Here is our Hospitality News Roundup from around the country for week commencing 4th April. If we’ve missed anything please add in the comments below:
Monday 4/4/16
Lincolnshire Echo: New Brazilian restaurant to create more than a dozen jobs: A taste of Brazil is set to come to Lincoln after business bosses announced plans to open a new exotic restaurant in the city. Brew Haus in Lincoln will be remodelled and re-branded as The House and Bar of Tiago in the coming weeks offering up cuisine from across the globe and creating up to 15 new jobs. Serious Investment will run the new Brazilian-style eatery alongside the existing Brew Haus bar after striking a rental deal with its owners. Investors have already ordered a £8,000 grill from Brazil and hope to have the new restaurant up and running sometime in May. Charlie Hewitt, operations director of Serious Investment which runs a similar business in Norwich, said he is delighted to be coming to Lincoln. He Said: “We are very happy to be expanding into Lincoln. I have some family that live close by and I love the city – it has a lot of history. We can’t wait to get started and are excited to start running a successful business for everyone to enjoy.” The menu will give food-lovers the choice of up to 16 different meats and the chance to enjoy both a hot and cold buffet. Carvers will pass from table to table and cut up meat in front of customers in true Brazilian Rodizio style. Brew Haus announced the deal on its Facebook page on Monday after its parent company reached an agreement with the House of Tiago owners. The Brew Haus bar will continue to be run as normal and existing staff will remain in their positions.
Hospitalityandcateringnews.com: Hawthorn Leisure acquisition of 11 pubs from JD Weatherspoon: Hawthorn Leisure has agreed to buy eleven, town centre, managed pubs from JD Wetherspoon. This marks Hawthorn Leisure’s fourth acquisition since June 2014, and provides additional scale to Hawthorn Leisure’s operation by adding to the existing 50 managed/franchise pubs. Chief Executive Gerry Carroll commented: ““We are delighted to welcome these eleven pubs and their management and staff to Hawthorn Leisure. This is another exciting development for our group, as we continue to invest in developing our high quality estate of pubs across the UK. In the past year, we have made fantastic progress in further building our team and operational capabilities, both in leased / tenanted and managed pubs, and we look forward to continuing this trajectory of growth. Our relentless focus on people, quality and delivering great value will ensure these pubs continue to offer a fantastic proposition for their existing and new customers.” The purchase price has not been disclosed. Completion of the acquisition is expected in early May.
Cambridge News: Cambridge Pizza Express takeaway plan is refused – but they can put a sign up if they want to: Pizza Express’ ambition to open its first ever takeaway store here in Cambridge has been thwarted by a planning inspector – although it has got permission to put a sign up. Pizza Express had chanced their arm over the proposed new takeaway on Hills Road by appealing to a government planning inspector, given Cambridge City Council had taken so long to decide on the application. But the gamble did not pay off, as inspector David Spencer rejected the application for a change of use into a hot food takeaway for the premises that was last occupied as Julian Huppert’s general election campaign office. The application by Pizza Express had turned into battle between two different groups of campaigners, each with opposing views over the application. Almost 200 people signed a petition presented to the council calling for the store to be given the go ahead, versus a number of objections from local residents – including the fact Dominos has a store just a few doors away. A local group of residents and retailers even clubbed together to get expert planning consultants Pegasus to write a letter to the city council outlining their objections. And it was this side of the fence that Mr Spencer eventually fell on. He concluded the proposal risked causing “unacceptable nuisance” in the area in terms of noise and disturbance, particularly later into the evening. Mr Spencer also writes that he would have concerns over highways activity and safety on nearby Coronation Street were the plans to go ahead. “In bringing these two matters together I have found that there would be an unacceptable impact on the local environment,” he said. But the council has been slapped on the wrist by Mr Spencer for refusing to grant planning permission for Pizza Express to put two signs up outside this takeaway.
This was applied for separately from the change of use application. The city council argued it made no sense to grant this planning permission when there was so much uncertainty over the other application. But Mr Spencer found the council had shown “unreasonable behaviour resulting in unnecessary expense” to Pizza Express – and ordered the council to pay the restaurant’s costs in full.
Propelinfonews.com: Nottingham restaurant owners open new £1m venue: The owners of Nottingham-based Italian restaurant Pizzeria Savai have opened a £1m bar-restaurant in the city. The Iacovitti family has launched SaltBox in Bolero Square on the ground floor of the Ice House serviced apartments block next to the Motorpoint Arena on the eastern edge of the city centre. The 6,000 square foot venue features an 80-seat restaurant that offers “modern British food”. Mick Iacovitti told the Nottingham Post: “We want to catch people going into and coming out of concerts at the arena. A lot of them won’t know Nottingham and if the arena empties at 10.30pm on a weekday a lot of places in the city are calling last orders for 11pm.”
