‘I fired the board that fired me’: TGI Fridays boss on restaurant turnaround Hospitality TGI Fridays had its heyday in the 1980s but slumped into administration last year. Its new boss Ray Blanchette tells Felix Armstrong the nostalgic chain can win back Britain after a period in turmoil. “I land at Heathrow and jump in a cab. The plane got in late,” says Ray Blanchette, recalling the day he [...]
Bar of the week: Flipdog, the Shoreditch spot stoking its cocktails with a hot poker Life&Style Hot pokers and experimental cocktails? Thanks very much, says Anna Moloney in her write up of new Shoreditch hotspot Flipdog.
‘Fibremaxxing’: How food manufacturers made fibre cool again Retail “Fibremaxxing,” the UK’s new healthy eating trend, erupted at the start of 2026, as fibre replaced protein as the go-to fashionable food. Previously mundane, bland foods like prunes and seeded bread surged in popularity, with posts with the hashtags “fibremaxxing” having been viewed more than 150m times on TikTok. Sales of prunes increased 60 per [...]
The 18 best pubs in the City of London – picked by experts February 24, 2026 The City of London has some of the best old boozers in the country, from sprawling Victorian gin palaces to squat little drinking dens squirrelled away down forgotten alleyways. We asked the reporters at City AM – who know the Square Mile better than anyone – to name their best pubs in the City of [...]
Jammie Dodger owner tastes sweet success after return to profit February 24, 2026 Profit at the biscuits giant behind Jammie Dodgers and Wagon Wheels hit a sugar rush as the firm turned to a Strictly Come Dancing judge and a “Dubai-inspired” biscuit to boost revenue. The group, which includes Burton’s Biscuit Company and Fox’s Biscuits, has posted a nine per cent boost in revenue, to £695m for the [...]
Franco Manca owner appoints advisers for possible sale February 20, 2026 The group which owns pizza chain Franco Manca and The Real Greek restaurants has hired advisers to review its strategic options in a possible first move of a sale or restructuring. Fulham Shore said on Friday it had appointed advisors Alvarez & Marsal, and reports say a sale could be on the table. The UK’s [...]
Victor Garvey’s mad new MATER1A concept is a Willy Wonka-esque theatre of gastronomy February 18, 2026 MATER1A, 115 Westbourne Grove, W2 4UP | ★★★★★ | Cuisine: Japanese, fine dining, tasting menu A benefit of having written restaurant reviews for 15 years is that you begin to see the overarching warp and weft of the business, the trends that slowly emerge and dissipate, the way hospitality gradually evolves, holding up a mirror [...]
Valentine’s Day: Fancy a romantic bowl of chocolate spaghetti? February 13, 2026 What could be more romantic than a meal out in Soho, a bottle of red wine and a nice bowl of chocolate spaghetti? Well, I can think of a few things… The ‘spaghetti bucatini’ at 27 Old Compton Street is being sold not as a dessert but a main course: thick strands of pasta slathered [...]
Bar of the week: Why Three Sheets is a little slice of old Soho February 10, 2026 Three Sheets Soho | 13 Manette St, W1D 4AP This new column celebrates the great drinking holes of London, the pubs and bars that keep the capital lubricated despite the government’s best attempts to send them crashing out of business. Last week I profiled The rising Sun, the Victorian gin palace that claimed our Best [...]
Pay now, drink later: A beginner’s guide to En Primeur wine January 29, 2026 It’s Burgundy En Primeur season in London for the 2024 vintage. En Primeur means buying the wine before it is finished and bottled. You buy before you try. Sounds risky, so why would anyone do it? Well, it gives the buyer early access to the wines, ensuring themselves a few bottles before they hit the [...]