Arc Inspirations has opened its ninth Banyan Bar & Kitchen site in Newcastle. It has 10,000 square feet of space across two floors. The launch follows a £1.5m refurb of a unit previously occupied by Jamie’s Italian. Martin Wolstencroft, chief executive of Arc Inspirations, said: “We’re delighted to have finally opened the doors to our first-ever bar in Newcastle. We see this as a perfect location and a great starting point for us to further build on our award-winning portfolio, as we continue to invest in our core brands Manahatta, Banyan Bar & Kitchen and The Box.”
Pizza Pilgrims has been confirmed for an opening at the new Balcony Café Court development at the Westfield London centre. It will be joined there by three more street food style operators: Tacos Corazon, a spin-off of Soho Mexican restaurant Corazon; Catch Me from the Club Gascon team; and Master Bao, a new concept from the team behind Peckham’s Mr Bao and Tooting’s Daddy Bao. Brands including Pho and Comptoir Libanais will also relaunch at Westfield London. Keith Mabbett, director of leasing at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said: “Westfield London has led the way in redefining the food experience inside a shopping destination. These independent retailers importantly offer a new and innovative food experience for our customers.”
Whitbread is to launch a Bar + Block steak restaurant in Milton Keynes. It will open alongside a Premier Inn hotel in Avebury Boulevard. The build is due to complete in late 2020.
Franco Manca is to open in Edinburgh and is in legal negotiations on several other new sites, it has announced. There are currently 44 Franco Manca restaurants in the UK.
Loungers has just opened Lounge bars and restaurants in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire and Street in Somerset, bringing its total number of sites to 146. Loungers announced this week that it would be floating on the Alternative Investment Market.
Upmarket burger concept Haché has opened a new restaurant in Kingston upon Thames. It took over a unit in Riverside Walk previously operated by CAU. Haché also has restaurants in Balham, Camden, Chelsea, Clapham, Holborn and Shoreditch.
Miller & Carter has set 24 May for the opening of its new restaurant at Piries Place in Horsham.
Taiwanese group BAO will open its new restaurant on Stoney Street by Borough Market on 6 May. It is a third site for the brand, after Soho and Fitzrovia.
Crepeaffaire says it will roll out many more new openings after reporting double digit like for like sales growth in the first quarter of 2019. Its next launch will be in St Albans in May, with two or three more sites planned over the rest of the year.
Vegetarian restaurant group The Gate has just soft-launched its new venue in St John’s Wood. The Gate also has sites in Marylebone, Islington and Hammersmith.
Cantonese bao concept Bun House will launch a second site on Lisle Street in Chinatown on 16 April. It will have 56 covers over two floors. The original Bun House is on nearby Greek Street.
Burger, barbecue and bar brand Hubbox has applied to open a new restaurant in Barnstaple in Devon, local media report. It wants to adapt an old bank building in the town. Hubbox has seven sites across the south-west in Bristol, Exeter, Pentewan, Plymouth, St Ives, Truro and Taunton.
Sri Lankan street food style concept The Coconut Tree is to open in Mill Lane in Cardiff. It will be a fifth site for the brand, after two in Bristol and one in each of Cheltenham and Oxford.
Liverpool-based coffeeshop and music bar operator Ditto Coffee is to open a second location at Bruntwood’s Oxford Place development in Manchester in May.
