Bakers Square's roots extend back to 1970 when a restaurant charmingly named 'Mrs. C's' opened in Des Moines, Iowa. The restaurant served your standard sandwiches and soups but quickly became known for its cream and double-crusted fruit pies.
Franchisees have had to put prices up. We've worked really hard not to do that, but we've had some significant incremental cost flow through the employment changes that came through. A lot of brands have really pulled back - they've either put their prices up massively or they've pulled back on their service. I think we've got the balance right in terms of how we've approached it.
Chick-fil-A is currently in the midst of its second attempt to break into the UK chicken market. Back in 2019 the chain opened locations in Reading and Aviemore, Scotland, but both branches shut following backlash and a campaign by LGBTQ+ activists. T he company has a controversial history of donating to anti-LGBTQ+ organisations, and the then-CEO made public statements opposing same-sex marriage. Find out all about that controversy here.
Burnt has been slowly growing over the past few years, with the OG site on Askew Road becoming known for its brunch, featuring dishes like poached eggs with rose harissa yoghurt and buttermilk pancakes with rhubarb.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess what people usually order at Pizza Hut. Nonetheless, this pizza chain offers items beyond standard pizza with offerings ranging from cheesy breads to melts and wings - we even ranked some of the most popular Pizza Hut menu items. Apparently, pizza lovers want something other than cheese-covered bread to go with their pies, and wings seem to be quite popular as Pizza Hut currently offers an impressive range of boneless or traditional wings with a slew of flavor options.
Budakan's specially developed base uses a high-protein Canadian flour for structure along with a small amount of rye, resulting in a slightly nutty flavour and the perfect NY-style chew. The dough is then fermented for a minimum of 48 hours ensuring a super light, but crisp crust. As for the toppings, Hot Saint will serve classics as well as new takes like the Spicy Hawaiian: San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, guanciale and smoked ham hock, pineapple, smoked chilli and jalapeños;
There is an art to a proper meat pie, according to the Seattle chef and butcher Kevin Smith. The American pot pie frustrates him because it lets the pot do the heavy lifting. "The real way of doing it, for me, is to make a freestanding pie," Smith says. The pastry should hold itself up, a technique cooks in England have honed over centuries. "That is so much more theatrical."
Dr Lucie Nield, co-lead investigator from the University of Sheffield, said: People deserve greater transparency about the food they are ordering online, and these businesses must be held to the appropriate regulatory standards. Without this, dark kitchens risk falling through the gap, with potential consequences for public health, particularly by encouraging increased use of online takeaways, greater availability and therefore greater consumption of high fat, salt or sugar food.
The dough is what really makes a Sodo pizza stand out - the sourdough base is made using flour from heritage grains and is fermented for 72 hours to make it light and digestible. But the toppings are no afterthought, with the team sourcing ingredients from local producers, including mozzarella and burrata made in Acton, pepperoni and nduja cured in Islington, honey from Walthamstow and leaves from a salad farm in Dagenham.
The pavement along Barking Road in Plaistow is a blur through the front windows and deserted, and there are only two customers in the shop. Another sign this one on the counter says CASH ONLY. Card machine companies often tell proprietor Nathan Jacobi that he's missing out by not catering to customers who favour cashless transactions. They're the ones missing out, he says. Cos they ain't getting pie and mash.
The latest NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker, powered by CGA intelligence, reveals groups' like-for-like sales last month were just 0.3% ahead of December 2024. It was flat at 0.0% in November, as some consumers tightened their spending in the run-up to Christmas. Across 2025, at-home sales growth rose above the UK's rate of inflation in only two of the 12 months.