Novelli empire expands into South Africa

Jean-Christophe Novelli, whose second restaurant, Novelli W8, has just opened in west London, has franchised his restaurant concept to two South African hotels.

The Cellars Hohenort in Cape Town and the Plettenberg in the Western Cape, both five-star hotels, will pay a fee to Mr Novelli to set up restaurants in the style of his successful London ventures.

Mr Novelli's growing restaurant group will also receive a share of the profits from both projects.

Chefs and restaurant managers for the restaurants will be sent from London. As part of the agreement, which starts in late July, Mr Novelli will visit the two hotels four times a year.

Further franchises could also be in the pipeline, as Mr Novelli turns his attention to the USA. He is due to visit New York later this year to negotiate with a number of parties.

The expansion of Maison Novelli, the chef's first restaurant in London's Clerkenwell, is also on schedule for late summer. The original restaurant is expanding into an adjacent building to create a larger brasserie, to be known as Novelli EC1, an expanded two-storey fine dining restaurant (Maison Novelli) and a Champagne bar.