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Morning Briefing for pub, restaurant and food wervice operators

Fri 22nd Jul 2022 - Propel Friday News Briefing

Story of the Day:

Game Changers Investments to back Erpingham House expansion: Game Changers Investments (GCI) has invested in plant-based restaurant business Erpingham House, Propel has learned. GCI plans to roll out the business along with sister concepts Chuck Chick & Vegan Dough Co. The three concepts have been brought together under the umbrella GC Plant, and are now actively looking to open sites in the UK, as well as offering licences abroad, with GCI leading a further funding round to support the expansion. Erpingham House founder Loui Blake said: “We received initial investment from GCI to help ready our portfolio of plant-based restaurant brands for franchising. After opening the first Erpingham House more than four years ago, we launched Chuck Chick and Vegan Dough Co as dark kitchens across the UK during covid-19, and these brands will now become physical sites. The support from GCI has allowed us to take our time developing these concepts further and getting them ready for scale. We had great success with all three brands at the Dubai Expo 2020, operating pop-ups throughout January as part of the Veganuary activation. These three brands will now form part of ‘GC Plant’, a fully plant-based subsidiary within GCI, which will now lead a funding round to bring these concepts to market as we enter the post-covid hospitality world.” Last year, investment company Aplomado Hospitality acquired a stake in GCI to aid its expansion and that of its concepts both nationally and internationally. GCI is also backing David Thompson’s Long Chim brand’s launch in the UK, plus the multi-floor, multi-concept venture at 3 Henrietta Street in Covent Garden, in partnership with sector consultancy firm TGP International. Erpingham House currently operates the UK’s largest plant-based restaurant, in Norwich, and previously operated sites in Brighton and Edinburgh.
 

Industry News:

Sponsored message – Vapiano supports Hospitality Rising, invest today: Vapiano, which is owned by the Mario C Bauer-led consortium Love & Food Restaurant Holdings, is supporting Hospitality Rising, but will you? The initiative aims to unite the industry by asking it to invest in and back its plan to change the perception of hospitality for the better, in the biggest sector recruitment advertising campaign the UK has seen. Craig Goslin, managing director of Vapiano UK, said: “This campaign will assist with shifting the sometimes negative perception of working in the hospitality industry. It is one of the few industries that offer the opportunity for our people to progress to the top of the career ladder, like our chief operating officer Monika Czyz for example, who began working front of house much like many other leaders across our business. The hospitality sector provided around 3% of the UK’s total economy output in 2019 and as a collective, we want to exceed those figures and trade our businesses to their maximum capabilities. Now, with a multitude of job vacancies, is the time for young people to seize the opportunity to not only earn some cash, but also begin building a network to progress and be a part of the restaurant culture.” Invest in Hospitality Rising now from just £10 per employee here. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.
 
Third UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database released today, 20 new companies and more than 10,000 words added: The third UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database will be sent to Premium subscribers today (Friday, 22 July), at midday, with 20 new companies and more than 10,000 words added. The second edition will feature 140 companies and almost 60,000 words of content, providing insight on the offer, locations, cost and other key details. Among them is several overseas food concepts, including Sweden-based Tex-Mex chain Zocalo, which has circa 25 restaurants in Scandinavia and is looking to expand to the UK. Also featured is Angolan better burger brand Dooh Ponto, which has 12 African locations and has moved to a London headquarters ahead of a Europe-focused expansion. Chinese takeaway concept Chop & Wok, launched in Birmingham in 2016 and now with ten UK sites, is also featured. So too is wood-fired pizza-focused Italian restaurant Basilico, which was founded in London in 203 and now has 11 branches across the capital. Premium subscribers also receive access to The New Openings Database, the Propel Multi-Site Database and the Turnover & Profits Blue Book. 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 lockdown videos and 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.
 
Just Eat – growing trend for communal lunches in London’s offices, pop-up orders increase 243% on 2021: London is seeing a growing trend for communal lunches rather than workers eating at their desks, as the capital’s workforce returns to the office. According to data from Just Eat for Business, buffet and platter orders have “skyrocketed” this year as employees “crave that long-awaited feeling of community”. Pop-up orders have also increased by 243% since 2021, according to the data. The most office orders in the first half of 2022 came from Islington (almost 19,000), followed by Westminster (more than 11,000), Shoreditch (more than 6,000) and Soho (almost 5,000). The most popular cuisine across the capital in 2022 has been Mediterranean, with the City of London being the most adventurous in terms of trying more cuisines than any other. Matt Ephgrave, managing director at Just Eat for Business, said: “It’s clear from our data that what we eat at work has changed. Gone are the days where we sat at our desk to enjoy a solo lunch, and in its place are group, communal lunches, where many seek to reinstate the social aspect they’ve missed throughout the pandemic. Londoners now want more interactive socials and are using food occasions to do so. They’re also seeking adventurous and new cuisines – an indication the return to the office is thriving and food is acting as the centre point.”
 
