Clean Kitchen aiming to open up to three more sites this year before taking offer abroad under franchise: Clean Kitchen, the fledgling plant-based, fast-food concept, is aiming to open two or three more sites in London this year before taking its offer abroad under a franchise model. Co-founder Mikey Pearce told Propel the restaurant at Battersea Power Station, which opened at the end of last year, would form the blueprint for future launches. Pearce said himself and co-founder Verity Bowditch “were still learning” as they aim to build Clean Kitchen into a recognisable global brand. The business operates two other restaurants – in Camden and Wembley – having closed its Notting Hill site earlier this month while it is also gearing up to launch a retail range this summer. “We are still a start-up,” said Pearce. “We are making changes so we can make our product and brand better. Along the way we are bound to make mistakes, and in this industry a lot of them happen in the public eye. I see us a food brand and not just a hospitality brand. Notting Hill gave us a platform to help us launch but it was a small site – Battersea is the blueprint. It has traded really well since opening, at the weekends we have queues coming out the door. We’re currently refurbishing our Camden site because we feel it’s crucial the modernised look and feel of the brand we have at Battersea is replicated across our estate. We managed to get into Battersea alongside some really well known retail and hospitality brands and we’re only two years old. We want to be opening all-day, high footfall, experience-led sites – we’re not going to be on every street corner. We’re aiming for two or three more this year, in London, and looking at the UAE in 2024 – we’re interested in getting a franchise operation going. Beyond that, Manchester and Brighton, which is my home town, are on the radar for 2025. We think these bigger sites will work better and help push brand awareness. Eventually, I want us to be opening smaller format stores in railway stations, for example, but we need to become more recognisable first. Launching our products into retail will help us do that, as well as growing our catering operation.” Earlier this month, Pearce hinted at plans to create something “never seen before in the quick service restaurant market”. Although he wouldn’t go into detail, he added: “Battersea is 2,500 square feet, and what we’re looking at for this concept is just under twice that size. We’ve got a site in London and hope to unveil it at the end of the summer.”

 

Sponsored message – register for UKHospitality’s first Workforce and Skills event: UKHospitality is hosting its first Workforce and Skills event on Wednesday (1 March) at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Bringing together experts, industry leaders and trailblazers to discuss the latest issues, trends and opportunities relating to workforce in hospitality, this event is a must-visit for everyone working within the sector. The day will include a panel discussion focused on the importance of diversity in the workplace, featuring LGBTQ+ inclusion consultant Max Siegel talking about his ground-breaking work with Greene King; a look at the intricate and complex immigration system with tips on how to formulate a robust immigration strategy for your business; and real life apprenticeship success stories. To register for this event, click here or email Hannah Adlam at hadlam@ukhospitality.org.uk. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

Thom Elliot to speak at first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2023, three free places per company for operators: Thom Elliot, co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims, will be among the speakers at the first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2023. The conference takes place on Thursday, 23 March, at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London’s Kensington, and is open for bookings. The all-day conference will focus on “challenges and opportunities”. Elliott will talk about the group’s award-winning sustainability journey and how it informs all parts of the business, the company’s evolution, and the role its academy is playing in encouraging new generations into the sector. Operators can book up to three free places per company by emailing paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

Updated Premium Database of Multi-Site Companies released on Monday, two more databases to follow next week: A total of 21 new multi-site companies, operating 64 sites, have been added to the next edition of the Propel Premium Database of Multi-site Companies, which will be released on Monday (27 February), at midday. The updated Propel Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate, includes regional restaurant and bar operators, growing entertainment concepts, and expanding hotel operators. Premium subscribers will also receive a 1,700-word report on the new additions to the database. The comprehensive database is updated monthly and provides company names, the people in charge, how many sites each firm operates, its trading name and its registered name at Companies House if different. The database now features 2,789 companies. Meanwhile, the next edition of the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage will be sent to Premium subscribers on Tuesday (28 February). It is the first database where full profiles of 650 of the UK’s top food and beverage operators are available in one place. It features more than 170,000 words of content, including 46 updated entries, while 16 new companies have been added. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, will have their most recent results reported as well as broader information around Ebitda, plans and trading style available. The database merges Companies House information, interviews and other public information to provide an easy to reference and exhaustive guide to the sector. Premium subscribers will also receive the next edition of the New Openings Database on Friday, 3 March, at midday. It focuses on newly announced openings and upcoming launches in the sector and is updated every month. The next edition also includes a 7,000-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium subscribers also receive access to the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £895 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £445 plus VAT for operators and £545 plus VAT for suppliers. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription. Subscribers also receive access to Propel’s library of Friday Wrap interviews and now also have access to a curated video library of the sector’s finest leaders and entrepreneurs, offering their insights on running outstanding businesses in the sector. Premium subscribers also receive their morning newsletter 11 hours early, at 7pm the evening before our 6am send-out; regular video content and regular exclusive columns from Propel group editor Mark Wingett.

