Exclusive – Federal Cafe appoints advisors as it targets growing a national presence: Manchester cafe concept Federal Cafe, which offers Australian and New Zealand-inspired brunch dishes, has appointed advisors as it looks to secure new backing to ramp up its expansion plans, Propel has learned. Federal Cafe, which was founded by Claudio Ribeiro in 2014 and currently operates three sites in Manchester, is understood to be working with Will Baxter and Payam Keyghobadi, of Dow Schofield Watts (DSW) London, on reviewing its options, as it looks at the next stage of its growth journey. Federal Cafe, which was voted second best independent cafe operator in the world based on social media impressions, is gearing up to open its fourth site in Manchester in a “super-prime location”. In addition, the business, which currently operates sites in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Deansgate and Circle Square development, said it is being offered sites in prime locations in other cities in the north and beyond. Federal Cafe said that this had led to Ribeiro starting to think about options for accelerating growth nationally. Ribeiro feels that on the back of “the love Federal’s customers have for its coffee and food”, the concept has the potential to grow to more than 50 locations and become a UK-wide business. Federal Cafe said it attracts all demographics and enjoys a 4.7-star Google rating while “operating at industry leading Ebitda margins and rent percentages”. Ribeiro told Propel: “I am excited about where Federal Café is at as a business and the opportunities it has for growth. We enjoy exceptionally strong sales across all our sites with permanent queues to get in being the norm, even in the Manchester climate! As I begin to review options for what growth could look like with the team at DSW, we are feeling really positive about what the future holds for Federal Cafe both within Manchester and across the UK. We believe that through our relentless focus on food quality and taste, service and environment that is key to our success, we can bring Manchester’s favourite café business to the rest of the UK, pockets of London and international markets.”

 

Chickpea Group founder Ethan Davids to speak at Excellence in Pub & Bar Retailing Conference, open for bookings with 20% discount on tickets for Premium Club subscribers: Chickpea Group founder Ethan Davids 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. Davids will discuss balancing growing a wet-led vehicle, Great Boozers, which he founded with TV sandwich chef Max Halley in 2021, and expanding the company’s pubs with room 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 updated 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 cafe bakery sector such as artisan bakery business Flapjackery, family-owned north east coffee house franchise Siesta Coffee, and Leeds cafe concept Rabbit Hole Coffee. 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.

 

‘Financial barriers stalling hospitality entrepreneurship’ as McCain ­calls for government action: One in three UK hospitality workers would consider launching their own business within the sector but limited access to funding (cited by 62.2%) and a lack of training and mentorship (37.2%) are major barriers to entrepreneurship, according to new research. The findings by McCain Foods also showed nearly half of UK residents (48%) believe more support is needed to attract and retain talent in the industry. In response to the issues highlighted, McCain is calling upon the government to take action and demonstrate policy support for hospitality and entrepreneurship across several key areas, aimed to ensure long-term impact. These include recognising independent food businesses in the assessment for future skills and strengthening support for entrepreneurs from less-advantaged backgrounds; making levy-funded training more flexible for the food, drink and hospitality sectors, supporting initiatives like the hospitality skills passport; and including hospitality upskilling as part of the comprehensive strategy for post-16 education. The findings form part of McCain’s inaugural impact report for the Streets Ahead programme. Since its launch, the programme, launched by the brand’s foodservice division, has supported more than 185 participants from 40-plus charities, investing in excess of £240,000 to date, and the scheme is currently welcoming new applications. 

