Casual Dining

Academy of Food & Wine Service invites entries into Restaurant Manager of the Year 2013

24-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

The Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS) is calling for entries into its 2013 UK Restaurant Manager of the Year competition.

Women 1st Shine Awards 2013 winners and Top 100 Club inductees revealed

21-Jun-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Sodexo, Dukes St. James London and Be At One Cocktail Bars were among the businesses represented by winners of the Women 1st Shine Awards, which recognises the outstanding achievements of women working in the UK’s hospitality, passenger transport, travel...

Murray and Hazel Ward: Career Profile

21-Jun-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Husband and wife Murray and Hazel Ward have been involved in the hospitality industry for all of their working lives. The young Scottish couple, who met at Edinburgh’s Tigerlily hotel, now help to run the nearby Rutland hotel - which includes gourmet...

Three Little Pigs secures national trade distribution for English chorizo and salami range

21-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Yorkshire-based pork producer Three Little Pigs has secured a national trade distribution deal for its range of rare breed, high welfare, air-dried English chorizos and salamis.

Luminar given new licence conditions for Oceana Kingston

20-Jun-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Bar and nightclub owner Luminar has been allowed to continue trading one of its largest venues in Kingston under a new set of licence conditions after the fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old clubber last year.

Brakspear to re-open Stow-on-the-Wold pub as second managed site

20-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Brakspear has announced it is to re-open reopen the Royalist pub in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, as its second managed site. 

Tax Parity Day: Borel's VAT Club plans national day of action

20-Jun-2013 By Luke Nicholls

UK hospitality businesses are charged 20 per cent VAT on all sales, whereas the supermarkets pay virtually no VAT on food sales. Is this far? The VAT Club JB, headed up by veteran campaigner Jacques Borel, certainly doesn’t think so and is launching a...

BrewDog looks to break crowdfunding records with ‘Equity for Punks’

20-Jun-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Scottish brewer and pub operator BrewDog has snubbed the ‘self-interested banks’ by today launching the third phase of an innovative crowdfunding programme which it hopes will raise £4m by selling off shares directly to beer drinkers. 

Beer Academy sommelier publishes beer and food matching book

20-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Beer Academy sommelier Nigel Sadler has published a book to simplify the food and beer pairing process for those interested in matching dishes with beer.

Amber Taverns to extend wet-led pub model further south with Midlands acquisitions

19-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

James Baer, managing director of successful community pub operator Amber Taverns, has told BigHospitality he believes the company's wet-led pub model could work in areas in the south of the country.

Living Ventures to open new Manchester bar connected to Australasia restaurant

19-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Living Ventures has announced it is to open a new bar and kitchen in Manchester which will be connected to its modern Australian restaurant Australasia.

Just Desserts to launch range of individual tarts

18-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Yorkshire-based bakers and pâtissiers Just Desserts has created a range of individual tarts for foodservice buyers which will be launched later this month.

Mezze unveils five target pubs to continue expansion

17-Jun-2013 By Phil Mellows

West Country restaurant chain Mezze has unveiled five pubs that will continue the expansion of the all-leased group into 2014.

Queen's Birthday Honours 2013: Jill Stein and Adnams boss Andy Wood made OBEs

15-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

Restaurateur Jill Stein and Adnams chief executive and chairman Andy Wood have been awarded OBEs in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list while chefs Geoffrey Acott and Clare Smyth and Drake & Morgan founder Jillian Maclean were made...

Hospitality businesses warned about dangers of rising costs of raw materials

14-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Almost a third of UK hotels and catering firms are looking to cut costs due to the rising prices of raw materials, according to new research.

Classic Cuisine extends savoury pastry product range with new pies

14-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Classic Cuisine has extended its range of savoury pastry products with the addition of four new pies which all feature flavoured pastries. 

Peach Pubs to open 17th pub, first in Birmingham

13-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

Independent pub company Peach has been given the go-ahead to turn an Art Deco-style townhouse in Edgbaston, Birmingham, into its 17th pub. 

