Today’s news in brief – 22/02/24

Sticks’n’Sushi has secured a £22m loan from Oak North Bank to support further growth. The business was acquired by private equity firm, McWin Capital Partners, in January this year. Most recently, the group had successfully scaled to 27 restaurants with 12 in Copenhagen, 12 across the UK, and three in Berlin.

Confidence among top hospitality operators has fallen by 8% since October 2023, an exclusive poll by CGA by NIQ has reported. The proportion of leaders who feel optimistic about prospects for their own business in the next year has also fallen, from 62% in October to 57% now. Some 9% of leaders believe their business is at risk of failure in 2024 – 4% more than in October. 

Chef Shilpa Dandekar has opened her second restaurant, Pravaas, in South Kensington, following the success of her first bricks and mortar site Pure Indian Cooking in Fulham. Situated near South Kensington station, Pravaas is a 30-cover establishment, complete with a subterranean private dining room.

Black and White Hospitality will open a Marco Pierre White restaurant in Blackpool. Located in a brand-new, 127-bedroom Holiday Inn hotel, the restaurant, which will be a Marco’s New York Italian, follows an agreement between Blackpool Council and Black and White Hospitality, which is the franchising arm of Pierre White’s restaurant business.