 

Exclusive – former Uber operations manager raises €800,000 for his hospitality manual stocktaking business: Former Uber operations manager Harpreet Singh has raised €800,000 to help grow his hospitality manual stocktaking business, Propel has learned. Singh, who spent almost seven years with Uber in several operational roles – most recently senior central operations manager EMEA – founded Peckish in May 2023 with Sebastien Pradier, a former Uber colleague who worked in data. The duo launched the business in its home city of Amsterdam before also launching in London last year, offering to help restaurants reduce food waste and boost profitability through video-based stocktakes, automated invoicing and streamlined procurement. The pre-seed funding round was led by Arches Capital, with participation from Antler, Newland Syndicate, Empower Impact and a host of strategic angels from the hospitality industry in both the UK and Netherlands. The investment will be used to accelerate product development, expand its sales and onboarding teams to meet growing demand and support international growth with a focus on the UK, Netherlands and US. Since launching in the UK 12 months ago, Singh said Peckish has processed thousands of video-based stocktakes, saving thousands of labour hours each week for its restaurant partners. He said: “With the way technology is advancing, we believe that any restaurant still manually counting stock in two years from now will be wasting precious time. A simple video can now return a more accurate stock count in minutes than a person can do in three hours. It’s like writing letters when you could be making a call – manual stocktaking is quickly becoming obsolete.” Singh is also the co-founder of The Turban Shop, an e-commerce startup based in Sydney, Australia.

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a premium multi-site restaurant group that is looking for an experienced group executive chef to lead its high-volume Mediterranean restaurant concept. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “With six sites to manage, this is a faced-paced restaurant environment where the individual will need strong leadership and an eye for menu innovation and cost control. The role will be to drive menu development and maintain excellence across all sites.” The salary is up to £70,000 and the position is based in London. For more information, email olly@corecruitment.com.

 

Exclusive – Big Table Group working on new tapas-focused concept: Big Table Group – the Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Banana Tree operator – is working on a new tapas-focused concept, with the working title of Cantina, Propel has learned. Although in the early stages of development, the new concept is set to be value and community led. Propel understands that the Alan Morgan-led group has lined up a possible conversion of its Las Iguanas site in New Broadway in London’s Ealing, for later this summer, for the new concept’s debut. Earlier this month, Las Iguanas launched its “most ambitious menu overhaul yet”. The 47-strong brand said it was introducing a fresh line-up of “mouthwatering dishes, bringing back long-lost favourites, and unveiling a brand-new rhythm of the week packed with exciting offers”. The menu included the return of the brand’s £15 bottomless tapas deal, and a comeback for its Xinxim curry. The new refresh also introduces offers including every day two-for-one cocktails from 3pm-6pm and 9pm-close, bottomless tapas for £15 from Sunday to Thursday, and a weekday lunch menu offering a classic main and a drink for £10.

 

Brighton Pier Group shareholders back plans to take company private: Brighton Pier Group shareholders have backed the company’s plan to delist from the London stock market and return to life as a private company. The group, which also owns several bars and mini-golf sites, told investors earlier this month it intended to cancel its listing on the capital’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) after more than 11 years. At a general meeting on Tuesday (22 April), 83.39% of shareholders backed the move. Brighton Pier Group is expected to delist on Friday, 2 May. At the time of the initial announcement, the group said it had faced “persistent challenging trading conditions” since the coronavirus pandemic, forcing it to cut costs and sell off underperforming assets. In a statement to the market, the group said it had carried out “a careful review of the benefits and drawbacks” to the company and its investors of remaining listed on AIM, adding that it believed it was in the “best interests” of the business to return to private hands. Brighton Pier Group, which also owns Lightwater Valley family adventure park in Yorkshire, said it was also looking to delist partly because of the “disproportionate” annual costs of between £250,000 and £300,000 connected with remaining listed on the stock market, and said it could use the money to invest directly into growing the business. The group also blamed lack of liquidity on AIM, which it said meant shareholders could not trade in “meaningful” volumes, and which also resulted in market volatility. The announcement came as Brighton Pier Group said its results for the year to 29 December 2024 were in line with market expectations. However, it said the cost-of-living crisis was having a “material impact” on consumer spending, as people cut back on non-essential purchases. Sales fell slightly over the first three months of 2025 compared with a year earlier, although Brighton Pier reported an increase in visitor numbers thanks to warm weather in March 2025.

