Casual Dining

Cutting tourism VAT could provide £20bn boost to the UK

25-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

The campaign to Cut Tourism VAT has placed renewed pressure on the government after a study revealed that lowering the tax could be worth £20bn to the UK.

The Walkaway Pound: 3.6m people leave restaurants and pubs because of poor disability awareness

25-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

Hospitality operators are being encouraged to better equip their staff with the skills to interact with disabled customers after a report found that 3.6 million are leaving restaurants, pubs and clubs because of a lack of understanding of their needs. 

Craft Guild of Chefs reveals Graduate Awards finalists

24-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

Ten young chefs have made it through to this year's Craft Guild of Chefs' Graduate Awards final. 

TRENDS

Restaurant, pub and hotel wine sales continue to decline

24-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

Wine sales have continued to fall in restaurants, pubs and hotels over the last three months with only sparkling and fortified wines bucking the trend. 

Former British Larder site damaged in early morning blaze

23-Jun-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Suffolk pub the Unruly Pig, in Bromeswell, has been severely damaged in a fire.

Network Rail & SSP create 'destination station' at London Euston

23-Jun-2015 By Ruth Williams

Network Rail is embracing street food as part of its vision to create destination stations as it plans to implement its London model in regional stations.

NTIA report: Regulation 'unfairly harming' late night venues

23-Jun-2015 By Michelle Perrett

Late night venues are being unfairly harmed by regulation and reduced opening hours, a report by sociologist Professor Frank Furedi on behalf of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has revealed.

People 1st to help operators develop career progression tool

22-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

Funding has been secured for a new benchmarking model to be developed to help hospitality employers engage with their staff.

Texture and 28°- 50°'s Agnar Sverrisson to ‘take company to another level’

22-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

Texture and 28°-50° director Agnar Sverrisson says he wants to ‘take the company to another level’ following last month’s departure of sommelier and co-founder Xavier Rousset.

TRENDS

Consumer spending trends: 15% of monthly budget going on leisure

22-Jun-2015 By Michelle Perrett

The average Brit is spending an estimated 15 per cent of their monthly budget on leisure spend, according to new research by VoucherCodes.co.uk.

BHA welcomes streamlining of visa process for Chinese tourists

22-Jun-2015 By Michelle Perrett

A new visa procedure making it easier for Chinese tourists to enter the UK has been welcomed by the British Hospitality Association (BHA).

ASK THE EXPERTS

What to consider when choosing temporary staff over permanent hires

22-Jun-2015 By Lee Morris

With the summer holiday season upon us, Lee Morris, director of Goldstar Recruitment, looks at what operators should consider when choosing whether to hire temporary or permanent staff for their business.

Government launches inquiry in to 'fake' online reviews

19-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

The government has launched an investigation in to the prevalence of ‘fake’ online reviews and paid-for endorsements after finding evidence of potentially unlawful practice.

Living Ventures to open bar, restaurant and training academy at Liverpool's Cunard Building

19-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

Living Ventures has signed a deal with Liverpool City Council to open a bar, restaurant and training academy at the Cunard Building. 

Hospitality career development app secures funding

18-Jun-2015 By Michelle Perrett

Rocco Forte Hotels has secured funding for a career development app called ‘Map My Future’.

London Union to 'change capital's food landscape forever'

18-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

London Union, the new parent company of street food market Street Feast, officially launches today with the pledge of changing 'the capital's food landscape forever'. 

What's on at Imbibe Live 2015

16-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

Imbibe Live, the annual exhibition for anyone who sources, buys or serves drinks in the licensed on-trade is back. Here's our round-up of what's on at this year's show.

TRENDS

Generation Y demands a marketing story

16-Jun-2015 By Ruth Williams

Sharing a brand story and telling customers why a product is special using imagery to create an emotional connection will increase sales and encourage brand loyalty.

Roti Chai owner to launch Chai Ki this month

16-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

Rohit Chugh, the owner of Indian street food concept Roti Chai, will fully launch his second concept - Chai Ki - in Canary Wharf this month. 

Upham Pub Company secures funding for growth

16-Jun-2015 By Mark Wingett

Hampshire based Upham Pub Company has secured £6m funding from Natwest to support its ambitious growth plans.

Sales surge for pubs and restaurants driven by branded chain expansion

15-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

A boom in pub and restaurant operators opening new sites outside of London saw collective like-for-like sales across the sector grow 2.1 per cent in May against the same month last year.

Grind & Co launches crowdfunding drive to raise £1.5m towards expansion

15-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

London-based independent coffee and cocktail group Grind & Co has today (15 June) launched a CrowdCube campaign to raise £1.5m towards national expansion and allow the company to take control of its own supply chain.

ASK THE EXPERTS

What to consider when joining an aggregator

15-Jun-2015 By Andrew Ball

Andrew Ball, head of hospitality at chartered accountants Haysmacintyre discusses what hospitality business owners should be considering when joining an aggregator.

Young chef and landlord launches competition to encourage the next generation of talent

10-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

One of the youngest head chefs in the country is running a Masterchef-style competition to inspire catering students to follow in his footsteps.

Brew launches crowdfunding campaign to help put tea back on the high street

10-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

Tea concept Brew is launching a crowdfunding campaign to help it open its first permanent site and reclaim tea's place on the UK's high streets. 

