Today’s news in brief – 06/03/25

Côte Brasserie has appointed Emma Dinnis as its new CEO. Dinnis joins the French brasserie chain following a tenure as managing director of Sofology, where she led the brand’s customer-first transformation. She brings experience in retail and hospitality, having held senior leadership roles at Topshop/Topman, M&Co, Ikea, and M&S. She will be responsible for enhancing Côte’s food and drink offerings and the modernisation of service. 

Delivery sales slipped by 1% in January 2025 as consumers reined in their spending after Christmas. This fall is the tracker’s first negative number since June 2023, and well short of the UK’s general monthly rate of inflation of 3%. By contrast, the tracker shows modest growth of 2.1% in revenues from takeaway and click-and-collect orders. CGA by NIQ maintains that January’s delivery trends are in line with wider seasonal spending patterns. 

The Restaurant Group has appointed a new central operations director for the concessions and Barburrito division. Michele Bacon brings a wealth of hospitality experience to the team, having worked in a variety of different roles within casual dining including Carluccios, Giraffe and Pizza Express. Most recently, Bacon worked in Côte Brasserie as the head of central operations. 

Big Mamma Group will be opening its first Circolo Popolare in the north of England in Manchester. The new 280-cover space will be set within a new development, St Michael’s, off the thoroughfare of Manchester’s Deansgate. The venue will be led by Campanian-born head chef Alfonso Esposito, who has been with Big Mamma for two years. This new site follows the openings of Gloria in Milan, Barracuda in Brussels, and a new site in Barcelona.