Zero Carbon Forum members tackle mounting energy crisis and deliver carbon reduction with new initiative: Zero Carbon Forum members are tackling the mounting energy crisis and delivering carbon reduction with a new initiative. The “Save While you Sleep” programme is designed to help hospitality reduce costs, recover lost profits and cut carbon overnight. Côte and Stonegate Group are the latest operators to sign up to the programme, which has been trialling with some forum members since last year, including Fridays, Burger King and McMullens. Trials have realised energy savings worth £6,000 and avoided eight tonnes of carbon dioxide, per outlet, being emitted; the same as 17,000 car miles. Cote said the initiative will save the business an estimated 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide and see a 6% reduction in overnight energy costs over the coming year. The launch comes in a week when record breaking temperatures reaching more than 40ºC hit the UK. Data from Zero Carbon Services revealed during this week, average watts usage was up by 153kWh; equating to £29 a week in extra energy costs and 30kg of extra carbon per site. The programme works by combining energy and carbon analytics with operational training and ongoing coaching. Existing energy smart meter data is run through Zero Carbon Services’ proprietary intelligence platform, to identify energy wastage every day. Dedicated ‘”carbon coaches” provide analysis, insight coaching and training and on and off-site support to report high wastage sites, identify key causes, help with remedial actions, and benchmark performance. 
 
Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a growing gastropub company in London that is looking for an operations director. A COREcruitment spokesman said: “The business has 25 sites and is looking to add another three in the next year. The ideal candidate will treat the business as their own and report to the owners. This mindset will allow for massive opportunities to move this business forward. Previous opening experience is essential for this role, as is experience with a leading branded London operator. A background from pubs or restaurants is also needed.” The salary is up to £150,000 plus equity. For more information, email stuart@corecruitment.com
 

Company News:

Hills steps down as Megan’s MD: Sarah Hills has stepped down as managing director of Megan’s, the fast-growing, cafe and deli concept, Propel has learned. Hills, who was previously managing director of Bill’s and The Restaurant Group-owned Wagamama, joined Megan’s in October 2020 as it prepared to open its tenth site, in Surbiton. It has since grown to 17 sites. Meanwhile, Propel understands the company has appointed Emily Grenville – formerly of Tossed, Novus and most recently Pinter – as its new people director. Last month, the company said it was on track “to play a key role in numerous neighbourhoods by the end of 2022”, including openings in Welwyn Garden City, Richmond and Guildford. Further locations are planned for the next two years where it also plans to introduce the brand to Weybridge, Crouch End and Farnham, as well as Bristol – its first opening outside of south east England. It also said it had set aside a £5m bonus to be shared between its team. The bonus will be shared between its current and future general managers, head chefs, assistant general managers and sous chefs, as well as its support office team. 
 
