Casual Dining

TV football in pubs: Premier League prosecution ruled void, others may be affected

20-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

A prosecution brought against a pub showing live Premier League football on TV by using an Albanian satellite system has been ruled 'void' by the High Court with legal experts claiming other similar rulings may now be in doubt.

Mitchell & Cooper launches range of burn guard kitchen gloves

17-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Hospitality equipment manufacturer Mitchell & Cooper has launched a range of burn guard kitchen gloves which are designed to provide protection from hot and cold burns as well as cuts.

Chef Ben Spalding to take up six month residency at Five Eight Zero's Keston Lodge

16-Aug-2012 By Emma Eversham

Ex-Roganic head chef Ben Spalding is to take up a six month residency at pub company Five Eight Zero's Islington venue Keston Lodge.

Nick Parkinson and Dominic Chapman launch NED Pubs with debut site in Berkshire

16-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Restaurateur Nick Parkinson and Michelin-starred chef Dominic Chapman have partnered with entrepreneur Eric Newnham to create NED Pubs which they plan to roll out with sites across the UK.

Pubs see sales turnaround during London 2012 Olympics

16-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Sixty per cent of pubs saw an upturn in trade during the second week of the London 2012 Olympics, with one in five operators seeing like-for-likes increase by 11 per cent or more compared with the same period last year.

Beechdean adds two 'retro' ice cream flavours to its foodservice range

16-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Beechdean Farmhouse Dairy has expanded its range of ice cream available for the foodservice trade with the introduction of two 'retro' flavours - Eton Mess and Peach Melba.

Vingt-Quatre becomes VQ with hopes to expand in London and every major UK city

15-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Vingt-Quatre, the 24-hour café and diner on London’s Fulham Road, has re-opened as ‘VQ’ following an extensive refurbishment and the business is now set to expand in the capital and other major cities.

Damp July and Olympics Opening Ceremony hit restaurant and pub sales

15-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The week running up to the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics was the worst performing week of July for the UK’s leading restaurant, pub and bar groups, pushing an otherwise generally flat period into negative territory. 

Springboard calling for entries to Awards for Excellence 2012

14-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Hospitality charity Springboard is calling for entries to its 10th annual Awards for Excellence which celebrates and rewards those promoting careers and talent in the hospitality industry.

London hotel prices drop, Edinburgh prices rise

14-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Any positive effects of the London 2012 Olympics on the hotels in London are likely to be offset with a drop in room prices by an average of 35 per cent across the capital.

Hospitality’s Olympic legacy: Catalyst for industry growth or series of broken promises?

14-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

“You have shown the world the best of British hospitality,” said IOC president Jacques Rogge in his speech at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics on Sunday evening. And the praise for the work of hotels, restaurants and pubs during the Games...

Il Tempo owner claims concept will be the first authentic open table aperitivo bar in London

14-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Il Tempo, a restaurant and bar serving Italian drinks plus aperitivo dishes available on an open table, is set to open in Covent Garden in September; a concept the owner says is the first of its kind in London. 

Hensons Foodservice launches salt beef sausage to tap into street food popularity

14-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Hensons Foodservice has launched a salt beef sausage for chefs looking to take advantage of the growth in popularity of street food dishes and British produce.  

Dukebox: Playground-themed nightclub set to open in Chelsea

13-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Dukebox, a new nightclub situated just off of London’s Fulham Road, is set to open its doors next month under a ‘grown-ups playground’ theme, featuring carousel horses, a magic roundabout dance podium and seating booths in the guise of Waltzer cars. 

The Yummy Pub Company plans Ssshh Supper Club rollout in new partnership with Charles Wells

13-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The Yummy Pub Company has announced it is to rollout its Ssshh Supper Club concept to The Gorringe Park pub in Tooting after the venue was bought by Charles Wells with the specific intention of the two companies jointly launching a second operation together.

Drake & Morgan reveals plans to expand to seven City sites in 2013

13-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Drake and Morgan, the bar and restaurant operator run by Jillian Maclean, has announced it is to open two new sites in 2013 taking its portfolio of City of London venues to seven.

First Drinks targets on-trade with repositioning of Zubrowka vodka

13-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

First Drinks has revealed it is targeting the on-trade with its repositioning of the Zubrowka bison grass vodka brand following the news the Hook-based distributor now has the UK deal to supply the Polish spirit.

