through never ceases to amaze me and they are delivering some amazing pubs for us. There’s also a huge amount of infrastructure development going on in our Kent heartland, and some of these small communities that had two or three pubs are now growing into larger communities but with just the one great pub.” Neame said the company was “alive to acquisition opportunities” but the main focus was developing its current estate. He added: “We’ve got the Bricklayers in Bromley, south east London, opening tonight (Thursday, 3 October). We’re probably spend similar capex this financial year to previous years, which is around £14m.”

 

Five Points Brewing Company co-founder looking to open more pubs in London and Leeds following food hall launch: Five Points Brewing Company co-founder Ed Mason has told Propel he is looking to open more pubs in London and Leeds following the launch of his first food hall venture. Mason last month opened a new food and drink hall in Leeds’ White Cloth Hall – encompassing four independent food traders as well as a wine bar and coffee shop/pizzeria. Mason is also behind Whitelock’s Ale House, the oldest pub in Leeds, as well as the Meanwood Tavern in the city. In a joint venture with Kirkstall Brewery founder Steve Holt, he also operates The York in Sheffield, and later this year, the duo will open their second pub together, the Victoria & Commercial in Leeds. In London, Mason has a taproom at the Five Points brewery plus The Pembury Tavern in Hackney. Terms were agreed on a further pub in the capital earlier this year, and while that one looks to have fallen through, Mason remains on the lookout for new opportunities. “The focus is very much on the food hall and then opening the Victoria & Commercial,” Mason said. “We took a lease in December 2023 for the Victoria but didn’t get access to start fit-out until now as the freeholder is converting the upper levels into student accommodation. Whitelock’s has had its busiest 12 months since we opened and the Meanwood Tavern has been a real success. We’re looking for additional sites in London for Five Points – we did have a deal lined up on a pub that I don’t think is going to go through, but we are keen to open further sites. We’re definitely keen to look at opportunities up north too if they come along. Trading has been positive. I strongly believe people want to socialise but may be more selective about their experiences, and as we tend to operate at a more premium end of the market, we haven’t suffered in the same way that some have. We’ve had a good year with Five Points, which is about 12% up growth-wise this year.” Mason said the first few weeks at the food hall – which used to house a PizzaExpress, a BrewDog and a barber/tattoo parlour – have been busier than anticipated. He said the opportunity came about when the leases for all three units became available for the first time in three decades. “Most big cities in the UK all have more than one food and drink hall whereas Leeds has never really had that concept,” Mason added. “We felt there was a massive gap in the market in Leeds. It’s not a core part of the business plan that we intend to roll White Cloth Hall out to further sites – we’ve approached it as a stand-alone project at this stage – but we’re open to the possibility of a future roll out if it’s the success we hope and expect it to be. We will also have an outdoor trading area with some additional pop-up food traders, but we’re in the process of getting extended road closures agreed.”

 

Blank Street Coffee founder – UK market is a driving force of our overall growth strategy: Issam Freiha, the co-founder of US coffee brand Blank Street Coffee, has said the UK market is a driving force of the company’s overall growth strategy, as it closes in on the 40-site mark here. Freiha founded the business in New York in 2020 with Vinay Menda. The brand currently operates circa 50 sites in New York City plus outposts in Boston and Washington DC. It launched in the UK, in London, in 2022 and operates 31 sites in London, three in Manchester and two in Birmingham. Propel understands Blank Street is searching for sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, while Cardiff and Leeds are also on the company’s radar. Freiha said: “The UK market is a driving force of Blank Street’s overall growth strategy. We invested heavily in putting together a world class team that has taken our brand to the next level. We continue to see lots of room for product and experience innovation in the market and we’re excited to deliver on it, as we move into 2024 and beyond.” It comes as Blank Street UK reported group turnover increased 517% to £11,418,759 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £1,850,397 following a “year of pivotal growth” driven by menu innovation, increased customer loyalty and new store openings. It opened 13 new stores in London and one in Manchester, the brand’s first foray outside the capital. The company said: “Blank Street UK achieved and sustained unit-level profitability across the portfolio, with operating site-level and company Ebitda margins improving each quarter.” Ignacio Llado, managing director of Blank Street UK, added: “We see a lot of requests from people asking us to bring Blank Street to their towns and cities, and regional growth will be a key driver for our continued success as we strategically enter new markets.”

