Hotel Openings

🍴 Chef Thomas Straker, known for his high-profile restaurant stints and social media presence, is set to open a new café-style concept at 60 Golborne Road, Notting Hill, following his first restaurant's launch at 91 Golborne Road in 2022. This upcoming deli will feature breakfast items like acai bowls and granola. Straker's debut restaurant garnered critical acclaim and secured a spot on the National Restaurant Awards Top 100 list in 2022. Despite success, Straker faced criticism for lacking diversity in his kitchen last year but has since pledged to improve. He also runs a flatbread outlet in Arcade Battersea and his retail range All Things Butter is available in Sainsbury's and Ocado.

🍽 Minneapolis’ new restaurant Bûcheron was opened by chef Adam Ritter and Jeanie Janas Ritter. Adam has a background in Michelin-starred and “World’s 50 Best” restaurants, recently leading Demi's menu development, a James Beard Awards Best New Restaurant-finalist. Jeanie worked at Chez Panisse then managed operations at various upscale locations. Meals at Bûcheron cost $60-75 per person without drinks. The menu draws from the Parisian Bistronomy movement, featuring dishes like a wedge salad with lamb bacon and a foie gras terrine. The wine list, managed by Tyler McLeod, emphasizes biodynamic wines and female winemakers, while the cocktail program by Will Gobeli adds small twists to classics. Located in Minneapolis' Kingfield neighborhood, Bûcheron was designed by Christian Dean Architecture with local art by Mary Jo Hoffman creating a warm, convivial atmosphere.

🍔 Native Burger, led by Luke Taylor, opened on 30 July in Cornwall, offering a 20-seat venue with a menu of nine burgers. The Westgate Street location, previously a butcher's shop run by Philip Warren, now showcases Warren's exclusively grass-fed meats. Menu highlights include the Twisted Fire Starter, The Workout, and Tequila Slammer burgers, along with fries topped with bacon bits, cheese, and pulled beef. Native Burger aims to contribute to Launceston's social revival.

🍴 The Goring hotel's flagship restaurant, The Dining Room, relaunches with a makeover by Russell Sage Studio and a refreshed dining experience, including a six-seater chef’s table. CEO Jeremy Goring leads the project, with executive chef Graham Squire, who has maintained the Michelin star since 2019. Starters and mains average at £25 and start at £42, respectively, with a £80 pre-theatre three-course menu. The wine list has over 500 references, with by-the-glass options starting at £12. The hotel, minutes from Buckingham Palace, holds a Royal Warrant and is London's last family-owned luxury hotel.

🍦 Kaspa's Desserts is set to open its 109th UK store on Dean Street, Central London, creating 10 jobs. Founded in 2012 by Azhar Rehman in Croydon, the dessert brand expanded via franchises and launched its first international store in Islamabad in 2018. The Soho flagship location will offer an array of hot and cold desserts, catering to the vibrant nightlife of the area.

🍕 Cattivo, a 40-cover restaurant with outdoor terrace seating, located at The Old Kennels, Cirencester Park, is set to open on August 2. Mike Robinson, known for Michelin-starred The Harwood Arms and other ventures, collaborates with Baggott and Lawson-King of Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden. Menu features six 12-inch Neapolitan-style sourdough pizzas priced at £14-£17, using local ingredients like honey from Robinson’s hives, Matthews Cotswold Flour, and drinks that include two in-house cocktails, Italian wines, and local beers.

🍖 Cow & Sow, a contemporary dining steakhouse brand, is set to open its third location at One Chamberlain Square in Birmingham's Paradise development in late 2024. Founded by Mark Warburton in January 2022, the brand quickly expanded with a second site launched in December 2022. The menu features 35-day aged steaks with prices ranging from £21 to £32, small plates starting at £6, and an express lunch menu at £14 for one course and £22 for three courses. Warburton aims to work with local charities and businesses upon opening.

🍦 Founded in 1926 in Chicago, The Original Rainbow Cone, known for its five-layered ice cream cone, was purchased by Buona Beef in 2018. By summer 2022, they began franchising, expanding to 21 locations with 30 more units in development. Their first out-of-state venture opened in Valparaiso, Ind., in May. A deal was signed to open 10 dual-branded locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The brand targets smart growth, focusing on local market knowledge and customer service values.

🏡 Hotel Heron, part of Aparium Hotel Group, opens in Alexandria, Virginia's Old Town, featuring Colonial Revival architecture. DC-based Antunovich Associates and Streetsense led the restoration. The lobby showcases Mid-Atlantic elements and a split-tier design. Guestrooms include historical details like velvet headboards and federal-style mirrors. The hotel offers F&B venues: KILN restaurant, Francis Hall cocktail bar, and Good Fortune rooftop bar. Over 3,500 square feet of event space is available, with local art curated in partnership with CulturalDC.

📍 Motels are being renovated to cater to travelers seeking unique stays, with the Interstate Inn in Fort Worth, Texas to launch soon. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will debut its third superyacht, Luminara, in December 2025, offering bespoke itineraries in the Asia-Pacific. Suchi Reddy's AI sculpture "me+you" is on display at Michigan Central in Detroit. Delta Air Lines grapples with the fallout from last week's tech outage, while Southwest changes its 50-year tradition of open boarding. The 44th Gold Key Awards deadline is extended to August 2nd, with the ceremony set for November during BDNY.