Page – finding staff not a problem but skill set is, group not fully trading yet: David Page, chairman of Fulham Shore, the Franco Manca and The Real Greek owner, has said the business is not having a problem finding staff, but the time to take to train them is a problem. Speaking to Propel after the group’s full-year update, Page said the business was also having to close some sites early so as to not push its teams too far. He said: “We’ve lost 500,000-600,000 workers through Brexit and covid, who haven’t come back and these were all highly trained restaurant workers. The issue with the government is it is reactive and doesn’t seem to realise or acknowledge if you serve 400 customers and you are a chef or waiter, that it is a skilled profession. We can get the people, it is the time it takes to train them up that’s the issue. They’re all very enthusiastic, but they’re all about 17 or 18, and it takes a good three months to train them up. We’re closing stores at 10pm. I mean, we’ve done these trading figures, but we’re not fully trading yet. We can’t have the staff doing 70 hours a week. So, we’ve knocked an hour and a half off every day really. If the local manager has enough staff, we say okay, open till 11pm, but if you’re struggling to fill your rota, cut your hours, and build up the number of staff slowly.” Page said the group’s 23-strong The Real Greek business was “absolutely flying”. He said: “It means we believe we can open 70 of them in the UK. We just opened two stores in Manchester and they’re doing £45,000 to £50,000 a week, which was way above what we thought they were going to do. And the new Norwich site is a stormer as well. So, the last four or five Real Greeks openings have really sort of changed our outlook on what is possible. The work we have done with Michelin-starred chef Nikos Karathanos has helped improve the menu, and we’ve kept the prices as low, you can still have lunch for £7.95 for three mezzes. Mainly it’s because apart from Comptoir there’s not a lot of other people doing eastern Mediterranean food in the UK. So, there’s not a lot of competition whereas with pizzas and burgers you have five to ten operators in each space.” Page said the business was also close to signing a franchise agreement for Northern Ireland and southern Spain. He also said there was runway for more Franco Manca sites in key regional cities. He said: “With Franco Manca we tend to open small sites and a lot of them. It tends to peak at about 2,000 customers a week after two or three years and then they can’t serve any more. That’s why we opened a second site in Edinburgh. It’s the same in Manchester. It’s a bigger site in Manchester, that site peaked at 2,300 customers a week. We have four in Manchester now, and we think we could do eight to ten there. We’re already looking for a third site in Edinburgh.”
 
Big Table Group set to hit 50-site mark for Las Iguanas with openings in Canterbury and Peterborough: The Big Table Group, the operator of Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Café Rouge, will bring its total of Las Iguanas restaurants to 50 this autumn with two new openings, in Canterbury and Peterborough. A 284-cover restaurant and bar in Longmarket in Canterbury will be spread over 7,000 square feet, with two terraces and a late-night cocktail bar on the ground floor, and is set to open in September. A 160-cover restaurant, bar and terrace in Peterborough’s Church Street, spread across 4,500 square feet in an historic grade II-listed city centre building, will then open in October. It follows the recent announcement of two new sites at Center Parcs’ Elveden Forest and Sherwood Forest holiday villages, taking its total number of restaurants at Center Parcs to 14. Matt Ainger, property director at Big Table Group, said: “Las Iguanas has consistently proven to be an extremely popular choice with guests of all ages, so it’s fantastic to have found two perfect sites to add to our growing portfolio. There’s great demand for Las Iguanas across the country, and we’re proactively speaking with landlords in a number of towns and cities about further opportunities to continue the expansion of this thriving brand.” Big Table, which said Las Iguanas has “recorded outstanding customer feedback and strong sales since reopening after the covid-19 pandemic”, revealed plans last year to invest £35m in 50 new restaurants across its portfolio over the next three years. It currently operates more than 150 restaurants in the UK and Ireland across all brands, with the planned openings set to take it past the 200-mark by the end of 2025.
 
Chopstix franchisee to open sixth site, aims to open two more by end of year: RTL, franchisee of fast-growing quick service restaurant brand Chopstix, is opening a site in Derby, with ambitions to open two more by the end of the year. RTL, which currently operates five Chopstix outlets, is opening the new site in Derby’s St Peter's Street this month. The Derby opening is the next step in a busy year of expansion for Chopstix. The group has already announced the appointment of the company’s first franchise director, Aaron Moore-Saxton, and launched a new partnership with UK holiday operator Haven. In 2022, Chopstix plans to open at least 12 new stores, through a mix of directly owned and operated stores and also in concert with partners as the company continues to grow in the franchise space. Moore-Saxton said: “The East Midlands is one of Chopstix highest performing regions in the UK, so we’re thrilled to be increasing our footprint here. RTL has long been one of our most important franchise partners, operating some markedly strong performing sites, so I’m pleased the team has added the Derby site to its portfolio, and has eyes on growing further with us.” Chopstix has openings lined up in Brixton, Bromley and Kingston in the next few weeks. Established by entrepreneurs Sam Elia and Menashe Sadik, Chopstix, which comprises more than 80 locations across the UK and Ireland, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Chopstix features in Propel’s UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, which is available exclusively to Propel Premium subscribers. The database is an exhaustive guide to the companies offering a food and beverage franchise in the UK. The third edition will be published today (Friday, 22 July) – providing insight on the offer, locations, cost, business background, contacts and other key details. It will be updated and sent out again every two months. 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.
 