 

Krispy Kreme UK appoints new CFO: Krispy Kreme UK has appointed Rob Napier as its new chief financial officer, Propel has learned. Napier will join Krispy Kreme next month when it takes over from Trevor Christian, who is departing to pursue a new opportunity in a different sector. Christian joined Krispy Kreme in 2013 as financial controller and worked his way up the ranks before becoming chief financial officer in October last year. Prior to that, he worked for Holiday Autos and Med Hotels. A Krispy Kreme UK & Ireland spokesperson said: “After a successful career of more than ten years with Krispy Kreme, Trevor Christian decided in April this year to pursue an exciting new opportunity outside of Krispy Kreme in a different industry sector and will be leaving the business after his notice period has ended on 10 October. Krispy Kreme’s new chief financial officer will be Rob Napier, who joins the business on 4 November with a wealth of industry experience.”

 

Rudy’s lines up Newcastle and Prestwich openings: Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana, the Mission Mars-owned brand, has lined up new openings in Newcastle and Prestwich, Greater Manchester. The 28-strong brand, which recently opened at Westfield London, plans to open in the former Barclays Bank building in Bury New Road, in Prestwich. It has also lined up an opening on the ex-Royal Bank of Scotland site in Newcastle’s Grey Street. In July, Mission Mars said that Rudy’s first half like-for-like sales were up 17% compared with the previous year, as it delivered record first-half revenue of £19.9m (FY23 £12.1m). Rudy’s is targeting opening nine sites this year and said it aims to open a similar number of pizzerias in FY25.

 

Harts Group reports 58.3% increase in turnover, Barrafina Borough Yards trading well: Harts Group – the London restaurant company that owns Barrafina, Quo Vadis, Casa Pastor and Parrillan – has reported a 58.3% increase in turnover for the year to 31 July 2023 and said its new Barrafina Borough Yards site is trading well. The group’s turnover grew from £14,987,128 in 2022 to £23,727,311. Pre-tax profit dropped from £435,184 in 2022 to £391,443 as costs more than doubled from £3,541,156 to £7,771,536. No government grants (2022: £107,434) or interest income payments (2022: £22,045) were received, and no dividends were paid (2022: nil). Director Steve Edgson said: “In light of the current economic climate and competitive nature of the industry in which the group operates, the results for the year and the financial position of the group at the year-end were considered satisfactory by the directors, who believe that the group is well placed to react quickly to any changes in trading conditions and to take advantage of any business opportunities that may arise. The directors are pleased to report that during spring 2024, the subsidiary company Barrafina Borough Yards opened a new site in Borough Yards and can report that the performance of the site so far has been good.” Post year-end, the group has opened two new sites at Battersea Power Station – an El Pastor restaurant and a first site for new bar concept Two Drops. It now operates five El Pastors, five Barrafinas, two Parrillans, The Drop in Kings Cross, Two Drops in Battersea, Quo Vadis in Soho and Bar Daskal in London Bridge. 

