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James McAllister

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Wingstop UK launches sale process

🐔 Wingstop UK, named the UK's fastest growing restaurant group in June for the second consecutive year, started exploring a sale after unsolicited buyer interest. Goldman Sachs is handling the sale process, begun recently, with the brand's valuation undisclosed. Founded in the US in 1994, Wingstop reached the UK in 2018 and has grown to 48 sites. They plan to open at Leeds's White Rose Shopping Centre and aim for 57 locations by year's end, with a long-term goal of 200 sites in five years.
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KERB to launch new Holborn street food market

🍕 KERB to launch Holborn market on August 7, with operations every Wednesday, 11:30am-2:30pm. Seven street food traders including Only Jerkin’ and Fatè. InKERBator program, part of KERB+, offers three weeks of classroom time plus six-week market residency; over 100 graduates to date. Profits from Holborn reinvested into KERB+. KERB also plans an additional trading day later this year and operates markets at Cowcross Yards, Gipsy Hill, the Gherkin, Fleet Place, and Seven Dials Market in Covent Garden. KERB debuted in San Francisco with Saluhall, planning further openings in Copenhagen and Berlin within the next year.
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Friday five: the week’s top restaurant stories

🍴 Thomas Straker plans to open a second café-style eatery in Notting Hill at 60 Golborne Road. The UK Government, with the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act received in May last year, will enforce new tipping measures in October 2024. John and Desiree Chantarasak are set to open AngloThai, a 50-cover restaurant in Marylebone this autumn. Turtle Bay's '4 days at the Bay' initiative has seen a 'phenomenal' response, improving 90% of staff well-being. Philip Warren's Native Burger opened in Launceston, offering a 20-cover space with nine burger options.
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Jerk Junction to open first shopping centre location

🍜 Jerk Junction, a Manchester-based Caribbean street food brand, is set to open its first shopping centre location at Trafford Centre's Orient food court in September. Occupying a 917sq ft space, it'll offer dishes like jerk chicken and curried goat. Founder Jake Shaffi, leading since 2020, launched Jerk Junction in Chorlton in 2013. After a fire last summer, its original site reopens on 5 August. Shaffi aims to make Jamaican food more accessible in the UK.
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Cool weather and Euros boost delivery sales in June

🍔 Restaurant delivery sales in Britain increased by 17.1% in June over the same month in 2023, following an 11.3% rise in May. The cool weather and Euro 24 football tournament prompted more at-home dining. Takeaway and click-and-collect sales, however, dropped by 1.1% year-on-year in June. In total, combined sales of deliveries, takeaways, and click-and-collect were up 9.7% compared to June 2023. Deliveries made up 11.2% of restaurant spending, while takeaways comprised 4.4%.
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  • 2 min

Uber Eats partners with GMB Union

📦 GMB and Uber Eats have established a partnership to discuss courier issues quarterly in the UK, aiming to enhance health and safety, engagement, and fair pay. Couriers will have GMB representation if they lose app access. The deal builds on a 2021 agreement between GMB and Uber, which resulted in thousands of drivers gaining union representation. Couriers must join GMB separately for representation. Deliveroo made a similar deal with GMB in 2022, covering 90,000 riders.
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Interest rate cut a ‘significant step in the right direction’ for hospitality

📌 The Bank of England cut the borrowing rate by 0.25% to 5% from 5.25% on 1 August, following stable 2% inflation in June. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) CEO Michael Kill called it a significant step for the hospitality sector, struggling with high interest rates post-pandemic. Bank Governor Andrew Bailey cautioned against expecting large cuts soon, prioritizing low inflation for economic growth. UKHospitality urges further rate reductions and business rate reforms for the sector's recovery.
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