Greene King to invest £10m into Hickory’s this year, plans to triple size of chain by 2030: Brewer and retailer Greene King has said it plans to invest £10m into its American-style smokehouse and barbecue brand Hickory’s this year, as it plans to triple the size of the current 26-strong business by 2030. Hickory’s, which was acquired by Greene King in 2022, said it plans to open ten new sites each year, and that it sees a “substantial opportunity” to grow despite wider challenges facing sector businesses. Hickory’s said it has seen “strong” sales continue over recent months after continued investment from Greene King to support its growth ambitions. It opened six new sites in 2024 to expand to 26 locations, as part of a £25m investment from Greene King since the acquisition. The companies said they will continue to invest heavily to open ten new sites a year until at least 2027. The plan will include converting more of Greene King’s existing pubs into Hickory’s to cater for changing customer demand. John Welsh, managing director of Hickory’s, told PA that the brand is still seeing buoyant trade, particularly in new venues, despite wider pressures on the industry. “I don’t think we’ve had a single year where there hasn’t been significant challenges to overcome, and at the moment, it is no different,” he said. “We’ve still been seeing a strong performance because we keep our focus on delivering a great experience for customers.” The plans will also see Greene King and Hickory’s invest £10m this year, which will include the refurbishments of existing venues. This will include a £1m investment at its original restaurant in Chester, where the firm was founded in 2010. Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie said: “We knew Hickory’s was a brilliant brand with a unique proposition when we made our initial investment, but it has been great to see the expansion of the brand really resonate with guests. At a time when the sector is facing significant pressures and layering of costs, Hickory’s growth provides a blueprint for our investment strategy to drive the brand’s expansion, unlock value and delight Hickory’s guests. We’re looking forward to working with John and the team to build on this success and continue to grow the Hickory’s estate into a truly national brand to share its smokehouse experience with more of our guests across the UK.”

 

M&B divisional director Anna-Marie Mason to speak at Excellence in Pub & Bar Retailing Conference, open for bookings with 20% discount on tickets for Premium Club subscribers: Anna-Marie Mason, divisional director of Mitchells & Butlers' premium division, will be among the speakers at the Excellence in Pub & Bar Retailing Conference. The all-day conference takes place on Wednesday, 14 May at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings. Marie-Mason will discuss the evolution of the group’s Vintage Inns, Premium Country Pubs and Miller & Carter brands, with a special focus on the resurgence of the latter’s steakhouse concept. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Tickets are £295 plus VAT for operators and £345 plus VAT for suppliers. There is a 20% discount for operators and suppliers who are Premium Club subscribers. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to book places.

Premium Club subscribers to receive updated Multi-Site Database with 3,386 operators and 30 new companies on Friday: Premium Club subscribers are to receive the Multi-Site Database on Friday (25 April), at noon. The next Propel Multi-Site Database provides details of 3,386 multi-site operators and is searchable in seven main segments. The database features 989 (29%) operators from the casual dining sector, 794 (23%) pub and bar operators, 576 (17%) cafe bakery operators, 472 (14%) quick service restaurant operators, 276 (8%) hotel operators, 214 (6%) experiential leisure operators and 54 (2%) fine dining operators. The database is updated each month, and this edition includes 30 new companies. The database includes new companies in the hotels sector such as Sutton Hotel Collection, the UK hotel operator, McKeever Hotel Group, the Northern Ireland hotel company, and Marine and Lawn Hotels, the AJ Capital Partners-owned collection of six hotels and resorts. Premium Club subscribers 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 Club subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including Excellence in Pub Retail (May 2025) and discounts on specialist sector reports such as the International Brands report. Operators that are Premium Club subscribers are also able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club subscribers 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 subscribers 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 subscribers 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.

