Reading
Coverage highlights foodservice and hospitality activity in this key South East town, with reporting focused on the Oracle Riverside, Broad Street, Caversham, and Station Hill areas. Topics include restaurant and bar openings, commuter-led weekday trade, independent operator growth, and regional investment linked to Reading’s tech and business hub status. Insight is geared toward operators monitoring footfall dynamics, high street recovery, and scalable dining formats in affluent commuter markets.
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Sep- 2023 -15 SeptemberFood and Drink
Chick-fil-A plots UK return
US fast food brand Chick-fil-A has announced that it is set to relaunch in the UK in early 2025. The move comes a few years after the company closed its UK locations following protests from LGBTQ+ groups. Chick-fil-A currently has more than 2,800 restaurants across the United States, Puerto Rico…
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Jul- 2023 -7 JulyFood and Drink
Badiani to open branches in Westfield White City and Windsor
Italian gelato producer Badiani has announced its continued expansion in the UK with the opening of a new flagship at Westfield London in White City, as well as a shop on Windsor’s High Street later this month. The White City store, which is a 861 sq ft site located next…
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Jun- 2023 -27 JuneNews
Chopstix refurbishes Peterborough site as part of capex programme
Chopstix has renovated its Peterborough site as part of its seven-figure capex programme to supplement its expanding footprint. Having reopened this month after a £100,000 refurbishment, the high street site on Long Causeway follows the redevelopment of several Chopstix equity stores in recent months including Oxford Street, Nottingham and Reading…
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Apr- 2023 -26 AprilFeatures
The Shaftesbury Theatre’s foray into meetings and events
Can you tell us about your career leading up to your time at the Shaftesbury Theatre? I started in the events industry back in 2013, working for a London-based staffing agency that was looking for waiters and bar staff for various venues. I signed up to support my studies while…
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Feb- 2023 -28 FebruaryFeatures
Penne for your thoughts: Coco di Mama’s plans for expansion
Could you tell me a little bit about the history of Coco di Mama? Coco di Mama has been around for 11 years now and although we still like to think of ourselves as a bit of a startup, we were founded on Fleet Street, in 2011. The concept has…
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14 FebruaryRestaurants
Popeyes UK to open in 7 new locations
Popeyes UK has confirmed that it is set to open seven new sites as it continues its rapid expansion in the region. The new openings will include two additional London sites as well as its first drive-thru. The new sites will be located in: Cambridge; Reading; Cardiff; Plymouth; Richmond; Rotherham…
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13 FebruaryRestaurants
Coco di Mama opens first store outside of London
Italian to go brand Coco di Mama has announced it is opening a new site in Reading this month, its first outside of London. The new store will commence trading on 10 February 2023 on Broad St in Reading. It will also offer office catering from 20 February 2023. The…
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Nov- 2022 -15 NovemberRestaurants
Popeyes accelerates UK roll out with new openings
Popeyes is continuing its UK expansion after confirming that Cambridge, Croydon and Reading will be the next opening locations in early 2023. It also has sites due to launch in Rotherham, Cardiff and Glasgow early next year. This follows the “runaway success” of its Oxford restaurant. Its Nottingham opening in…
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Oct- 2022 -25 OctoberRestaurants
Marugame Udon outlines plans to open 150 Europe sites by 2027
Marugame Udon has announced plans to open 150 kitchens across Europe by 2027, with the rollout in the UK set to commence with six new UK kitchens to open by Spring 2023, including its first out-of-London site in Reading. The Japanese brand will launch further sites in UK locations including…
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Sep- 2022 -30 SeptemberFood and Drink
Popeyes expands its UK presence with four more sites
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen UK, has announced its next wave of UK restaurant openings, with in-line sites due to open in Derby, Leicester, Liverpool and Cambridge. The news follows the successful launch of its two latest sites, Gateshead and Oxford. Its Derby site will open to the public in late October,…
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