Coffee#1 first-half lfl sales up 8%: Coffee#1, the Caffe Nero-owned business, has reported an 8% increase in like-for-like sales for the six months to November 2023, with sales of £29.5m, representing total sales growth of 18.8% over the … view

More than 100 hospitality leaders sign letter to chancellor asking for ‘urgent action’ in Budget: More than 100 hospitality leaders have signed a letter to chancellor Jeremy Hunt asking him to take “urgent action” in his forthcomi … view

More than 100 hospitality leaders sign letter to chancellor asking for ‘urgent action’ in Budget: More than 100 hospitality leaders have signed a letter to chancellor Jeremy Hunt asking him to take “urgent action” in his forthcomi … view

New York’s number one rated immersive experience plans UK launch: Spyscape, the number one-rated immersive concept in New York, is planning to launch its Spygames experience in the UK and has begun searching for sites in London, Propel … view

Exclusive – shares in Tortilla surge 17% as Luke Johnson takes stake in business: Shares in Tortilla, the UK’s largest fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand, climbed circa 17% in afternoon trading to 49.50p, after serial investor Luke … view

Cornish Bakery lines up at least ten new stores this year, Ebitda close to £5m, lfl sales up 7%: Fast-growing independent chain Cornish Bakery has told Propel it is lining up at least ten new sites in 2024. Cornish Bakery recently hit th … view

Flight Club operator sees sales exceed £100m, likely to fundraise towards end of 2024: Red Engine, the team behind Flight Club and Electric Shuffle, saw sales rise to more than £100m in 2023 as the popularity of “competitive socialisi … view

Bob & Berts resets growth goal to 100 sites, set to open five more in 2024 with focus on north of England, first half lfl sales up 3.9%: Cafe brand Bob & Berts has reset its growth goal to 100 sites and told Propel it is set to open five … view

Exclusive – Gong Cha relaunching franchise programme and looking to bring more franchisees on board to help realise ambitious UK expansion plans: Gong Cha, the fast-growing bubble tea brand headquartered in the UK, has told Propel it is … view

The Vurger Co to cease trading: The co-founders of vegan fast-food concept The Vurger Co have decided to close its three restaurants “for the last time”. Rachel Hugh and Neil Potts, who founded the business in 2016, operated sites in … view

Purple Story to host exclusive webinar for Propel subscribers to help them empower their teams to mitigate the national minimum wage increase in five easy steps: Entrepreneurial performance consultancy Purple Story is to … view

Exclusive – Brasseria Family launches crowdfund to open third site, already raised almost £1.2m with YO! founder Simon Woodroffe among backers: Neighbourhood all-day Italian restaurant Brasseria Family has launched a crowdfunding campa … view

Exclusive – Pho set to continue national expansion following strong 2023: Pho, the Vietnamese restaurant group led by Pat Marrinan and backed by TriSpan, plans to open a further six or seven sites in 2024 on the back of a strong 12 mon … view

Permanently Unique Group to launch new restaurant and music venue: Permanently Unique Group, the independent restaurant business formerly known as Tattu, is to launch a new restaurant and musical venue called Louis in Manchester, this aut … view

Exclusive – Kbox Global acquired by UAE-based virtual brand operator The Cloud: Abu Dhabi-based virtual brand operator The Cloud is set for expansion in the UK, after acquiring Kbox Global, the host kitchen business, out of administrati … view

Exclusive – Rekom UK acquired out of administration for c£19.5m: The number of companies, which made up Rekom UK, the nightclub and bar operator, were acquired out of administration for circa £19.5m, which included the rolling over of … view

Mitchells & Butlers launches Orleans Smokehouse concept, expects ‘to see it grow across the UK’: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), the All Bar One, Toby Carvery and Harvester operator, will today (Monday, 19 February) launch its new Orleans … view

Wendy’s CEO – the UK is a very strong market and has tons of potential for the future: Kirk Tanner, president and chief executive of Wendy’s, the third-largest quick service restaurant chain in the US, has said the UK is a very stro … view