 

 

Sides to make international debut, plans to reach 12 sites worldwide by 2026: Sides, the food business from YouTube collective Sidemen, is to make its international debut in June, with an opening in Singapore, as it aims to reach 12 stores worldwide by 2026. The new site will open in Bugis+, a ten-storey shopping centre in the Bugis district of Singapore, with the Sides site spanning 114 square metres, offering around 50 covers. The site will be the sixth Sides store in total. Sides chief executive Robin Mehta said: "Singapore is officially the first international home of Sides, and we couldn't be more excited. When we looked at where to first take Sides outside of the UK, Singapore just made sense. The food scene is elite, delivery culture is strong, the energy, the people, the vibe – it just fits. And it opens the door to the rest of Asia, where we’ve got big plans. Working with the Sidemen and team has been full of pinch-me moments, and this is yet another huge moment for the brand. From day one, we said we wanted to take it worldwide, and this is a huge step.” Earlier this month, Sides revealed its target locations as it looks to double its estate by next year and deliver £200m in revenue. The business posted to social media: “By next year, Sides projects: 12 restaurant locations, more than £2m in weekly revenue and our first £200m revenue milestone. Building on our successful performance in Manchester, we’re expanding into prime student markets across the UK, including Bristol, Newcastle, Leicester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. Our proven success with student consumers makes these locations particularly attractive, with 20% of our current customer base coming from the student demographic.” 

 

Punch acquires four pubs from Everards: Punch Pubs & Co, the Fortress-backed group, has acquired four pubs from Leicestershire brewer and retailer Everards. The pubs – The Old Kings Head in Long Buckby, The Paget in Loughborough, The Cricketers in Leicester and the Dog & Gun in Whetstone – have been placed into Punch’s leased and tenanted estate. Punch said this latest deal supports the circa 1,300-strong company’s “ambitious vision to grow its estate through quality acquisitions”. It brings its total acquisitions for its current financial year to 13. Stephen Allen, group property director at Punch, said: “We are delighted to welcome these four fantastic pubs into the Punch family. Our priority is to ensure that all four pubs continue to flourish within their communities, and with our industry-leading investment and support, we are confident that they will continue to thrive. Our operations manager, Christian Gregory, is working with the publicans and their teams to ensure a smooth transition and set each pub up for continued success.” Andy Wilson, managing director at Everards, added: “We want to thank our business owners and wish them all the best with Punch. We’ve invested £3m into our pubs over the last 12 months and this sale will enable us to continue this momentum.” Matthew Phillips Surveyors acted for Everards on the deal.

 

Gordon Ramsay to open pizza concept at The O2: Chef Gordon Ramsay is set to open a site under his Street Pizza brand at London’s The O2. The site, the seventh under the pizza brand, will open at the entrance of The O2 Arena, next to the Big Table group-owned Banana Tree site. Street Pizza currently trades from five locations, with its site in Reading temporarily closed. Ramsay already operates a site under his Street Burger brand within The O2 scheme. He operates a further six Street Burger sites, with another two – in Reading and at the One New Change scheme in London’s St Paul’s – temporarily closed. In February, Ramsay struck a deal to merge the UK and US operations of his restaurant group in a move that will bring in fresh investment from Lion Capital, the US private equity firm. The chef is reorganising his restaurant empire to bring together global operations into an entity he will co-own with Lion Capital, which will provide new funding as part of the deal after making an initial investment into Ramsay’s US business of $100m in 2019. The transaction will create a group with a board headquartered in London, with Ramsay and Lion Capital each owning 50% of the business. Gordon Ramsay Restaurants was founded in 1998, and the group now has circa 35 restaurants across the UK. The company’s global operations include 32 restaurants in the United States and 22 in other countries such as China, South Korea, Malaysia, France, Dubai, Singapore and Thailand.