Inamo reports record turnover: Tech-led London restaurant brand Inamo has reported record turnover of £5,730,032 for the year ending 30 June 2022. This represents 61% growth on the last full year of trading before the pandemic and 146% up on 2020-21. Chief executive Lee Skinner put these “superb figures in a bounce-back year” down to a number of factors including, strong consumer demand, creation and successful marketing of a huge array of dining-paired guest experiences, and the assistance of the reduced VAT on sales in the earlier part of the financial year. He added: “These figures are testament to the hard work and tenacity of our dedicated team – helped by our focus on people to ensure our positions have remained consistently filled, despite widely reported staffing issues in the industry.” The group has recently renewed the lease on its first location, Inamo Soho, after 15 years, and Skinner said the group is projecting another strong year, aided by the ongoing growth of new sub-brand Inamo sukoshi in Market Halls’ locations. It is understood new technology will be introduced to the restaurant brand, which also operates a site in Covent Garden, within the next few months.
 
Hoxton Bakehouse closes crowdfunding campaign after raising almost £545,000 to open more sites: Hoxton Bakehouse, the south coast-based concept led by Florence Hellier and Darren Bland, has closed its campaign on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube after raising almost £545,000. The group had been aiming to raise £500,000 as it looks to open more sites and was offering 7.87% equity in return for the investment, giving a pre-money valuation of £5.9m. A total of £544,130 has been raised from 508 investors. Hoxton Bakehouse has identified sites in Southampton and Southsea as well as potential sites in the Bournemouth region and the southern part of Surrey. In addition, the funds will be used to expand production, its marketing and sales teams, IT infrastructure and online offering. Last month, the business opened a site in Guildford for its ninth outlet. 
 
Burger & Beyond and Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza to be part of Fairgame F&B mix: Burger & Beyond, the London-based concept, and the Mission Mars-owned Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza are to make up part of the food and beverage offer at new competitive socialising concept Fairgame. The concept from Richard Hilton, the founder of Gymbox, and sector investor Paul Campbell, will launch in London’s Canary Wharf later this year. Burger & Beyond and Rudy’s will be joined by Mexican street food concept Dos Mas Tacos at the venture, which will be spread over 15,500 square feet, and offer customers the chance to play a range of nostalgic games in a carnival-inspired setting. As previously revealed by Propel, Toby Cowan – formerly of Cote, Young’s and Urban Pubs and Bars – has been appointed chief operating officer of the venture, which is backed by BGF. He said: “We are about to revolutionise the world of fairground games. Redesigning them inside and out, we have incorporated state-of-the-art wristband-enabled tech, allowing guests to eat, drink, and be a kid again, all while competing against one another for leaderboard glory and legendary status. With a 600-plus capacity venue, three bars, multiple private hire spaces, a 100-metre heated riverside terrace, street food from Burger & Beyond, Rudy's Neapolitan Pizza, and Dos Mas Tacos, plus prosecco candy floss, toffee apples and epic cocktails designed by one of the world's best bartenders, this is an adult playground like no other, all under one roof.”
 
Subway UK & Ireland appoints James MacIsaac as new director of operations: Global sandwich franchise Subway has appointed James MacIsaac as its new director of operations and learning and development for UK & Ireland. MacIsaac is a former director of operations for the UK & Ireland master franchisor for Auntie Anne’s. Subway said he brings more than 12 years’ experience of operational strategy and execution within food and beverage, and has a track record of delivering consistent results. He will lead both the company’s operations and learning and development functions, with focus on achieving “operational excellence, delighting our guests, developing future leaders and working in partnership with our business developers to drive franchisee profitability”. Last year, Propel revealed Subway had appointed Nigel Doughty, the former managing director of Paul UK, to oversee its circa 2,500-strong UK and Ireland business.
 
Greene King to transfer Loch Fyne sites to Metropolitan Pub Co arm: Brewer and retailer Greene King is set to add a pair of Loch Fyne restaurants sites to its growing Metropolitan Pub Company division, Propel has learned. The company is aiming to reopen the Loch Fyne in York in October under the premium concept, with the Loch Fyne in Bath to follow a month later. Greene King recently reopened The Red Lion in Godalming, Surrey, as part of its Metropolitan Pub Company division, under the new name the Fox & Finch following a £600,000 refurbishment. Located at 1 Mill Lane, the pub offers pub classics alongside “something new and exciting for foodie connoisseurs”, as well as kids’ and vegan options. Earlier this month, Greene King acquired the Glasgow-based Clydesdale-family pub and restaurant business, which comprised The Ubiquitous Chip, Stravaigin and Hanoi Bike Shop, located in Glasgow’s West End, as part of its strategy to grow the Metropolitan business outside of London. In May, Greene King told Propel it is planning to double the size of its Metropolitan Pub Company estate over the next few years. The company currently operates 70 pubs under the more premium concept. The business has forecasted a number of new openings over the coming year – including pubs in Cambridge, York, Bath, Scotland, as well as additional pubs in London – where the majority of Metropolitan sites are located.
 
