Our mission is remarkably simple. To tell it how it is!
Casual Dining Group CDG, the company behind high street chains such as Café Rouge, La Tasca, and Bella Italia, has called in a restructuring adviser in a bid to lobby landlords into lowering rents, according to The Times. CDG has closed more than 40 restaurants over the past two years, but said it continues to […]
The Restaurant Group (TRG), which owns chains such as Frankie & Benny’s, Garfunkel’s, and Chiquito (all of which have always been omitted from Harden’s as they inspire practically no survey feedback from our community) has bought pan-Asian restaurant Wagamama in a deal worth £559m. The industry giant said Wagamama has until now “consistently and significantly outperformed […]
Gourmet Burger Kitchen owner Famous Brands has announced it will seek a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), with a possible 17 restaurants sighted for closure. The brand has been struggling for some time and appointed accountants Grant Thornton to pursue the CVA towards the end of a year in which dozens of other groups opted for the […]
A new Vapianos will open at Tower Bridge on October 26. The restaurant will be housed within the One Tower Bridge development. Not everyone has found the location fruitful. We reported previously that the casual Italian (Hamburg-based) restaurant chain would be doubling its London presence; this Vapianos branch is just the beginning. Next up will be […]
According to recent research independent restaurants are rapidly losing ground to chains – news that will not shock many restaurateurs. Over the last six years visits to standalone dining spots have dropped by 1.4 billion, while trips to branches of some of the UK’s growing groups soared by 900 million. The new figures, from NPD […]
