Casual Dining

ASK THE EXPERTS

How a Brexit could affect the hospitality industry

21-Mar-2016 By Matthew Pryke

Matthew Pryke, a partner at Hamlins law firm, outlines some of the areas where hospitality could be affected should Britain leave the EU.

Roux Scholarship 2016: finalists revealed

18-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Chefs from L'Enclume, the RAC Club and BaxterStorey are among the six finalists who have made it through to the final of the Roux Scholarship 2016.

The top five stories in hospitality this week 14/03 - 18/03

18-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

What were some of the top stories in hospitality this week? Here's our pick.

Merseyside school pupil is Springboard's FutureChef 2016

17-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Bethan Disley-Jones, a 14-year-old secondary school pupil from Merseyside, has been named Springboard's FutureChef 2016.

Des McDonald to open Japanese restaurant at Birmingham's Park Regis hotel

17-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Former Ivy head chef-turned restaurateur Des McDonald is to open a Japanese izakaya-style restaurant on the 16th floor of the Park Regis hotel in Birmingham.

Darwin & Wallace among operators chosen for first phase of Battersea Power Station development

17-Mar-2016

Independent bar and restaurant company Darwin & Wallace has announced plans to open its fifth site at the new Battersea Power Station development.

Budget 2016: Hospitality industry reacts to 'disappointing' reforms

16-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

The hospitality industry gave a lukewarm reception to today’s budget, with many trade bodies calling for greater support from the Chancellor.

Budget 2016: Sugar tax, business rate relief, beer duty freeze

16-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts & Emma Eversham

Chancellor George Osborne announced a range of measures to help hospitality businesses, including a freeze in beer duty, business rates support and a rise in the corporation stamp duty threshold in today's Budget, while also bowing to pressure to...

PROMOTED CONTENT

Clean linen has significant impact on guest satisfaction, finds survey

16-Mar-2016 By P&G Professional

Restaurants and hotels boasting spotlessly clean table cloths and bed linen are more likely to receive positive reviews, according to a survey by P&G Professional with 45 per cent of independent operators believing clean linen has a significant impact...

Hospitality signs up to commitment to tackle food and drink waste

16-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Greene King, Pizza Hut and Compass are among the 100 food companies and organisations who have signed up to an agreement to tackle food and drink waste greenhouse gas emissions and water intensity by 2025.

NRB Top 50 hospitality power list for 2016 revealed

16-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Thai Leisure Group and chefs Michael O’Hare and Gary Usher are among those featured on the Northern Restaurant & Bar show’s Top 50 operators for 2016.

Confusion surrounds 'craft' term when applied to drinks, report finds

16-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Confusion still surrounds the term 'craft' when applied to drinks despite more people drinking independently brewed beers than ever before.

Little things for little ones: How restaurants can better cater for the family market

15-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Foodservice businesses could better capitalise on the £4bn family market by focusing on small aspects of service such as talking to children, bringing them their food first and supplying them with smaller cutlery, an academic report has found.

Minimum Wage to rise in 2016: Hospitality industry responds

15-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

The National Minimum Wage and Apprenticeship Rate are set to rise again in October 2016, but what does this mean for the hospitality industry?

Hospitality industry backs National Apprenticeship Week 2016

14-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Hotel du Vin, Greene King and Starbucks are among the hospitality businesses announcing new training programmes to mark National Apprenticeship Week.

Sajid Javid: Apprenticeship levy is ‘nothing to be afraid of’

14-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Sajid Javid has assured businesses that the upcoming apprenticeship levy is ‘nothing to be afraid of’.

SRA reveals Food Made Good Awards 2016 shortlist

14-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

River Cottage HQ, PizzaExpress and The Clink restaurant in Cardiff are among the companies making this year's Sustainable Restaurant Association's (SRA) Food Made Good Awards shortlist.

ASK THE EXPERTS

What to consider when hiring an apprentice

14-Mar-2016 By Jill Whittaker

At the start of National Apprenticeship Week 2016 Jill Whittaker, managing director of HIT Training discusses considerations for hospitality businesses when hiring an apprentice.

The top 5 stories in hospitality this week 08/03 - 11/03

11-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

What were some of the top stories in hospitality this week? Here's our pick.

Zero-hours contracts on the decline in hospitality

11-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

The number of hospitality businesses employing staff on zero-hours contracts has halved since 2014, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Rising hourly pay will minimise impact of National Living Wage

11-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Rising hourly rates of pay for hospitality workers means the Living Wage could cost the industry far less than originally predicted, according research from Fourth Analytics.

Gin sales in restaurants and pubs to hit £1bn in 2017

11-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Gin sales in restaurants, pubs and bars are expected to exceed £1bn next year, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.

Wine bar and shop The Humble Grape to open central London site

10-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Battersea-based wine bar and shop Humble Grape has secured a second site off of London's Fleet Street.

Hotel Marketing Association partners with HOSPA

10-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

The Hotel Marketing Association (HMA) has signed a management agreement with the Hospitality Finance, Revenue Management and IT Professionals Association (HOSPA) to provide hospitality marketing expertise to its membership.