 

NQ64 – current trading in line with expectations, secures further £500,000 of funding: Andy Haygarth, co-founder of NQ64, the immersive retro arcade bar concept, has told Propel that the company’s current trading is “in line with expectations” and it expects to open two or three sites next year. NQ64, which was founded by Haygarth and Matt Robson, currently operates 13 sites, after opening in Leeds this summer, in the former Manahatta site in Merrion Street. Haygarth said: “We are pleased to be trading in line with expectations. Leeds opened at the end of August and is trading well. We are currently in legals on a Nottingham site, which we expect will be the first of two or three openings in 2025.” It comes as the company report revenue increased to £17.2m for the year to 28 February 2024 (2023: £12.8m). Ebitda stood at £4.1m after adjusting for exceptional items of £1.3m relating to the pre-opening costs of new sites in the year and costs incurred in raising an additional £7.5m of bank funding last summer. The additional funding was used in part to complete the share buyback of the minority shareholding of lmbiba, generating a six-times multiple for the private equity firm in two years. Three new sites were opened in the year – in Bristol, Shoreditch and Manchester. The company said: “The board is pleased to report that all three locations are trading ahead of their pre-investment expectations. Excluding the consolidation adjustments, the group made a profit after taxation for the 12 months ended 28 February 2024 was £0.5m (2023: £1.2m). The group continues to pursue its strategy to expand across the UK.” Last May, the business secured a new £10m facility from ThinCats to support its growth. Propel understands NQ64 secured a further £500,000 of funding through ThinCats this summer. 

 

UK bubble tea brand Cupp aiming for 50 stores by end of 2025 and international debut next year: UK bubble tea brand Cupp is aiming for 50 stores by the end of 2025 and an international debut next year. Founded by Lee Peacock in Bristol in 2012, the franchise business currently operates 35 stores, and Propel understands its next two openings will both be in Edinburgh. Propel also understands Cupp is targeting key international markets including Saudi Arabia, India, the US and Canada as it looks to open its first overseas site in 2025. “We’re thrilled to open the door to new franchisees who share our passion for boba tea and customer service excellence,” said Peacock. “We’ve experienced incredible growth since opening our first store, and now, with 35 locations across the UK, we’re ready to take Cupp to the next level. Our goal is to reach 50 stores domestically by 2025 while simultaneously exploring exciting international opportunities. As demand for boba tea continues to soar, Cupp is positioned to offer new franchisees a proven business model, comprehensive support and a growing customer base.”

 

Marugame Udon reports UK revenue up 95% driven by three new restaurants and performance of existing sites, ‘strong potential’ for brand here’: Marugame Udon, the international udon noodles and tempura restaurant brand, has reports its UK revenue was up 95% in 2023, driven by the opening of three new restaurants and the performance of its existing sites. Revenue of £17.1m was up from £8.5m in 2022, which was also helped by a 2.4% like-for-like sales increase. Ebitda was minus £4.1m, compared with minus £3.8m in 2022, which the company said reflects its ongoing investments aimed at establishing Marugame Udon’s presence in the UK. Marugame Udon Europe interim chief executive Sam McIntyre said: “We’ve made substantial investments to establish Marugame Udon in the UK, and we are delighted with the progress we’ve achieved. Our mission has always been to introduce UK customers to freshly made delicious Sanuki udon and tempura, hand made every day in our stores, and 2023 has brought us closer to that goal. We have significantly improved our restaurant economic model, and we’re pleased with progress on new initiatives and efficiencies made within our strategy, which have streamlined operations across the board.” A spokesman for Toridoll, which assumed full control of Marugame Udon Europe in July following the successful exit of Capdesia Group, added: “We are very happy with how udon has been readily accepted and loved by the UK consumer. We continue to believe there is strong potential for the Marugame brand and udon in the UK.” The company’s loyalty programme, Marugame Club, has also seen 330,000 customers sign up, including 10,000 members in the Student Club. The company said its focus will remain on “product innovation and delivering an exceptional customer experience”, with recent additions such as TanTan Udon, Udonuts and an enhanced tempura recipe “all aimed at enhancing our culinary offerings”.