 

Thai Express set to open in Bristol for its first full dining restaurant: Thai street food business Thai Express is set to open in Bristol for what will be its first full dining restaurant in the UK. The brand – which has smaller kiosk and “express” sites in Edinburgh, Wembley Boxpark, Croydon Boxpark, Leicester, Birmingham, Guildford, Nottingham and Lakeside in Essex – will open this summer in Bristol’s Cabot Circus for its ninth location. Thai Express was founded more than two decades ago in Canada and has grown to more than 300 locations around the world. The brand was brought to the UK by Uzma and Sachin Pattani and made its debut here in 2012. Kaizer Rehman, the brand’s senior operations and project manager in the UK, said: “We’re thrilled to announce Thai Express will be opening its first full-service dining restaurant in Bristol this summer! Known for our bold flavours and original Thai delicacy, we’re now elevating the experience with a full dining concept – offering the best of Thai delicacies, carefully crafted to deliver authentic taste in a vibrant new setting. To make the experience even more unforgettable, we’ll be serving up a range of refreshing summer cocktails to complement our dishes and celebrate the season in style. This marks an exciting new chapter for our brand, and we can’t wait to share it with the incredible community in Bristol.” In October 2024, Propel revealed that Thai Express is set to open three new sites in 2025 as it bids to become the “UK’s number one fast casual Thai brand”.

 

Chipotle to make first foray into Latin America with opening in Mexico: Chipotle Mexican Grill is to expand into Latin America for the first time, with an opening next year in Mexico. The company has signed a development agreement to open restaurants in Mexico and begin exploring additional expansion markets in the region, in partnership with Alsea, a restaurant operator in Latin America and Europe. Chipotle already operates more than 3,700 locations worldwide, including in Canada, the UK, France and Germany. The brand also entered the Middle East with restaurants in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in partnership with the Alshaya Group. “We are confident that our responsibly sourced, classically cooked real food will resonate with guests in Mexico,” said Nate Lawton, chief business development officer at Chipotle. “The country’s familiarity with our ingredients and affinity for fresh food make it an attractive growth market for our company.” Alsea chief executive Armando Torrado said: “We are proud to work with an iconic brand like Chipotle and help grow its international business for years to come. Through this development agreement, we will continue to leverage our vast knowledge of the Mexican consumer and restaurant industry expertise to bring our customers the best food experiences and brands from around the world.”

 

Italian gelato brand’s UK master franchisee opens his 20th store here: Hubert Attali, the UK master franchisee for Italian gelato brand Amorino, has opened his 20th store here. He has opened a store at Unit K2 within the Brunswick Centre at Russell Square in Central London. The site is a 34th UK location overall for the brand – with 28 in Greater London plus regional sites in Cambridge, Canterbury, Bath, Cardiff, Leeds and York. Amorino co-owner Paolo Benassi said: “We are pleased to announce the opening of a new store in London. Head to Unit K2, Brunswick Centre, London, for a touch of dolce vita in a setting with quintessentially English charm. Congratulations to Hubert Attali for this new opening, the 20th for him in the UK.” Amorino has previously targeted having 50 UK locations by the end of 2025.

 

Grind opens National Theatre site on London’s South Bank: Grind, the David Abrahamovitch-led business which will make its regional debut with the opening of a site in Manchester this June, has added to its presence in London with an opening at the National Theatre. The business, which operates five cafés, six coffee shops and three coffee trucks across the capital, has opened a site on the north-west corner of the theatre complex. Grind has also become the official supplier for all coffee served within the National Theatre and joins the likes of Kerb, Forza Wine and Lasdun on the food and drink roster. Abrahamovitch said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with such an incredible UK institution, not only an internationally renowned theatre but one of Europe’s most famous buildings. This is an incredible opportunity for us as a brand and a perfect spot for us to showcase the craft and care we put into our coffee.” Chris Weaver, managing director of National Theatre food and drink, added: “Grind is an iconic London brand, known globally for its sustainable, accessible approach to delivering best-in-class products. This partnership fulfils the desire for outstanding speciality coffee and quality cocktails on the South Bank, adding to the National Theatre’s reputation not only for world-class theatre but as an outstanding food and drink destination.” Propel revealed last December that Grind had secured the remaining food and beverage space in Gary Neville’s Relentless Developments’ St Michael’s scheme in Manchester. In February, Grind completed a further £10m fundraise to support its growth.

