Wagamama – first half trading in line with the market, like for like sales down 1.5%: Wagamama, The Restaurant Group (TRG)-owned chain, has reported that like for like sales in the six months to 29 June 2025 were down 1.5%, which it said was in line with the market, with the casual dining market impacted by “unseasonably warmer weather” in the period, “which benefitted pub operators”. The 162-strong brand reported total sales of £234.8m during the six months, with adjusted Ebitda of £31.5m (2024: £33.5m). It said that “internal analysis suggests many competitors have taken substantially more price over the last 12 months”. For the three months to 29 June 2025, like for likes were down 2.1%, which were impacted by investment in value. The company said that early positive indications are that initiatives are driving an improved dine-in performance versus the market. Total sales for the second quarter stood at £115.4m (2024: £119.6m), with adjusted Ebitda of £13.9m (2024: £16.2m). The company said it was “executing at pace a strong pipeline of proposition enhancements”, while customer brand metrics in both employee turnover, NPS and value for money scores are “showing positive trajectory”. The business said that its performance in the second quarter was impacted by the transfer of four airport sites from Wagamama into TRG’s concessions business, and investment in margin in some of the value enhancing proposition changes. The impact of the four airports sites was approximately circa £7m in sales and circa £300,000 in Ebitda. It said investment in value/margin estimated at 1% to 2% of Ebitda margin impact in the short-term. The company said its 2024 openings were on track to deliver attractive returns of circa 35%. One site opened in June 2025, with a remaining five openings expected in the third quarter of 2025. It said that its US business was making good progress, with a new chief executive advancing team recruitment and brand proposition work. In July, it commenced a joint venture partnership to enter the Indian market, and the first site opened that same month in Mumbai, with “early promising results”. It expects to open three to five new franchise sites in 2025, including its first franchise openings in Indian airports. It is also exploring entry to several new regions with new partners.

Popeyes UK in line to double its UK footprint in 2025 after doubling its revenue and selling a sandwich every three seconds in 2024: Popeyes UK has said it is in line to double its UK footprint in 2025 after doubling its revenue and selling a sandwich every three seconds in 2024. The US fried chicken quick service restaurant brand, backed here by TDR Capital, currently has circa 100 UK sites, having ended 2024 with 64 (2023: 38). The company grew its turnover from £58,123,000 in 2023 to £118,857,000 in the year to 31 December 2024. It narrowed its pre-tax loss from £10,422,000 in 2023 to £2,353,000. Drew Taylor, Popeyes UK’s chief financial officer, told Propel: “Popeyes UK delivered very strong growth and strategic progress in the year ended 31 December 2024. We more than doubled our annual revenue to exit the period with a sales run rate of £150m and sold the equivalent of one sandwich every three seconds in 2024. Our 2024 accounts reflect the significant investment that we have made into achieving long-term, sustainable growth, most notably through 33 new site openings. This momentum has continued into 2025, having increased our estate to over 80 restaurants at the half year, and we are set to achieve our ambition of broadly doubling our UK footprint in 2025. We have also focused on strengthening our exceptional team, and we are very proud to have been listed by The Sunday Times as one of the UK’s Best Places to Work. Having entered the UK less than five years ago, we are extremely proud of the progress we have made in that time, increasing sales by over £100m from £15m in 2022 to £118m in 2024. We remain excited about the growth opportunities for Popeyes in the UK and look forward to bringing our famous Louisiana chicken to more consumers across the country.” Average group employee numbers rose from 1,452 in 2023 to 2,179. Director Andrew Taylor said: “Having entered the UK less than five years ago, our 2024 accounts reflect Popeyes’ incredible momentum as well as the investments we are making to achieve long term growth, most notably increasing new site openings and strengthening the team with key hires. The directors are confident that the group is well positioned to achieve its growth ambitions, underpinned by its strong brand and core proposition based on consistently offering high standards of service and quality at competitive prices. Building on the strong momentum of last year’s restaurant openings, we also launched a strategic partnership with EG On-the-Move, marking the initiation of our franchise strategy and providing us with opportunities to access additional roadside locations across the UK.” Post year end, in April 2025, Popeyes entered into a strategic partnership with SSP, the UK operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, to open a pipeline of travel hub sites across the country, including its first site airport site, which opened this summer at Birmingham airport. In June, the business secured new finance facilities totalling £43m in order to support its continued rollout of its growth plans across the UK.