Knoops – phenomenal momentum across the business, enjoys record start to 2024: William Gordon-Harris, executive chairman and chief executive of Knoops, the luxury hot chocolate shop brand, has told Propel there is “phenomenal momentu … view

Cards on the table, never in my life have I had to produce ID when visiting a licensed premises or buying alcohol. Not once. I’ve no idea why. Maybe I just look … view

Kevin Charity to step down as Coaching Inn Group CEO and retire, Richard Lewis to become RedCat group CEO: RedCat Pub Company, the investment vehicle founded and chaired by Rooney Anand, has announced Kevin Charity, the founder and chief … view

Kevin Charity to step down as Coaching Inn Group CEO and retire, Richard Lewis to become RedCat group CEO: RedCat Pub Company, the investment vehicle founded and chaired by Rooney Anand, has announced Kevin Charity, the founder and chief … view

Caffè Nero H1 UK sales up 10.1%, achieves record £8.4m in weekly sales, FY sales up 19%: Caffè Nero, the Gerry Ford-led, premium coffee house brand, has reported a 10.1% rise in sales for the first half of its financial year to Novemb … view

Azzurri Group – strong trading across all brands, FY Ebitda up 21%, margins back to pre-covid levels: Azzurri Group, the hospitality investment platform, which operates ASK Italian, Zizzi, Coco di Mama and Boojum, has reported a 9% incr … view

Epic Bars and Clubs looks to become the UK’s largest chain of bars and nightclubs: Epic Bars and Clubs, the venture from Mark Shorting and Nigel Blair, two of the founders of the Fever Bar business, is looking to become the UKs largest … view

Auntie Anne’s UK master franchisee sees ‘plenty of scope’ here, looking to open six stores in 2024 and add to regional locations: Pretzel business Auntie Anne’s UK master franchisee has told Propel it sees “plenty of scope” he … view

Gaucho owner reports record year, pipeline of 30 UK locations, continues to consider funding options: Rare Restaurants, the Gaucho and M Restaurants owner, has hailed 2023 as an “outstanding year” for the business with revenue reachin … view

Exclusive – Döner Shack relaunches franchise programme following ‘brand transformation’, aiming for 50-50 estate split going forwards: Berlin fast casual kebab concept Döner Shack has relaunched its franchise programme following a … view

Exclusive – Sessions plans to expand Ivan Ramen concept to 50 sites across UK: Chef Ivan Orkin is to expand his eponymous Ivan Ramen concept to London in partnership with Sessions, the growth platform for original food brands, with plan … view

Big Fang Collective secures £5.5m funding for further UK expansion, eyes three new major cities for 2024 launches: Big Fang Collective, the Imbiba-backed entertainment venue operator that owns the Golf Fang brand, has secures £5.5m in f … view

McDonald’s CEO – UK digital engagement at an ‘all-time high’, well positioned to get balance right between price and traffic growth: Chris Kempczinski, chief executive of McDonald’s, has said that digital engagement with the bra … view

US doughnut brand Randy’s eyes estate of 50 UK sites with planned regional launch ahead of London expansion: US doughnut brand Randy’s Donuts has said it sees the potential for 50 sites in the UK and would most likely launch with a re … view

Subjects: Spring into action for the spring Budget, BrewDog’s change in strategy could mean last orders for craft beer drinkers, new year, new growth, and why we’re still wearing the brewery tie 

Rail strikes ‘will tip more hospitality businesses over the edge’: The hospitality industry has warned of an estimated £350m hit from the latest train strikes, lifting the cost to businesses to more than £4bn since the action began. … view

Marugame Udon CEO – we are ready to go again, in talks with first UK franchisee: Keith Bird, chief executive of Marugame Udon Europe, the international udon noodles and tempura restaurant brand, has said the company is “ready to go ag … view

Various Eateries poised to accelerate following a “year of steady progress”: Various Eateries, the Coppa Club and Noci operator, has said it is poised to accelerate its growth plans following a “year of steady progress”, which saw … view

McWin co-founder – Sticks’n’Sushi deal has been years in the making: Henry McGovern, co-founding partner at McWin Capital Partners, has said the investment firm’s deal for Sticks’n’Sushi has been “years in the making”. McW … view