Thaikhun, Franco Manca, Carluccio’s, Five Guys, Harry Ramsden’s, Tortilla, Cottons, Geronimo and Côte are among the many brands with news of new openings this week.
The Thai Leisure Group’s Thaikhun brand has set 31 March for the opening date of its new restaurant at the Qube development in Newcastle’s Metrocentre. The new 4,400 square feet and 160-cover site will be part of the revamped Qube quarter. It will be Thaikhun’s seventh UK restaurant in all. Eight to ten new openings are expected this year.
Franco Manca is starting to fan out from central London after signing for an opening near the Intu shopping centre in Bromley. The site was previously run by Stonegate Pub Company, with the deal done through Shelley Sandzer—which has also secured sites for Franco Manca in Wimbledon and Earls Court lately.
Carluccio’s has announced a major opening at the Mell Square shopping centre in Solihull. It will replace retail units on the corner of High Street and Drury Lane, local media report. Work on the building is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Five Guys is opening at Northumberland Street in Newcastle, according to local reports. It has also secured its first restaurant in Liverpool, on Queen Square.
Harry Ramsden’s has secured a major new flagship restaurant at the Blackpool Tower. The £2m project is being augmented by support on the work from the town council.
Tortilla has applied for permission to open at Union Square in Aberdeen. It would be its first restaurant in Scotland.
Caribbean concept Cottons will launch a third restaurant on Notting Hill Gate in April. It will sell what it claims to be the biggest collection of rum in the UK. Cottons already has restaurants in Camden and Shoreditch.
Geronimo Inns opens the Leman Street Tavern in Whitechapel and the Guard House bar and dining rooms in Woolwich and this month. The first opens tomorrow (5 February) with the second to follow on 15 February.
Côte opens its new restaurant in Lincoln on Wednesday (10 February).
A new teashop concept called Kanuka will launch in St Albans in Hertfordshire on 15 February. It is also selling tea online and plans more sites.
Nando’s opens at the new Resorts World development in Birmingham next Wednesday (10 February).
Denmark-based operator Sticks ‘n’ Sushi has lined up three more new restaurants to add to its current estate of four in the UK. The brand will launch in the Guildhall building in Cambridge in May, with another opening to follow in the autumn at the Nova development in Victoria. A restaurant on Westgate in Oxford will follow in 2017. The Cambridge and Oxford launches will be its first outside of London.
Loungers will open a Cosy Club bar and restaurant in Derby on 22 April, it has confirmed.
Prezzo has set 11 March for the opening of its restaurant at the Crescent shopping development in Hinckley in Leicestershire.
The Head of Steam brand from the Camerons brewery is to open in the Headingley area of Leeds. It should be open in April.
Batemans has acquired the Fairways pub in Brinsworth in south Yorkshire.
The Coaching Inn group has acquired the Kings Head pub and hotel in Richmond in north Yorkshire. It is the first of six planned acquisitions this year. The group will spend £1m revamping the property over the next year.
