As the hospitality industry continues to struggle as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, countless restaurants have cleverly ‘pivoted’ their business models. What with the introduction of the 10pm curfew, new tier restrictions, and murmurs of another national lockdown, a growing number of restaurants have introduced new retail outlets, alongside the growing demand for delivery and DIY meal kits. We pick London’s best new restaurant retail platforms.
Stevie Parle’s JOY at Portobello has launched a new online retail platform, BUY JOY, selling groceries and more. The new shop follows the success of The Goods Shed store at JOY, with a third of guests visiting the restaurant, Flora, having taken advantage of the store’s offering. Since supplying JOY, The Goods Shed has also been able to double the turnover for the farms it works with.
BUY JOY sells the best, fresh, seasonal produce delivered from Kent daily, including fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish. Fresh pasta from Pastaio is also available alongside Unchartered Wines, Biercraft beers, honey from Parle’s own hives, cheeses from Kent, sourdough from E5 Bakehouse, and many more staples and treats. A selection of Flora restaurant’s best-loved dishes are also available, including the American plum pie; double baked chocolate cake; and whole cooked lobster, chilled and served with aioli.
The shop has also partnered with City Harvest to help deliver fresh raw ingredients to locals in need. Customers are given the option to “pay it forward” and donate a box of fresh fruit and vegetables alongside their purchases. Listed at £20, the JOY team will double the value for every purchase made, donating £40 of fresh produce to feed the hungry and most vulnerable.
Further information can be found here.
Offering the best from Gymkhana, Trishna, and Brigadiers, JKS Restaurants has introduced Ambassador General Store. A one-stop shop for restaurant-prepared Indian meal boxes, ready-to-eat dishes, and drinks, the new retail platform delivers to homes nationwide. Meal boxes reflect each restaurant’s signature style, while also offering a range of wine, beer, and cocktails through the platform’s Indian off-license, Daru Shop. In addition to the meal box experiences, the store will feature pantry items and single dishes from all three restaurants, allowing customers to order items individually. Over the coming weeks the group will continue to develop the store offering with celebratory Diwali and Christmas specials, and new beer and cocktail collaborations. Deliveries will be made on Fridays between 9am-9pm.
Further information can be found here.
During lockdown, North London restaurant and wine bar, Top Cuvée, was temporarily rebranded as Shop Cuvée. Following the success of Brodie Meah and Max Venning’s lockdown retail project, Shop Cuvée has opened the doors of bricks and mortar site just around the corner from the restaurant. Responding to overwhelming demand, Shop Cuvée offers nationwide next day delivery, stocking hundreds of natural wines. Snacks are also available to accompany, including cold cuts from Cobble Lane and cheese from Neal’s Yard, plus Top Cuvée dishes such as pig’s head terrine, guinea fowl rillette, and whipped smoked cod’s roe.
Further information can be found here.
One of London’s best Italian restaurants, Ombra quickly pivoted to a new business model when forced to temporarily close earlier this year. In addition to offering a hot delivery service, the Hackney restaurant also evolved to include a new pastifico and deli offering. While normal dinner service has resumed (although the restaurant is closed for quarantine until Friday 30th October), the pastifico and deli retail platform has remained, ultimately creating another arm of the business. Pasta is the key focus here, with a collection of simple sauces also available alongside cold cuts, cheeses, wines, cocktails, and some fresh groceries.
Further information can be found here.
A new retail platform from the team behind Six by Nico restaurants, HOME-X delivers restaurant quality food and drink experiences to homes across the UK. The launch of HOME-X has made food from the Six by Nico team available across the UK for the first time, with the platform initially launching with six new food and drink brands, offering vegan tasting dishes, artisan cheese, wines, and pre-prepared Chateaubriand. The first brands to launch on the new retail platform include STEM wine club, Cheateau-X, The Cheese Club, 24 Carrot, and Home by Nico. Home by Nico follows a similar format to the Six by Nico restaurants, with four course tasting menus themed around memories or places. Experiences will also be refreshed each month, with delivery available across the UK.
Further information can be found here.
Having just celebrated its fifth birthday, Hoppers has launched Cash & Kari, a new online and in-store retail platform. Delivering to homes nationwide, Cash & Kari has initially launched with a range of spices, pantry essentials, snacks, ‘kari-home’ meal kits, bottled cocktails, Hoppers merchandise, and the restaurant’s own beers, including ‘Toddy Ale’ brewed in collaboration with Salt Brewery and ‘Tropical Lager’ brewed by Camden Town Brewery. Kari-home kits include a selection of ready-to-eat and cook-at-home dishes, including Paneer Kothu (£30, 2-3 people), Lamb Kothu (£30, 2-3 people), and Kalupol Chicken (£45, 3-4 people). All meal kits are customisable with a series of add-ons and are easy to finish at home with clear instructions for any level of cook. Signature dishes are also available in the form of DIY meals to prepare at home. Hoppers Cash & Kari orders must be placed by 11pm each Sunday for delivery the following Friday.
On the launch of Cash & Kari, Hoppers Director Karan Gokani said: “Developing a retail presence has always been in the pipeline, but the last few months really showed us the demand for it, pushing us to bring our products to market. Just like Hoppers was inspired by the toddy shops and street food stalls in Sri Lanka and South India, Cash & Kari emulates the small family-run shops in towns and cities across the region – selling their own blend of spices, batters, snacks and homemade drinks. We are very excited to bring a taste of Hoppers into homes across the country, at a time when not everyone can enjoy the pleasure of dining out.”
Further information can be found here.
More soon.
This article is currently in the process of being updated. Got a tip? Email food@thelondoneconomic.com, or tweet us @TLE_Food.
