A new loyalty scheme has launched at some of Yorkshire’s top restaurants which promises to ditch the ‘tired points system’ in favour of much better discounts and offers.
Club IR comes from Individual Restaurants, the group behind Piccolino, Riva Blu, and Restaurant Bar & Grill, with 32 restaurants across the UK.
And with the new loyalty scheme, they’re offering members exclusive deals and experiences, such as a round of drinks on your birthday and special discounts running throughout the week.
For a limited time only, anyone who signs up to Club IR (which is completely free, by the way) will be in with a chance to win a £250 voucher to dine, along with a bottle of Champagne.
Club IR discounts that are available at its beautiful restaurants across Leeds, Sheffield and the wider West Yorkshire area include 15% off dining on Mondays and Tuesdays, 50% off all wine and champagne on Wednesdays, and sharing roasts on Sundays with a complimentary dessert for members.
Newly-launched is Club Friday, where Club IR members can get two courses and a drink for £25 every week at Piccolino restaurants including Collingham, Ilkley, Harrogate and Sheffield.
Dishes on the exclusive menu include arancina and calamari fritti for your primi course, and a huge list of pizzas and pastas for secondi, like salami and nduja pizza or tagliatelle alla bolognese.
There are also steak and Malbec evenings for just £35 on Thursdays at Restaurant Bar & Grill locations, like the stunning restaurant inside the historic Old Post Office building in Leeds.
Club IR actually has three tiers of membership available, from Club to Black to Diamond, with different benefits and money-can’t-buy experiences for each tier.
There are VIP events aplenty, like parties, top sporting events, and once-in-a-lifetime trips to top culinary destinations.
Club IR’s bespoke approach has been created following research into customer appetites, which has found that we all much prefer a variety of offers and discounts instead of a points-based loyalty programme.
It has an easy-to-use app that gets members easy access to offers, updates and perks.
If you sign up for Club IR now, you’ll be entered into a competition to win a £250 voucher to dine at the restaurant, plus a bottle of champagne.
A new cocktail bar is coming to Leeds city centre.
If you know a thing or two about cocktails, or just drinks in general, then you're going to be very excited about this news.
The very talented team behind Roland's on Call Lane and The Domino Club, just to name a few, are setting their sites on a brand-new venture.
Introducing Paper Plane, an intimate new cocktail bar that will be taking over the old Casa site in the city's beautiful Grand Arcade.
Paper Plane will be inspired by the glamour of 1970s air travel and will be a vinyl-only listening bar, serving a world-inspired cocktail menu alongside a carefully curated whisky collection.
The space will be lovely and intimate, with around just 40 covers, designed to transport guests somewhere completely different from the minute they step foot through the door.
And what a location too, joining a whole host of fantastic independents in the arcade such as Alfonso's Deli, Stuzzi and Sonder.
For now, we don't know many more details about the project, but we already know it's going to be exceptional cas anything these guys do turns to gold.
Not only has Roland's been consistently one of the busiest bars on Call Lane since they opened back in 2014, but The Domino Club was recently crowned one of the best cocktail bars in the world. Now that is some accolade worth shouting about.
We'll keep you updated with Paper Plane's progress, but Roland's have stated that the site is hoping to open this coming autumn. So we really don't have long to wait.
Big name restaurant closes Leeds city centre site after seven years
Clementine Hall
A popular restaurant chain has closed permanently in Leeds city centre.
Popular pizzeria Franco Manca has closed its Leeds restaurant.
The chain was famed for its relaxed atmosphere, quick service and affordable sourdough Neapolitan pizzas that were on offer for as little as a fiver.
The chain occupied the site on the outskirts of Trinity Shopping Centre on Trinity Street, next door to Itsu and overlooking the back entrance of Marks and Spencer.
Hoardings have now gone up, signifying the site is now empty and Franco Manca has permanently closed.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
This can also be seen on Google when searching for the restaurant branch.
It was announced earlier this year that a number of Franco Manca's restaurants would be closing across the country.
This was down to a reconstructing plan approved by creditors for the chain. The brand said it had been knocked by “disproportionately high” UK taxes and a lack of business rates relief for hospitality.
Marcel Khan, chief executive of parent firm Fulham Shore, said at the time: “We are grateful for the support shown by our creditors today.
“Franco Manca is a fantastic brand with a strong heritage and loyal customer base. With this agreement in place, we will put the business back on a firm footing and press ahead with strengthening our customer offer and performance.”
The Leeds brand was not included in the initial list of restaurant closing, but it seems further closures were made.
Daisy Jackson -
21st June 2024 
