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.

Apr- 2024 -

26 April

At-home restaurant sales flatline in March

At-home sales for the top managed restaurant groups were “virtually flat” year-on-year in March, according to CGA by NIQ’s latest Hospitality at Home Tracker. During the last month, like-for-like sales of deliveries and takeaways were just 0.8% ahead of March 2023. According to CGA, this was a 10th consecutive month…
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24 April

Pret co-founder returns amid board shakeup

Pret a Manger has announced that its co-founder Sinclair Beecham will return to the company in an advisory role as it reshuffles the makeup of its board. Olivier Goudet, who has been chairman since JAB’s acquisition in 2018, will step down and be replaced by his colleague Konrad Meyer. Meyer…
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22 April

Toca Social to open new site in Birmingham

Toca Social has announced it will be opening its second site in the UK in the Bullring Birmingham from 3 June. Alongside this, Toca Social has designed a new food menu featuring globally inspired, handheld sharers for guests to enjoy while playing, such as London based Chick ‘n’ Sours. The…
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18 April

Hospitality sales rise 5.2% in March due to Easter boost

Britain’s top hospitality groups experienced above-inflation like-for-like sales growth of 5.2% in March, according to CGA and RSM latest Hospitality Business Tracker. While hospitality operators enjoyed the boost to trading that events such as Mother’s Day and St Patrick’s Day brought, the high growth metrics seen in the Tracker…
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16 April

Shake Shack to open in Notting Hill

Shake Shack has announced that it is set to open a new site in Notting Hill in London, its 17th UK opening. Set over two floors, the new site will boast a prime location in front of Notting Hill Gate station exit. This follows the reopening of its flagship store…
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15 April

Liverpool One welcomes three new F&B concepts

Liverpool One is set to add three new food and beverage concepts to its line-up of hospitality operators. Making its Liverpool debut, Bagel Factory is bringing its bagel-based grab-and-go concept, joining two motorised food and drink pop-ups, The Bus Yard and Big Kahuna. Bagel Factory is set to bring its…
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11 April

Crêpeaffaire seeks franchise partners to support UK expansion

Crêpeaffaire has appointed property adviser Christie and Co to help in its search for new franchise partners to support its UK expansion plans. As a scalable lifestyle brand, Crêpeaffaire also has a vision to offer “the ultimate quick-serve meal and snack solution”, through a variety of formats. Founded in London…
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10 April

Sessions raises £3m to expand tech offering

Sessions has raised a further £3m from existing investors Guinness Ventures, in a bid to expand on its technology offering. The news comes as the hospitality growth platform is launching a new franchise arm, starting with SoBe Burger and Ivan Ramen. Since starting operations in 2020, the Sessions platform has…
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Mar- 2024 -

28 March

Chopstix eyes Scottish expansion following Braehead opening

Chopstix has announced the opening of a new store in Braehead Shopping Centre in Scotland as part of its Scottish expansion. The new equity site will be the tenth Chopstix location to open in Scotland, where the company has identified significant growth opportunities. The company’s sites in Edinburgh and Livingston…
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21 March

Chipotle to open new Tottenham Court Road location

Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced it is opening a new restaurant at 64 Tottenham Court Road in London on 28 March. Chipotle currently has 18 locations in the greater London area and is the only company of its size that owns and operates all of its restaurants in the US,…
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