Casual Dining

Intercontinental London - O2 unveils five destination restaurants and bars

05-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

The Intercontinental London – The O2 has unveiled five destination restaurants and bars opening at the luxury hotel when it launches at Greenwich Peninsula this winter.

Restaurant and Bar Design Awards 2015: Winners announced

05-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

Dandelyan, Dirty Martini and Nando’s were among UK winners at the 2015 Restaurant and Bar Design Awards, which took place in London last week.

Employers warn apprenticeship levy could lower quality of training

02-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

A government levy designed to boost the number of apprenticeships on offer could lower the quality of training programmes, employers warned today.

Dandelyan’s Iain Griffiths on building a bar in 24 hours and predicting the next big spirit

02-Oct-2015 By Emma Eversham

Iain Griffiths is business manager at Mr Lyan, Ryan Chetiyawardana’s bar and drinks company, and bartender at Dandelyan. He is also part of the London team competing in Bacardi Brown Forman’s 24 Hour Bar Build competition as part of London Cocktail Week...

The Hanging Gate: New gastropub from team behind The Lord Clyde

01-Oct-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Cheshire gastropub, The Lord Clyde, has announced a second site: The Hanging Gate in Higher Sutton, Cheshire.

Chinese visa overhaul could boost visitor numbers by 265k

01-Oct-2015 By Liam Garrahan

An overhaul of the Chinese visa system could boost the boost the number of Chinese tourists to the UK by 265k each year and earn the British economy £337m, according to The UK China Visa Alliance (UKCVA).

Minimum wage rise: Businesses face £20k fine for underpaying staff

01-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

Hospitality businesses have been warned they could face fines of up to £20,000 per employee for failing to pay staff the new national minimum wage rate - which comes in to force today (1 October).

UK hospitality industry to expect influx of Chinese visitors

30-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

The UK’s hospitality and tourism sectors should expect to see an increase in the number of visits from Chinese tourists over the next month as they enter their holiday season, says VisitBritain.

First Look: The new-look Le Pont de la Tour

30-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

D&D London's Thameside restaurant Le Pont de La Tour re-opened its doors this week after a two month refurbishment and BigHospitality was one of the first to see it.

Mark Hix to open standalone Mark's Bar at the Old Vic

29-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Mark Hix will open a standalone Mark's Bar within The Old Vic theatre next month.

Happy Halloween: Premier Foodservice helps restaurants get off to a spooky start

29-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Premier Foodservice is helping restaurant and pub chefs get off to a spooky start this Halloween with the launch of its Winter Warmers calendar.

Levy Restaurants UK wins £7.3m Imperial War Museum catering contract

28-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Compass Group UK & Ireland's sports, leisure and hospitality arm Levy Restaurants UK has won a catering contract worth £7.3m to design and manage food and beverage spaces at three Imperial War Museum (IWM) sites.

Relax immigration laws to help address chef shortage, says recruiter

28-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

The chef shortage problem could be eased temporarily by relaxing Britain's immigration laws to allow a 'freer movement of chef talent' around the globe, the director of hospitality recruitment company The Change Group has claimed.

ASK THE EXPERTS

Six steps to assigning a restaurant or pub lease

28-Sep-2015 By Paul Davey

Paul Davey, managing director of Davey Co, talks through how restaurant and pub owners can assign the lease on their properties if they want to move on.

Mobile phones cause “emotional stress” at dinner table

25-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Mobile phone use while dining out causes “constant, low-level emotional stress”, a report finds.

Richard Bainbridge on Great British Menu and opening his own restaurant

25-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

Richard Bainbridge, chef-owner at Benedict's in Norwich, is returning to Great British Menu next week. He spoke to BigHospitality about launching his first solo restaurant and why this year’s competition will be his last.

Chefs raise £45k at Action Against Hunger Global Gastronomy event

24-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Chefs Chris and Jeff Galvin, Richard Corrigan, José Pizarro and Hameed Farook have helped raise £45k for Action Against Hunger by cooking at and hosting the charity's annual Global Gastronomy dinner.

Velocity acquires US mobile payments app Cover Inc.

23-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

UK-based mobile payments app Velocity has taken its 'first major step' in its plan for international roll-out by acquiring US mobile payments app company Cover Inc.

27% of Brits planning to spend more on Christmas this year

23-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Almost a third of Brits are planning to spend more on Christmas this year compared to 2014, according to a report by Greene King.

Political support builds for Cut Tourism VAT campaign

22-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Political support for Cut Tourism VAT's campaign to reduce VAT on domestic tourism from 20 per cent to 5 per cent is growing with The Liberal Democrats becoming the first main party to back it.