Meatliquor founder – running bars and restaurants just isn’t fun anymore and has become a struggle: Scott Collins, the founder of Meatliquor who recently opened the Bloodsports bar in London’s Covent Garden, has said running bars and restaurants just isn’t fun anymore and has become a struggle. Collins invested £1.2m opening Bloodsports and signed the lease on the venue last September. One month later, the chancellor announced a swathe of tax rises on employers that kicked in earlier this month, heaping pressure on already-stretched hospitality firms. “Had I known what the current financial climate was going to be like now, and the lack of consumer confidence, I wouldn’t have bought this place,” Collins told The Telegraph. “It was quite a tricky deal. It took a lot longer than expected, and since then the world’s got worse, which no one was expecting. So, if I could turn back the clock, I wouldn’t have done it. I can’t see us making any money in the next financial year, and that’s with opening a brand-new site, so the coffers are empty. We did our calculations in November, and just with the national insurance rise and the living wage rise, we needed to find, as of 1 April, an extra £300,000 per year. Lunch has just fallen off a cliff, and you’re now up against everyone discounting, especially the groups that have private equity backing.” Collins is also facing pressure from suppliers who are attempting to pass the impact of the tax rises down the supply chain. “Our big food supplier has just tried to pass on the 5% uplift,” he said. “Everyone’s trying to pass it on someone else. It’s a never-ending story.” Ultimately, he said, it would be a lot easier to just “shut up shop”, but said the company employs 220 people and “we’re not going to let them go”. Collins remains a believer in the importance of pubs, bars and restaurants as part of the social fabric of the UK. He added: “We’re a key pillar of the economy. We support jobs, communities, recovery. Hospitality brings people together. It’s full of passion and potential. The red tape needs to be cut, the tax load needs to be eased, and then we can just do what we do best.”

 

Hospitality turns to baby boomers to ease staff shortage: Research from HR management system Employment Hero has found a near 10% increase in the baby boomer generation returning to casual hospitality roles to supplement their income and stay active. The FT reports that the sector has the second-highest employment growth for this age group, after finance and insurance. An earlier study found the over-50s made up more than a third of the hospitality industry’s workforce, with 165,000 joining the sector in the past three years. Their return partly reverses a trend seen in the early years of the pandemic, when many over-50s left the UK workforce to retire early. Key to this is hospitality evolving from a long-hour, hard-graft, high-turnover culture to a more flexible working environment. Employers say older workers are attracted by the wide range of roles the industry offers as well as the social element. They have found hiring more in this age group boosts staff retention rates compared with more transient younger people and students. Some of the UK’s biggest hospitality companies are now directly targeting older workers, the report added. Pub and hotel group Fuller’s, for example, has partnered with Rest Less, an over-50s digital community and job site, and has adapted its recruitment strategy to attract this cohort. Measures including more age-inclusive recruitment material have helped double the number of over-50s across Fuller’s 185 managed venues. The age group now represents 12% of the company’s workforce, according to people and talent director, Dawn Browne. “I thought there may still be reticence about hiring, say, a 60-year-old for certain roles, but [managers] have been totally on board,” she said. “A team of mainly very young people can actually be a lot to deal with; managers have to assume a parental role at times and having older team members with more life experience to support younger colleagues can be helpful.”

NTIA welcomes late-night extensions for pubs in VE Day 80 celebrations: Pub-goers will be able to raise a toast to veterans for an extra two hours as part of next month’s historic 80th anniversary of VE Day. With celebrations planned across the country on Thursday, 8 May, the government has announced that pubs and bars will be permitted to remain open until 1am to mark the occasion. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) welcomed the announcement, highlighting its potential to both honour the legacy of the wartime generation and support the struggling hospitality sector. Michael Kill, chief executive of the NTIA, said: “As someone with a strong family background in the armed forces, I know how vital it is to honour the legacy of those who served. VE Day is not only a moment of remembrance, but also an opportunity for communities to come together. At such a challenging time for the hospitality sector, allowing businesses to extend their trading hours during these celebrations offers a much-needed boost while paying tribute to our shared history.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a hospitality group known for its hotels, restaurants, venues, bars and event spaces that is seeking a head of customer experience. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The role will lead and elevate the guest journey across multiple locations. The individual will have a strong background in customer experience, strategy implementation, and team leadership.” The salary is up to £55,000 and the position is based in Wales. For more information, email stuart@corecruitment.com.

