Brands including The Breakfast Club, Benito’s Hat, Tommi’s Burger Joint and Pret all opened on Tuesday (24 October) at the Westgate Oxford centre—one of the major food and drink developments of the year. Others including The Alchemist, Comptoir Libanais and Dirty Bones are all opening in the coming days.
BrewDog is to open its first BrewPub with an on-site brewery at the Minister Building in the City. It will be a 8,500 square feet venue in the building, which has undergone a major redevelopment, and will brew small-batch beers for sale in the bar. BrewDog acquisition manager Andrew Statham said: “Our mission and ethos is to make the world as passionate about great craft beer as we are, so we are delighted to be launching our first-ever BrewPub in the UK, and our first venue in the City of London.
US concept Shake Shack opened its latest new restaurant on Cambridge Circus in London yesterday. It is marking the launch with a collaboration with various London producers.
The ETM Group will open its latest new concept called Broadleaf on Old Broad Street in the City in the next few weeks. It will have 200 covers over 400 square metres on two floors, and will sell modern British food alongside cocktails, wines, spirits and craft beer. Co-founder Tom Martin said: “Broadleaf will offer the perfect destination for after-work drinks, weekend brunching and private parties.” It is ETM’s 14th venue, and the group plans to open three more sites over the next year.
The Redrock development in Stockport has set 24 November for its opening. Brands to be located there include Zizzi, PizzaExpress and Gourmet Burger Kitchen.
The Real Greek’s 15th restaurant will open at Bristol’s Cabot Circus before Christmas, reports the Bristol Post. It will be the brand’s first location in the south west.
All-day Australian restaurant concept Antipodea has secured a third site, on Hill Street in Richmond. The 2,450 square feet restaurant will be split over ground and basement floors, and will open by the end of the year. It joins Antipodea restaurants in Kew and Putney. The concept was developed by the team behind café group Brew, and is modelled on the Melbourne dining scene. The deal for the Richmond site was brokered by Shelley Sandzer.
Bistrot Pierre has confirmed two more openings as it continues a rapid rollout around the UK. It has set 17 November for the opening of its latest new restaurant on Lord Street in Southport—a 140-cover operation that will open for breakfast and coffee as well as lunch and dinner. Bistrot Pierre will also launch a 124-cover restaurant at the Cathedral Lanes shopping centre in Coventry next summer. Co-founder Rob Beacham said: “We’ve had both Coventry and Southport on our radar for quite some time. They have both seen considerable investment recently and we’re delighted to be supporting the towns’ growth and bringing our unique offering to the food and drink sectors there.”
US brand Smashburger has opened on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow—its first Scottish restaurant and its sixth UK venue overall. It joins sites in Bath, Birmingham, Brighton, Milton Keynes and Newcastle as Smashburger continues a rapid rollout.
Bill’s has opened at the Rushden Lakes development in Northamptonshire.
Nando’s has set 29 November for the opening of its restaurant at the Cobham Services off the M25. It will be open from 6am for breakfast as well as lunch and dinner. It is the brand’s second motorway service station restaurant, joining one off the M40 in Beaconsfield. Nando’s has also lined up an opening at the Alphington Park development in Exeter, local media report.
Turtle Bay officially opened at St Andrew’s Cross in Plymouth on Sunday (22 October).
Greek street food concept The Athenian has just opened its third restaurant in London, at the White City development in Wood Lane. The brand has sites in Shoreditch and Elephant & Castle, plus one in Bristol as well as mobile operations.
Bristol Greek restaurant Taka Taka is to open a second restaurant in the city. The new venture on Bridewell Street joins the original in Clifton. Taka Taka also has a restaurant in Bath.
Marco Pierre White is opening a Steakhouse, Bar and Grill in Hull. It is a 140-cover restaurant in the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel.
Australian operator Doughnut Time opened its first UK store on Shaftesbury Avenue in London on Friday (27 October). The brand has scheduled openings in Old Street, Notting Hill and Shepherd’s Bush over the next few months.
Patisserie Valerie has opened a fifth site in Glasgow—a concession within the Debenhams store.
