Food and Drink

The latest news and updates on food, from the business journalists at Catering Today. We bring you the latest on what’s happening in the restaurants, bars and catering industry, with exclusive stories, analysis, best practice and industry comment.

Oct- 2024 -

28 October

Tortilla and SSP expand franchise partnership

Tortilla has announced a “significant” expansion of its partnership with global food travel group SSP today (28 October), which will see it grow its presence across UK travel hubs. The new five-year agreement will see Tortilla’s presence in SSP-operated locations triple in size in the UK, from six to 18…
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24 October

Hospitality groups see sales rise 1.7% in September

British hospitality groups recorded a year-on-year sales rise of 1.7% in September, according to CGA RSM’s latest Hospitality Business Tracker. This means that managed venues have achieved like-for-like increases in eight of the nine months to September 2024. Following recent below-inflation growth of 1.5% in July and 1.3% in August,…
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18 October

Bunsik to open seventh location in Chinatown London

Bunsik is opening its seventh UK location in Chinatown London at 31 Wardour Street on 31 October 2024. The new grab-and-go site will serve a variety of popular Korean street food items, including the brand’s signature Corn Dogs. The menu at the Chinatown London location will introduce new items like…
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17 October

The Caledonian Edinburgh to launch new F&B site, The Court

The Caledonian Edinburgh hotel is set to unveil its brand-new food and drink destination The Court later this month. The news follows Henderson Park’s £35m investment in renovation and the hotel’s transition to join Curio Collection by Hilton. The transformation to the food and drink offering will be one of…
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15 October

Papa Johns UK losses widen to £18.5m in FY23

Papa Johns’ UK arm has reported a pre-tax loss of £18.5m for the year ended 31 December 2023, which widened from a previous loss of £2.9m in 2022. According to the group’s filings with Companies House, Papa Johns in the UK saw its turnover rise slightly from £95.1m to £95.9m…
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14 October

Chopstix launches new Portsmouth site

Chopstix has announced the launch of a new site in Portsmouth alongside franchisees Darren and Naomi Godfrey. The new site on Commercial Road follows a site opening earlier this year for the pair in Guilford. The new site is the first to open in the city and boasts brand-new state…
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11 October

Boxpark receives planning permission for Birmingham site

Boxpark has received planning permission approval for its new location in Birmingham. Located in Digbeth, Boxpark has signed a 15-year lease in the iconic Floodgate Street Arches. Investing around £5m into the local area, the new opening is expected to create approximately 200 new job opportunities and is set to…
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4 October

SSP Group sees UK sales rise 12% in Q4

Operator of F&B outlets in travel locations, SSP Group, has reported that UK sales rose by 12%, with a like-for-like jump of 9%, during the fourth quarter ended 30 September. The group’s UK performance was driven by high demand in the air travel sector, a lower level of disruption in…
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2 October

QSRP acquires majority stake in Chopstix

QSRP has announced a strategic investment in Chopstix, acquiring a majority stake in the QSR chain for an undisclosed sum. The partnership is aiming to accelerate growth and innovation for both QSRP and Chopstix across the UK and Europe. The investment aligns with QSRP’s strategy to enlarge and diversify its…
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2 October

UK F&B M&A up 32.4% in Q2 2024

The UK Food and Beverage M&A activity saw an increase of 32.4% year on year in Q2 2024, with 49 transactions completed, according to a new report from corporate finance house, Oghma Partners. The estimated deal value surged to approximately £6.0bn, primarily driven by a few large deals such as…
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