Industry experts have welcomed the delayed start of the new 20 per cent rate of VAT, claiming it will allow hospitality companies to find ways of absorbing the additonal costs rather than passing them on to cash strapped consumers
The coalition government’s move to raise VAT to a uniform 20 per cent from January next year in yesterday’s emergency budget is a 'missed opportunity' for UK hospitality
Chancellor George Osborne has announced VAT will rise to 20 per cent from January of next year, as he delivered his ‘unavoidable budget’ today in parliament
Pub operator and restaurateur Charlie McVeigh is targeting an early 2011 launch for Draft House number four, having just exchanged contracts on a third site at London’s Tower Bridge
St. John co-owners Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver have released further details about the St. John Hotel, which is due to open in London’s Chinatown in late September
Tim Homewood is head bartender at Babylon restaurant at the Roof Gardens, London, and winner of the 2010 Saffron and Sides cocktail competition. He talks about his career and why bartending is a great job
Royal Bank of Scotland is thought to be close to appointing a pub group to operate Merchant Inns, the business set up by Robert Breare and Sir John Ritblat that was placed in administration late last year
Budget hotel chain Travelodge has elected to go it alone and has resigned from the British Hospitality Association (BHA), claiming it can represent its interests just as well as the industry body
The De Vere group has appointed a new general manager for Mottram Hall Hotel in Cheshire, while the Hotel du Vin and Malmaison group appoints a new sales director
Brasserie Blanc, the French casual dining chain, is moving into the pub market. It has acquired the leases of two pubs formerly operated by Massive, the London managed pub group
Robin Sheppard is managing director of Bespoke Hotels, which is launching the New Ellington Hotel in Leeds next month, and a former GM of the Lygon Arms in the Cotswolds
Restaurants, hotels and pubs, including Brunello at Baglioni Hotel and 1901 at Andaz Liverpool, tell us about the extra activities they're planning to make their businesses more appealing
Action Against Hunger is calling for volunteers to assist chefs including Valentine Warner, Cyrus Todiwala and Paul Merrett, at its charity pop-up restaurant at the Taste of London festival next week
Simon Hulstone, chef proprietor of The Elephant in Torquay, has finished fourth in the European finals of the Bocuse d’Or, qualifying for the World Final in Lyon next year
Up to four million people will watch England play the USA in the World Cup in the pub this Saturday, boosting sales by £35m, according to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA)
The hospitality industry must address seven key trends during the next five years if it is to continue enjoying success and strong growth, according to a new report
Cornwall’s Budock Vean Hotel has been named Considerate Hotel of the Year 2010, at a presentation that also saw legendary chef Raymond Blanc pick-up a ‘good egg’ award
Kate Levin, daughter of The Capital Group founders David and Margaret Levin and general manager of The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge, tells all about her career and life growing up in a hotel
Dan Houghton and Eric Partaker knew little about the restaurant industry before they set up Chilango. But that hasn¹t stopped them creating a thriving, award-winning brand
An influential health advisory body has backed calls for a minimum price on alcohol, new restrictions on the granting of licences and a ban on advertising
Yum! Brands has announced its Mexican-inspired restaurant chain Taco Bell is to return to the UK, with a site set to open at the Lakeside shopping centre in June
BigHospitality puts one reader's question about making a good return from food sales during the World Cup to Sharon Glancy, managing director of Stonebow, the training arm of People 1st
The hospitality skills crisis is deepening, with more than a quarter of businesses within the sector claiming they employ staff lacking the skills needed for their jobs
Any pub, restaurant or hotel screening the World Cup games is sure to see a boost in trade over the summer, but how can you ensure you have the edge over the competition?
Graeme Cushion at licensing solicitors Poppleston Allen gives his advice on enjoying a profitable and successful World Cup that remains within the law.
The FIFA World Cup 2010 will command a global TV audience of millions, and although many will watch it at home, restaurants and pubs can create a carnival atmosphere with the right equipment in place to show the games.
In the third Roundtable event in partnership with Restaurant magazine and Nestle, chefs and restaurateurs discuss what they have learned from the recession in the last 12 months, and how they plan to survive over the next year
It may be all too tempting to turn your business into a World Cup party zone, but the true winners from the competition will be those who can successfully separate their original business concept from the football.
The FIFA World Cup 2010 kicks off on 11 June in South Africa with 32 teams battling for football’s greatest accolade. BigHospitality takes a look at the opportunties it presents.
Anna Horsman talks about joining Geronimo Inns as head of events, and her misson to develop the pub group’s private rooms business, especially during the World Cup
