Wright buys restaurant in Wales
Restaurant consultant and writer Simon Wright and his wife, Maryann, have bought a restaurant near Carmarthen, Dyfed. Together with business partners Mark and Sue Manson, the couple have purchased the Y Polyn, a 50-seat pub restaurant in Nantgaredig. Maryann Wright and Sue Manson will head up the kitchen, while Wright will continue to be involved in other projects. "I plan to take an active role running the restaurant. We're aiming to serve decent food at reasonable prices. Things like daube of Welsh lamb, cassoulet and hand-cut chips with steak," he said.
Ergen's to open near Clapham Junction
Durmus Ergen, the owner of Ergen's, the Turkish restaurant in Beckenham, Kent, is to open a new outlet near London's Clapham Junction. The ex-Zizzi premises on Battersea Rise are being refurbished and the plan is to launch by mid-February. The opening of a second property marks the start of an aggressive expansion plan to have four restaurants by the end of the year and a London-wide chain by 2010. Ergen's specialises in both modern and traditional Turkish dishes.
Wetherspoon's bans smoking at new pub
Pub operator JD Wetherspoon has opened its first no-smoking pub in the UK. The George's Meeting House, in Exeter, opened on 16 January and is the first completely no-smoking pub in the 650-strong Wetherspoon's estate. A second no-smoking pub will open in Swindon, Berkshire, in March. Wetherspoon's chief executive John Hutson said: "We wanted to gain experience of operating a no-smoking pub in advance of the smoking ban, which will come into effect in pubs in 2008."