Hawksmoor turnover tops £100m, close to agreeing new sites for the next 12 months: Award-winning steak restaurant business Hawksmoor saw its turnover for the year to the end of 2024 break the £100m mark, as it told Propel it was close to agreeing one to two new sites for the next 12 months. The 13-strong company reported turnover of £100,385,000 in 2024 (2023: £80,782,000) with adjusted Ebitda of £9,883,000 (2023: £9,194,000). Its pre-tax loss for the year, in which it opened its second site in the US, a 16,500 square-foot site in Chicago, stood at £3,237,000 (2023: loss of £855,000). The company said it generated 5.5% like for like growth in 2024 as well as continued improvements in both margin and labour efficiency. The company told Propel that 2025 will be another year of record turnover and profit (including margins), and that labour costs are in line with last year despite a 10% hike in costs from national living wage and national insurance contributions. It said that “lots of the restaurants, especially outside London”, will have record years, while New York City will deliver an all-time record for trading at a Hawksmoor restaurant”. It said it is again seeing like for like growth as well as continued improvements in both margin and labour efficiency. The business told Propel it is close to agreeing one to two new sites for the next 12 months. Will Beckett, Co-Founder and chief executive of the Graphite Capital-backed Hawksmoor, said: “I’m really pleased that the relentless focus we have on guest experience in our restaurants and the quality and engagement of our teams has resulted in another record year of trading, and even more so that those trends have continued into 2025, showing that Hawksmoor remains one of the best and most resilient restaurant companies in the UK. We continue to see opportunities in both the UK and the US and expect to be able to make more announcements about further growth in the fourth quarter of this year.  We also receive more approaches for Hawksmoor restaurants from landlords, developers, potential partners and guests from other cities, than ever before, which has strengthened our confidence in Hawksmoor even more as we approach our 20th anniversary in 2026.”

Bow Street Group – half-year revenue down 21%, group now positioned for sustainable growth: Bow Street Group, formerly Tasty, the owner and operator of the Wildwood and Dim T brands, has said it has commenced the execution of its revised growth strategy after posting revenue of £15.1m for the 26 weeks to 29 June 2025 (2024: £19.1m), and adjusted Ebitda of £1.2m (H1 2024: £1.9m). The company said that performance was in part driven by restructuring of the group’s estate, with 32 restaurants trading at the end of the period (first half of 2024: 37 restaurants). The company said the drop in revenue was primarily due to the impact of the site closures and a challenging trading environment in the first few months of the year. The business said that its restructuring plan formally completed in July 2025. In September, it announced a £10.1m raise from new and existing shareholders, refinancing the group, and the appointments of David Page as executive chairman and Nick Wong as chief financial officer. Jonny Plant, chief executive of Bow Street Group, said: “During the first half of the year, the group’s revenue was impacted by the well-publicised external pressures impacting across the casual dining sector, as well as the effect of our restructuring plan which meant that we traded from five fewer restaurants at the period end compared to the prior year. Against this backdrop, we have been firmly focused on driving efficiencies to offset cost inflation and protect Ebitda. We enter the second half of the year in a much stronger position than we have been in for several years. I am delighted to be working closely with David and Nick, who have a formidable track record in the hospitality sector, as we deliver the revised growth strategy. It is an exciting time for Bow Street Group, with our stronger balance sheet giving us the opportunities to invest in our brands and estate, which in turn will allow us to deliver a better experience to customers and ultimately achieve sustainable, profitable growth.” Page said: “The group has commenced the execution of the revised growth strategy announced as part of the fundraising in August 2025. This has resulted in the group having net cash (excluding property lease liabilities) of approximately £11.3m at 28 September 2025, securing the long-term prospects for the group and positioning it for sustainable growth. The group will refurbish restaurants where there is a clear potential to increase trade and will actively adjust the property portfolio where appropriate. We will also seek out and partner with successful restaurant entrepreneurs, leveraging Bow Street Group’s status as a highly attractive platform for exciting eating out brands, offering structural benefits of scale, operational synergies, and attractive incentivisation plans for management teams. With a clear plan, I am excited to work with our teams across the business to deliver our growth strategy and generate value for the group’s shareholders.”

