Our weekly round-up of what the national and local restaurant critics are writing about, for the week ending 30 August 2020. The government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme successfully boosted the restaurant sector during August; several restaurants are choosing to continue the discounts, without the government subsidy, in September. Check with your local and […]
Wahaca will close ten sites and is exploring financial options, including a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), it has been revealed. Mark Selby, CEO and co-founder, made the announcement “with great sadness” in an email to staff. In his subject line, he said: “The hardest email I have ever had to send”. Selby explained the financial […]
More than 64 million meals have been enjoyed under the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme in the UK in August, with one day (Monday) left to go. New figures published by the Treasury revealed restaurants have claimed for more than 64 million discounted meals since August 3, highlighting a rise in footfall and […]
Michael Caines has opened his second restaurant in Cornwall at a site bought from Rick Stein in July. Caines has launched the Harbourside Refuge restaurant and bar in Porthleven, West Cornwall, which will serve local seafood, meat and game, dairy and vegetables. Caines said: “I am very excited about the opening of the Harbourside Refuge, […]
The restaurant group D&D London will reopen the remainder of its portfolio over the next two weeks. The brand said its trading over July and August, since relaunching sites after lockdown, were “well above expectations”, and so now 15 more restaurants and bars, including Quaglino’s and 100 Wardour Street, will open, despite concerns footfall in […]
A new West African-inspired restaurant will launch on Berners Street in Fitzrovia on October 8. Akoko will “combine local ingredients with vivid aromas and authentic spices,” an announcement said, and is set to be “one of the most anticipated openings of this year.” It continued: “The restaurant will offer a unique window on the still […]
Highbury wine bar and restaurant Top Cuvee has launched Shop Cuvee around the corner from the main site. The move follows the successful launch of a wine delivery service that operated throughout lockdown. Top Cuvee, founded by Brodie Meah and Max Venning, turned into a grocery store and bottle shop after closing in the Covid-19 […]
Our weekly round-up of what the national and local restaurant critics are writing about, for the week ending 23 August 2020. Restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes in England were permitted to re-open on Saturday 4 July after over 100 days of enforced closure; Scotland and Wales followed a few weeks later. Some establishments remain closed […]
More than 35 million meals have been enjoyed by diners across the country in the first two weeks of the government’s landmark Eat Out to Help Out discount scheme. Data released today also shows that over 85,000 restaurants have now registered for the scheme, including high-street chains such as Wahaca, Joe and the Juice and […]
PizzaExpress has formally launched its company voluntary agreement (CVA), which was first announced on August 4. Included in the plan is the proposed closure of 73 of its restaurants, including the first ever branch, on Wardour Street in Soho. As many as 1,100 members of staff are in line to lose their job. The company […]