Tuesday 5/4/16
Northamptonshire Telegraph: Plans go in for new Kettering restaurant with exclusive diners’ cinema: Plans have been submitted to convert a long-standing discount department store in Kettering into a restaurant with a cinema exclusively for diners. Brown Studio, on behalf of popular restaurant chain Wildwood, has applied to convert the site which has been home to Mister Ray’s since 1983. If approved, the site would house a Mediterranean restaurant on the ground floor – with a diner’s cinema and small bar upstairs. The application reads: “The cinema is only open to diners with the idea being that, after dinner, customers can if they wish have a drink from the bar and watch a film. “It will not be open to the general public, and as such we see it as ancillary to the restaurant.” Cllr Michael Brown (Con, Brambleside) says the addition of a Wildwood chain would be great news for the town. He said: “Obviously it would be great news to have a respected national brand come to Kettering. “Having a boutique cinema would be a great addition to the town’s cultural quarter and a boost to the night-time economy. “Personally I hope it is approved but it’s subject to planning application laws.” If the plans are approved the restaurant would be open from 11am to 11.30pm from Monday to Saturday, closing at 10.30pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. It would also create 10 full-time jobs and eight part-time jobs. Those wishing to have their say on the plans have until April 22 to do so.
Propelinfonews.com: Quorn Hotel in Leicestershire sold for £2.5m, last property in Prima’s portfolio: Agent Savills has sold the Quorn Hotel in Quorn, Leicestershire, to Talash Hotels for £2.5m. The sale was completed on behalf of Ryan Grant, Lee Causer and Catherine Williamson, of AlixPartners Services UK, joint administrators of Prima Hotels. The grade II-listed property dates to the 17th century and was formerly a private residence. It sits within four acres of country gardens and features 36 bedrooms, an AA Rosette restaurant, and wedding and conference facilities for up to 300 guests. The Quorn Hotel was the last remaining asset in the Prima portfolio of regional manor house hotels brought to market by Savills in September 2015. The sales of Hellaby Hall Hotel, near Rotherham, Stanneylands Hotel in Wilmslow, and Nunsmere Hall Hotel in Cheshire, have already completed, bringing the combined total to more than £16m. Savills head of UK hotel transactions Martin Rogers said: “The Quorn Hotel is the area’s only four-star offer and has a strong trading record. Its picturesque setting on the banks of the River Soar makes the venue a popular choice for weddings and the new owners will therefore benefit from multiple income streams.” The purchaser was unrepresented.
Morning Advertiser: National Living Wage: The impact and how to deal with the self-employed
By Poppleston Allen, 05-Apr-2016
Find out information on how the NLW will impact your business – and what to do with self-employed staff. Read More
Wednesday 6/4/16
Propelinfonews.com: JD Wetherspoon to close Milton Keynes pub on Sunday, not part of any disposal package: JD Wetherspoon is to close The David Garrick in Milton Keynes on Sunday (10 April). The company has confirmed the Savoy Crescent pub will be shut and then a decision would be made whether to sell. It is part of the Theatre District and has served as a spot for lunches and dinner, as well as a late-night venue for many on Friday and Saturday nights. Spokesman Eddie Gershon told Propel the site was not part of a package of disposals and there would be no job losses. The company, which has three other sites in Milton Keynes, has closed a number of sites in the past few months, including The Forum in Lincoln and the London Hatter in Luton. Earlier this week, Hawthorn Leisure announced it was buying 11 town centre managed pubs from JD Wetherspoon.
Thursday 7/4/16
Peterboroughtoday.co,uk: Another new dessert restaurant looks to be on its way to Peterborough: Another dessert restaurant looks set to open its doors in Peterborough. With TAMU in Cowgate proving immensely popular and Creations Dessert Lounge expected to open its doors next week in Burghley Road, on the edge of the city centre, it might appear that Peterborough is well covered for savoury treats. But Kaspa’s Desserts are getting ready to move onto Bridge Street to offer their range of sundaes, waffles, cakes and shakes. The announcement of yet another dessert restaurant in the city was made by Peterborough City Council leader Councillor John Holdich in his column for the Peterborough Telegraph. And Cllr Holdich was not concerned that the addition of Kaspa’s to the other sweet offerings in and around the city centre would lead to an increase in obesity. He said: “I’m pretty relaxed about it. It’s providing what the customer wants. Firms don’t set up businesses without doing some research. “I think people are absolutely voting with their feet. TAMU seems to be packed out and they are going to be offering different things. “All these places these days have low fat offers and healthy offers. “And it’s not just about Peterborough people. It’s about attracting people from other towns.” It has not been possible to contact Kaspa’s to find out when they intend to open in Peterborough, but on its website it says that a restaurant here will be ‘opening soon’. TAMU has a second restaurant open in Broadway and there are believed to be plans for a Creams franchise on Lincoln Road. Creations Dessert Lounge will be able to seat 35 to 40 people and will have a private room. And it will be serving a wide range of desserts – waffles, crepes, sundaes, cookie dough, gelato, cakes and milkshakes.
