SCOTTISH RESTAURANT CHAIN BEGINS EXPANSION INTO ENGLAND
Stack & Still, the UK’s largest chain of pancake houses, is expanding beyond Scotland by opening a restaurant at a flagship location in London’s Leicester Square.
The Glasgow-headquartered company, who serve in excess of a million pancakes per annum is taking over a site on Irving Street that was occupied previously by American brand MOD Pizza, edging out rival bids from global brands.
The firm, which was founded by Graham Swankie and Paul Reynolds, will invest £250,000 in opening its first branch in London. It will seat 225 people spread across 5,000sq ft over three floors and an outdoor terrace.
Following a soft opening in December, Stack & Still will emulate its cinema neighbours in Leicester Square by rolling out the red carpet in January for a movie premiere-style official opening.
Ryan Hawes, the group’s executive head chef in Scotland, will move to London from Scotland to open the branch as head chef. Ryan’s role in Scotland has been replaced by Mark Ferrari.
Earlier in his career, Mr Hawes worked as a chef de partie and a sous chef at the five-star Dorchester Hotel near London’s Hyde Park, and held two AA rosettes while he was head chef at Livingstone’s Restaurant in Linlithgow, near Edinburgh.
Ryan is joined by general manager Barry McPhee who is rejoining the Stack & Still family from Franco Manca. Barry will be supported by Lyle Maclean Beaton as assistant manager who joined Stack & Still as a bartender when the brand launched in 2018.
Stack & Still, which employs 200 people at its seven locations in Scotland, aims to double in size during the next two years, including more locations in London.
Paul Reynolds, co-founder and chief executive at Stack & Still, said: “It’s long been my ambition to expand Stack & Still beyond Scotland and the move into, probably the most famous leisure destination in the UK, is testament to the strength of the brand.
Opening our flagship pancake house in such a location will allow us to expand beyond our traditionally busy breakfast time by serving dishes throughout the day to families and international tourists. Guests can choose from 12 million combinations thanks to our selection of pancake bases, toppings, sauces, and other accompaniments.”
The UK’s biggest pancake house will initially open its Leicester Square site between 9am and 5pm, before moving to a 12-hour service beginning at 8am. Stack & Still will be introducing order at table technology to order pancakes in multiple languages.
Stack & Still’s existing Scottish sites are at: West George Street in Glasgow; Braehead, Glasgow Fort, and Silverburn shopping centres; The Centre in Livingston; the Bonnie & Wild food court in Edinburgh’s £1 billion St James Quarter shopping centre; and the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, where it took over a flagship site from Jamie’s Italian last summer.
Stack & Still was advised on property by Oliver Wright of Wright Property. On legal’s advisors was CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang for property and TLT LLP on licensing.