Farmer J full-year turnover nears £28m, plans six UK sites in 2026 and a further US opening: Farmer J, the all-day market concept, saw turnover near the £28m mark in 2024, reflecting both new restaurant openings and continued like for like sales growth. Turnover for the year to 29 December 2024 stood at £27,910,722 (2023: £17,942,067), with a pre-tax loss of £494,767 (2023: loss of £618,522). During the year, the business opened three new restaurants, bringing the total estate to 13, continued to invest in digital ordering platforms and saw strong demand across delivery channels, which now account for circa 25% of sales. The business said it had also taken steps to manage inflationary pressures, particularly food and energy costs, through supplier negotiations, menu optimisation and operational efficiencies. The company said it intends to continue expanding its restaurant footprint in London and other major UK cities. It said that investment will also be directed towards strengthening the digital ordering experience, enhancing operational systems and developing leadership capability within the organisation to support scale. In the first quarter of 2025, a further two Farmer J sites were opened in London, with a further three sites secured and to be open by the end of 2025 in London. As previously revealed by Propel, a site in New York has also been secured and is due to open by the end of 2025. By the end of 2025, the business expects to have 18 sites open in the UK and one in the US. The company said: “The business continues to develop the site pipeline and expects to roll out a further six sites in the UK in 2026 as well as an additional site in New York. To ensure the business is sufficiently capitalised to deliver the growth plan, a revolving credit facility has been secured with our bank, and we have raised further equity in a funding round which closed in the summer of 2025.” Earlier this month, Propel revealed that Farmer J had secured a site at 31 West 52nd Street in Manhattan, with an opening planned for December. The company announced last year that it was exploring an international launch, with a focus on the east coast of the US, targeting locations in New York and Boston. Founder Jonathan Recanato told Propel: “We are excited to be taking our first international steps as a business in New York. We have secured a wide-frontage site with a typical Farmer J demographic in that the area has a lot of young professionals and offices.” As previously revealed by Propel, the company has secured a site in Coleman Street for an opening in November. Farmer J also plans to open a site at 237-238 Tottenham Court Road, on the corner of Bayley Street in Fitzrovia. Farmer J plans to also open that site in November and is in advanced talks on a further Central London site that it hopes to open in December. 

Wright Brothers reports increase in pre-tax profit across restaurant business: Wright Brothers, the oyster specialist and seafood wholesaler, has said that despite a challenging year for the hospitality industry, its three London restaurants “significantly increased” pre-tax profit to £1.2m in 2024. The company, which was founded by Robin Hancock and Ben Wright, said: “Our Borough Market restaurant continues to trade very successfully, with consistent sales year-on-year and delivering very strong Ebitda margin. Our Battersea restaurant increased year-on-year Ebitda. Our South Kensington restaurant increased sales and profit on the prior year. Again, successful collaborations with Soho House and Royal Ascot brought additional revenue and brand exposure.” At group level, the company posted revenue for the year to 30 December 2024 of £27,265,774 (2023: £28,033,710), with adjusted Ebitda of £713,000 (2023: £1,155,157). Pre-tax loss stood at £347,312 (2023: £208,975). On its wholesale and retail business, the company said: “Despite a modest fall in average order value due to pressures across the hospitality industry, Wright Bros continued to attract new customers with quality and service, delivering annual turnover of £21.2m. The fruits of the subsidiary's significant investments in additional factory space and people started to bear fruit. Wright Bros delivered a positive operating profit and increased net profit after tax by £329,000. As the group continues to acquire customers, the focus remains on investing in our staff and systems and ensuring we have the capacity to fulfil demand.”