Barons Eden returns to profit with increased Ebitda of £2.7m: Barons Eden, the luxury hotel and spa group, returned to profit in the year ending 31 December 2021, with increased Ebitda of £2,658.951 (2020: loss of £909,038). Its turnover in the period increased from £17,899,627 to £18,797 322, while it made a pre-tax profit of £240,285 compared with a loss of £6,530,484 in 2020. It received £1,136,693 in government grants, compared with £2,319,341 in 2020. The group continues to operate Hoar Cross Hall in Burton-on-Trent and Eden Hall Day Spa in Newark but disposed of all its non-trading property assets in the first half of 2021. This consisted of the Cotswolds portfolio it put on the market in 2019 – Huxleys and Island House in Chipping Campden and The Old Bank in Moreton in Marsh. The subsidiary that owned and operated The Dial House Hotel in Bourton on the Water was also disposed of in August 2021.
 
London deli restaurant concept Bayley & Sage lines up 12th site, 11th to open later this month: London deli restaurant concept Bayley & Sage has lined up its 12th site in the capital, with the 11th to open later this month. The business, which launched in Wimbledon in 1997, will open in a 3,304 square-foot unit at Lancer Square in Kensington this autumn, offering “fresh and artisanal food and drink”. This includes cheese, meat, bread, fruit, vegetables and wine, as well as ready-to-eat breakfast and lunch options and freshly brewed coffee to take away. Jennie Allen, director and owner at Bayley & Sage, said: “The residential area of Kensington Church Street aligns perfectly with Bayley & Sage’s desire to serve the local communities across west London, something we have been dedicated to since opening our first store.” Kevin Kuok, chief executive at landlords Bellworth, added: “A natural fit for Lancer Square, Bayley & Sage is an exemplary British brand that will firmly establish itself as a key player in Kensington’s celebrated gastronomic scene. Our collaboration marks Bayley & Sage’s first opening within a luxury mixed use enclave.” Before that, Bayley & Sage is set to open its 11th store, at 33-34 Marylebone High Street, later this month.

Former Po Na Na MD Anna Garrod steps down as The Coconut Tree brands director: Former Po Na Na managing director Anna Garrod has stepped down as brands director at Sri Lankan street food operator The Coconut Tree. Garrod joined the group, which was founded in 2016 when five Sri Lankan friends took over St Paul’s Tavern in Cheltenham, on an informal basis in June 2017 before joining full time in February 2018. She has played a pivotal role in growing the chain to nine sites, with further openings in the pipeline. During covid, Garrod continued to build the brand, securing several partnerships with the British Grand Prix. Garrod also worked for The Lucky Onion as consultant head of brand and revenue and spent the best part of a decade expanding Moroccan-themed hospitality brand Po Na Na to 65 worldwide sites. She is also brand director for Mahiki, alongside running her own consultancy business, Anna Garrod8 Consultancy. She said: “It has been an honour to help drive The Coconut Tree’s growth from a one site operation to a nationally recognised brand with visibility, to then come through and open further sites during the last few tumultuous years when hospitality has been through so much. This is a great time to celebrate all that the business has become, but from now, I will be concentrating on a project by project basis through my consultancy business.”
 
BrewDog to open second Bristol site today: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog will open its second Bristol site today (Friday, 22 July). BrewDog Bristol Harbourside, near Millennium Square, features 30 taps of beer and an extensive outdoor area and the launch comes ten years on from the opening of the company’s first bar in the city. James Brown, managing director of BrewDog, said: “We’re excited to have the opportunity to open our second Bristol bar and to continue to bring our ethos of craft beer and sustainability to a city already renowned for its environmental vision and great local brewers. We couldn’t be happier to be expanding here and being part of this fantastic city.” Bristol Harbourside is one of the first bars to open following the company’s ground-breaking “BrewDog Blueprint” was published, as part of which it was announced 50% of the profits generated by each bar will be shared directly with the staff who crew them. 
 
