Franco Manca shuts 16 restaurants, blaming ‘disproportionate’ taxes April 15, 2026 Franco Manca has taken aim at “disproportionately high” taxes facing the hospitality sector after the pizza parlour shut 16 restaurants in a structural overhaul. The privately-owned restaurant chain said it is suffering from high VAT and “significant” hikes to national insurance and minimum wages, with the site closures to cost hundreds of jobs. The move [...]
Pizza king points to youth joblessness as restaurant group eyes takeovers April 15, 2026 The boss of restaurant group Bow Street raised concerns over youth joblessness as the firm behind Dim T slipped into an annual loss, but outlined his dealmaking plans. David Page, now the chief executive of the Aim-listed firm, is a former boss of Pizza Express and played a key role in the expansion of Franco [...]
Procook sales surge as young Brits get taste for dinner parties April 14, 2026 Procook has toasted surging sales as the kitchenware retailer cashed in on young Brits’ growing appetite for hosting dinner parties. The London-listed firm posted sales of £85.5m for the year to end March, a rise of just under a quarter on the previous year and ahead of market expectations of £83.5m, after demand outperformed the [...]
Aziz Ansari talks cooking and writing over dinner at Hoppers April 13, 2026 Stand-up, actor and director Aziz Ansari is interviewed by his friend Karan Gokani, the restaurateur behind Hoppers. They tuck into a South Indian banquet at the brand new Hoppers Shoreditch to talk careers, inspiration and Indian cooking The Meal: Karan Gokani: Do you remember how we met? Aziz Ansari: Yeah, of course – I started [...]
Annabel’s owner sells Mayfair empire in £1.4bn Abu Dhabi deal April 12, 2026 Richard Caring has sold a majority stake in the business behind Annabel’s, the Ivy and a string of London’s most exclusive restaurants to an Abu Dhabi-backed investor in a deal valuing the group at around £1.4bn. The buyer, Diafa, is a luxury hospitality platform linked to International Holding Company (IHC), chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin [...]
Why I love hotel restaurants – and two of my favourites April 10, 2026 Our top columnist on the joys of a hotel restaurant, and two of his favourites London is rightly famous for outstanding hotels that are home to amazing restaurants. The Mandarin Oriental created this movement, breaking the mould fifteen years ago when the most excellent restaurateur Mark Hastings opened Dinner by Heston and Bar Boulud in [...]
The very best wine pairings for steak and fine cuts of meat April 9, 2026 Liverpool Street Chophouse & Tavern is not a place for small plates. The portions are generous, the menus come in a reassuringly bold red with gold lettering, the wines are decanted and the atmosphere harkens back to a time when long, bottle-strewn business lunches were still de rigour. Chef Mike Reid, formerly of M Restaurants, [...]
Energy bills threat recedes but retail and hospitality remain on brink April 8, 2026 Retail and hospitality leaders are optimistic that the Iran-US ceasefire could spare them from the worst energy bill shocks, but are urging the government to address an array of other cost pressures. British businesses had warned that the soaring energy prices caused by the war in the Middle East could be devastating if the conflict [...]
‘I fired the board that fired me’: TGI Fridays boss on restaurant turnaround April 8, 2026 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 [...]
Leon founder: Labour ‘killing’ restaurant industry April 7, 2026 The founder of fast food chain Leon has accused the government of “killing” the restaurant industry by saddling the industry with a crushing tax burden. John Vincent, who founded Leon and recently bought it back, said on Tuesday “everyone knows restaurants are done” because of the government’s treatment of hospitality. The government has faced intense [...]