Chicago Rib Shack set to open fifth site just two months after fourth
American diner-style brand Chicago Rib Shack is set to open its fifth site, in Twickenham, West London.
The new venue is on the site of the former Ales & Tails restaurant near the Twickenham rugby stadium, and will operate as a temporary bar until the official restaurant opens in February 2015.
It will serve the group's usual array of ribs, burgers, hot dogs and chicken, as well as craft beers, ice tea, homemade lemonade, ice-cream floats, and milkshakes.
The news comes just two months after the group announced its fourth London restaurant, which opened in late August this year, in Clapham. This will be the fifth site for the brand, whose other locations are in Westfield Stratford, Southampton, and Leeds.
Originally founded in 1991, the original Knightsbridge site closed in 1999 when the lease ran out. The group re-opened a site in Knightsbridge in 2008, but owner CRS Leisure sold that London site to Buddha Bar in May 2012. The group then opened a site in Westfield Stratford just before July's 2012 London Olympic Games.
Christian Arden, managing director at Chicago Rib Shack, said: "This is a great location. We are looking to transform the site in what will be a very exciting 12 months for the Twickenham area."
The letting was secured by Davis Coffer Lyons, on behalf of head lessee, Mint Group.
Charlotte Wild, chartered surveyor at Davis Coffer Lyons, said that North American cuisine was rising in popularity, and that established operators such as Chicago Rib Shack were well-placed to capitalise on the growing trend.