Walsall rejects measures allowing blanket ban on sale of alcohol between midnight and 6am: Walsall Council’s safety and licensing committee has chosen against implementing measures allowing a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol between midnight and 6am. The committee met this week to discuss the possibility of an Early Morning Restriction Order (EMRO) following the death of a local man, Bailey Atkinson, who was killed in the early hours of the morning in the town centre a month ago. But many present spoke in favour of enforcement action against individual venues instead, and the committee decided not to request a further report. Cllr Nick Gandham, who chairs the committee, said: “Walsall’s night-time economy is suffering at the moment, as is the whole hospitality industry, and it’s not fair a few dictate what everyone else is judged by. I’m not a big fan of the EMRO and am more in favour of enforcement on individual venues not adhering to the licensing objectives, and they are held accountable rather than everybody.” Cllr Bobby Bains said: “It is difficult to support an EMRO. Closing the town at 2am would have a detrimental effect on the town as the night-time economy employs hundreds of people who would be massively affected. It would further affect the regeneration of the town and lead to more empty premises.” Cllr Aftab Nawaz added: “If we close our town centre at 2am young people would choose to go into Birmingham or Wolverhampton as they stay open later. My fear is we lumber all the night-time economy together because of trouble in one place in the town centre.” EMROs have previously been considered in Blackpool (2014) and Hartlepool (2017) but never adopted.

Italian restaurants forced to remove items from menu as food shortages create ‘perfect storm’: Italian restaurants in the UK are being forced to change menus and drop meals as food shortages begin to hit the hospitality sector. The UK has been hit with shortages since the weekend due to adverse weather in Spain and Morocco, transport problems and other factors. Among the food items affected are tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and broccoli. Italian restaurants, which are heavily reliant on tomatoes as a base ingredient in meals such as pizza and pasta sauces, are now making changes to menus to accommodate the shortages, an industry leader has said. Jim Winship, director of the UK Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association, said there has been a “perfect storm” of issues since the UK came out of the pandemic. He said although many Italian restaurants rely on canned tomatoes more than fresh produce, the implications of the shortages are already being felt. “It feels like it’s just one thing after the other,” he told The Independent. “Restaurants are now substituting where they can and changing menus where there are shortages. In some cases, things are just getting dropped off menus where substitutions are difficult, because you can’t really replace tomatoes in a product, particularly pizza. We’re just kind of shaking our heads and thinking what’s going to come down the road.” He added that high energy prices are a principal issue behind British farmers reducing their fresh food produce, putting down fewer crops than they usually would. High energy bills are also forcing some restaurants to close additional days in the week, and Winship said there’s no predicting what issue could arise next. “Generally, we think things will ease in the latter part of this year and food shortages to return to their previous volumes by March,” he added. “When you have so many setbacks, it’s difficult to predict what could hit next.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a premium restaurant business seeking a HR director. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “You will lead the people function and support the business’ growth across the UK and Europe. This role will report into the group managing director and lead a HR team of three people. You will oversee the full spectrum of HR functions for the group; be a lateral thinker and offer the right HR solutions by proactively anticipating and supporting business needs and cycles; develop and implement a people strategy to enhance the management capabilities; and support leadership teams in all people matters including staffing plans, employee retention and communications, performance management and talent development.” The salary is up to £95,000 and the position is based in London. For more information, email gemma@corecruitment.com

