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Gordon Ramsay Restaurants reports record UK revenue of £134m as group goes global: Gordon Ramsay Restaurants has reported UK sales increased 40% to a record £134m for the 15 months to 30 December 2024 compared with £95.6m the previous year. Adjusted Ebitda was up 45% to £12m from £8.5m the year before. The figures reflect the group’s owned operations in the UK and licence income generated internationally excluding North America. The group said performance was underpinned by nine new UK and international restaurant openings. The group launched a total of 20 new locations during the period, which included 11 in North America. These included Bread Street Kitchen in Stratford in east London, first sites in Canada and Thailand, and continued expansion in South Korea. The business currently has 97 restaurants globally: 32 in the UK, 37 in North America, and 28 in other international markets. In January this year, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants partnered with Formula 1 with “Ramsay’s Garage” and is committed to ten races globally including Silverstone, Monaco and Monza. In February, the group successfully completed a deal with its existing investment partner, Lion Capital, to merge its UK and US businesses. The strategy is focused on further scaling the brand across international markets, and to diversify its business model to include franchising with its quick service restaurant brands. The group has opened Lucky Cat at London’s 22 Bishopsgate – Europe’s highest restaurant – as well as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High and the UK’s second Gordon Ramsay Academy. Within the next year, the group will open a Bread Street Kitchen in 22 Bishopsgate, Andy Wenlock, chief executive at Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, said: “We saw strong sales and underlying earnings last year despite continuing pressure on costs and people. This has given us confidence as we launch into a transformational phase for the group. As an ambitious business we will continue expanding our popular brands across the UK and globally, in particular via the franchise market in the USA for our quick service brands – Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, Street Pizza, and Street Burger. Our partnership agreement with Lion Capital earlier this year has provided significant fresh momentum. We are delighted with the performance seen at 22 Bishopsgate so far. Our UK investment is paired with a major focus on disciplined global expansion, including in the UAE, India and Asia, as well continued collaboration with partners in North America, Canada and Mexico. While the economic backdrop features some uncertainty and challenge, we are unafraid to be entrepreneurial. We are pushing to secure compelling new markets and opportunities as we deliver a true Gordon Ramsay experience to more people around the world.”

Premium Club subscribers to new UK Food & Beverage Franchisee Database on Friday: Premium Club subscribers will receive the latest Propel Food & Beverage Franchisee Database on Friday (17 October), at 12pm. The database will feature ten new entries, plus updates to existing entries, to take the total number to 270 and more than 109,000 words of content. The new entries include DFDS, a Danish international shipping company with 50 freight and passenger ships in the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and the English Channel, which in February 2025 partnered with Deep Blue Restaurants to roll out Harry Ramsden’s new “Proudly Serving” format to passengers travelling on its routes between Dover and Calais and Dover and Dunkirk. The new entries also include Directional Pizza, backed by US private equity firm Directional Capital, which acquired the UK Pizza Hut dine in restaurants estate from Heart with Smart Group after the latter went into administration in January 2025. Premium Club subscribers also receive access to five other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the New Openings Database, the Multi-Site Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database and the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Club subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events and discounts on specialist sector reports. Operators that are Premium Club subscribers are also able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club subscribers receive their daily Propel Info newsletter 11 hours earlier than standard subscribers, at 7pm the evening before. They also receive videos of presentations at eight Propel conference events two weeks after they are held. This represents around 100 videos of industry insight over the course of the year. Premium Club subscribers also receive exclusive opinion columns every Friday at 5pm, which include the thoughts of Propel group editor Mark Wingett and a host of industry leaders from across the sector. A Premium Club subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

Hollywood Bowl reports record revenue of £250.8m as it continues expansion: Hollywood Bowl Group, the UK’s largest ten-pin bowling operator, has reported revenue increased 8.9% to a record £250.8m for the year ending 30 September 2025 compared with the previous year. Revenue at its 77-strong UK estate was up 6.4% to £212.4m while in Canada, where the group operates 15 sites, turnover grew 32.8% on a constant currency basis to CAD $70.0m (£38.4m). UK total like-for-like sales were up 1.1%, with UK bowling centres like-for-like sales of 1.3%. In Canada, total like-for-like sales increased 3.2%, with Canada bowling centres like-for-like sales of 0.8%, on a constant currency basis. The group said it expects to report Ebitda in line with market expectations and its “robust balance sheet continues to offer significant capital flexibility”. A total of £37m has been invested in estate expansion and centre enhancements with five refurbishments completed in the UK and seven in Canada. Five new sites have opened in the UK and two in Canada. The group said it has a strong pipeline and is on track to achieve 130 centres by 2035. The group had a net cash position on 30 September 2025 of £15.2m and an undrawn £25m revolving credit facility. Chief executive Stephen Burns, said: “We are very pleased with our full-year performance, both financially and operationally. We have again demonstrated the success of our proven, customer-led strategy and differentiated business model by delivering record revenues and further profitable growth. Our motivated and engaged teams consistently delivered high quality customer experiences which resulted in increased dwell time and record levels of positive customer feedback. We have continued to drive strong returns through ongoing investment in our centres and the expansion of our estate in prime locations in the UK and Canada and we have an exciting pipeline of new centres that continues to grow. The strong cash generative nature of our business means we are well-placed to continue investing in the size and quality of our estate and to continue to enhance the customer experience through our service standards and the use of digital technology to drive returns. We remain confident in the long-term growth opportunities in the UK and Canada.”

Evolv Collection outlines expansion plans for Italian restaurant concept Sartoria: The Evolv Collection, formerly D&D London, has outlined expansion plans for its Italian restaurant concept Sartoria in the capital. Originally founded by Sir Terence Conran in 1990, Sartoria is inspired by Milan, and has a site in Savile Row. Following a complete redesign in 2015, Sartoria has entered a new chapter under the Evolv Collection. A new Sartoria outpost is set to open at its Launceston Place premises in South Kensington that offers an all-day dining experience that combines “the accessible luxury of cucina elegante with effortless Milanese style”. The Evolv Collection has ambitious expansion plans for Sartoria over the next six months. The group will convert Fiume, Battersea into a Sartoria restaurant, and open a new Sartoria restaurant in Liverpool Street, “with plans for further expansion of the Sartoria collection”. Martin Williams, chief executive of the Evolv Collection, said: “Sir Terence Conran’s vision for Sartoria was to introduce guests to the elegant style of Milan, his favourite city. The opening of Sartoria Launceston Place is an important step in our strategic vision for both Sartoria and The Evolv Collection, as we continue to create iconic, recognisable brands that resonate with guests and stand the test of time.” Earlier this month, Evolv Collection said it will open new skyline restaurants across the UK as part of its new Stories brand – “creating even more exceptional dining experiences accompanied by breathtaking views”. The company already operates Manchester’s 20 Stories and London’s 14 Stories within its Stories portfolio, with Birmingham’s skyline restaurant Orelle become the collection’s third venue, as it rebrands this month as 24 Stories. Last month, the group launched new concept called Liverpool Street Chop House & Tavern, which it said marks a “pivotal moment in the group’s evolution”.