 

Marston’s opens first site under Grandstand format: Marston’s has opened the first site under its new “locals sport pub” format called Grandstand, in the West Midlands, Propel has learned. The Justin Platt-led business has converted The Gospel Oak in Tipton to the new format, which it said last October would eventually make up roughly 20% of its circa 1,340-strong estate. The business said Grandstand pubs will be aimed at “regulars and locals entertainment focused adults” under the proposition of “the big event shared at your local with cutting-edge technology”. The main menu of the new format is made up of “pub classics, grills, and burgers”. Pub classics include a steak & ale pie (£9.79), hand-battered fish & chips (£10.49), sausage & mash (£9.29), kebab & fries (£10.29) and a chicken tikka masala (£9.49). The Grills include a chicken feast platter (£13.99) and an ultimate ribs and chicken platter (£18.29). Burgers include a cheeseburger (£9.29), a cowboy burger (£9.79) and an ultimate southern-fried chicken burger (£11.29). There is also a sandwiches and jacket potatoes menu available Monday to Friday, from 12pm to 3pm, which features a Philly cheese steak baguette (£7.99), a fish finger sandwich (£6.79), a cheese and pickle sandwich (£6.29) and jacket potato (£5.79-£6.79 depending on choice of topping). Last October, Marston’s said it saw the opportunity for five differentiated pub formats as it looks to drive a “high-margin, highly cash-generative local pub company” with the purpose of “shared good times”. The formats are “locals”, “locals sport pub”, “adult dining pub”, “family pub” and the “two-room pub”. Outlining its strategy at its Capital Markets Day, Marston’s, which has 1,339 sites nationwide, said it would “create a balanced portfolio across consumer segments”. Marston’s said its five formats will help meet the expanding range of occasions in UK pubs and the increasing importance of “low tempo” (midweek and earlier hours) visits, which are up 8% in 2024 on last year.

Bosco Pizzeria founder – eyeing locations for site number seven, hugely excited by Pizzucci concept: Miles Johnson, founder of Bosco Pizzeria, the Bristol-based business in which Loungers chief executive Nick Collins is an investor, has told Propel that company is “eyeing up” a couple of locations for its seventh site and is “hugely excited” about its fledgling sister concept Pizzucci. Bosco Pizzeria is set to make its debut in Wales this September with a launch at 14 High Street in Cardiff. The concept, which offers Neapolitan-style pizza, handmade pasta, cured meat, small plates and fresh salads, operates two eponymous sites in Bristol, plus restaurants in Cheltenham and Bath. The business also operates the smaller, more delivery-focused pizza concept Pizzucci, in Gloucester Road, Bristol. Johnson told Propel: “In the short term, our focus is firmly on opening Bosco Cardiff with a bang. It’s a great location and we can’t wait to be up and running. From there, we are eyeing up a couple of locations for our seventh restaurant, but it’s something we need to assess carefully and be confident that we can tick all the boxes. In addition to Bosco, I am hugely excited by Pizzucci. Pizzucci is fast paced and fun and we have the potential to grow the business into a variety of locations. We are fortunate to have an amazing team of brilliant and passionate individuals, led by managing director Joe Cook, who are well placed to oversee our next stage of growth. It’s going to be a busy 18 months, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for both businesses.” Propel revealed last week that Collins, chief executive of café bar operator Loungers, had invested in Bosco Pizzeria. Collins, who has been chief executive of the Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside operator for more than a decade, has become a minority investor in the business but doesn’t have any operational or board involvement.

