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New Corbin and King owner Minor International is pressing ahead with restaurant expansion despite widespread ill-feeling about the acquisition. Restaurant property advisors are under immediate instruction to find new sites for the group, according to Code.
The news that the group is looking for sites in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dublin follows comments from Minor International chief executive Dillip Rajakarier in late April detailing its plans: “There’s a short term, medium term, and long term plan ... The medium term is fulfilling our obligations in terms of Manzi’s and the other two.” At that point, expansion was in the long term bracket, but it appears the group is already there.
This is in spite of considerable backlash at the nature of its ousting of Corbin and King co-founder Jeremy King, after a protracted financial and legal saga dating back to November 2021, when King mentioned “a differing view between us during the pandemic of the best way forward and what the outlook for London would be.”
As of now, little is known about King’s next move, though NYC restaurateur and Shakespearean fool Keith McNally claims the pair are “doing a Major Project together” in London. Stay tuned.