 

Young’s makes interim operations director appointments: Young’s, the Simon Dodd-led pub company, has appointed Oliver Aubrey-Thomas and John St John as its new interim directors of operations. Aubrey-Thomas has been with Young’s since 2010, when he started as a general manager, and has been an operations manager for the past five and a half years. St John has also been with Young’s for more than 14 years, as an operations manager. A company spokesman said: “Both Oli and John bring a wealth of experience and passion for hospitality, having been part of the Young’s family for many years. Their deep understanding of our pubs and people makes them perfectly placed to help lead us through our next exciting chapter – including the launch of an additional regional division in FY26, supporting the continued growth of our estate, now more than 280 pubs strong.” Earlier this year, Young’s promoted Kara Alderin, who joined the company as director of operations in July 2020, to interim chief operating officer. Alderin was previously managing director of London healthy eating company Abokado. She initially joined the 19-strong Abokado as operations director in early 2018 after almost nine years at Fuller’s.

 

Three Cheers Pub Co set to open first new pub in London’s Kings Road in more than 100 years: Three Cheers Pub Co, led by former schoolfriends Tom Peake, Mark Reynolds and Nick Fox, is set to open what it said will be the first new pub in the Kings Road in London’s Chelsea in more than 100 years. The company has acquired the lease for the grade II-listed former banking hall at 224-226 King’s Road, which it will transform into its tenth pub. Originally built in 1909 by architect Reginald Blomfield, the redevelopment of the two-storey, 4,735 square-metre site follows a £2.4m investment by Three Cheers. Set to open this autumn, the pub will take its title, The Trafalgar Public House, from a previous site of the same name, located at 200 King’s Road. Peake said: “We are delighted to be taking on this historic site and creating a wonderful new public house, a home from home for Chelsea locals and visitors alike. We are proud to be a part of this exciting development and look forward to bringing a real sense of community and connection to the area that only a proper British pub can.” Three Cheers also operates The Abbeville and The Stonehouse in Clapham, The Avalon and The Bedford in Balham, The Bolingbroke and The Latchmere in Battersea, The Princess Victoria in Shepherd’s Bush, The Rosendale in Dulwich and The Tommyfield in Kennington. 

 

Bleecker set to open in London’s Soho: Bleecker, the burger concept founded by Zan Kaufman in 2012, is set to further increase its presence in Central London with an opening in Soho. Propel understands that the seven-strong business, which earlier this month opened its largest site to date in Baker Street, is set to acquire the former Neat site in Old Compton Street. Bleecker also opened a site in Kerb’s Seven Dials market earlier this year. The move into the 28-cover Baker Street site saw the group take out a loan to support expansion for the first time in its history. Last year, as revealed by Propel, Bleecker opened its first outlet since the covid pandemic, and first in five years – a 1,130 square-foot site at 104 Tooley Street, London Bridge. 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. Propel reported earlier this week that the Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio-backed plant-based brand Neat Burger had closed its two remaining UK sites, at Camden Lock Market and Boxpark Wembley. The vegan food brand, founded in 2019, grew to as many as eight UK locations but started to consolidate its estate in November 2023.

 

