A RESTAURANT and bar chain branded “better than Wetherspoons” has revealed locations for its new branches.
Loungers PLC is adding 10 new Lounge sites to its portfolio of 277 restaurants across the UK over the next few months.
One already opened two days ago with a further nine pulling up their shutters in the coming months.
The last restaurant to open will welcome in customers in mid-March, 2024, taking Lounger’s Lounge cafe bars UK estate to 249.
Here is the full list of restaurants opening:
Founded in Bristol in 2002, Lounge opened its 200th restaurant, Verdetto Lounge, in Buckingham in September last year.
It has continued to grow rapidly, having already opened eight branches this year and six in 2023.
But despite growing to have more outlets than popular brands such as Prezzo and Wagamama, Lounge has kept pretty low key so far.
This is partly because each branch has a different name and appearance, meaning fans may not realise their local is part of a group.
However, those in the know are raving about how much they love it.
In one review on TripAdvisor, a fan said it’s “better than Wetherspoons” with “just the right vibe”.
Other customers commented on Instagram that it’s “the best” and some fans are begging the chain to come to their town.
While each outlet has unique decor and its own name, the menu is the same wherever you go and offers a wide selection of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes.
The all-day menu includes brunch dishes, sandwiches, burgers, salads and tapas boards, as well as a range of other main courses and desserts.
You can find your nearest Lounge by putting your town or postcode into the “find a Lounge” tool on its website.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research published earlier this year revealed 10,500 shops closed for good in 2023, with 119,000 jobs lost over the same period.
Plus, some big name retailer names have gone into administration this year, including most recently Homebase.
But it’s not all doom and gloom across the sector, with some chains expanding on the high street and retail parks.
Nostalgic 90s retailer Toys R Us has been opening dozens of stores across the high street, with 23 pulling up their shutters before Christmas.
In May, M&S said it wanted to open two more stores and refresh 12 more across London as part of a £30million investment.
The two new foodhalls opened in Sidcup and Friern Barnet this summer while stores in Brixton Road and Teddington got a revamp.
IKEA has opened its first standalone UK restaurant in a busy west London street.
Meanwhile, American fast food giant Chick-fil-A is crossing the pond and bringing its beloved chicken sandwiches to the UK.
Five locations are set to open between 2025 and 2027, as exclusively revealed by The Sun.
Plus another US fast food chain, MB Chicken, opened its first UK restaurant in Hounslow, London, on November 6.
Meanwhile, fashion and homeware chain Cath Kidston made a surprise return to the high street in October.
Plus, at the start of the year, WH Smith announced plans to open 15 new shops in airports, railway stations and hospitals across the UK.
Wilko has also been opening branches across the UK.
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