MeatLiquor has announced plans for an opening on Northcote Road in Battersea. It has taken on a unit previously occupied by Fixed restaurant, next to Franco Manca. The site will be MeatLiquor’s 12th restaurant in all.
City Pub Company has acquired the Milkmaid Pavilion on Brighton’s promenade, currently occupied by the Alfresco restaurant. Clive Watson, Chairman of City Pub Co comments ‘Alfresco is a landmark site on Brighton’s seafront, which superbly complements our two existing pubs within Brighton. We are delighted to have acquired such a well-known and prominent site, as we continue the expansion of City Pub Group’.
Vietnamese brand Pho has just opened at the Guildhall restaurant quarter in Exeter. The 80-cover restaurant is in a unit previously occupied by Polpo. It brings Pho’s total number of restaurants to 27.
Healthy eating café concept Elan has secured a first site in central London—a unit previously occupied by Coppa Club on Market Place off Oxford Circus. It is a third location for the brand, joining the first two on Park Lane and Brompton Road. The deal for the site was brokered by Shelley Sandzer. Founder Alexandra Miller said: “We are so excited to announce we will be opening our 3rd Elan branch at Market Place and are grateful to Shelley Sandzer for helping us find and secure the perfect site.”
Leon has opened a new site in Gran Canaria Airport in Las Palmas—the biggest site for the brand to date, and its first 24-hour operation. It is Leon’s sixth international location and its first under a partnership with the Autogrill Group. It will have more than 200 covers across 500 square metres at the airport. CEO John Vincent said: “Airports are one of the places where people still struggle to eat well. Choices are limited, quality is often dubious, and traditional fast food still reigns. We want to open LEONs in places where people need us most, and we’re excited to be in Gran Canaria with our biggest ever restaurant.”
Flat Iron will open its sixth restaurant on Caledonian Road in King’s Cross in October. The site, previously occupied by TED Restaurant, joins Flat Irons in Soho, Shoreditch, Covent Garden and Portobello.
School for Scandal, a new neighbourhood brasserie restaurant concept by Living Ventures co-founder Danny Fox, will open on First Street in Manchester next week. The 100-cover restaurant succeeds The Laundrette on First Street and will have a charcoal grill.
Arc Inspirations has released more details about a new opening of its bar and restaurant brand The Box on Infirmary Street in Leeds in September. It is spending £1.4m on a two-storey site, close to Arc’s Banyan Bar and Kitchen and Manahatta sites. It will be the second Box site in Leeds, joining the existing bar in Headingley, and will have various experiential activities including shuffleboard tables and electronic darts, as well as draught cocktails, tank beer, pizza, burgers, music and private bar, plus a grab-and-go offer.
Northwest-based pub group Imagine Inns has taken on two new pubs: the Feilden’s Arms near Blackburn and the Railway near Bolton. Both are partnerships with Star Pubs & Bars, with whom Imagine now operates four pubs.
Whitbread has opened a new Beefeater restaurant in the Baker Quays development in Gloucester. It is operating alongside a Premier Inn hotel there.
Bistrot Pierre has opened in Preston. It has taken on an old church building on Fishergate in the town.
Harlem-style soul food operator Holy Moly Macaroni has opened in Grand Central in Birmingham. The 1,750 square feet restaurant joins brands at the development including Comptoir Libanais and Mowgli. Sarah Fox, Head of Restaurants & Leisure at Hammerson, said: “We’re thrilled that Holy Moly Macaroni chose Grand Central to launch its debut restaurant concept. Holy Moly Macaroni’s new opening adds to the diverse food and beverage offering at the destination, bringing an exciting and unique menu for visitors to try.” Holy Moly Macaroni founder John Burke said: “In under a year, Holy Moly Macaroni has gone from dishing up proper mac at Digbeth Dining Club, to opening our very first soul food kitchen in Grand Central.”
The Gino D’Acampo My Restaurant brand is to launch at the Thorpe Park Leeds development. It will have a coffee and deli bar and prosecco bar as well as a dining area. It is the sixth branch for the concept.
Loungers will launch the Zorro Lounge at the Fox Valley shopping centre in Sheffield in October. The 3,225 square feet unit will form part of a new restaurant quarter at the centre. Loungers have also just opened the Sorbo Lounge in Chesterfield, after the refurbishment of an old post office.
Fuller’s has reopened the Albert Arms in Esher in Surrey after a major refurbishment.
Spitalfields Indian restaurant Gunpowder has opened a second site at the One Tower Bridge development. It has a bakery, coffee shop and wine bar elements as well as a restaurant. The Muffin Break café and coffee shop brand are opening six more sites soon—including at the Trinity Walk shopping centre in Wakefield this week. It is seeking more franchisees as it adds to its current 60 locations.
