Casual Dining

Valrhona launches Grand Cru cooking chocolate from Grenada

08-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

French chocolate firm Valrhona has expanded its range of Grand Cru cooking chocolates with the launch of Kalingo, a 65 per cent cocoa solid chocolate from Grenada. 

Successful club promoter plans more pubs after third venue opens in Clapton

05-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Rob Star, a club and event promoter who currently owns two London pubs, has acquired his third site and will open the Star by Hackney Downs this month as part of a plan to eventually operate six venues in the capital.

Brakspear reopens Henley-on-Thames pub as first managed site

04-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Oxfordshire-based pub operator Brakspear has opened its first managed pub in Henley-on-Thames and has said it is not ruling out operating further managed sites.

Fuller's appoints Simon Emeny as chief executive

04-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

London-based brewer and pubco Fuller's has announced current group managing director Simon Emeny will become the company's chief executive later this year.

Hospitality Action Week 2013: Industry urged to support charity's fifth Action Week

04-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The Hospitality Action charity (HA) is calling on organisations and professionals from all sectors of the hospitality industry to unite for the fifth annual Hospitality Action Week which takes place from 13-19 May.

First pub saved under the Localism Act to reopen this summer

03-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The Ivy House pub in Southwark is set to reopen this summer after a co-operative group completed an acquisition of the venue which they successfully listed as a community asset under the Localism Act.

Search for The Key: ‘Secret’ cocktail bar & restaurant comes to London

03-Apr-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The Key - a mysterious new cocktail bar, restaurant and live music lounge situated in a ‘hidden location’ in London’s West End – is set to open in May as the first in a series of themed bars across the capital from a new collective of nightclub and private...

Sharp’s launches new Connoisseur’s Choice beers

03-Apr-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Cornish brewery Sharp’s is launching two new premium bottled beers from its Connoisseur’s Choice range.

Community Pubs Month: Road to recovery for Britain’s pubs

02-Apr-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) has hailed the scrapping of the Beer Duty Escalator in last month’s Budget as ‘a new beginning’ for the British pub and brewing industries as the consumer group launches a month-long celebration of British community pubs.

Summer Lodge sommelier named fourth best in the world

02-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Eric Zwiebel from the Summer Lodge hotel and spa in Dorset has been named as the fourth best sommelier in the world at the finals of the prestigious Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) contest held in Tokyo.

MasterChef 2010 finalist to open second restaurant in community-owned pub

02-Apr-2013 By Emma Eversham

MasterChef 2010 finalist Alex Rushmer and his business partner chef Ben Maude have opened their second restaurant in a Cambridgeshire pub owned by members of the local community.

Caffè Culture Show 2013: Line-up designed to boost beverage business

28-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The line-up for this year's Caffè Culture Show has been revealed and the focus will be on giving hospitality industry professionals business advice and practical tips on everything from perfecting a hot chocolate to raising beverage standards.

Happy Easter: What's your business doing?

28-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

In spite of what is expected to be the coldest Easter since 1910, hotels, restaurants and pubs are gearing up for the ‘eggs-tended’ weekend with as over 2.5m Brits plan to take at least one overnight holiday trip here in the UK.

Entrepreneur plans to turn East Dulwich pub into London's first self-sustaining community gastropub

27-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

An entrepreneur in south London has turned to crowdfunding website Kickstarter to help raise funds to set up London's first self-sustaining community gastropub. 

Adnams finding it 'difficult to be too positive' about pub trading conditions

27-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Adnams, the Suffolk-based brewer, distiller and retailer, has revealed its profits jumped by 3.5 per cent in 2012 but has admitted difficult pub trading conditions are continuing and are making it difficult for the company to be 'too positive'...

Taylors of Harrogate develops Lifestyle range Pour & Serve Filter Coffee Pouches for foodservice

27-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

Coffee brand Taylors of Harrogate has developed a range of coffee pouches for foodservice that contain just the right amount of ground coffee to produce a 1.5 litre jug of filter coffee. 

Non-alcoholic drinks: Making money from mocktails with Tony Conigliaro

27-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

In the third part of our special feature on non-alcoholic drinks, BigHospitality sat down with leading mixologist and bar owner Tony Conigliaro for an exclusive video on how to make money from mocktails and to discover some current trends and practical...