Plusfood introduces American Diner range of chicken products

13-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Frozen chicken firm Plusfood has introduced a range of products for foodservice buyers which are inspired by American diners.

British Hospitality & Tourism Summit 2013: Government urged to take hospitality seriously

12-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

The Government is not taking the hospitality industry seriously enough and should take greater notice of the UK’s fourth largest industry to help drive economic growth.

Luminar to unveil new 'blueprint' for its venues with £1m Bristol refurb

12-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The Luminar Group has announced it is to spend £1m refurbishing its Oceana Bristol venue to create a nightclub which will become a 'blueprint' for the operator's entire estate.

Hospitality workers protest for higher pay before new job creation

12-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

Members of workers union Unite are calling for leaders within the hospitality industry to address issues over pay throughout the sector before creating another 300,000 jobs.

Restaurant brands making UK debuts set to put pressure on existing operators

12-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

May delivered a 1.2 per cent increase in like-for-like sales for restaurant and pub groups but operators have been warned that the trading environment remains 'fragile' and will become more competitive with the arrival of several brands making...

Hayman Distillers relaunches gin range

12-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

To coincide with its 150th anniversary, English gin distiller Hayman Distillers is relaunching its range of Hayman's Gin in order to better emphasise the company's history as a family distiller.

BrewDog named fastest-growing bar and restaurant group

11-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Scottish brewer and pub operator BrewDog has topped the 2013 Zolfo Cooper Profit Tracker, a list of the 50 fastest-growing restaurant and bar companies.

Discounted entry fees fail to push up nightclub visits

11-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

Offering discounted entry is failing to push up visitor numbers to nightclubs according to a report by Mintel which forecasts the value of the sector to drop by a further £200m to £1.1bn by 2017.

Craft Guild of Chefs Awards 2013: James Martin wins Special Award

11-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Celebrity chef James Martin, host of BBC TV show Saturday Kitchen, has scooped the Special Award at the Craft Guild of Chefs (CGC) Awards 2013 which also honoured Lima restaurant and The Ivy's April Partridge.

Zafran extends Persian ice cream range with rosewater flavour

11-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Following the success of Zafran Food Company’s saffron and rosewater ice cream, the company has brought out a pure rosewater flavour to complement the range and to offer a lighter dessert option.

The Pig Idea: Thomasina Miers and Tristram Stuart start campaign to feed restaurant food waste to pigs

10-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

Wahaca co-founder Thomasina Miers and food waste expert Tristram Stuart are lobbying for a change in European law to allow surplus food waste from restaurants, supermarkets and other food businesses to be fed to pigs, a practice that has been outlawed...

ETI launches new Backlit Thermapen thermometer for safe outside cooking

10-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Thermometer manufacturer ETI has released a new backlit version of its Thermapen to allow caterers to cook safely during the summer's outside events, even those held in the evening or when light is poor.

Vegetarian burgers the most popular veggie item on pub menus

07-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Vegetarian pub goers are more likely to choose a vegetarian burger from a venue's menu than any other meat-free option, according to a new report by on trade consultancy firm CGA Strategy. 

Fuller's hails pub acquisitions as revenues jump 7%

07-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Fuller's has revealed its pub acquisition and development programme has helped deliver a strong set of full-year financial results with rising revenue and a growth in pre-tax profits.

Focus on wine: Sommeliers share their restaurant's top food and wine pairings

07-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

We've seen which regions are top of the wine list, now to find the food to go with them. Concluding this week's focus on wine, we ask sommeliers to suggest some top wine and food pairings. 

Bramwell Pub Company to launch Wild Lime Bar & Kitchen concept in Southampton

07-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The Bramwell Pub Company is to launch a new casual dining concept - Wild Lime Bar & Kitchen - at a former Varsity venue in Southampton.

Bjorn van der Horst to oversee F&B at Rosewood London

06-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

Chef Bjorn van der Horst is to return to London to oversee all food and beverage operations at the Rosewood London hotel when it opens its doors later this year. 

