BrewDog reached the milestone of 100 pubs worldwide when it opened its first Ireland location on Friday (13 December)—on Grand Canal Dock in Dublin. BrewDog Outpost Dublin has an onsite microbrewery, terraces and rooftop garden and 30 beer taps, and is the group’s fourth Outpost branded site. The opening comes four years after BrewDog first started looking for an Ireland pub. Co-founder James Watt said: “Dublin has been on our list of cities for years, we are finally ticking it off in the biggest way possible—and all wrapped up in time for Christmas.” BrewDog has also just opened a bar in Swansea.
Shake Shack opened its 12th UK restaurant on Tuesday (10 December), at the Brent Cross shopping centre in London.
Burger restaurant Patty & Bun has just opened two new sites: on Kingly Street in Soho and at Liverpool Street. It replaces Breddos on the Kingly Street site. Patty & Bun now has ten restaurants in all, as well as three concession operations.
JD Wetherspoon has set out plans to open new pubs in the towns of Bourne, Hamilton, Ely, Diss, Felixstowe, Newport Pagnell and Prestatyn, as well as Waterford in Ireland. The launches are part of a new £200m investment that it says will create 10,000 jobs. Wetherspoon currently has 875 pubs and 58 hotels.
The Fulham Shore-owned Real Greek brand has applied for permission to open in the former Jamie’s Italian restaurant unit on George Street in Oxford, according to local media.
The We Are Bar group is opening at Adams Court after acquiring a former Balls Brothers site. It will join nine other bars in the group, including five that operate under the Jamie’s wine bar brand.
Netherlands-based steakhouse concept Toro Dorado Quality Steaks has opened its first ever restaurant in the UK—a 120-cover operation in the Corniche development on the Albert Embankment.
Mitchells & Butlers’ Miller & Carter brand is planning to open in York, according to local media. It has submitted plans to launch in an old post office building on Lendal.
Bowling and gaming bar and restaurant Lane 7 opens this weekend at The Moor in Sheffield. Lane 7 also has sites in Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Birmingham and Liverpool, with Durham, Glasgow, Dublin, Leicester, Nottingham and Bristol all earmarked for launches.
Greene King is to take on a lease at the Lime Street development in Liverpool. It will start work on the 6,500 square feet unit shortly, with a view to opening in the spring. The Lime Street scheme has regenerated the area with a cinema, student accommodation, hotel and retail space.
Thornbridge Brewery opened a new pub in conjunction with beer supplier Pivovar in Birmingham on Monday (9 December). The Colmore is in a former bank building on Colmore Row.
Scotland-based Italian brand Tony Macaroni has just opened at the Riverway Retail Park in Irvine. It has taken on a unit that was previously occupied by Frankie & Benny’s.
Canadian coffee shop chain Tim Hortons opened in Cumbernauld Retail Park on Tuesday (10 December) as it continues a rapid rollout in the UK.
Singaporean street food style brand Old Chang Kee has opened a second site on Goodge Street in London, in a unit previously occupied by Benito’s Hat. The business first launched into the UK in Covent Garden.
Amber Taverns has acquired a three-floor retail unit on the high street in Kirkcaldy and submitted plans to turn it into a pub. Amber Taverns opened its first pub in Scotland recently, in Paisley.
Gaucho reopened its restaurant on London’s Charlotte Street on Monday (9 December) after a major overhaul. It plans to become a carbon-neutral operation by the end of 2020. Gaucho plans to roll out the new look at all 16 of its restaurants over the next few years.
London Indian restaurant group Takaa Tak has opened a third operation at the Staycity hotel at Heathrow. Takaa Tak also operates in Hounslow and Birmingham.