Just Eat Takeaway to restructure in France, cutting circa 400 jobs: Just Eat Takeaway has blamed “challenging market dynamics” as it announced a restructuring of its French operations and redundancies in its Paris office. The company is discussing with unions a plan to cut almost 400 jobs, including 40 staff posts and 350 delivery workers in 26 cities. According to Bloomberg, Just Eat is exploring its options in these cities and could end up outsourcing its delivery operations to other companies. A spokesman for the business said: “The strategic restructuring will consist of redundancies of staff in the Paris office and changes in the operations of our delivery business.” Across the food delivery sector, companies are experiencing lower than expected revenues after the industry experienced rapid growth during the pandemic. Earlier this week, Deliveroo cut projections for order growth this year by more than half. 
 
Hotpod Yoga opens Norwich studio: International yoga group Hotpod Yoga has opened its latest studio, at Castle Quarter in Norwich. Franchisee Kelly Brown has taken 2,000 square-foot at the city centre hub on a new ten-year lease. Hotpod Yoga, which operates almost 50 sites across the UK, will be joined later this summer by escape room operator Escape Hunt and Castle Social, a new 20,000 square-foot “market hall-style” street food and entertainment concept occupying the entire top floor and opening out on to Castle Green. RivingtonHark, which owns the Castle Quarter, was advised by Jamieson Mills and Roche.
 
Growing coffee shop brand Caffe Ginevra opens sixth site: Rapidly expanding north east coffee shop brand Caffe Ginevra has opened its sixth site. The kiosk, which offers Sicilian-style coffee, homemade ice cream and freshly made cannoli, has opened in Alderman Fenwick's House in Pilgrim Street, Newcastle. It is one of 18 businesses located in the 17th century building, which has previously operated as a coaching inn and hotel. Caffe Ginerva already has two sites in Prudhoe and also has a presence in Wynard, Blyth and Denton. Caffe Ginevra has been roasting coffee in Sicily since 1923, and Anthony Finn has been the owner of Caffe Ginevra UK since 2010, also selling its produce online. He said: “We’ve got a loyal customer base but there’s also a lot of new footfall. You can't get what we do anywhere else. It’s coming up ten years and we are going full circle, back to basics.”
 
Administrators appointed to north east hotel: Lee Lockwood and Gareth Harris, of RSM UK, have been appointed joint administrators of The Sea Hotel in South Shields. The hotel is located on the South Shields seafront, overlooking South Marine Park and Littlehaven beach. Management company One Call is now working with RSM to ensure the hotel continues operating. The 34-bedroom venue has a separate bar, called Bar 52, as well as a 200-cover function suite, internal restaurant and separate detached restaurant and takeaway. It will be sold via Colliers.
 
The Good Egg to open bagel and deli concept for third site: London all-day dining concept The Good Egg is set to open a third site, a standalone bagel and deli counter in Stoke Newington, in September. The business already operates sites at Kingly Court, Soho, and at 93 Church Street in Stoke Newington. The new site, which will be called Good Things, will also be in Church Street, at number 53. The owners started branching out into bagels during lockdown, when their delivery kits kept the business afloat, reports Hot Dinners. But not having space to keep up with production at their nearby The Good Egg, they decided to give the bagels, which will be available to eat in or take away, their own site. Among the offering available alongside the bagels will be salads, granola, whole babkas (sweet braided bread or cake) and malt shakes.

Black Country Inns opens Worcestershire pub for 43rd site: Black Country Inns, the pub division of Dudley brewer Black Country Ales, has opened its latest pub, The Market Tavern in Market Square, Tenbury Wells. The grade II-listed building, which has been restored, is Black Country Inns’ 43rd pub across the Midlands. It has ten hand pumps offering a variety of real ale and cider. The pub, which had most recently been used as a cafe, had been in the same owner’s hands for 22 years before being put on the market with an asking price of £250,000.
 
Honest Burgers to open new Leeds site next week: Honest Burgers, the Active Partners-backed business, will open its new site in Leeds on Monday (25 July). The restaurant in Cloth Hall Street will create 20 jobs. Co-founder Tom Barton said: “Leeds has been a long time coming for Honest and we’re very happy to open.” Honest Burgers recently announced its switch to using regeneratively farmed British beef in partnership with farming collective GrassRoots, a move the company said transforms its supply chain to reduce its carbon footprint and the environmental impact of eating beef.

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