 

Lane7 founder open to investment if ‘right fit’ comes along, ambitious to expand Level X concept but says larger capex required: Lane7 founder Tim Wilks has told Propel he is open to investment if “the right fit” comes along, having self-funded the operation for the last ten years. “We’re trading well but not without our operational cost-based issues, like everyone else in the industry,” he said. “We’re doing well because we’re running the business very efficiently. We’re ambitious but not reckless. We see more growth but we’re not gung-ho and we’re not growing for the sake of growing. We grew in ten years with standard bank funding. We get approached a lot and would be open to investment if I think it’s the right kind of funding for me and the business – someone who admires the business and the potential within it, but we’re not in a rush. Covid was hard, not having anyone to lean on for cash, but apart from that, I’m quite happy to take the risks and rewards myself. But if the right ambition knocks on my door to take the business where we think it could get, then there would be conversations to be had.” That’s not to say Wilks won’t be looking to grow his new Level X concept in the meantime, even if it does require a larger capex outlay. Middlesbrough will become the second Level X venue when it opens “in the next week or two”, taking 70,000 square feet in the town’s Captain Cook Square. “Obviously, the size of the sites and the capital required means they are huge financial undertakings, and we self-fund,” Wilks said. “We want to grow more, but we have to be a little bit more considered in how we pick up those locations as the size and running costs means you need a reasonably high threshold to cover fixed costs. That’s not to say we’re not ambitious to grow the brand. We have a couple in legals and may get one more open this year, and two next year. We’ve got that early pipeline primed, we’re just trying to wade through opportunities and pick the right path.” Wilks admits his sites are “big consumers of electricity” and does have some concerns over when government support for businesses over energy bills is reduced from April, but has been able to make some savings. “We’ve been working hard to find efficiencies, and like any other business, have had to pass a little bit on to consumers,” he added. “We’re in a good position, but I’d be foolish to say it’s not something I am unconcerned about. But if all businesses have to carry on paying up to 70 pence a unit, everyone’s going to be in a bad place. Those prices are unsustainable for near enough every industry.”

Loungers secures site at Preston development: Cafe bar brand Loungers has signed a 15-year lease at Animate, Preston’s city-owned £45m cinema and leisure complex. The company has taken a 4,265 square-foot unit, joining anchor tenants The Arc Cinema and Hollywood Bowl, as well as other national and regional restaurants and a street food hub. Gemma Irwin, community manager at Loungers, said: “A real home from home, we’ll cater for all tastes throughout the day with a varied and innovative all-day menu. Our Lounges strive to put community at the heart of hospitality, and our teams always go the extra mile to make a difference.” Earlier this week, Loungers, which also operates the Cosy Club brand, opened its 181st Lounge – and 217th site overall – in The Springs in Leeds.

Apartment Group eyes further expansion after acquiring hotel and wedding venue near Darlington: North east hospitality company Apartment Group is eyeing further expansion after acquiring a grade II-listed hotel and wedding venue near Darlington. The 24-bedroom Croft Hotel in Croft-on-Tees is set for a £2m upgrade, with the new-look venue expected to create up to 30 additional jobs. Work will now begin to add six new bedrooms to the building, alongside the creation of a new chapel. The function suite is also earmarked for an extensive transformation, while improvements will be made across its wellness facilities and gardens. Apartment Group owns a number of wedding venues across the region, including Newton Hall near Alnwick and Le Petit Chateau in Northumberland. Founder Duncan Fisher said: “We’ve shown the concept of offering affordable luxury in a series of unique venues has huge appeal to the thriving wedding market and we hope to keep spreading our footprint across northern England.” Chief executive Stuart Bailey added: “Plans for our next acquisitions are already well advanced, and locations such as Leeds, York and Manchester are very much on our radar.” Listed investment fund Develop North, which is managed by Tier One Capital, supported the purchase of the hotel.

