Restaurants
The Restaurants section on Catering Today delivers comprehensive coverage of the UK restaurant industry, from independent operators to national chains. It reports on business performance, openings, acquisitions, and leadership changes, alongside analysis of market trends, menu innovation, and consumer behaviour. With insight into finance, operations, technology, and sustainability, Catering Today provides hospitality professionals with the intelligence and updates shaping commercial strategy across the UK dining landscape.
-
Aug- 2020 -19 August
Pizza Express to close 73 sites, 1,100 jobs at risk
Pizza Express has formally launched a CVA in a bid to reduce its restaurant estate and rental cost base following the pandemic. The CVA proposal will see the permanent closure of 73 restaurants, resulting in a loss of 1,100 jobs. The casual dining chain first announced it had reached an…
Read More » -
18 August
Ali Nia joins The Drunken Butler as partner and GM
Ali Nia has been named as partner and GM at The Drunken Butler Restaurant in Farringdon. Nia, who was formerly general manager at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, has teamed up with Yuma Hashemi at the Clerkenwell-based restaurant, strengthening its front-of-house and management team. In his new role, Nia will work alongside…
Read More » -
17 August
Irish brands Wowburger and Elephant & Castle to make UK debut
The Frenchgate Partnership, owners of the Frenchgate Shopping Centre in Doncaster, has signed two Irish F&B brands for its debut sites in the UK. Wowburger and Elephant and Castle are taking 2,800 sq ft and 4,000 sq ft respectively. Both will open on the first floor of Frenchgate’s North Mall…
Read More » -
17 August
Tea at the Ritz diners targeted by credit card scammers
Scammers have targeted guests of Tea at the Ritz, the Ritz Hotel’s iconic dining venue, after posing as staff in order to steal card payment information over the phone. According to the BBC, the scammers, who had the guest’s exact booking information, called diners to confirm their card details. They…
Read More » -
17 August
Yo Sushi to axe 250 jobs following CVA
Yo Sushi has announced it will shutter 19 sites and axe 250 jobs in a bid to restructure the business following the crisis. The move comes after the dining group launched a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) in light of “changes in consumer behaviour” that have made its rents “unsustainable” across…
Read More » -
14 August
Crockers Henley restaurant with rooms opens in Henley-on-Thames
Restaurant with rooms Crockers Henley has now opened its doors in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Housed in a Grade II listed building in Henley’s Market Place, Crockers has a strong focus on “great food and immersive experiences in a relaxed and unpretentious environment”. The converted townhouse holds seven boutique bedrooms, two 16-seater…
Read More » -
14 August
Rockfish ‘astounded’ by post-lockdown sales
Following the reopening of all nine Rockfish restaurants, the seafood group has announced that sales in some sites are already equal to last year, with like-for-like sales only 7% below last summer’s trading. Like-for-like sales from takeaways are also up 40% following the site’s reopenings. According to the group, the…
Read More » -
13 August
Burger King joins Uber Eats platform
High street favourite Burger King has joined the Uber Eats app, as it looks to increase the availability of its flame-grilled burgers. Burger King is now available on the Uber Eats app in 200 locations in towns and cities across the UK, including London, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Bristol, Glasgow and…
Read More » -
12 August
Haidilao chooses Bullring for first restaurant outside London
Hot pot restaurant chain, Haidilao, has selected the Bullring Birmingham or its first site in the UK outside of London. The 8,073sq ft restaurant will join Brown’s and Wagamama in St Martin’s Square, and is set to launch in early 2021. Founded in 1994 in China’s Sichuan Province, Haidilao now…
Read More » -
10 August
22,000 restaurant jobs lost so far in 2020, double 2019 total
The number of jobs lost across the embattled restaurant and casual dining sector so far this year is already nearly double the amount shed during the whole of 2019. Figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research show so far a total 22,039 jobs were lost across large restaurant groups…
Read More »
