MeatLiquor closes sites to focus on three venues: MeatLiquor, the burger business that traded from 13 sites at its height, has shuttered four more venues following a restructure. Propel revealed exclusively last week that MeatLiquor had hired advisors at BPI Asset Advisory to help it assess its options, which could include a sale of the six-strong business and sister sports bar Bloodsports. Propel understands that offers for MeatLiquor were sought by midday on 20 March. The company has now closed its MeatLiquor sites in Islington and Northcote Road in London along with Brighton as well as The Dartmouth Arms in Forest Hill. The company has retained three London venues – MeatLiquor in Oxford Circus and East Dulwich and the Bloodsports site in Covent Garden. In February 2025, co-founder Scott Collins opened Bloodsports, in London’s Endell Street, but admitted if he could turn back the clock, he wouldn’t have done it. In an interview with The Telegraph in April last year, Collins said: “I can’t see us making any money in the next financial year, and that’s with opening a new site, so the coffers are empty. We did our calculations in November 2024, and just with the national insurance rise and the living wage rise we needed to find, as of 1 April 2025, an extra £300,000 per year.” On the closure of the Brighton site at the weekend, the business said: “Thirteen years. Countless burgers. Questionable decisions. The best kind of crowd. Brighton – you've been magic. Thank you to everyone who has supported, visited, and worked for us. We close today, but you can still find us in London. Same chaos, different postcode.” The Brighton site announced two weeks ago that it would no longer be serving food. The company previously closed sites in Leeds and London’s Shoreditch. On the closure of the Leeds site last September, the business said: “After 11 years, almost to the day since we opened, we’ve called last orders here in Leeds. Cost of living up. Cost of beef up. Cost of everything is up. We’ve poured everything we had into making it work and stay open as long as we can, but sadly, continuing has become unsustainable. Leeds – thank you, you’ve been amazing.” The business, which was founded by Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, evolved from a popular London street food truck called “the Meatwagon” in 2009 into its first permanent restaurant in Marylebone in November 2011. That site in Welbeck Street closed six years later as the building was being demolished to make way for a luxury hotel. At one point the business expanded to 13 sites, and included venues in Bristol as well as King’s Cross, Brunswick Square and Queensway in London. Latest available accounts show parent company Meatailer returned to profit in the year to 30 June 2024. The company turned a pre-tax loss of £65,000 in 2023 into a profit of £118,000. Meatailer’s turnover of £15,247,000 for the year was up from £13,615,000 in 2023. Propel understands that turnover for the year to January 2025 for Meatailer stood at £10,803,903, dropping to £8,014,866 in the year ended January 2026. Propel also understands Bloodsports reported turnover of just over £2m in the year ended January 2026. MeatLiquor declined to comment.

Propel launches Unlimited Plus option for Premium subscribers: Propel has launched a new Premium Unlimited Plus option for Propel subscribers. The Unlimited Plus option, which costs £1,995 plus VAT per annum, has some amazing additional benefits to the unlimited option which costs £995 plus VAT. Subscribers get four free tickets to Propel’s paid-for conferences – Excellence in Pub & Bar (19 May), Operational Excellence (9 July) and Talent & Training (15 October) – and the opportunity to run one free sponsored message or situation vacant notice during the year on the newsletter. Existing subscribers can upgrade immediately if they want and the clock starts again on their year. The additional benefits are worth circa £2,500. Propel managing director Paul Charity said: “The Premium subscription is like a loyalty club, and these additional benefits are a response to the requests for a fuller package of benefits. Existing subscribers can upgrade straightaway – and their year's membership re-starts. We have held the price of Premium membership for four years whilst adding benefits. Existing price points and benefits carry on – this is simply a chance to enjoy even more benefits.”  Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to sign up for Premium. 

Rhumshack Group to resurrect Rum Kitchen, plans roll out: London operator Rhumshack Group is set to expand its estate this spring with the relaunch of Caribbean-inspired concept The Rum Kitchen, in Camden. The group has confirmed plans to roll out additional The Rum Kitchen sites across London as part of its wider growth strategy. The new site in Inverness Street marks the group’s first dedicated bar brand and a repositioning of The Rum Kitchen name, which previously operated under separate ownership. The Rum Kitchen will sit alongside the group’s four-strong Cottons portfolio in Vauxhall, Notting Hill, Shoreditch and Camden. The Rum Kitchen closed all its four sites in spring 2024, after having “a poor first quarter of trading” and requiring “a working capital injection that was not forthcoming”. With a capacity for 110 covers, the new late-night The Rum Kitchen venue is designed as a “high-energy bar with a dedicated dancefloor, combining Caribbean-inspired food with a rum-led drinks offering and music programming”. The opening reflects The Rhumshack Group’s move to “diversify beyond traditional restaurant formats and tap into London’s late-night bar market”. The food menu will focus on “accessible, finger-friendly dishes suited to a bar environment, including salt cod fritters, oxtail croquettes and coconut prawns, alongside more substantial plates such as curried mutton and Jamaican fried chicken”. A dedicated jerk section will feature ribs, wings and boneless chicken while homemade burgers and pizzas will incorporate Caribbean flavours. Chris Singam, managing director of Rhumshack Group, said: “The Rum Kitchen allows us to build on our experience with Cottons while evolving with a more bar-led, late-night format. It's about bringing the energy of a Caribbean party to London, with a strong food and drink offer that broadens our appeal." The Rhumshack Group currently also operates two locations for Caribbean diner concept, Ma Petite Jamaica, in Shoreditch and Camden. The group previously operated Tai Pan Alley, Bar Gansa and Camden Social – all in Camden.