The Ivy owner sheds jobs as potential £1bn sale drags on April 28, 2025 The group behind restaurant chain The Ivy shed 300 jobs as billionaire owner Richard Caring continues to weigh a £1bn sale, it has been revealed. The business has only just published its financial accounts for 2023, seven months after the Companies House deadline. The results show The Ivy’s owner cut its headcount from 5,962 to [...]
Deliveroo exec: London restaurants can’t take more tax hikes April 8, 2025 London's restaurants can't take more punishing tax hikes, writes Deliveroo's chief business officer Carlo Mocci in today's Notebook.
Pizza Express orders up £55m in extra dough April 3, 2025 Pizza Express has secured a boost worth £55m after agreeing a refinancing deal which will significantly cut its debt. The restaurant chain has negotiated a £55m par debt paydown which will see its debt position reduced to £280m. As part of the deal, shareholders including Bain Capital Special Situations will inject £20m equity into the [...]
Bistrot Pierre: Jobs lost and restaurants closed as chain rescued March 7, 2025 Almost 160 jobs have been lost and a number of restaurants are to close after Bistrot Pierre was sold out of administration to a private equity firm. A vehicle owned by Cherry Equity Partners has snapped up part of the Nottingham-headquartered chain in a deal which has saved 394 roles and ten sites. However, eight [...]
Wingstop and Popeyes serve up major UK expansion plans January 27, 2025 Fast-growing chains Wingstop and Popeyes have each announced major plans to expand further across the UK and create thousands of jobs. Popeyes has outlined proposals to almost double its footprint in the UK with the opening of more than 45 restaurants. The move will increase its presence in the likes of Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol [...]
Best cocktails in London: the freezing martini at Hawksmoor January 9, 2025 Next in our recommendations for the best cocktails in London, the freezing martini at Hawksmoor While we wait for the announcement about the new James Bond, pass the time at the Hawksmoor, with its new ultrasonic homogeniser martini. Like drinking a super-refined slush puppy, it has a thicker consistency, adding texture to the drink’s formidable [...]
The Wolseley: Group behind high-end London restaurants eyes new openings January 9, 2025 The group behind some of London’s best-known restaurants is looking to open new locations at home and abroad. The Wolseley Hospitality Group, which is owned by Minor Hotels, currently operates nine high-end restaurants in the capital: The Wolseley, The Delauney, Brasserie Zedel, Colbert, Fischer’s, Belanger, Soutine, Manzi’s and The Wolseley City. The strategy update has [...]
Veganuary isn’t boring at these three London restaurants January 8, 2025 Increasingly, through events like Veganuary and Dry January, diners (and drinkers) are choosing to experiment with partial abstinence, rather than go for it full-throttle. If you aren’t ready to cut meat out for a month, or if you just fancy learning something new about your palette, here are three Veganuary restaurants to book that we [...]
Corinthia hotel London’s exec chef: London diners are moving away from glitzy restaurants December 30, 2024 André Garrett is the Executive chef at the Corinthia London hotel on Whitehall, home to Tom Kerridge’s London restaurant and a popular hangout for international royalty and American screen talent. In our review, we called the property “one of the grandest central London hotels.” Garrett speaks to us about the food and drink trends he [...]
Wingstop more the doubles sales and returns to profit amid UK expansion December 19, 2024 Wingstop has more than doubled its sales as it continued its UK expansion, created hundreds of jobs and returned to profit, it has been revealed. The restaurant chain, which is known for its buffalo wings, has reported a turnover of £84.6m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2024, new documents filed with Companies House [...]