Restaurant Manager of the Year competition open for entries

21-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

The 2015 UK Restaurant Manager of the Year competition is open for entries.

Top chefs and restaurateurs to inspire young job seekers at Big Hospitality Conversation

21-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Chefs Mark Sargeant, Phil Howard, Gary Lee and Adam Byatt are among those attending the British Hospitality Association's (BHA) Big Hospitality Conversation in London today (Monday) where they will aim to inspire young job seekers to take up a career...

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How to turn a negative review into a positive experience

21-Sep-2015 By Guy Arnold

Guy Arnold, managing director of Sales Through Service, shares his four top tips to avoiding negative reviews of your business online and suggests how to turn them into a positive experience if you do.

Rugby World Cup search boost for hotels

18-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Search figures for hotels in Rugby World Cup host cities show a significant year-on-year increase, according to research from hotels booking website Expedia.

New Chef Academy to tackle skills shortage

18-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

A new chef training academy is aiming to tackle the industry skills shortage and continue to build on the UK’s Michelin success in to the next generation.

VIEWPOINT

Chef Dave Pigram on integrating superfoods into menus

18-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

With superfoods predicted to be a growing trend for menus BigHospitality speaks to Dave Pigram, head chef at The Waterleaf Restaurant at Reynolds Retreat in Kent, about how he is using them in his menus and why they can be beneficial to health and business.

Pubs to pull 25m more pints for Rugby World Cup

17-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Bartenders could be suffering with sore arms during the Rugby World Cup as they could be pulling an extra 25m pints during the tournament, according to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

Michelin 2016: Birmingham shines while Manchester misses out (again)

17-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Birmingham has become the city holding the most Michelin-starred restaurants outside of London while Manchester has failed to earn itself a star for another year.

Michelin Guide editor: “How do you get a Michelin star? Don’t cook for us”

17-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland editor Rebecca Burr’s advice to chefs disappointed at not gaining a Michelin star for their restaurant this year is 'not to cook for Michelin'.

Michelin Guide 2016: New Stars for Lyles, Araki and The Man Behind The Curtain

16-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

The Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland 2016 has awarded Two Stars to Japanese restaurants Araki and Umu, in a year that saw Lyle’s and The Man Behind the Curtain receive their first stars.

One in 10 people work in hospitality and tourism

16-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

The UK hospitality and tourism industry employs 4.49m people - approximately 10 per cent of the working population – according to a new report by Oxford Economics.

National Living Wage to add 3.4% to hospitality wage bills by 2020

16-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Employers in the hospitality industry will see their wage bills increase by 3.4 per cent by 2020 with almost half of employees in the sector receiving a pay rise due to the rollout of the National Living Wage (NLW).

Parliamentary event to highlight importance of hospitality to the economy

16-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

A reception is being held at Parliament today (Wednesday) to highlight the importance of the hospitality and tourism industries to the British economy.

Technology having increasing impact on diner choice

15-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Fifty-five per cent of diners say that technology plays a vital role in the restaurant experience, according to a recent report, with online menus, reviews and apps having an increasing influence on where consumers choose to eat.

Restaurants reminded of duties to blind diners

15-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Restaurant staff are being reminded of the Disability Discrimination Act after an incident in Liverpool saw a blind teenager removed from a restaurant for bringing her guide dog with her.

PubAid and JustGiving aim for pub quiz world record

14-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

PubAid has announced an attempt to break the world record for the world’s largest pub quiz across multiple venues.

Get ready for Christmas bookings hospitality businesses told

14-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Restaurant, hotel and pub operators should arm their staff with details of Christmas packages, offers and menus and get them to 'show excitement' when taking bookings for the festive season as research reveals the majority will be made this...

Hospitality industry told to capitalise on high gin sales

14-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Restaurants, pubs and hotels are being advised to boost the number of gins they stock to capitalise on growing sales and better cater for more informed customers.

New Leeds opening: Archies Bar & Kitchen

11-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Ossett brewery has launched its third venue in Leeds city centre in the form of Archie’s Bar & Kitchen which as “an equal focus” on fresh food and drinks.

Wetherspoon's boss: Living Wage will hit pubs in poorer areas

11-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

The boss of JD Wetherspoon has warned that the introduction of the National Living Wage will place added financial pressure on pubs in less affluent areas.

Football nets British tourism industry £684m

10-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

International football tourists have scored £684m for the British tourism industry, a 15 per cent rise since 2010, according to VisitBritain.

Green Tourism withdraws support for The Rainforest Alliance after BBC report

09-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

Green Tourism - the environmental accreditation body for the hospitality industry - is withdrawing its support for The Rainforest Alliance after a BBC report found ‘digusting and degrading’ working conditions at a tea plantation endorsed by the brand.

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