Restaurants

The latest news and updates on restaurants, 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.

Jan- 2020 -

9 January

Chef Aiden Byrne to close Restaurant MCR

Chef Aiden Byrne has announced the closure of Restaurant MCR in Manchester. Originally known as Manchester House, the restaurant was first closed in October 2018 when it went into administration with its sister restaurant and bar Artisan. The restaurant reopened in December 2018 after rebranding to Restaurant MCR. According to…
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9 January

Café Rouge to open ‘world’s first’ cheese-themed hotel

Café Rouge has announced plans to open the “world’s first” cheese-themed hotel in Camden London. Suitably draped in cheese-themed decor, the Cheese Suite includes a cheese hotline delivery service, cheese board games, cheese soap and giant cheese installations. Guests can also expect a plethora of cheese boards and “crackers galore”…
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9 January

Customers value ‘quality service’ above all, report finds

Some 63% of consumers believe that quality service is the most important factor when eating out, according to a new report. The Brigad Talent Trends report 2020, also revealed the top three frustrations that consumers faced in hospitality are: unhelpful staff (47%), slow service (41%), and staff who weren’t knowledgeable…
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8 January

Art Yard Bar and Kitchen appoints Stephen Englefield as exec chef

London’s Bankside hotel has appointed Stephen Englefield as the new executive chef of its Art Yard Bar and Kitchen. Englefield will lead the hotel’s all-day restaurant; an informal setting which offers a European-influenced menu using seasonal British produce. He joins from the Gridiron restaurant at the COMO Metropolitan Hotel where…
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8 January

Casa do Frango opens second site in Shoreditch

Casa do Frango has opened a second restaurant in Shoreditch, East London. The restaurant, which serves Portuguese grilled chicken, said it will “shine a light” on the flavours of authentic Algarvian cuisine, with influences from other regions of Portugal. As with its first London Bridge site, charcoal-grilled piri piri chicken…
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7 January

SushiDog to open first bricks and mortar site

Sushidog has announced the opening of its second site in Covent Garden, amid plans for future expansion across the capital. The 300 sq ft unit will be the first bricks and mortar site for the brand. SushiDog was founded in August 2017 by Greg Ilsen and Nick Goldstein, who later…
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7 January

Michelin-starred chef Aktar Islam closes Legna restaurant

Michelin-starred chef Aktar Islam has closed Birmingham-based Legna restaurant, just one year after opening. A statement on the restaurant website confirmed that “Legna is now closed for the month of January” and directed customers to Islam’s two other restaurants Pulperia, which is opening early this year and Argentinan resturant, Opheem.…
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6 January

Burger King launches meat-free burger targeting flexitarians

Burger has launched its new plant-based Rebel Whopper burger which is unsuitable for vegetarians and vegans and is instead aimed at the increasing flexitarian market. The new burger features a soy-based patty but will be cooked on the same grills as its meat-filled counterparts. The burger, which is available from…
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6 January

Fewer closures but more job losses in casual dining, research finds

Casual dining closures fell by more than a fifth last year, according to joint research from the Altus Group and the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). Restaurant closures in the sector fell from 1,188 in 2018 to 922 during 2019, whilst total job losses rose by 8%. A total of…
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6 January

Chaophraya shuts Manchester site after a decade

Thai restaurant chain Chaophraya has closed its Manchester city centre site after operating for more than a decade. According to Manchester Evening News, the Manchester site shut its doors shortly before Christmas. The Chaophraya brand, which is run by Thai Leisure Group (TLG), has seven sites across the UK, which…
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