Pub operators 'missing out' on the coffee market

09-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

The coffee market represents a 'strong opportunity' for pubs to generate extra revenue, but operators must do more to meet customer demand. 

Eating-out spend reaches 13 month high

09-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

Consumer spending on eating and drinking-out reached a record peak in May, according to the latest Barclaycard Consumer Spending report.

Apple Pay to launch in UK restaurants in July

09-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

Restaurants including Nando’s, Wagamama, Costa, Pret A Manger, Starbucks, KFC, and Subway will be supporting Apple Pay when it launches in the UK next month. 

'The time is right' for chefs to try new menu ideas

08-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

Restaurants, pubs and hotels are being urged to make the most of quality UK-grown produce and low food inflation to trial new menu ideas.

Sustainable hospitality businesses honored at the Footprint Awards 2015

08-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

Pret A Manger and the Spirit Pub Company were among hospitality businesses recognised for their sustainability efforts at the Footprint Awards last week (4 June).

Beer

BBPA data: On-trade beer sales fall 2.4%

08-Jun-2015 By M&C Report

The off-trade drove cautious growth in the beer sector with total sales at the end of Q1 up 1.5% year-on-year over the 12 month period.

Greedy Goat launches first London pop-up

05-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

Lactose-free ice cream specialist Greedy Goat has launched its first London pop-up in Piccadilly Circus.

London businesses to benefit from £13bn tourist spending

04-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

London businesses are set to be benefit from another record year for tourism with visitor spending set to rise to £13bn in 2015, according to the Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index.

Healthy eating chain launches crowdfund towards northern expansion

04-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

Independent healthy eating chain Filmore & Union has launched a crowdfunding campaign to expand the business in the North of England.

Loungers expecting to reach 83 sites by April 2016

04-Jun-2015 By Mark Wingett

Loungers, the Bristol-based cafe/bar group, is forecasting run-rate turnover for its current financial year to rise to £78.8m producing a run-rate site EBITDA of £17.4m, as it expects to reach 83 sites by the end of April 2016.

Technology in hospitality 'not meeting expectations'

04-Jun-2015 By Ruth Williams

Technology in pubs, bars and clubs is perceived as improving the customer experience by 52 per cent of people and as many as 67 per cent of people in the 24-35 age group, as consumers’ expectations have shifted to view technology as a necessity not a...

Awards

Licensees of the Year 2015 crowned

02-Jun-2015 By Mike Berry

Husband and wife team, Keith and Diane Marsden from the Prince of Wales in Birmingham, have been named as the 2015 Licensees of the Year.

Farncombe Estate opens third hotel

02-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

Farncombe Estate in the Cotswolds has opened a new ‘affordable boutique’ hotel as part of its third phase of redevelopment.

Travel trends: Consumer spending set to rise on shorter 'staycations'

01-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

Britons are turning their back on the traditional two week holiday in favour of taking a series of shorter breaks, according to Travelodge’s 2015 Holiday Index survey.

Young National Chef of the Year 2015: Semi-finalists revealed

01-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

The Craft Guild of Chefs has revealed the 16 semi-finalists for this year's Young National Chef of the Year (YNCOTY) competition. 

Ninth Burger & Lobster site opens

29-May-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

A ninth Burger & Lobster has opened on the premises formerly occupied by Orchid Group’s Pacific Oriental restaurant, in the City of London.

Liverpool landmark to become restaurant, bar and events space

29-May-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

A famous Liverpool building is to be turned into a restaurant, bar and events space after being taken over by a local entrepreneur.

Cake restaurant payment app launches crowdfunding drive

29-May-2015 By Sophie Witts

London-based restaurant payments app Cake has launched a Crowdcube campaign to raise £800,000 towards its expansion in the UK and North America.

Punch Taverns to continue US-themed sports bar and grill rollout

29-May-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

Pub operator Punch Taverns is to open its first Champs sports bar and grill in the south of England, and the sixth in total.

CG Restaurants & Bars extends Dirty Martini rollout with new Islington site

29-May-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

CG Restaurants & Bars is to open its first Dirty Martini bar in north London as part of a wider strategy to have 15 sites up and running by the end of next year.

BHA to promote value of hospitality in ITN-produced video

28-May-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has teamed up with ITN Productions to produce a news and current affairs programme that explores the value of hospitality and tourism in the UK.

Queen's Speech 2015: Hospitality industry responds

28-May-2015 By Sophie Witts

The hospitality industry has welcomed legislation outlined in the Queen’s speech at the state opening of parliament yesterday (27 May).

Finalists named for Mövenpick Ice Cream Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year

27-May-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

A shortlist of five finalists have been named for the Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year competition, which takes place next Wednesday (3 June).

Dining trends: Fewer than one in 10 pub visits now solely drink occasions

26-May-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

The continued growth of food in pubs has been borne out by the fact that fewer than one in 10 visits in 2014 were drink-only occasions.

Outside in: How creative use of outside space is proving big business for hospitality

26-May-2015 By Emma Eversham

Despite the unpredictable British weather, pubs, restaurants and hotels are investing more in their outside spaces and using them more creatively than ever before.