Brewhouse & Kitchen reports growth in own brewed beer volume, now accounting for just under 50% of total beverage sales: Brewhouse & Kitchen (B&K), the UK’s largest brewpub group, has reported growth in its own brewed beer volume, now accounting for just under 50% of total beverage sales. The group has puts this down to a recent rebrand of all B&K brewed beer; a revised operational focus on growing own brewed beer sales supported through a new training and reporting programme; and the fine-tuning of its seasonal cask and keg beer schedule (sales of seasonal beer were up 220% like-for-like in the last quarter of 2022). B&K said it has bucked the trend of a decline in cask seen across the industry, instead showing 5.3% like-for-like growth across its cask range. Chief executive Kris Gumbrell said: “It’s extremely satisfying to see the growth in our own brewed beer volume, particularly with cask beer sales, as this is true reflection of the high quality of beer that our brewers produce. Brewing exceptional craft beer on site, many of which have won national and international awards, also allows us an element of margin resilience, which in turns allows us to better provide affordability for our guests in terms of the various price increases we’re seeing across the industry, without a compromise on range or quality.” The group has also seen 18% like-for-like growth in B&K experiences during January, primarily due to its signature “Brewery Experience Day” and recently introduced “Whisky & Beer Pairing Masterclass”. Marketing and brand director Matt Preisinger added: “It’s fantastic to continue our trend in achieving double-digit growth on the experience side of our business. Nurturing the knowledge and passion of our team allows us to deliver fun and informative experiences and ensures B&K remains a pioneering force in the ever important experience market.”

Hilton Metropole owner to end six-year stay with £500m sale: The owner of one of London’s biggest hotels is ending a six-year stay by putting it up for sale with a price-tag expected to reach more than £500m. Henderson Park, a real estate investor, is close to hiring advisers for the sale of the Hilton London Metropole hotel near Paddington. Its sister hotel in Birmingham is also expected to be included in the sale process, industry sources told Sky News. Henderson Park acquired the two Metropole venues in 2017, and then swooped four years later to buy a portfolio of 12 other Hilton hotels in the UK. The latter transaction included sites in Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh and London. The Hilton Metropole in London has 1,100 rooms and event space for 3,000 guests, making it one of the largest such venues in Europe. Henderson Park has deployed $13bn on deals since being set up in 2016 by Nick Weber, a former Goldman Sachs executive. It also invests in office blocks and industrial real estate. A Henderson Park spokesman declined to comment.

Yard Sale Pizza confirms location and opening date for tenth site: Yard Sale Pizza, the restaurant and delivery concept that includes sector investor Paul Campbell as non-executive director, has confirmed the location and opening date for its tenth site. Propel reported last month that the outlet would launch in Tottenham, north London, in early March. Co-founders Johnnie Tate and Nick Buckland will now open the 20-cover site at 8 Vicarage Parade, West Green Road, on Monday, 6 March. The duo said: “We started Yard Sale running supper clubs out of a homemade pizza oven in our Hackney backyard ten years ago, so to have reached this huge milestone feels like a massive moment for us. It’s been a challenging time to run an independent business, so we’re extra proud to be going from strength to strength. We believe the pizza and service is the very best it’s ever been, and we’re excited to be bringing Yard Sale to Tottenham for site number ten – it’s somewhere we’ve wanted to open for a very long time!”

Yorkshire better burger brand opens eighth site and first since pandemic: Yorkshire better burger brand Chickanos has opened an eighth site, and second in the Midlands. Chickanos was founded in 2011 when two friends decided they couldn’t find a decent burger anywhere and so started making their own, opening their first store that same year, in Batley. Further branches in Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Bradford and Leeds followed over the next four years before, in 2016, the company turned to franchising and opened franchise stores in Blackburn and Leicester, both in 2019. It has now opened a first site since the pandemic, at 126 High Street in King’s Heath, Birmingham. The menu also offers grilled chicken, wraps, salads and sides.

Team behind Peak District venues to launch two new ventures in Sheffield: The team behind a series of hospitality venues in the Peak District is to launch two new ventures in Sheffield. The former Dore Grill site in Church Lane is being renovated and converted into a bar and restaurant, and a bakery and coffee shop. Both businesses are set to open in the spring. The venue will provide all-day casual dining for 190 covers across the bar, restaurant and outside terrace area. The menu will feature Italian inspired dishes with a range of wine, spirits, beer and cocktails. The on-site bakery and coffee shop will be open from 8.30am, with both businesses operating daily. The team is also behind Peak District venues Bank House Hathersage, Coach House Castleton, Nineteen Ten Café and Castleton Coffee Co. Director Samantha Vardy said: “Our aim is to deliver a great customer experience and we want to recruit the very best people for this exciting new hospitality project.”