Neat Burger to close remaining UK sites: Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio-backed plant-based concept Neat Burger has said it is to close its two remaining UK sites. The company confirmed to The Sun that its locations at Camden Lock Market and Box Park Wembley are to close, with the potential loss of around 150 jobs. A spokesperson for the business told the newspaper: “We have no further comment at this time, other than to confirm that the business has taken the difficult decision to close its UK restaurants.” The vegan food concept, founded in 2019, grew to as many as eight UK locations but said in November 2023 that it was to consolidate its estate and shut four sites. Following this, the company closed its sites in Liverpool Street, Canary Wharf, Oxford Street and Westfield Stratford – blaming hybrid working patters for a decrease in footfall. This left it with sites in Camden, Soho, Victoria and Wembley, with Soho and Victoria having also since closed. The company rebranded from Neat Burger to Neat in February 2024, alongside a new menu launch, and the following month, chief operating officer Stasi Nychas stepped down. In September 2024, chief executive Zack Bishti also left the company, as two of its three overseas sites – in New York and Dubai – were shuttered.

Poolhouse investor – first US locations set to open late 2026, four to five to follow every year after: US investment firm Emerging Fund has said that the first US locations for Poolhouse, the new competitive socialising concept from the founders of Topgolf and Puttshack, are expected to open in late 2026, with “four to five opening every year after that”. Emerging, which is also an investor in F1 Arcade and Flight Club, is one of the firms that has invested a combined $34m (£25.9m) into backing the launch of the new concept from the Jolliffe brothers. The concept’s debut site, which will be spread over circa 21,000 square feet in London’s Liverpool Street, will open early next year and be the home of 20 tech-infused pool tables. Steve Jolliffe said Poolhouse is the “most ambitious and scalable concept my brother and I have created, representing the pinnacle of our lifelong work”. Emerging said: “The first US locations are expected to open in late 2026, with four to five opening every year after that. Some potential locations include Chicago, New York, Boston, Nashville, Philadelphia and Washington DC. Australia’s Signature Hospitality Group struck a franchise agreement, with more franchise and joint venture agreements expected in other countries. The brand is also considering licensing its technology to pool halls, apartment complexes and homes; basically, anywhere a pool table exists. At Emerging, we’re excited about what Poolhouse brings to the market and to be a part of their expansion plans. We anticipate that a sport that about one in ten people play about twice a year will gain tremendous ground and interest from both pool sharks and first-time players.” Andrew O’Brien, a former Credit Suisse banker and a current board member of F1 Arcade, is chief executive of Poolhouse while Matt Fleming, formerly of Be At One and Vagabond Wines, is its chief operating officer. Poolhouse said it is already in discussions on launching with operators in the Middle East, North America, Europe and south east Asia.

Megan’s lines up Windsor and Beaconsfield openings: Megan’s, the all-day, neighbourhood restaurant concept, is to further enhance its regional presence with openings in Windsor and Beaconsfield this year. The 21-strong business, which is chaired by Rod McKie, will open on the former Carluccio’s in Windsor later this summer. The 178-cover Megan’s by the Crown will be located at Unit 28, Royal Station, Jubilee Arch. It will be followed by an opening on the former Jungs café on The Broadway site in Beaconsfield, which closed last year. Propel revealed last June that Megan’s had appointed advisors as it explores its further funding options, which could include a sale of the business. Last September, the business reported it had returned to profit in the year to 31 March 2024. The company turned a pre-tax loss of £1,988,731 in 2023 into a profit of £2,714,036, despite an increase in costs of more than £3m. It comes after Propel reported last May that the company’s turnover grew from £26,457,133 to a record £29,599,540 during the year, with company Ebitda up to £4.8m from £2.7m.