 

Northern Monk launches new crowdfunding campaign with ambition to be Europe’s largest craft brewery by 2035: Northern Monk, the Active Partners-backed Leeds brewer, has launched a crowdfunding campaign, with a long-term ambition “to become Europe’s largest craft brewery by 2035”. The company is seeking to raise £1m and support Northern Monk to invest in three key initiatives. The first is to open a flagship Northern Monk venue in London; the second an expansion of the brewery to meet demand and become carbon zero by 2030; and the third to turning Northern Monk’s original brewery site in Leeds into the” best brewery visitor experience in the UK”. The company said it is on target for a turnover of £20m and had sold 40 million pints since its last crowdfunding campaign in 2018. It said: “We are now setting our sights on the goliaths of craft beer with one clear ambition; to become Europe’s largest craft brewery by 2035.” Russell Bisset, co-founder and managing director, said: “From a damp cellar in Bradford, we set out with a £5,000 gift from a grandparent, a dream of a brewery that was fresh from the north and a mission to create some of the world’s best beer experiences. After 11 years of brewing, we’re embarking on an exciting new era for Northern Monk, and we want to give people a chance to join us on the journey. We want to bring the freshest Northern Monk experience we can to the heart of the capital. An outpost for the north has always been an ambition but was knocked back due to the pandemic. Now, we’re ready to launch a flagship venue in the capital, before opening more taprooms in 2025 and beyond.”

 

ETM Collection launches new London rooftop bar and restaurant: ETM Collection, part of ETM Group and Maven Leisure, has launched its new London rooftop bar and restaurant, Kitty Hawk, in Covent Garden. The company, which already operates Aviary Rooftop Bar & Restaurant, Wagtail Rooftop Bar & Restaurant and The Botanist in Sloane Square, has opened the venue on the rooftop of the Page 8 Hotel. An outside terrace offers views across Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square. Maven Leisure chief executive Ed Martin said: “Kitty Hawk is more than just a beautiful venue. It’s a place where every detail intends to create an unforgettable experience. We’ve combined elegance with a welcoming touch, ensuring every guest feels both special and at home.” ETM Group and Maven Leisure brought together a number of their venues under the umbrella of the ETM Collection in August, as they look to “enhance brand identity and guest experience”.

 

Bear confirms opening date for Dorset debut: Cafe bar concept Bear has confirmed its eight site – in Wimborne, Dorset – will open on Thursday, 17 October. Founded in 2014 by lifelong friends Craig Bunting and Michael Thorley, the business, which is backed by Clark Group, grew across the Midlands and Cheshire, serving speciality coffee, seasonal fresh food and cocktails. In June, it secured the former Dancing Moose site at 71 High Street in Wimborne, as it expands to the south coast for the first time. Following this, the company completed a £650,000 fundraiser on Crowdcube in July, to “open new stores, enhance product offerings and further develop the brand”. The new cafe will serve Bear’s “Later” evening menu every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 4pm, including fully stacked smash burgers, small plates, loaded fries and twists on cocktail classics. Store manager Ian Wilson said: “We’ve worked incredibly hard to create a space that reflects the spirit of Wimborne while adding Bear’s signature style.”

 

Greene King evolves Nest Pubs concept with Pieminister collaboration: Greene King Pub Partners, the leased, tenanted and franchise business unit of Greene King, has evolved its Nest Pubs franchise concept through a collaboration with Pieminister. The collaboration will see Nest Pubs serve Pieminister’s recently launched “Handy Pies” – handheld, deep filled pies. These will be kept warm in branded pie warmers, which will be housed on the back bars of all Nest Pubs. Greene King, which currently operates seven sites under the Nest format, said all Nest Pubs will continue to serve pizza and remain as wet-led pub businesses, but the addition of Pieminister’s offering will equip franchisees with more food options to serve customers – including a plant-based option. Nest Pubs is the second franchise concept from Greene King Pub Partners, following the success of Hive Pubs, the first franchise concept Greene King launched in 2021. Penny Baldwin, franchise director for Greene King Pub Partners, said: “This is an exciting step in the evolution of our growing Nest Pubs franchise concept. Pieminister’s ‘Handy Pies’ provide our franchisees with another food option to serve customers, without the need for a kitchen or kitchen staff. This complements the pizza offer already in place in Nest Pubs, which is effective and simple for our Nest Pubs franchisees to deliver.”