Electrolux seeks next generation of Michelin-starred chefs with launch of Chef Academy

26-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

Electrolux has launched a nationwide chef competition in a bid to find the next generation of Michelin-starred chefs. 

ETM Group to open One Canada Square restaurant & bar in Canary Wharf

26-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

London-based bar operator ETM Group has just agreed terms to open a modern European restaurant and cocktail bar on the ground floor of the One Canada Square skyscraper in Canary Wharf.

Be At One to open up to 10 sites outside London in three years

26-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Cocktail bar group Be At One opens its first site outside London this week in Reading and is set to open up to 10 venues outside the capital as it looks to grow to 30 sites within three years.

Non-alcoholic drinks: Five hot beverage innovations in hospitality

26-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

Take five and catch up with the latest innovations in tea and coffee within the industry in the second installment of our focus on non-alcoholic drinks.

Cosmo makes East Midlands debut with Derby restaurant opening

25-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Pan Asian restaurant chain Cosmo, which currently has 12 sites across the UK, is set to open its first outlet in the East Midlands next month with the conversion of a 15,000 sq.ft cinema in Derby into an all-you-can-eat buffet, serving 180 dishes from...

Non-alcoholic drinks: How to improve your restaurant's tea and coffee offering

25-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

With alcohol consumption going down and the Budget pushing prices up on wine, cider and spirits yet again, there is arguably no better time to push non-alcoholic drinks like tea and coffee. 

Award-winning theatre producer turns his hand to hospitality with Maida Vale's Truscott Arms

25-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Andrew Fishwick, a successful theatre producer whose work has won Olivier awards, is to open the Truscott Arms pub in Maida Vale as a 'creative hub of fine food, drink and art.'

Edinburgh property developers rescue and reopen The Melville Bar pub

22-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The Melville Bar, an Edinburgh pub which was closed after the previous leaseholder ran into difficulty, has reopened after it was refurbished by a pair of property developers who wanted to take the venue back to its former glory.

How confident are you? Economic uncertainty provides 'new opportunities' for hospitality businesses

22-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

While there will inevitably be winners and losers from this year’s Budget announcement, the hospitality industry remains confident and defiant against a tough economic backdrop, with almost 50 per cent of businesses optimistic about the year ahead.

Plusfood adds four 'exotic' flavours to chicken strip range

22-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Frozen chicken specialist Plusfood has added four 'exotic' world flavours, including Mexican and Thai, to its range of chicken strips available to hospitality businesses. 

Budget 2013: What it really means for your hospitality business

21-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham & Peter Ruddick

Now the dust has settled on George Osborne's fourth Budget speech, the race is on to identify the winners and losers from this year's announcements. BigHospitality has pored over the detail so you don't have to - our audio report contains...

Staff retention in hospitality: More work needed to reduce turnover rates says People 1st

21-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

Restaurant, hotel and pub owners will need to continue to train and develop their staff if they want to improve retention levels, says sector skills council People 1st with the release of its fourth State of the Nation report.

Venice Bakery UK launches gluten-free pizza base

21-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Venice Bakery, an established USA-based manufacturer of 'free from' thin and crusty pizza bases, has launched its gluten-free product in the UK at IFE 2013 under the name Venice Bakery UK.

Budget 2013: The hospitality industry's reaction

20-Mar-2013

Following the delivery of the Budget by Chancellor George Osborne earlier today BigHospitality caught up with some of the key organisations representing pubs, hotels and restaurants as well as individual operators for their reaction.

Budget 2013: George Osborne scraps Beer Tax Escalator, launches Employment Allowance

20-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Pubs across the UK can breathe a sigh of relief today as Chancellor George Osborne has cut a penny off the price of a pint of beer and scrapped the punitive Duty Escalator in his 2013 Budget announcement.

Budget 2013: What the hospitality industry is hoping for

20-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Today, once again, the Chancellor will present a Budget which will be closely watched for signs of improvement in the economy or help for businesses, but with rumours swirling about the future of the beer duty escalator, hospitality industry professionals...

SUPER!NATURAL energy drink launched at IFE 2013

20-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

SUPER!NATURAL, a new 100 per cent pure and natural energy drink developed in the Scottish highlands, is being exhibited at IFE 2013 for the first time this week.