PizzaExpress opens second Pod site, lines up two more: PizzaExpress, the Paula MacKenzie-led business, has opened a second site under its new Pod format and lined up two further openings in partnership with Tesco. As revealed by Propel in January, the business has opened the new Pod site at the Tesco Superstore in Swansea Marina. PizzaExpress launched its first Pod format site, in the car park of the Tesco Extra in Southampton, last November. Positioned outside the Tesco Extra’s main entrance, the Pod allows consumers to order and collect when on the move, ordering from an open kitchen and collection window. Pod also features a £9.95 pizza and soft drink lunch offer, with Tesco Clubcard members able to redeem their points at the Pod. Propel understands that the business has also lined up further Pod openings at the Tesco store in the Broadfield Retail Park in Aylesbury, and at the Tesco Extra in Waltham Cross, Cheshunt. Earlier this month, PizzaExpress agreed a refinancing deal with more than 97% of its existing bondholders. The company said the refinancing agreement followed a good opening quarter for the brand, with like-for-like sales up 1.3% for the first two months compared with last year. The company said it has received strong support to extend the maturity of its senior secured notes from July 2026 to September 2029. As part of the refinancing, there will be £55m par debt paydown, reducing the group’s debt position to £280m. The company’s shareholders will inject £20m equity to partially fund the debt paydown, demonstrating “their continued support for the business”.

Doner Shack on track to award over 50 new US franchise agreements, signs up second Nevada franchisee: Sanjeev Sanghera, co-founder of Doner Shack, the Berlin fast casual kebab business, has said that the company is on track to award over 50 new franchise agreements this year across North America. It comes after the business, which currently has agreements signed for 27 US units, said it had signed a second multi-unit franchise deal in Nevada. Last month, Propel reported Doner Shack had signed its first three franchisees in the US – in Florida, Las Vegas and Dallas. Sanghera said: “We’re thrilled to announce our second multi-unit franchise deal in Nevada, this time partnering with the seasoned operator, Surinder Preet. With a five-store agreement (and option to increase to ten), Surinder is set to introduce Doner Shack to both Reno and Las Vegas. Having previously managed multiple Pizza Hut locations, his passion for doner kebabs and belief in our streamlined operational model make this collaboration especially exciting. This expansion brings our total locations in Nevada to eight, following our earlier three-store agreement with entrepreneur Sumeet Kainth in Las Vegas. We’re proud to see our vision, to become the number one kebab brand in the world, resonating with such dedicated partners.” Earlier this month, Jason Steele, chief executive of Steele Advisory Group, which is taking the lead on development and real estate for Doner Shack, said the plan is to open corporate locations in states in different parts of the US where the company is targeting growth. He said the goal is to sign 35 to 50 single and multi-unit agreements this year and 100 to 150 agreements in 2026. The brand has signed a multi-site deal with Florida State University alum Krish Patel, who plans to open three Doner Shacks in his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida, starting this summer. In addition, the brand has signed multi-unit agreements with experienced multi-brand operators in Dallas and Las Vegas. Founded in Glasgow in 2018 by Sanghera and Laura Bruce, Doner Shack grew to five UK stores before last year buying back three restaurants and several territories from its franchisees due to cost pressures.

Dishoom eyes Leeds opening: Award-winning Indian restaurant group Dishoom is eyeing up an opening in Leeds. Propel understands that the 13-strong business has applied for a premises licence to open on the ground floor of 68-78 Vicar Lane, in what was previously the Flannels clothes shop. The property previously housed chef Michael O’Hare’s Michelin-starred restaurant the Man Behind the Curtain, above the Flannels clothes shop. Speaking to Propel last month, Shamil Thakrar, co-founder of Dishoom, said he believed the company could open two or three sites a year, “while still maintaining the integrity and the beauty of what we do”. The company currently operates ten Dishoom sites in the UK and three under its fledgling Permit Room concept. Thakrar said the company would open one Dishoom this year, in Glasgow. The company is also set to open its first Permit Room in London, on the former The Distillery site in Portobello Road, later this spring. He said: “With Dishoom, we’ve opened about one a year, but now we can do more, and I think we can do two or three a year. I don’t want to do more than that. Consistent with our philosophy of ‘deepen and not dilute’, the bottleneck for growth is not opportunity or funding. How can we open better restaurants every year? We will keep opening Dishooms, but I don’t want to open lots of them.”