Sessions hires vice-president of marketing to help it ‘continue ambitious growth trajectory’: Sessions, the growth platform for original food brands, has hired a new vice-president of marketing to help it continue its “ambitious growth trajectory”. The company said Khyara Ranaweera, who will oversee all marketing operations and spearhead its brand strategy, brings with her more than a decade of experience in transforming hospitality and lifestyle brands globally. Ranaweera has founded two marketing agencies, The Hungry Consultancy and The Conscious Consultancy, and has also held leadership positions in several consumer marketing agencies in London and Dubai. “We’re thrilled to welcome Khyara to our leadership team,” said Sessions chief executive Dan Warne. “Her proven track record in building high-performing teams and developing strategic partnerships will be invaluable as we elevate Sessions from a behind-the-scenes platform to a recognised innovator in the food experience space to consumers.” Ranaweera added: “Sessions sits at the exciting intersection of food innovation, digital transformation, and cultural relevance. I look forward to helping transform Sessions from ‘platform’ to household name.” Launched in 2020, Sessions has scaled brands including Little Bao Boy, Chick ‘n’ Sours and Patty Guy through a partner network of more than 350 licensee kitchens. Sessions announced plans last year to bring over ramen brand Ivan Ramen from New York and roll it out to more than 50 UK locations. Sessions also started rolling out better burger brand SoBe Burger last year and has grown it to 14 locations, with more to follow this year. In March, Sessions sold Shelter Hall in Brighton to London food market hall operator Market Halls in a multimillion-pound deal as it focuses on franchising, both in delivery and high street locations. Earlier this month, Sessions entered a partnership with Deliveroo to identify and scale “top-performing, emerging exclusive brands”.

 

Irish-themed bar concept Katie O’Brien’s plans Lincoln opening: Irish-themed bar concept Katie O’Brien’s, which is owned by Newcastle firm Innvest Group, plans to add to its growing estate with an opening in Lincoln. The seven-strong Katie O’Brien’s, which most recently opened in Leeds and Birmingham, has applied for a licence to open on the former TGI Fridays in Lincoln’s High Street, which closed last October. Katie O’Brien’s also currently operates sites in Leicester, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and Durham. The concept “offers a taste of Ireland, right on your doorstep”, with live music and multi-screen sports. Innvest is led by Gordon and Jonathan Codona, who are also behind the Innspired Leisure business in the north east.

 

St Austell launches recycling initiative to reduce general waste in its managed pubs by 80%: St Austell Brewery has launched a recycling initiative to reduce the general waste in its managed pubs by 80%. The new initiative, in partnership with waste management company Biffa, includes the introduction of a streamlined waste system across St Austell’s 45 managed pubs. Teams across the company’s pub estate are aiming to double the amount of waste being recycled as part of the plan, with a goal of hitting the 80% target by the end of this year. All of St Austell’s managed pubs now have colour-coded bins which are divided into three sections – dry mixed recycling, food waste and general waste. St Austell is also rolling out a plan to help drive engagement and participation among staff. This includes a leaderboard for pubs, where the team with the highest reduction in waste will be rewarded with online vouchers to spend every quarter. Emily Coon, sustainability manager at St Austell, said: “Reducing general waste by 80% is a bold target, but through our partnership with Biffa and a steadfast commitment to proper waste segregation, the initiative is already making a big difference.”

 

Crieff Hydro completes £5m investment in restaurant and bars upgrades: Crieff Hydro, the eight-strong Scottish hotel operator led by Stephen Leckie, has completed a £5m dining refurbishment project that will see the creation of six new bar and restaurant venues. New venues include EAST, an Asian small plates concept; The Ballroom Bar, a contemporary day-to-night bar; and The Winter Garden, a Victorian heritage space that has been modernised and offers all-day dining. A new panoramic brunch and afternoon tea destination with views over Strathearn Valley, Loggia, has also been introduced. The project vision was set by Richard and Charlie Leckie – the sixth generation of the Leckie family to be involved at Crieff Hydro, working alongside head of interiors Fiona Leckie. Stephen Leckie said: “This is our single biggest project in decades and opens another significant chapter in Crieff Hydro’s 157-year history. For us, investment large and small is always about creating something better for our guests and for our team here. This is no exception, but the scale of the transformation I believe will really put us on the map for food and drink in Scotland.”

