Las Iguanas owner plans to open 50 new restaurants

Big Table Group said it intends to invest more than £50 million over the next three years.

Henry Saker-Clark
Monday 25 October 2021 11:00 BST
Las Iguanas owner Big Table Group has announced expansion plans (Victoria jones/PA)
Las Iguanas owner Big Table Group has announced expansion plans (Victoria jones/PA) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The restaurant group behind Las Iguanas is planning to open 50 new restaurants in an expansion strategy set to create 1,250 jobs.

Big Table Group, which also owns the Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge chains, said it intends to invest more than £50 million over the next three years.

It said around £35 million will be injected into the new openings to take its portfolio to 200 restaurants across the UK.

Meanwhile, £19 million will be pumped into 70 major refurbishments across its estate.

Of the 50 new sites, the group said it will open 35 Las Iguanas outlets across major UK towns and city centres, almost doubling the number of restaurants in the Latin American chain.

The company said Las Iguanas has “exceeded all expectations” after reopening following the relaxation of pandemic restrictions earlier this year.

The brand opened a site in Plymouth last week and is due to open another in Southampton this year.

It comes after Big Table hired former KFC executive Paul Stokes as the group’s head of acquisitions to lead its growth strategy.

Big Table Group changed its name from the Casual Dining Group last year after it was snapped up by private equity firm Epiris following the impact of the first Covid-19 lockdown.

Chief executive Alan Morgan said: “Las Iguanas has consistently proven to be an extremely popular choice with consumers, and now is the perfect time to grow the brand across the country, targeting high footfall locations in major towns and city centres.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in