London pizza concept pivoting from dark kitchens to focus on stores in high footfall areas, aiming to open five more in the coming years: London pizza concept ICCO: The People's Pizzeria has told Propel it is pivoting from dark kitchens to focus on stores in high footfall areas and aiming to open up to five more in the coming years. Founded in 1999 by Tamer Kamel, ICCO currently trades from two sites in the capital – Goodge Street, which opened in 1999, and Camden High Street, which opened in 2017. Kamel said: “Since 1999, ICCO has been providing, fresh, honest and great value pizza to the people of London. Built on family values, we serve fresh pizza with an array of ingredients that satisfy everyone. Our model is simple: quality pizza at unbeatable value, made fresh daily and served fast, without the frills. We are bringing ICCO to even more people – expanding our locations while staying true to what made us a London favourite for so many years. ICCO has its flagship pizzeria in Goodge Street, opened a second site in Camden in 2017 and opened four dark kitchens at the start of the pandemic, but has now closed these kitchens to focus on four to five more busy, high footfall, central London pizzerias over the next three to five years.” He added: “It’s been a great start to the year, with records being broken in terms of turnover in January, February and March. Now, with a more streamlined menu with a few additional items, we are set for our most impressive year to date.”

Coffee#1 opens two new sites: Coffee#1, the Nero Group-owned business, has added two more stores to its portfolio. The first has opened in the Westbourne area of Bournemouth, in the former NatWest building in Poole Road. Coffee#1 has also converted a former bank in Haywards Heath, with the former Halifax premises in South Road now part of its portfolio. The two openings take the brand's total estate to 127. A Coffee#1 spokesperson said: “These new openings reflect our commitment to investing in vibrant high streets and creating welcoming hubs for local communities.”

Swingers hires Laura Godsman as franchise director: Crazy golf brand Swingers has hired Laura Godsman, formerly of BrewDog and Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, as its first franchise director, as it looks to build on the opening of its first franchise site in Dubai. Godsman joins Swingers after three and a half years at BrewDog, including the last two as the Scottish brewer and retailer’s franchise director. She also spent a year and a half at Chapel Down Group as a hospitality operations manager and six years at Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, including almost two years as international commercial project manager-franchise. In February, Swingers, which is backed by Cain International, made its debut in the Middle East with the opening of its first franchise site, in Dubai’s Bluewaters Island. Swingers Dubai, which is spread over 22,000 square feet and two floors, was opened in partnership with Rise Hospitality. The venue features three crazy golf courses and gourmet street food and is also home to Swingers’ first speakeasy. Swingers operates five other sites – two in the UK and three in the US, where it will add to its portfolio with an opening in Boston later this year. Godsman said: “We are excited to work with partners to bring our unique, high-energy, and immersive entertainment experience to new locations around the world. Dubai is just the beginning.”

Frankie O’Connell joins HOP as people director: Vietnamese street food concept HOP has hired Frankie O’Connell, formerly of Blank Street Coffee, as its new people director. O’Connell joins the Paul Hopper-led HOP after more than one and a half years as UK director of people and talent at the fast-growing Blank Street Coffee. She also previously spent two years as global engagement and brand lead at Costa Coffee. Last October, the five-string HOP announced that founder Hopper had taken on the role of founder and managing director, with then current managing director Richard Franks stepping down. Franks subsequently joined Shake Shack to head up its UK business. HOP said at the time that it would continue to “refine our offer and learn more about our guests’ needs over the next 12-18 months before we look to ramp up our openings, with a view to opening two to three further locations in 2025”.

