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Various Eateries Trading Limited, trading as Strada, is a chain based in the United Kingdom of branded
restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...
s specialising in
Italian cuisine Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp. 101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Ancient Roman cuisine, Roman times, and later spread ...
with two Strada sites and six Coppa Clubs, all in
Southern England Southern England, also known as the South of England or the South, is a sub-national part of England. Officially, it is made up of the southern, south-western and part of the eastern parts of England, consisting of the statistical regions of ...
.


History

The concept was spawned by Luke Johnson in 2000 and, over five years, expanded to thirty restaurants. In September 2005, Richard Caring bought the chain from Johnson for £60m. During this period of ownership, twenty more restaurants were added to the chain and, in May 2007 they, along with five Belgo and Bierodrome restaurants, were acquired by Tragus Group Ltd for £140m, owner of the brands Cafe Rouge, Bella Italia, Potters Bar & Kitchen and Huxleys. In 2007 Targus signed a concession agreement with holiday park operator Center Parcs UK and Ireland This led to the opening of Strada Restaurants at the Company’s Sherwood and Longleat sites and was Expanded in 2014 with the opening of a Strada Restaurant at Center parcs new village in Woburn. Following Strada’s sale in 2014 CDG operated the Center parcs sites as legacy restaurants until 2016 when they were rebranded as Bella Italia. The Woburn site continued to operate as Strada until 2020, when it closed and was rebranded as a new concept restaurant called Amalfi. In September 2012, Strada joined the Nectar loyalty card reward scheme as a redemption partner. In July 2013, Strada began a partnership with the Gourmet Society, offering their members discounts on production of a Gourmet Society restaurant discount card. In September 2014, forty three of Strada restaurants were bought by Hugh Osmond's
Sun Capital Partners Sun Capital Partners, Inc., is an American private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts. Sun Capital was founded in 1995 by Marc J. Leder and Rodger Krouse, former classmates at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and ...
from Tragus Group (renamed Casual Dining Group) for £37m, retaining their existing management team, led by James Spragg. In 2017, over twenty restaurants closed, in turn, many other branded restaurant companies also closed many sites in 2017 and 2018. As of , Strada has one site in London Southbank and thirteen Coppa club sites (with two sites of Strada turning into one Coppa Club).


Charity

In March 2013, Strada were official partners of
Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
, the British charity founded in 1985 that aims to "bring about positive and lasting change in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people."


Tipping and minimum wage

In June 2009, the company was found to be threatening to dismiss wait staff who do not get customers to pay tips on credit cards rather than in cash. Credit card tips were used by the company to subsidise wages (which are usually the legal minimum) whereas cash tips go directly to wait staff. In line with changes to tipping legislation, which came into effect on 1 October 2009, Tragus Ltd. reviewed and updated its policies to ensure that all tips, after a 10% deduction for administrative and other costs paid by credit or debit card, are now distributed through the payroll system to restaurant staff. All Tragus Group employees are now paid tips in addition to the National Minimum Wage.


See also

* Bella Italia * Café Rouge * Belgo


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 2000 establishments in England British companies established in 2000 Companies based in the City of Westminster Italian restaurants in the United Kingdom Pizza chains of the United Kingdom Restaurant chains in the United Kingdom Restaurants established in 2000