Mitchells & Butlers to offer the ‘best apprenticeship scheme in hospitality’

10-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Mitchells & Butlers is set to hire more than 2,000 apprentices over the next 12 months, it was announced today.

DINING TRENDS

Restaurants focus on bar areas as bar side dining grows in popularity

09-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Bar side dining is growing in popularity in UK restaurants with 55 per cent of diners now visiting a restaurant specifically for their bar menu, a survey by restaurant booking service OpenTable has found.

VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2016: Winners announced

09-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Luxury hotel Rockliffe Hall and Worcestershire pub The Fleece Inn are among the winners of this year's VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

Bartenders invited to enter Ultimate Bartender Championship 2016

08-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Bartenders from across the UK are being invited to enter the third Ultimate Bartender Championship (UBC) with the chance to win a fully stocked pop-up bar at London Cocktail Week.

Sharing economy: Could the stage help boost chef retention?

07-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Staff retention in many professional kitchens could be improved if more chefs completed stages in other kitchens and welcomed others into theirs, according to HIT Chef Academy principal Paul Mannering.

Craft Guild of Chefs launches search for Young National Chef of the Year

07-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

The Craft Guild of Chefs has launched its annual search for the Young National Chef of the Year (YNCOTY).

Mitchells & Butlers installs pizza ovens across Vintage Inns estate

07-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

Mitchells & Butlers is installing stone-baked pizza ovens in all 188 of its Vintage Inns pubs as part of a menu refresh.

The top 5 stories in hospitality this week 29/02 - 04/03

04-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

What were some of the top stories in hospitality this week? Here's our pick.

Government gets tough on fake online reviews

04-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Businesses which arrange for third parties to write fake positive reviews about them online are at risk of falling foul of consumer protection law, according to new guidance.

New show for bar and pub sector to run alongside The Restaurant Show

03-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

A new trade show dedicated to the bar and pub industry is to run alongside this year's Restaurant Show.

Asia de Cuba London launches Asia de Cuba Bar

03-Mar-2016 By Emma Eversham

London restaurant Asia de Cuba has re-positioned its bar area as Asia de Cuba Bar, which will specialise in sugarcane-based cocktails and ceviche dishes.

Brexit will worsen Britain's chef shortage, recruiter claims

03-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Quitting the European Union would worsen the ongoing chef shortage in the UK, a hospitality recruiter has warned.

Theo Randall to open casual dining restaurant in Kensington

02-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Theo Randall is to open a new Italian casual dining restaurant in Kensington this month.

Wedding venues warned over illegal cancellation charges

02-Mar-2016 By Sophie Witts

Hotels and restaurants charging large deposits and cancellation fees for weddings and parties could fall foul of consumer protection laws, according to new guidance

Budget 2016: Five things the hospitality industry wants to see

02-Mar-2016 By Helen Gilbert

With Chancellor George Osborne set to unveil his 2016 Budget Statement on 16 March, BigHospitality rounds up the key issues the industry would like addressed.

Tom's Kitchen to open HMS Belfast deli cafe and bar

29-Feb-2016 By Emma Eversham

Tom Aikens' casual restaurant and deli brand Tom's Kitchen will open a deli and bar at London landmark HMS Belfast in March.

JD Wetherspoon defends decision to scrap Sunday Roasts

29-Feb-2016 By Sophie Witts

Wetherspoon's has defended its controversial decision to take Sunday Roast Dinners off its menu.

Restaurants and pubs warned over sexist job adverts

29-Feb-2016 By Sophie Witts

Restaurants, hotels and pubs advertising for a ‘waitress’ or ‘barman’ risk being prosecuted under equality law, according to new guidance.

Seven hospitality businesses make Sunday Times 100 Best Companies 2016 list

29-Feb-2016 By Emma Eversham

Seven hospitality businesses, including Red Carnation Hotels, Hawksmoor and The Breakfast Club have made it onto the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

Premier Inn invests £35m in high-tech Edinburgh hotels

29-Feb-2016 By Sophie Witts

Premier Inn is to invest £35m in opening three new hotels in Edinburgh, including the first of its high-tech hub brand outside of London.

Pubs and bars witness steep rise in contactless spend

29-Feb-2016 By Helen Gilbert

Contactless payments in pubs and bars leapt up by 188 per cent in 2015, latest figures from Barclaycard show.

Thistle Pub Company III makes sites more accessible for disabled customers

29-Feb-2016 By Helen Gilbert

Scottish leisure group Thistle Pub Company III is investing £250,000 to make seven of its sites easier for customers with disabilities to access.

Roux Scholarship 2016: Regional finalists revealed

26-Feb-2016 By Helen Gilbert

Chefs from Midsummer House, Cliveden House and Fera at Claridge’s are among 18 regional finalists in the 2016 Roux Scholarship competition.

Anton Mosimann OBE to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

26-Feb-2016 By Helen Gilbert

Legendary chef Anton Mosimann OBE is to be presented with a lifetime achievement award at Hotelympia 2016. next week.m

English regions see spike in international tourist numbers

26-Feb-2016 By Helen Gilbert

The number of international tourists flocking to English regions has hit a record level with some areas experiencing double digit growth in visitor numbers, latest figures compiled for VisitBritain have revealed.