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News
Amuse-bouches: latest restaurant news bites
In restaurant news this week: English eateries start releasing reopening dates, the Rick Stein group closes two restaurants and the company behind Michelin-starred The Greenhouse gets wound up in court again.
The Rick Stein group is to close two of its restaurants
English restaurants announce reopening: After confirmation that restaurants, bars and pubs in England could reopen on 4 July with a one-metre plus rule, many restaurants throughout the country have announced their reopening dates. Some have opted to open next Saturday, while others have opted for the days that follow, once tests and the necessary changes have been properly put in place. For example, Angela Hartnett is opening her restaurants week by week, starting with Cafe Murano in Bermondsey on 15 July. This, she says, is to make sure each is operating well before moving on to reopen the next. Sat Bains in Nottingham is also delaying opening. He told Big Hospitality that he was being “cautious” as he did not want to open and then be forced to close again. Bains said he would ideally like to reopen in mid-August if the situation allows.
Scottish restaurants can reopen from 15 July: Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, also announced this week that restaurants in the country could reopen on 15 July. Outdoor hospitality, including beer gardens, can reopen from 6 July. Sturgeon is also reviewing the two-metre distancing guidelines, with a definitive answer expected on 2 July.
Company behind Michelin-starred The Greenhouse wound up over tax bill: As reported by The Caterer, Marc Ltd, the owner of The Greenhouse restaurant in London has been wound up in court over an unpaid tax bill of almost £500,000. The company submitted wine for auction in Hong Kong last week, raising £233,000. Marc said it would pay £100,000 immediately and pay the rest of the debt by the year end. HMRC barrister Jessica Powers told chief judge Nicholas Briggs in remote hearing that it is the eighth petition against this company. She said Marc had already be wound up but subsequently had the order rescinded.
Corbin & King’s fish restaurant could open in October: Restaurant group Corbin & King’s latest pescatarian venture Manzi’s in Soho is expected to open in October, with around three months needed to complete eatery.
Closures:
Rick Stein restaurants in Marlborough and Porthleven: The Rick Stein group has announced it will be closing two sites, one in Marlborough, Wiltshire and the other in Porthleven in Cornwall. The group’s flagship site is based in Padstow in Cornwall, while it also operates restaurants in Barnes, Falmouth, Sandbanks and Winchester as well as other casual dining sites in Cornwall. The group’s other restaurants will open on 4 July.
Darjeeling Express: Chef and restaurateur Asma Khan has announced that she will not be opening Darjeeling Express in Soho, but will instead be searching for a new, larger premises which will reopen at a later date.
In other news…
Steak chain Hawksmoor got a bit more than it anticipated when it asked for delivery box testers…
That escalated quickly. https://t.co/q9FxZEHVwJ pic.twitter.com/fPvvHzvzpa
— Hawksmoor (@HawksmoorLondon) June 25, 2020
Gary Usher and the Elite Bistro team give some helpful tips on things they’ve learned when sending out meal kits…
And one café in Paris enlists some help to enforce social distancing.
Social distancing in Parisian cafés today: pic.twitter.com/armOGkEARu
— Dawn Robertson 🇪🇺🏴🇳🇱#FBPE (@RobertsonDawn3) June 25, 2020