Fluid Movement closes Dach & Sons in Hampstead

20-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

Dach & Sons, the hot dog and burger restaurant opened by drinks specialists Fluid Movement in north London last year has closed due to lack of trade. 

Anzco Foods extends Angel Bay range of gourmet burgers

19-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Anzco Foods, which is known for importing New Zealand lamb to the UK, has launched four new sauce-filled gourmet burgers at IFE 2013, additions to its Angel Bay range.

Hoxton Bar & Kitchen sells for £1.9m as Barworks looks to expand

19-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The Hoxton Bar and Kitchen has been sold to live-music-focussed firm Mama Group by the London-based restaurant and bar operator Barworks as the business looks to grow its portfolio of bars across London and expand its restaurant arm The Diner Group at...

Chinawhite nightclub set to re-open as Libertine

19-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Chinawhite, the Fitzrovia nightspot which has become a popular haunt for celebrities, will re-open later this month as ‘Libertine’ as the venue’s director looks to ‘update the nightclub formula and offer some new experiential twists’.

Bridor to launch new bakery product collections at IFE 2013

18-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

In the first of BigHospitality's week of product launch news stories to coincide with the International Food & Drink Event (IFE) 2013, Bridor announces it is to launch three new bakery collections including torsades and choux pastries. 

Beer tax argument heats up at BeerX event ahead of 2013 Budget

15-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Labour may have to retain the controversial Beer Duty Escalator if it came into power at the next election as Shadow Small Business Minister Toby Perkins admitted to brewers at SIBA’s BeerX conference that they ‘can’t solve all the problems facing pubs’.

The gastropub revolution: Pub-restaurants begin to dominate eating-out market

15-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Food sales in managed pubs are outperforming the rest of the UK’s eating-out sector on the back of keen pricing, effective marketing and a broadening of their offering to appeal to a wider consumer-base.

Scott Hunter & Maria Larsen: Career Profile

15-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

This young husband and wife are a pub success story, with a knack of reinvigorating dilapidated London boozers into profitable gastropubs. The pair took over the Princess of Shoreditch in 2008, doubling sales in less than a year. They then acquired the...

Work starts to improve efficiency of restaurant food waste recycling

15-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

A nationwide project is currently underway to help restaurants, pubs and hotels find more effective ways to recycle their unwanted food waste and help meet targets set by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme). 

JD Wetherspoon’s profits slip on higher costs

15-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Pub giant JD Wetherspoon posted a ‘reasonable’ set of results for the half-year ending 27 January 2013, with the burden of what the Group calls ‘stealth taxes’ contributing to a drop of 2.7 per cent in its pre- tax profit to £34.8m.

National Apprenticeship Week 2013: Hospitality industry shines

15-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

As the sixth annual National Apprenticeship Week draws to a close, an array of hotels, restaurants and pubs – and even Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg – have supported the initiative which promotes the positive impact that apprenticeships can have on...

Camden's Crown & Goose pub to close

15-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The Crown & Goose pub in Camden will close despite a high-profile campaign to prevent its closure which was backed by Madness star Suggs.

Victims of bad reviews sought for new Channel 4 TV show

14-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Hotel Inspector and Country House Rescue star Ruth Watson is on the lookout for restaurant, hotel and bar owners who feel they have been unfairly treated on social media or negatively reviewed through websites such as TripAdvisor, for a new Channel 4...

RAM-led consortium to re-open Great Northern Hotel at King's Cross next month

14-Mar-2013 By Emma Eversham

Jeremy Robson, managing director of asset management company RAM, will re-open the Great Northern Hotel at London's King's Cross next month following the completion of a £40m renovation programme.

Hospitality Guild & People 1st call on employer support for skills funding bid

13-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The Hospitality Guild has partnered with People 1st to kick-start an industry-wide bid for the hospitality industry’s share of the £250m funding available through the Government’s Employer Ownership Fund to improve the skills in the workforce. 

Alcohol minimum unit pricing: Will dropped plans affect alcohol duty arguments?

13-Mar-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The Government is reportedly considering dropping plans for a minimum per unit price for alcohol after pressure from Cabinet Ministers who don't back the policy and concern from the Treasury about the effect it would have on revenues from alcohol...