Grind and Compass Group open standalone London Waterloo café

London coffee brand Grind has launched a standalone site at London’s Waterloo Station in partnership with Compass Group UK and Ireland.

The 35-seat café launched today (15 December) on the mezzanine level opposite Platform 5 and will open every day from 7am to 10pm.

It has opened in partnership with One Retail, the retail specialist arm of Compass Group.

Grind already operates a café at the station within BrewDog Waterloo. It previously had a café at London St Pancras International station, which is now closed.

The group was founded in 2011 by David Abrahamovitch, who turned his father’s old mobile phone store in London’s Shoreditch into the first Grind café. It now serves millions of people a year, has a booming retail arm and is targeting revenue of £35m - £40m this year.

Grind has expanded to 13 sites in London and one at Dubai Airport. It launched its first café in Manchester at Gary Neville’s £400m St Michael’s development earlier this year.

Abrahamovitch said: “Bringing Grind to one of the UK’s busiest stations marks a major milestone for us—we can’t wait to bring our craft coffee to thousands of commuters at Waterloo. We’re offering travellers a completely new experience: a place where they can grab a great coffee on the go, sit down for brunch, or unwind with cocktails after a long day.”

Abrahamovitch previously told The Caterer that while Grind’s online business already had a national presence, he hoped to expand its physical footprint across the UK.