Hotel Openings

🍣 Hank’s Seafood Restaurant, established for 25 years in Charleston, S.C., expanded with Hank's Low Country Seafood & Raw Bar in Columbus, Ohio. Chef Frank McMahon oversees the culinary team for both Makeready hospitality group venues. Dinner starts at $29, and a new lunch menu launched in June, offering a 45-minute, three-course meal for $35. Signature dishes include she-crab soup and shrimp & grits. Columbus was chosen due to its growth and previous customer familiarity. The new space, designed by Home Studios, features a dining room for up to 158 guests, communal tables, and a private dining area.

🍴 Chef Marc Forgione, after opening his first restaurant in 2008 which later earned Michelin stars, has now relaunched it as Forgione at 30 Hudson St., New York City. The new Tribeca location continues to serve innovative New American cuisine with a focus on seasonal and local ingredients. The menu features entrées at approximately $42, pastas from $22, snacks between $12-$15, wines by the glass starting at $18, and cocktails around $19. The restaurant also includes a private dining room with a separate entrance, adorned with vibrant graffiti and references to influential figures like chef Laurent Tourondel.

🏠 Located in Old Town Alexandria, Va., Hotel Heron's flagship restaurant Kiln opened on June 27, serving wood-fired Mid-Atlantic cuisine inspired by local potter Henry Piercy. Led by Betty Woodward and Matthew Maienshein, the restaurant offers all-day dining and aims to be a community gathering spot. Woodward has a rich hospitality experience in Washington, D.C., and Maienshein has worked his way up from dishwasher to chef de cuisine. The restaurant features an open kitchen and an eight-seat chef’s counter, with entrées priced at around $40.

🍕 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.

🍜 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.

🎯 Clays, following a £6m fundraise led by Otium Leisure and backing from Imbiba, is set to make its regional debut in Birmingham's Piccadilly Arcade. This will be its third location, adding to sites in Canary Wharf and The City. The Birmingham venue will offer a semi-private area or a fully-private room with six digitalised games. Food and drink will be available via kiosk ordering. Founder Tom Snellock expresses excitement for the expansion. Otium Leisure recognizes Clays as a leading brand in competitive socialising, supporting its growth journey. New launches are expected next year.

🍴 Gerard Craft, head of St. Louis-based Niche Food Group, will open Expat BBQ in summer, featuring global flavors in American barbecue. Sam Nawrocki, with 15 years of Southern cuisine experience, leads the kitchen. Melinda Cooper oversees the beverage program, promising an international beer selection and globally-inspired cocktails. Average checks are forecasted to be $50 on the first floor and $25 on the third level. Expat BBQ will join Fordo’s Killer Pizza and Kitchen Bar at City Foundry STL, in a 16,000 square foot space featuring a conveyor belt for dish transport, a terrace patio, and a live music stage. Craft, a James Beard Award-winning chef, aims to offer a unique, fun dining experience.

🎷 The Marquee Moon, influenced by 1970s band Television, will open on 15 August as a pub in Dalston, formerly The Marquis of Lansdowne. Owned by Stuart Glen and Eugene Wild of The Cause, it features an East Asian-inspired sharing menu by New Zealand chef Huri Rapana Neil, along with a cocktail menu by Emmanuel Ferris-Hue focusing on local and independent drinks. The pub includes a hi-fi sound system for curated music until 3am, an 80-cover restaurant with Art Deco design, and operates until 3am.

🍴 The Coal Shed's largest project to date moves to North Street, Brighton, in Clarence House, seating 142 guests. Helalat's first concept, launched in 2011, now expands with executive chef Lee Murdoch. The menu will emphasize local produce, beef, and Brighton's seafood, featuring a Himalayan salt-ageing room and a 25-seat bar. The cocktail menu is inspired by NYC and London. Five distinct dining areas, including a private event space for 26, will be available. The current location will close on 1 September.

🏢 The Alchemist will open a new site in January 2025 at 16 Eastcheap, near Monument station in the City of London. Spanning 5,549sq ft across ground and basement levels with 115 covers, the venue represents a £1.9m investment. This location joins six other London venues, complementing the area's history and the city's resurgence of corporate activity. Designed by Macaulay Sinclair, The Alchemist aims to provide a memorable experience in the heart of a corporate hub.