Former Gordon Ramsay alumni and Hedone head chef to relocate Cardiff restaurant and open city’s first oyster bar: Former Gordon Ramsay alumni and Hedone head chef Lee Skeet is set to relocate his Cardiff restaurant and open the city’s first oyster bar at the same site. Skeet, who also trained under Marcus Wareing and Tom Aikens, opened his debut restaurant, Cora, above Cafe Milkwood in Pontcanna in January 2022, following the success of his 40 Days, 40 Nights pop-up at the same venue. He is now moving the restaurant to Cardiff’s Duke Street Arcade and opening sister venue Jackson’s, the city’s first oyster bar, on the ground floor. Jackson’s, which opens this weekend, will also offer wine from around the world. Duke Street Arcade is part of Cardiff’s Castle Quarter Estate, which also has two more restaurant openings in the pipeline. Sam Elliott, who already operates Pasture steakhouses in Bristol and Cardiff and Radius in Bristol, is set to open “immersive culinary venture” Parallel at 11 High Street. Maison De Bœuf, a Parisian-inspired steak restaurant from Stephen Barker’s Vintage Tea & Coffee Co, will also be opening in Castle Arcade. It follows two recent openings at Castle Quarter’s High Street. Temple Bar, inspired by Dublin’s legendary pub, has opened in the former Old Havana site and hosts regular live acoustic music. A new restaurant and gin bar, the Welsh House, has also opened with the backing of four former Welsh international rugby stars – Mike Phillips, James Hook, Shane Williams and Lee Byrne – and support from Marco Pierre White. Its menu is focused on supporting local suppliers and sourcing predominantly Welsh produce. Owen Cahill, partner at EJ Hales, acting on behalf of landlord Mansford LLP, said: “The Castle Quarter Estate is growing its reputation for attracting some of the city’s most innovative and exciting independent hospitality operators.”

Wok&Go set for Northern Ireland debut: UK noodle bar brand Wok&Go, from Dough Dough operator Pheby Food Concepts Group, is set to make its Northern Ireland debut later this year. The 18-strong concept is set to take a unit in a new food hall in the former Danske Bank building in South Belfast Road, which has been vacant since 2019. Construction work is under way to convert the former retail space into a hot food premises with multiple outlets, reports Belfast Live. The works are expected to be completed this year. As well as Wok& Go, the food hall is expected to house a second Belfast site for fast pizza brand Fireaway, which announced in December it was opening its first site in the city early in 2023, in Hillview Road. The Mario Aleppo-led business, which has more than 130 UK sites, made its Northern Ireland debut in 2021, in Ballymena. A third unit at the food hall is understood to be earmarked for a sweet treats stand called Dessert Den.

NQ64’s second London site to be brand’s biggest yet, confirms May opening: NQ64, the immersive retro arcade bar concept backed by Imbiba, has said its second London site will be the brand’s biggest yet, and confirmed a May opening. Propel revealed earlier this month that the nine-strong brand, which made its London debut last year in Soho, had secured the old Club Aquarium nightclub site in Old Street for an opening this summer. The 9,000 square-foot site will have a capacity of up to 450 and will feature the brand’s first food offering, with a partner to be announced shortly. It will also offer craft beers, themed cocktails, wines, spirits and sodas, plus DJs every night of the week. NQ64 Shoreditch will house some new and rare arcade games, which all operate on tokens that can be purchased from the bar. All consoles within the venue are free to play. Co-founder Matt Robson said: “Shoreditch is a location we’ve really wanted to operate in for a long time, so we’re buzzing to open this site. We aim to make our venues a place for gaming fanatics, and also for those looking for a great experience on a night out. This is our biggest site yet and we hope it’ll be a great addition to the area.”