 

Good Food Society launches second Hovarda site: The Good Food Society, led by Levent Büyükuğur and Sanjay Nandi, has launched a second site for its Mediterranean concept, Hovarda, in London’s Canary Wharf. The 139-cover restaurant and terrace occupies the water level deck of a purpose-built pavilion situated on the water at the centre of Wood Wharf. The venue features a communal kitchen island, a mix of banquettes and sofa seating and a bar. The menu features dishes from the coastlines of Greece and Turkey while the bar serves spirits and cocktails inspired by Mediterranean notes. Like its sibling site, which opened in Soho in 2017, in the evenings, Hovarda transforms into an exclusive music destination.

 

MasterChef winner Simon Wood closes Wood Manchester: Simon Wood, who won the 2015 series of MasterChef, has closed his restaurant Wood Manchester after seven years of trading. The chef, who opened his fine dining restaurant in Manchester’s First Street in 2017, posted on Instagram: “It is with much regret that I have to inform you that I must close the doors here at Wood for good, with immediate effect. We have had seven years as part of the Manchester city dining scene and I’m very proud of what the team and I have achieved. Sadly, with covid rent arrears now being demanded by our landlord and an increasingly difficult marketplace, energy increases, ingredient costs and soon to be spiralling business rates we just cannot make this work.” Sacha Lord, the night-time economy advisor for Greater Manchester, said: “A huge, huge loss to Manchester. If you can’t make it, god help many others.”

 

Northern Ireland pizza restaurant franchise set to open third site: Northern Ireland pizza restaurant franchise Apache Catering is set to open its third site. The family-owned business is planning to expand next year by opening a new store in Moria, which would create up to 20 jobs. It comes as the company purchased the freehold of its Lurgan store following an £80,000 funding package from HSBC UK. The 1,117-square-foot outlet opened in 2022. Apache Catering also has a store in Portadown. Chief executive Robert Graham said: “Over the last nine years, we have grown the business in Northern Ireland, and the funding from HSBC UK will allow us to continue building on this success.”

Cardiff catering company founded by MasterChef The Professionals contestant launches fries-inspired restaurant: A Cardiff catering company founded by a former MasterChef The Professionals contestant has launched a new restaurant specialising in fries. Nick Collins, who founded Cleverchefs in April 2020, has rebranded the café at Lido Ponty in Pontypridd to Fries Guys. The café, located in the Lido building in Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, was previously known as The Waffle House. It is now called Fries Guys, selling a variety of gourmet fries, breakfast rolls and churros, reports Insider Media. Cleverchefs took over the catering of the café in April 2020. Collins, a chef for more than 20 years appeared on BBC’s MasterChef the Professionals in 2008, said: “The Waffle House has been a fantastic business at the Caffi Lido for the last two years, but we feel it’s the right time to shake things up a bit. So, we have created this new concept with a fantastic food offer for visitors that is fun, exciting and has something for everyone. When it comes to chips, what’s not to love? However, we haven’t forgotten those with a sweet-tooth and will have a fabulous selection of churros and toppings that will really hit the spot and we will still be serving all the great homemade cakes, bakes and ice cream alongside our hand roasted Ground Control branded coffee from Caerphilly.”

 

Nashville-inspire concept to go from pop-up to permanent: Nashville-inspire concept Lil’ Nashville – which offers line dancing, country music and Southern barbecue – is set to go from pop-up to permanent. Following a period operating as a pop-up at Dingwalls in Camden, the concept has acquired the old Betty Chiswick site at 11 Barley Mow Passage in west London. Food options at previous events have included Louisiana barbecue pulled pork and ten-hour smoked Texas brisket served with smoky pit beans, ’slaw and pink pickles, reports Hot Dinners. Lil’ Nashville is set to open early in 2025.