Manc burger chain Archie’s and the founders of Northern Quarter staple Common are among those who have been added to this year’s annual northern hospitality ‘power list’.
The Rafiq brothers, raised in Longsight and who opened their first Archie’s on Oxford Road in 2010, now have 10 restaurants, including spots in the Arndale and Trafford centres, and branches in Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham. They now employ over 400 people.
Meanwhile, Jonny and Charlotte Heyes, who run Common, have also joined the list, having expanded to create the Nell’s Pizza brand over lockdown. It now has a standalone restaurant at the Kampus development, while the company also runs The Beagle in Chorlton and Port Street in the NQ, as well as the annual Indy Man Beer Con beer festival.
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Also new to the top 50 list is Zack Issak who owns the Dabangg restaurant in Knutsford, and Andy Haygarth and Matt Robson, who run Northern Quarter arcade game bar NQ64.
The list, which is in its ninth year, is compiled by hospitality legal firm Kuits and the Northern Bar and Restaurant show, which starts today.
“It’s been an immensely challenging period for hospitality, but I think the North’s operators have demonstrated incredible tenacity, resilience and creativity to come through so strongly,” said NRB founder and hospitality industry commentator Thom Hetherington.
“I’m delighted to see the region’s leading restaurants, bars and pubs looking to the future with plans for new sites, new launches and new concepts, and it’s no surprise to see the recent industry data showing that new openings in Northern cities are running at twice the level of London.”
A number of operators have also received special awards for their achievements this year, notably Simon Rogan, the chef patron of L’Enclume in the Lake District which was awarded a third Michelin Star last month, as well as fine dining Chinese restaurant Tattu and the Ossett Brewery Pub Company.
They all join the likes of Bundobust, Gary Usher’s Elite Bistros, Arc Inspirations, which runs the Manhatta and BOX bars, JW Lees, Robinsons, Mission Mars and The Liars Club.
New data released from the NRB yesterday showed that Manchester is among the city's showing the most regrowth in the hospitality sector in the UK, after it took a battering by the Covid pandemic.
The business has grown by 2.5% over the past year, compared to just 1.6% in London.
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