Private equity
Reporting centres on investment activity across the UK hospitality and foodservice sector, with analysis of buyouts, growth capital, and ownership changes involving restaurant groups, pub companies, and catering operators. Coverage includes deal flow, fund strategy, portfolio performance, and investor outlook, offering valuable intelligence for senior executives, founders, and stakeholders navigating funding, expansion, and exit planning.
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Aug- 2025 -26 AugustRestaurants
Top 100 restaurant groups saw profits jump 18% to £365m in 2024
Profits at the UK’s 100 largest restaurant groups have risen 18% in the past year to £365m, according to new figures from accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. Turnover across the top 100 groups increased by 19% to £12.9bn in 2025, up from £10.8bn the previous year. The report attributes the…
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8 AugustFeatures
Could Gusto’s fall signal a casual dining scene in crisis?
Italian restaurant chain Gusto, once seen as a staple of mid-market dining in the UK, has become the latest brand to fall victim to the sector’s mounting structural and economic challenges. On 29 July, the 13-site operator entered administration before being swiftly acquired via a pre-pack deal by Cherry Equity…
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6 AugustPeople
Directional Pizza appoints new Europe CEO
Directional Pizza has announced the appointment of Gino Casciani as its new chief executive for Europe, effective 9 September. Casciani has held senior roles at Pret a Manger, KFC, Taco Bell and Odeon Cinemas Group. He was most recently global chief operating officer at Sushi Daily, part of KellyDeli Group,…
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5 AugustRestaurants
Sticks’n’Sushi marks ‘productive’ first year under McWin
Sticks’n’Sushi has described its first full year under private equity firm McWin Capital as “productive”, after opening three new sites and reporting revenues of £86.8m in the period from 16 January to 31 December 2024. The Danish-Japanese restaurant group, which operates in Denmark, Germany and the UK, also reported that…
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May- 2025 -28 MayRestaurants
McWin in talks to acquire Flat Iron
Gail’s Bakery backer McWin Capital Partners is in talks for a deal to acquire steak restaurant Flat Iron, according to reports from Sky News. McWin has reportedly teamed up with TriSpan to try and buy a large stake in the restaurant chain. As it currently stands it is unclear what…
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20 MayRestaurants
TRG in advanced talks to acquire number of Oakman sites
Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) is in advanced discussions with Oakman to acquire a certain chunk of its privately held assets, according to Sky News. One of the insiders revealed to Sky that TRG, which is backed by private equity firm Apollo Global Management, was expected to acquire between…
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2 MayPubs and Bars
Fortress and Lion Capital secure £30m loan to support Loungers deal
Lion Capital and Fortress Investment Group have secured a £30m club loan from OakNorth to support the acquisition of Loungers, the UK’s all-day café-bar operators. Under Fortress and Lion’s ownership, Loungers plans to continue its proven site rollout strategy, opening over 30 new sites a year to capture further market…
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Apr- 2025 -17 AprilRestaurants
GDK in talks to sell major stake to private equity firm True
Investment firm True is reportedly in advanced talks with German Doner Kebab (GDK) to buy a major stake in the firm, according to Sky News. GDK, which is run by chief executive Simon Wallis, is currently part of Hero Brands, a Glasgow-based incubator of food and beverage concepts. Sky News…
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9 AprilRestaurants
Yard Sale Pizza secures growth investment from Piper
Yard Sale Pizza has secured an investment from private equity firm Piper to fund growth across the capital and into new UK cities. Piper will also support investment in technology to enhance Yard Sale’s customer experience and its innovation in collaborations and partnerships. Founded in 2013 by Johnnie Tate and…
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Mar- 2025 -26 MarchRestaurants
Rosa’s Thai, Pho and Mowgli brought together under Arcturus Group
Investment firm Trispan has brought together Pho, Rosa’s Thai and Mowgli under a new holding group called Arcturus Group. The company becomes the UK’s largest multi-site casual dining operator in the Asian restaurant segment. Each brand will continue to operate independently, with existing CEOs Sarah Hills (Rosa’s Thai), Patrick Marrinan…
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