Morning Advertiser: How to make sure your pub is welcoming to someone with a disability
By Emily Sutherland, 06-Apr-2016
The issue of disabled access in pubs hit the headlines again recently in a damning House of Lords report that found many pubs are still failing to provide up-to-scratch facilities for people with physical and mental disabilities, with even basic services like disabled toilets often used for storage. Read More
Propelinfonews.com: Red Dog Saloon to open Nottingham venue, first site outside south of England: Red Dog Saloon is set to open a restaurant in Nottingham – its first outside the south of England. The venue is at a site formerly occupied by fashion retailer Ark in Victoria Street. The grade II-listed building’s ground floor and part of its basement and first floor will be converted into a bar and restaurant and, under the terms of its lease, Red Dog Saloon could also utilise the property’s rooftop plant deck. The opening will create 50 jobs. Red Dog Saloon founder Tom Brooke told the Nottingham Post: “Nottingham is a great city, one of England’s best, and it’s a really good part of town in a dramatic building. We’re hoping to start work soon once we’ve ironed out a few details with the landlord, which hopefully won’t be too long. This will be the best barbecue in Nottingham, serving the best burgers in a party atmosphere.” Red Dog Saloon, which serves a range of barbecued meats, burgers and sandwiches, has venues in Soho, Hoxton and Clapham in London, with a site planned to open at the Watermark development in Southampton later this year.
Friday 8/4/16
Morning Advertiser: CAMRA revitalisation project receives 12,000 responses in first week
By Emily Sutherland, 08-Apr-2016
The Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) consultation into what – and who – it should represent has received 12,000 responses within just one week of opening. Read More
Hospitalityandcateringnews.com: People power is saving Britain’s pubs – as 1,500 are granted additional protection: A year to the day since new powers were introduced to protect pubs, the number registered as Assets of Community Value (ACV) is soaring, according to the latest figures from CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. Almost 1,500 are now registered and 300 have been added so far this year. With 27 pubs closing every week, community groups have been coming together to save their beloved pubs by nominating them as ACVs. Last year the Government announced new protections for pubs listed as ACVs – ensuring that owners apply for planning permission should they want to change the use of the building. Since this announcement, nearly 1,500 community groups across England have come together to list their local and protect them from redevelopment.
Prior to the scheme, nominated pubs were vulnerable to closing their doors forever with no planning protection in place. There were only 600 pubs nominated across the country in April 2015. CAMRA’s Chief Executive Tim Page said: “It is fantastic to see so many community groups empowered to take action to save their beloved pub. It clear there is strong support for pubs across the country and many passionate campaigners willing to come together to save their local. “However, with 27 pubs closing every week there is still more work to be done. Many pubs are still under threat of demolition or being converted to another use by large developers. Registering a pub as an ACV is the first step to saving it from this fate. We would like to see more community groups come together to save their local and for the Government extend planning permission to all pubs, regardless of ACV status.” CAMRA branches and community groups would like to see 3,000 of Britain’s best pubs listed as ACVs by the end of this year, which will help stem the number of pub closures. Community Pubs Minister Marcus Jones added: “The Great British pub is a national treasure. We brought in community rights to allow people to list the local landmarks most important to their communities – allowing them a fair chance to bid for them should they be put up for sale. “To date nearly 1,500 pubs have been listed across the country, safeguarding these much loved establishments for generations to come.”
Propelinfonews.com: Loungers to shut Bishop’s Stortford site, only second to close in company’s 13-year history: Cafe bar brand Loungers is to shut its site in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire just 13 months after opening – only the second to close in its 13-year history. The company will close the Cambio Lounge by the River Stort in Adderley Road on Sunday, 17 April. Managing director Nick Collins told the Herts & Essex Observer: “It did not stack up financially – at the end of the day, we could not make a profit. We have given it a good shot – it’s not through lack of trying.” He said the closure would mean the loss of up to ten jobs, although staff had been encouraged to move to other sites. Collins added: “We trade very successfully in other locations and it’s only the second time we’ve had to do this in our 13-year history.” Loungers spent £550,000 transforming the former Lussmanns and Belgique restaurant premises, opposite the JD Wetherspoon pub The Port Jackson. Collins said: “We were very excited about the property when we found it and were confident about the ability to do well there.” Loungers’ only other site to close was the Haro Lounge in Formby, Merseyside, which shut in January last year.
Propelinfonews.com: Cote gets go-ahead for site in Welwyn Garden City: French brasserie Cote has been given the go-ahead to open a site in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. The company has been granted permission by Welwyn Hatfield Council to convert the vacant Pig and Truffle site in Howardsgate, reports the Welwyn & Hatfield Times. The Pig and Truffle only took over the premises in the spring of 2014 after Real China closed suddenly, but shut its doors last summer. Cote has 74 sites in the UK, including two others in Hertfordshire in St Albans and Bishop’s Stortford.