Vietnamese brand Pho and American diner-style brand Dirty Bones have both been announced for openings at the new £440m Westgate Oxford development, which will launch in October. For Dirty Bones it is a first launch outside London, and its first within a shopping scheme. Deals for both brands were brokered by Davis Coffer Lyons. The 800,000 square feet Westgate development will be anchored by a major John Lewis store, and is now 70% pre-let. More brands will be announced for openings there soon. Naomi Howard, leasing director at Land Securities, said: “We are delighted to welcome such high calibre brands to our already impressive line-up at Westgate Oxford.” Pho founder Stephen Wall said: “A lot of research goes into identifying the perfect base for our restaurants and Westgate Oxford ticked all the boxes for us. The site is well-designed, inviting and in an unbeatable location.”
Pho has also officially opened on Eden Street in Kingston upon Thames. It is a 60-cover restaurant, Pho’s 15th location in London and 21st in all.
Jamie Oliver will extend his casual steakhouse and barbecue concept Barbecoa with a second opening in Piccadilly on 13 February. It will be open from 7am for breakfast until late, and will have several grills with steak the main feature. It joins the original branch of Barbecoa in St Paul’s. Oliver said: “Barbecoa has always been about celebrating the primeval art of cooking with wood, smoke and fire. At Barbecoa Piccadilly we’ll offer the same incredible fire-based cooking techniques but also give diners a new experience, with an emphasis on beautiful Anglo-French combinations.
Fast growing pizza brand Franco Manca has picked up another central London site on Bernard Street next to Russell Square tube station. It is a 1,600 square feet unit over ground and basement floors, and will open in the spring. It will be Franco Manca’s 32nd restaurant in all. The deal for the site was brokered by Shelley Sandzer. Franco Manca’s Tom Byng said: “The buzzing area around Bernard Street will perfectly suit our pizzeria and we are excited to continue our expansion plans in London.”
Honest Burgers has acquired a site for a new restaurant on Chiswick High Road. It has taken over a 2,000 square feet unit with about 75 covers previously run as The Cabin, and will open in March. The deal for the site was arranged with Shelley Sandzer. It will become Honest Burgers’ 19th restaurant in London.
Revolution Bars Group’s Revolucion brand will open in Southend in the next few months. It follows recent launches for the group in Harrogate, Aberdeen, Reading and Glasgow.
Loungers will open the Puerto Lounge in Exeter on 8 February. It is located at Exeter Quay in a unit previously occupied by the Havana bar.
Smashburger has confirmed plans to open in Bath. It has secured planning permission for a unit by the Southgate centre.
Côte has applied to open at the Gloucester Quays centre. It wants permission to move into a unit previously occupied by Ed’s Easy Diner.
PizzaExpress has signed for a unit at Rushden Lakes, a new retail and leisure scheme in Northamptonshire. Retailers including Marks & Spencer, H&M and House of Fraser have already been lined up, with more restaurants to be named soon.
Coffeehouse concept Department of Coffee and Social Affairs is to expand beyond London with an opening at Cabot Circus in Bristol. It should open next month, having been brought to the city by developer Hammerson. The brand currently has 11 locations in London, with another to follow in Canary Wharf soon.
Casual Dining Group has won the contract to run food and drink concessions at Jersey airport, and will now open five air and landside operations there from March. They include two new brands, Brasserie Forty Five and Bar Forty Five, plus a Rapide Kitchen and seasonal pop-ups. It continues an expansion into the airport space for the group, which will open a Bella Italia and Oriel Grande Brasserie at London Luton shortly. Commenting, Mark Nelson – CDG’s Managing Director of concessions and franchising – said: “This is quite a coup, and shows our determination to take our strong all-day restaurant brands into new locations, and to expand the CDG concession presence in airports.”
Caribbean concept Turtle Bay will open in Peterborough soon, local media suggest. It has also applied to open in Kentish Town, on the site of a former pub, and will open its latest new restaurant in Croydon in the last few days of January.
The Tapped Brew Co is to open its seventh bar—the Newcastle Tap at the Baron House development. Its other bars are in London, Sheffield, Leeds, Harrogate and York.
Nando’s has set 25 January for the opening of its restaurant at the Inverness Shopping Park in Scotland. It follows the opening next door of Frankie & Benny’s in December.
The D&D London group will open its latest new restaurant, Aster, in the Nova development in Victoria on 1 February. It will offer a 160-cover café and deli and a 120-cover restaurant on another floor.
Crepeaffaire continue to seek sites across London and the UK, targeting Shopping centres, leisure schemes, High Street and travel interchanges. You can view their requirements in full here.
Crop’d are now seeking sites outside of London for their national expansion, target locations include York, Brighton and Reading. You can view their property requirements here.