 

Greene King reports market leading occupancy rates across leased and tenanted arm: Greene King Pub Partners, the leased, tenanted and franchise division of Greene King, has said 94% of its estate is currently let out on substantive agreements. The company said these “market leading occupancy rates” are driven by its longstanding partnerships with its leased and tenanted operators, along with the success of its growing franchise business. Greene King also revealed the average length of tenant and lessee tenure in its business remains stable at eight years and two months. In 2024, the company recruited more than 100 new tenants, lessees and franchisees to operate its pubs. Since starting its franchise business in 2021 with the launch of its first Hive Pub, Greene King has also grown its franchise business to more than 70 sites to date. Last year, it expanded its franchise business with the launch of Nest Pubs – its second franchise concept – growing to ten sites in under a year. More recently, Greene King announced it will expand its franchise operations into Scotland for the first time under the Belhaven Pub Partners brand, launching its first franchise site in Scotland, The Tarbet in Edinburgh, last month.

 

Twisted Bars reopens Ilkley venue after buying it back: Twisted Bars, founded by Yorkshire entrepreneurs Adam Lewis and Paul Glendinning, have reopened their former The Yard sports bar in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, after buying it back. Lewis said the company first sold the Brook Street venue five years ago, and that it has operated under several names since. Most recently, according to the Telegraph & Argus, it was converted into The Courtyard in June 2023 by Ali Allawa, a former general manager at the venue. Now back under the Twisted Bars banner, The Yard has undergone a “top-to-toe refurbishment” and offers a main lounge, an orangerie and a courtyard with spritz bar, while a second lounge on the first floor gives access to a south-facing sun terrace with views of Ilkley Moor. Guests can enjoy seasonal menus, cocktails and bottomless brunches, with dogs and families welcome during the day, before the venue transforms into a live music destination in the evenings. “Since selling The Yard five years ago, the premises has traded under a series of identities,” Lewis said. “Now that The Yard is back in the Twisted Bars fold, it’s here to stay. We’re looking forward to welcoming new and familiar faces, and to playing our part in Ilkley’s thriving business community.” Twisted Bars also owns the Ticket Office in Ilkley and Everybody’s in Guiseley.

 

Chef Thomas Straker to make international debut with New York opening: Chef Thomas Straker is to set to open his first international restaurant. Straker, who is behind Straker’s in London’s Notting Hill, is heading to New York. In a post on Instagram, he revealed he has signed a lease for the former Keith McNally’s Lucky Strike premises at 59 Grand Street, which had operated for 31 years before its closure in 2020. Straker had a sold-out pop-up in New York in October in preparation for the opening. The name of the new restaurant has not yet been confirmed. Straker told Time Out: “We’re cooking over charcoal, we’ve got a big pizza oven and we’ll do our signature flatbreads. New Yorkers are super discerning – they eat out constantly. So, the pressure’s on, but the pressure’s on anywhere. I’ve heard so many stories about people spending hours at Lucky Strike. We aim to do it justice and do ourselves justice by creating a space that really works.” Straker, previously of London restaurants Elystan Street and Casa Cruz, launched Straker’s in October 2022.

 

Tom Brown opens new restaurant in London’s Knightsbridge: Chef Tom Brown has opened his new restaurant in London’s Knightsbridge. Brown has launched The Capital within The Capital Hotel in Basil Street, part of the Warwick Hotels and Resorts Group. The menu at the 28-cover The Capital offers “bold, fearless dishes showcasing exceptional quality and innovative techniques” with a strong focus on seafood. Guests can choose from a three, six or eight-course menu during lunch, with ten courses for dinner. Brown was previously head chef at the same hotel’s celebrated Outlaw’s restaurant, operated by two-Michelin starred Nathan Outlaw, who he also worked for at the St Enodoc Hotel in Rock. After leaving Outlaw’s in 2018, Brown opened his own restaurant, Cornerstone in Hackney, where he was awarded a Michelin star. Cornerstone closed in June 2024, while in November 2023, Brown launched Pearly Queen, an oyster bar and seafood restaurant in Shoreditch. Founded in 1980 by Richard Chiu, Warwick Hotels and Resorts has a portfolio of more than 40 hotels on five continents.