Insomnia Cookies confirms Manchester for UK debut: Krispy Kreme, which is owned by European investment company JAB Holdings, has confirmed its late-night bakery brand Insomnia Cookies will make its UK debut later this year, in Manchester. Propel revealed last August that the company had applied to open a site under the Insomnia Cookies brand in the city’s Royal Exchange in Cross Street, with an opening planned for this summer. Insomnia Cookies will also make its entry into the Canadian market this summer, in the Greater Toronto area, and add a further dozen sites to its US estate. Krispy Kreme acquired a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies, which specialises in the late-night delivery of warm baked goods, at the end of 2018. Insomnia Cookies was founded in 2003 by Seth Berkowitz and now has 231 locations across the US. Berkowitz said: “From a college start-up, we’ve come a long way over the last 20 years, and this year’s national and international new store openings are just a taste of what’s to come. Insomnia is so grateful to our loyal Insomniacs, whose passion for our brand has fuelled our growth. We can’t wait to soon be delivering our warm, delicious cookies and desserts across the globe and welcome even more fans into our cookie clique.” It is expected that the brand will make announcements about its first UK hires imminently.

Former Annabel’s club manager launches sister restaurant to Camden Indonesian concept: Pino Edwards, a former club manager of Richard Caring’s private members’ club Annabel’s, has launched a sister restaurant to his Camden Indonesian concept, Pino’s Warung. Edwards launched Pino’s in the Asian Alley space at Camden Market in 2020. He has now opened Toba in St James’s Market, offering dishes including nasi goreng, beef renang and chicken satay, reports Hot Dinners. From next month, he intends to add a range of Indonesian-inspired cocktails alongside a selection of wine.

Whitbread submits plans for £10m, 100-bedroom Premier Inn hotel in St Ives: Whitbread has submitted plans for a 100-bedroom Premier Inn hotel on the site of a care home in St Ives, Cornwall. The company has applied to Cornwall Council to build the £10m hotel on the current site of the Trewidden Care Home in Trewidden Road, which would be demolished, and the resident re-homed. Planning permission for a 39-bedroom hotel on the site was previously granted in 2016, but Premier Inn’s new proposals would supersede that, with the hotel potentially occupying “a large portion” of the site if built. The York Hotel previously operated there until the 1980s. Louise Woodruff, property acquisitions manager at Whitbread, told Business Insider: “We are passionate about providing an affordable destination for leisure and business travellers in St Ives throughout the year – bringing a different style of hotel accommodation to the town and creating permanent employment.”

Glasgow operator to open American-style diner for second site: Glasgow operator Lawrence McManus is to open an American-style diner for his second site in the city. McManus, who operates Old Salty’s – a chip shop and Italian restaurant in Byres Road – has plans for a new venue on the corner of St Vincent Street and Renfield Street. He proposes to convert the former Bread Meats Bread premises and has secured a provisional premises licence, allowing the sale of alcohol, from the city’s licensing board, reports STV News.

Buyer sought for West Midlands artisan pizza concept: A buyer is being sought for West Midlands artisan pizza concept Birtelli’s after it entered administration. Matt Hardy and Andy Turpin, of Poppleton & Appleby, were appointed as administrators of the Leamington Spa business on 26 January. The company started trading five years ago, and during the pandemic, it switched to offering pizza kits by post for home cooking. A planned expansion of the business led to the acquisition of a second restaurant, in Coventry, in 2022. However, the expected investment to fund it did not materialise and resulted in cash flow challenges, reports Business Insider. Birtelli’s then ceased trading and its workforce of 15 made redundant. Hardy said: “We are working with the director to continue discussions with potential buyers who have expressed interest in the business and its assets. There is an opportunity for a new owner of Birtelli’s to build on its existing reputation, concept and loyal customer base.”

Bristol Japanese restaurant to open second site: Bristol Japanese restaurant Izakaya is to open a second site. The concept is adding to its site in College Green with an opening in Aplsey Road in Clifton. The premises was most recently home to Souk Kitchen, which still has its original restaurant in North Street, Bedminster. Izakaya said it “brings the spirit, fun and relaxed atmosphere of Japanese izakaya to the city”, reports Bristol 24/7.