The Restaurant Group’s TRG Concessions arm is to open a new 7,000 square feet pub called the Smithfield at London Luton Airport. TRG says it represents its biggest ever Concessions investment, and will serve more than one million passengers a year. It will open in the summer as part of a major £110m overhaul of the airside area of the airport. Managing director Nick Ayerst said: “The Smithfield shows TRG Concessions’ ambition to give LLA’s rapidly growing passenger audience the ultimate pub experience before their flight. The new pub will occupy a prime location in the terminal and we look forward to welcoming all who visit for years to come.” More food and drink brands for the London Luton redevelopment are to be confirmed soon.
Honest Burgers is to open in Cambridge as it begins a push outside London. It has taken a site on Corn Exchange Street, succeeding the Reys chick concept that was tested there by PizzaExpress. According to the Cambridge News, Honest Burgers picked the city after realising that many of the diners at its London restaurants have CB postcodes.
The Miller & Carter steakhouse brand is to open in Salfords near Redhill. It will succeed one of Mitchells & Butlers’ Harvester restaurants there. It should be ready to launch in March. You can view Miller & Carter’s property requirements here.
Ramen group Bone Daddies opens on James Street in Marylebone very soon. It will be followed this year by a new site in Victoria.
Coffee shop and cocktail bar brand The Grind has opened its eight location, in Exmouth Market. It is a 90-cover site.
Brasserie Blanc will launch its latest new restaurant in the new leisure and residential development at Fulham Reach in May. It will be a 3,200 square feet site with 120 covers, plus 50 more on a terrace.
Turtle Bay has applied to open on St John’s Square in Peterborough, the town’s newspaper reports. The brand has meanwhile just opened in Croydon and has secured permission to open in Sheffield, following a long-running dispute with the city council about health and safety issues in the venue.
Marston’s opens its latest new-build pub, the Sacred Orchard by Alvaston Business Park in Nantwich, on Monday (6 February). It has meanwhile secured permission for another new-build, in Southport.
Pizza Pilgrims will open a new restaurant on Shoreditch High Street in March. It will be followed by launches in West India Quay and Waterloo later in the year.
Shake Shack opens its latest London location, at the Nova development on Buckingham Palace Road, on Thursday (9 February). It is marking the opening with a giveaway of a cocoa beer float with any burger bought. The Nova restaurant will be Shake Shack’s seventh UK launch.
Gails Bakery have published their 2017 property requirements, target locations include Beaconsfield, Lewes and Tunbridge Wells. View their requirements in full here.
Permission has been granted for a retail and residential development in Lowestoft that will include a Frankie & Benny’s restaurant and Starbucks drive-through unit, according to local media.
The San Carlo group is opening a new Neapolitan pizzeria style concept in Manchester called Pizza Madre. It will be situated opposite its original San Carlo on King Street West in the city and should open in late spring.
Growing Mediterranean tapas concept Ambiente has just opened in Hull’s Fruit Market development. It has taken on a 3,000 square feet unit with 160-covers there, and was brought by developer Wykeland and housebuilder Beal Homes. The Hull launch is a third site for the brand, which already has locations in York and Leeds. Co-owner Tim Sinclair said: “There’s so much potential in Hull. It’s a massive market. We’ve been able to create our ideal flagship restaurant from a blank canvas, designed exactly as we wanted it.”
Dark Star Brewing Co have instructed an agent to find them a site in Brighton, Hove or/and Lewes, click here to view their latest property requirement.
Polpo will shortly open at the Guildhall dining area in Exeter. It will be joining brands including Turtle Bay, GBK, Le Comptoir Libanais and The Stable there, and becomes the ninth location for the Polpo group.
PizzaExpress has just opened a restaurant in Poynton in Cheshire.
Following a successful trial in Harrods, Papabubble are seeking to launch in the UK. Initially looking for 2-3 stores in Central London. Click here to view their property requirements.
The Davy’s group is opening a new El Vino wine bar and shop on Mason’s Avenue in the City in the next few weeks. It will be the fourth El Vino site in the City in all.
The team behind the BAO concept in Soho and Fitzrovia is opening a new Taiwanese restaurant and bar called Xu on Rupert Street in Soho. It will have a 76-over restaurant, cocktail bar, Taiwanese tea bar and private dining space across a two-floor site, and will open in the spring.
Hollywood Bowl has opened its 55th centre, at the WestQuay Watermark development in Southampton. The 17,000 square feet location has a large Hollywood Diner offer. Chief executive Steve Burns said: “The Southampton centre opening brings our total number of bowling centres across the UK to 55, and is one of our most high-tech and innovative designs to-date. While many of our centres operate in large out of town locations, Southampton is the latest in growing number of boutique Hollywood bowl venues in urban locations.”
Theo’s, Breddos, Chicken & Foxes, Roka, Grill My Cheese and Tandoor Chop House have recently announced that they continue to seek new sites in London.
