- Hard Rock Hotels has signed a deal to open in Glasgow following its London debut in summer 2018. The group told BigHospitality it had its eye on sites in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham for further UK expansion.
- The M Restaurants group has dropped plans to open a third central London restaurant in reaction to the 'post-Brexit landscape'. It will instead focus on a rolling out a new 'M Social' concept, taking the steak and raw food elements of the M brand to smaller sites further out in the capital.
- Deliveroo has launched an alcohol ordering scheme which delivers drinks to customers homes in under 20 minutes. Brands including Brewdog, Majestic Wines and Honest Grape have signed up to the scheme in selected cities across the UK.
- Workers across the hospitality industry are paid an average of 27p above the National Living Wage (NLW) of £7.20 per hour, a study has found. The pay gap between businesses in London and those north of the M25 has also narrowed by 15p since the NLW was introduced in April.
- Pokemon GO has taken the UK by storm, and restaurants, hotels and pubs are using the mobile game to boost sales. Businesses are holding events, launching themed menus and dropping 'lures' to attract the cartoon characters.
For a full rundown of this week's news click here.