The Stable founders launch new restaurant Heydays: Richard and Nikki Cooper, who founded The Stable pizza restaurant brand in 2009 before selling it to Fuller’s a decade later, have opened their latest venture, all-day dining concept Heydays, in Exmouth, Devon. The new venue has opened on chef Michael Caines’ former Mickeys Beach Bar and Restaurant and Café Patisserie Glacerie site at the Sideshore in the Devon town. The team behind Heydays is the same as the one behind the Swim café and beachside terrace in Lyme Regis – which the Coopers opened in 2018 with Andy Briggs and Kyle Clarke after selling their final share of The Stable restaurants. They also operate Rise Café Bar in West Bay and Rise Market & Bakery in Bridport, both in Dorset. They said that Heydays “aims to provide a relaxed dining experience that celebrates the best of local food and drink”. The new restaurant will look to mirror the successful all-day dining format of Swim and Rise, offering a diverse menu seven days a week. “We want Heydays to embody our ethos of inclusivity and innovation,” said Richard Cooper. “We want to create a space where everyone, including their dogs, feels welcome, and where the focus is on high-quality, locally sourced food in a casual setting.” The Stable brand is now operated by Three Joes owners Sourdough South, which acquired it from Fuller’s in 2020, and has ten sites across the south west, south coast and Midlands. It opened its latest site in February, in Padstow, Cornwall.

Team behind Chateau-X restaurant launches new golf and entertainment bar concept: The team behind the Glasgow-based restaurant Chateau-X has launched a new golf and entertainment bar concept called Golf-X. Located in the heart of Ayr town centre, Golf-X boasts state-of-the-art golf simulators and interactive darts. It also has an 80-cover bar and 40-cover restaurant. The business has invested a six-figure sum transforming the venue into a “one-of-a-kind entertainment space”. Cristiano Simeone, co-founder of Golf-X, said: “This has been a real passion project from day one, so we’re delighted to finally be able to welcome guests. We wanted to bring something completely new to Ayr, and Golf-X is exactly that. It’s a game changer for the town’s social scene. Whether you’re a scratch golfer, fancy yourself as the next Luke Littler or just here for the food, the experience is designed to be world class.” Simeone, who is also the managing director of steakhouse Chateau-X, said Golf-X marks the first “sister venue” of Chateau-X, which opened in Glasgow’s West End in December 2021.

Michelin recommended Scottish restaurant to close due to cost pressures: Fhior, Edinburgh’s multi-award-winning restaurant from chef patron Scott Smith, will close on 1 June as the “cost of doing things the right way in a very difficult hospitality climate has taken its toll”. Smith, who has run the restaurant since 2018, will be launching a new culinary project, Blank Plate Creative, providing hospitality businesses with bespoke catering solutions. The restaurant, which has been co-owned by Smith and his wife Laura, has won numerous awards and is listed in the Good Food and Michelin Guides. The Smiths said: “Ultimately, this decision comes down to a number of personal and practical factors, including the arrival of our second child and a desire to spend more time with our growing family. While the restaurant has achieved so much, the cost of doing things the right way in a very difficult hospitality climate has taken its toll. Rather than compromise what Fhior stands for, we’ve chosen to close on our own terms, with intention, and with the same care and integrity that defined every service. Our team has been part of this process and we’ve been able to help them all find new jobs. While this is the end of Fhior as a restaurant, this is not the end of the journey. In the months ahead, we’ll be focusing on family, rest and some exciting new projects, including the launch of Blank Plate Creative, a space for collaboration, creativity, and supporting others in building meaningful food businesses, and you never know, where Fhior may pop up again.”

South west hotel operator sees turnover hit record £46.7m but profit dips as wage costs exceed £20m: Brend Hotels, which operates a portfolio of 11 three and four-star hotels in Devon and Cornwall, has reported revenue increased to a record £46,691,956 for the year ending 31 March 2024 compared with £45,226,690 the previous year. The group, founded by Percy Brend in 1969 with the purchase of The Royal Hotel in Bideford, saw pre-tax profit fall to £1,122,972 from £1,354,879 the year before as wage costs rose to £20,436,197, up from £18,942,538 the year before. Managing director John Brend – one of six family members who serve as directors – stated: “As expected, turnover returned to slightly better than normal levels. Trading performance was good in the summer months, but there was a small drop off in the winter months due to a large capital project. Due to an increase in wage costs, there has been a drop in gross profit, but energy costs have reduced. The general economy, inflation and the high interest rates is affecting the discretionary expenditure of our customers and is having an impact on our costs of running the hotels.” No dividends were paid (2023: nil). The group employs around 1,050 staff.