CGA/Reputation study reveals AI and economic pressures driving new UK consumer habits in hospitality: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and economic challenges are transforming the way British consumers discover and review restaurants, pubs and bars, new research from online reputation management software business Reputation and CGA by NIQ reveals. The report shows AI tools like ChatGPT have already become a mainstream source of information about hospitality venues. A quarter (26%) of consumers now use them to learn more about a venue – a level of usage on a par with Google Maps (27%) and close behind other popular sources like social media platforms (32%). AI is also transforming the way potential guests find and leave reviews. Three in five (60%) already trust AI-generated review summaries that distil sentiment from high volumes of feedback, and 13% trust these digests more than individual posts. Meanwhile, half (51%) say they would be likely to leave a review if an AI tool asked them in the right tone and at the right moment. Other insights from the research include the fact that chatbots are changing communications, and more than two in five (43%) consumers have interacted with one when contacting a venue or ordering. AI is also personalising the discovery process, with more than a third (37%) of guests already using an AI tool to obtain recommendations tailored to preferences. There are, however, concerns about negative impacts, with 39% worried about AI’s potential overriding of personal contact and 33% concerned about privacy and security issues. Anthony Gaskell, managing director, EMEA at Reputation said: “AI isn’t a future trend in hospitality: it’s already here. AI-powered search is transforming the consumer decision-making process, making it deeply personal and emotionally driven. Operators need to adapt quickly to this new age of personalisation, and harness AI to improve their ability to hear consumer voices, understand what they need, and take actions that make those consumers feel heard.” The research also set out the seismic impacts of rising costs on Britain’s eating and drinking out habits. More than a quarter (28%) of consumers say they are going out for drinks less often than they were a year ago – eight percentage points more than those who are doing so more – but increased prices mean they are spending more when they do so. It also noted polarising spending, with a third (34%) of consumers typically spending £100-plus a month on eating and drinking out, but nearly as many (31%) spending less than £40. But the report has some encouraging forecasts for spending in 2026, with more than a third (36%) of consumers expect to eat and drink out more often over the next year, significantly more than the 21% who think they will go out less. Grete Ovaldaite, client business partner at CGA by NIQ, said: “It has been a turbulent year for hospitality businesses and consumers alike, and spending constraints are creating an ultra-competitive environment. We can be cautiously optimistic that consumer confidence will improve in 2026, but operators will need to stay laser-focused on delivering consistently good-value, high-quality experiences that don’t just meet people’s heightened expectations but beat them.”

Chefs serve Macron a warning as French shun local restaurants: Leading chefs in France have warned President Macron that the nation’s gastronomy was in crisis as restaurants were being shunned by diners and workers alike. Some have argued that France’s culinary heritage is at risk of disappearing as families turn to fast food and home deliveries, reports The Times. Macron promised to favour restaurants that use fresh produce rather than reheating precooked meals bought from an industrial sup­plier. One idea is to cut taxes for traditional eateries to give them a fiscal advantage over fast-food outlets. He also called for a “cultural transformation” to wean the French off low-cost food. “We have accustomed many of our countrymen to the idea that food does not cost anything anymore,” he said, adding that they needed to be taught that good food comes “at the right price”. Thierry Marx, a Michelin-starred chef who is chairman of the Restaurant and Hotel Owners’ Federation, warned of an existential threat to the nation’s cuisine. He said that there were 110,000 sit-down restaurants a decade ago and 94,000 now. The fall is accelerating, Marx claimed, with 25 restaurants shutting every day this year. Marx said takings in many restaurants were down 25% this summer compared with the same period in 2024. Alain Fontaine, chairman of the French Association of Master Restaurateurs, told Le Figaro: “We risk losing our attractiveness and seeing part of our gastronomy disappear.” He said that budget restaurants were flourishing, as were luxury ones for the rich, but he predicted that the ordinary mid-range restaurants that have been the heart of French cuisine for decades would be a thing of the past within 15 years. Mathieu Guibert, chef at the Michelin-starred Anne de Bretagne restaurant in La Plaine-sur-Mer in western France, told Le Telegramme that the French needed to be “re-educated” in the twin arts of eating and cooking. However, Bernard Boutboul, chairman of Gira Conseil, a hospitality sector consul­tancy, said restaurants had passed on rising costs to diners with the result that menu prices had gone up by as much as 23% compared with last year. And a recent study by the Observatory of Society and Consumption found that 30% of people said they were less keen on eating out than in the past, partly to save money and partly because they simply preferred being at home.