CG Restaurants and Bars has revealed plans to open branches of its Dirty Martini brand in Leeds and Birmingham. The concept currently has eight sites in the UK, with an expansion beyond London kickstarted in Cardiff and due to continue with a Manchester opening later in the year. The Leeds site is on King Street, while the Birmingham bar will be on Bennetts Hill, in a spot previously occupied by Viva Brazil. The two investments are worth £1.75m. Dirty Martini chief executive Scott Matthews said “We are excited about bringing our portfolio up to 11 sites with the Birmingham and Leeds locations. Both have a thriving nightlife and we look forward to being a part of it. Our expansion in Cardiff was a huge success, and as a result we are progressing with our national roll out with confidence.”
YO! Sushi is to open a new flagship restaurant on Tottenham Court Road in London towards the end of the summer. The 1,900 square feet restaurant will have around 70 covers on the ground floor. Shelley Sandzer acted in the deal for the current occupant of the unit, Ca’puccino. It has also just opened a restaurant in Canterbury.
Danny Meyer’s fast casual concept Shake Shack is to open at Cambridge Circus at the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road in London. It is a 4,500 square feet site. Julia Wilkinson, group restaurant and strategy executive at Shaftesbury, said: “Shake Shack’s game-changing re-interpretation of a fast food classic already has a strong and loyal following in the UK, and we are pleased to welcome their flagship London restaurant to Cambridge Circus, an iconic location in the heart of the West End.”
Wagamama opened at Cheltenham House on Clarence Street in Cheltenham on Monday (31 July). It also launched a restaurant in Boston in the US this week.
JD Wetherspoon opens a pub and hotel in Biggleswade next Tuesday (8 August).
Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Cosy Club and Chilango have all secured openings at the Pinnacle Leeds development. More brands are set to be announced for the scheme soon.
Las Iguanas has set 28 August for the opening of its new restaurant on Temple Street in Birmingham.
Vietnamese band Pho is to open in Kings Walk in Reading next Thursday (10 August).
MEATLiquor opened its latest new restaurant in King’s Cross on Wednesday (2 August). It is its 13th operation in all.
Whitbread has opened a new Beefeater restaurant in Whitley Bay on Tyneside. It is situated alongside a Premier Inn hotel.
Giggling Squid has secured its first London site, in Wimbledon village, and will open there in October.
Prezzo has just opened in Thornbury in Gloucestershire.
New York-based vegetarian restaurant By Chloe is to make its international debut with an opening in London’s Covent Garden in the autumn. It will offer a 70-cover eat-in operation, plus a grab and go range. The opening is in partnership with TGP International, which intends to open more sites across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. By Chloe opened its first restaurant in New York two years ago, and now has seven sites across the US—four in New York, two in Boston and one in Los Angeles.
Bistrot Pierre is opening a restaurant with rooms at Royal William Yard in Plymouth, reports the Plymouth Herald. It is turning a Grade II listed building there into a 14-room hotel to be known as Bistrot Pierre with Rooms.
SOHO Coffee Co has continued a rush of London openings with a launch next to Somerset House by Waterloo Bridge. It is the brand’s third store opening in a month and an eighth this year.
Nando’s will open at Cobham Services off the M25 in the early autumn. It follows a first motorway service station launch at Beaconsfield off the M40.
TGI Friday’s opened at the Junction Leisure Park in Hanley in Stoke on Trent on Monday (31 July).
Turtle Bay has submitted proposals for an opening in Plymouth city centre, local media report. It is taking over old Post Office premises at St Andrew’s Cross there.
Domino’s has submitted plans to open an eat-in restaurant and takeaway in Tenby in Pembrokeshire. A council decision on the plans is expected soon.
Marston’s is to open a new-build pub called the Spindle and Thread in High Wycombe in the autumn. Local media also report that it has outlined proposals for an opening in West Byfleet in Surrey with a view to a planning application later in the year.
Lincoln coffeeshop Stokes has opened a third branch in the town at the Lawn complex. It is a 60-seat café.
Hollywood Bowl has reopened its AMF Ashford venue into a Hollywood Bowl, with an added US-style diner and bar.