Focus on wine: The most exciting wine regions of 2013

06-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

While including popular wines such as a Pinot Grigio from Italy or a Merlot from France on your wine list is a sensible idea, there are times when you might just want to head out of your viticultural comfort zone and add something a little different.

Capitalising on coffee: Hotels and pubs boost beverage offering as demand increases

05-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

A hotel group and two village pubs are among the businesses who have turned their attention to coffee in a bid to capitalise on the UK consumer's increasing interest in the hot beverage. 

Northern Ireland's South West College team wins Nestle Toque d'Or 2013

05-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

A team from South West College in Northern Ireland has won the 2013 Nestle Toque d'Or competition after a challenging four day final. 

Camra claims majority of tied publicans earn less than the minimum wage

05-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Camra has revealed new figures which it says proves the majority of publicans tied to large pubcos are earning less than the minimum wage, however the BBPA has responded by saying 'statutory regulation is not the answer'.

Focus on wine: What it takes to be a top sommelier

05-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

The Moet UK Sommelier of the Year competition took place in London last week with Clement Robert of Medlar in Chelsea, finally taking the title after five attempts. 

Diners ask restaurants to offer different portion sizes to help cut food waste

04-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

Diners would like to see a wider range of portion sizes offered to them in restaurants, hotels and pubs as research revealed by WRAP shows that more than a quarter regularly leave food on their plates at the end of a meal.  

One for the road: Wetherspoon to open first pub on the motorway

03-Jun-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Pub operator JD Wetherspoon is set to open its first licensed venue on the motorway network, with chairman Tim Martin claiming it will be ‘the first of many’ for the group.

Industry raises £10k during Hospitality Action Week 2013

03-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

Hospitality businesses across the UK raised more than £10k for Hospitality Action earlier this month during the industry charity’s annual fundraising event, HA Week.

Greater protection for under-18s as the Portman Group's latest alcohol code comes into force

31-May-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The Portman Group's latest code of practice for responsible alcohol marketing has come into force in the same week new statistics have shown a fall in alcohol-related hospital admissions of under-24s.

Fourth launches new software to 'democratise' business intelligence

29-May-2013 By Emma Eversham

Fourth has developed new software that can provide hospitality businesses of all sizes to analyse all aspects of the business, from labour, to purchasing and profits, at the touch of a button.

Clement Robert of Medlar named Moet UK Sommelier of the Year 2013

29-May-2013 By Emma Eversham

Clement Robert, head sommelier at Medlar in London, has been named the Moet UK Sommelier of the Year 2013 after winning the hotly-contested final at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London yesterday.

Jonathan Neame: Beer duty cut has given Shepherd Neame confidence to invest in 40 pub projects

29-May-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Jonathan Neame, chief executive of brewer and pubco Shepherd Neame, has revealed the cut in beer duty has given him the confidence to accelerate investment in his company's expanding pub estate. 

Four new restaurant signings for Gloucester Quays’ extension

28-May-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Ed’s Easy Diner, Zizzi, Chimichanga and Loungers are the latest restaurant and bar operators to secure units at Quayside - the new £60 million extension to the Gloucester Quays Outlet Centre.

New Forest Ice Cream launches Peach Bellini flavour

28-May-2013 By Emma Eversham

To celebrate its thirtieth anniversary, New Forest Ice Cream has launched a Peach Bellini flavour ice cream. 

Pub investment ‘at risk’ from political uncertainty and threat of statutory regulation

28-May-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Pub industry confidence, boosted after the scrapping of the beer duty escalator, is being put at risk by the uncertainty surrounding statutory regulation, according to Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame.

Springboard chief executive wins Footprint Special Achievement Award

28-May-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Anne Pierce, chief executive of The Springboard Charity, has won the Special Achievement award at this year's Footprint Awards in recognition of her contribution to the social sustainability of the industry.