31/08/2022
JD Wetherspoon (JDW) was the most visited licensed brand and the third most visited brand in the UK's hospitality sector during a six-month period, according to the latest CGA BrandTrack. The syndicated consumer survey, which looks into the eating and drinking out behaviours of 20,000 British consumers annually, tracks consumers interactions with, and perceptions of, the 70 largest hospitality brands, showed 20.5m customers visited Wetherspoon pubs in a six-month period, while 43% of the customers surveyed had visited Wetherspoon in the same period, reports Morning Advertiser.
Arcade bar operator NQ64 has secured £2.5m in growth capital from ThinCats, supporting its plans for further expansion across the UK, reports Pub & Bar. Founded in 2019 by Andy Haygarth and Matt Robson, NQ64 has grown from its original site in Manchester's Northern Quarter to nine retro gaming bars around the country. Backed by Imbiba, NQ64 has opened five new bars in the last 18 months.
The White Brasserie Company will open its first new restaurant since the pandemic this autumn. Big Hospitality reports that the pub restaurant group has taken over the former Maison Sax site and says it will return the venue to its former glory as a traditional pub. It will reopen on 17th October following an extensive refurbishment with space for 150 covers in the main dining area and a 100 cover terrace and garden complete with outdoor fireplace and heated covered cabana areas.
Following the rise in the consumer energy price cap, business leaders from across the brewing and pub industry have signed an open letter to the Government and leadership candidates warning small businesses will close and jobs will be lost if immediate action isn't taken on energy bills for businesses, advises The Caterer. The letter warned that pubs and brewers across the UK were at risk of closure due to "out of control" energy bills, with upwards of 300% price hikes reported and some energy companies refusing to supply pubs.
Whitbread has acquired 5 Strand, a prime freehold property on the Strand in central London near Trafalgar Square. Property Week advises that subject to planning, the hotel is expected to open in 2027 and will feature a Bar+Block steakhouse restaurant. The purchase and development are being funded from the group's existing cash resources. The group said that the property represented a total investment of over £200m, including construction and related costs.
Stratford gets a new restaurant, bar and distillery courtesy of Jim and Tonic. The urban gin distillery has taken over The Print House reports Hot Dinners.