Oyster & Chop House and Bridges Wine Bar & Restaurant open in Kent

10-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Oyster & Chop House restaurant has opened in the coastal town of Herne Bay, marking the second new venue to open in Kent within the space of a month.

Nick Crispini: Career Profile

10-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Born into a restaurateur family with an Italian father, Nick Crispini could have begun a hospitality career from a young age but instead chose to train and set up a company as a web developer before trying DJ-ing and even modelling until he founded Antico...

Mahiki & Whisky Mist duo to open Tonteria Mexican cocktail bar in Chelsea

09-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Tonteria, a new Mexican-inspired cocktail bar and restaurant, is set to launch in Sloane Square this autumn from the team behind London nightclubs Mahiki and Whisky Mist.

Enterprise Inns reveals the Olympics are not having any material impact on trading

09-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Enterprise Inns has reported continued 'improving trading trends' but has declared the poor summer weather has affected its publicans and has had a bigger effect than the Olympics which has not yet materially impacted pub performance. 

Cumbrian beer judged Best in Britain, London revealed as most transformed brewing scene in the UK

08-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Coniston brewery’s No.9 Barley Wine has been named the Champion Beer of Britain 2012 by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) on the first day of its annual Great British Beer Festival being held at London Olympia this week.

Be At One introduces new food offering with opening of 13th London bar

07-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

London-based bar group Be At One has unveiled plans to open its 13th cocktail bar in the heart of the capital, where it will showcase a new food offering in partnership with restaurateur Ossie Gray.

Marco Pierre White pub sold to Cirrus Inns

07-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Marco Pierre White’s pub The Yew Tree in Highclere, near Newbury, has been sold to Cirrus Inns, the investment vehicle co-founded by Alex Langsland Pearse and former Gordon Ramsay Holdings executive chef Mark Askew.

ASK THE EXPERTS

How to write a wine menu

07-Aug-2012 By John Grieveson

John Grieveson, commercial director at on-trade supplier Enotria, offers his top tips on how to write a wine menu for any restaurant, hotel or pub.

Camra’s Great British Beer Festival aims to reacquaint young people with pubs

07-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The Great British Beer Festival, organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), opens its doors today at London’s Olympia with the aim of reacquainting young people with their local community pub in the wake of damning new research.

The Endurance to hand over kitchens to emerging chefs

06-Aug-2012 By Emma Eversham

Soho pub The Endurance is to hand over its kitchens to emerging chefs each month in a bid to give them a taste of running their own restaurant without the financial outlay of setting one up themselves.

Punch Taverns joins Jacques Borel's VAT Club

06-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Punch Taverns, the UK’s second largest operator of tenanted pubs, has become the latest hospitality business to join Jacques Borel’s VAT Club which seeks to reduce VAT to five per cent as a way of stimulating job creation.

IDEAS FROM YOUR PEERS

Catch a taxi to The Gun for free: using joint venture partnerships to boost lunchtime trade

03-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

In our new-look Ideas from your Peers column, we evaluate the effectiveness of special offer, promotions and initiatives that hospitality businesses are running in an attempt to boost business. This week, we’re looking at ETM Group’s Docklands pub, The...

Funding hospitality: Private investment

03-Aug-2012 By Peter Ruddick

In the final part of our special feature on securing investment for your hospitality business our focus turns to private investment: from love money courtesy of friends and family to equity houses and venture capital.

World travel leaders to experience ‘Best of Britain’ as VisitBritain urges UK businesses to tap into emerging tourism markets

02-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

An array of senior travel and tourism industry bosses from Brazil, Russia, India and China are heading to Britain for VisitBritain’s World Travel Leaders Summit taking place on 4-6 August. 

BHA puts pressure on Mayor to help get diners back into London’s restaurants

02-Aug-2012 By Emma Eversham

The British Hospitality Association (BHA) is urging London Mayor Boris Johnson to take part in a PR campaign to help drive more people into London’s restaurants, shops, and theatres following reports that the West End has been like a ghost town since...

Hospitality funding: Specialist lenders

02-Aug-2012 By Emma Eversham

With restaurateurs, hoteliers and publicans finding it harder than ever to get funding from the high street banks to grow their businesses, many have been forced to look elsewhere for finance. 

Bounce: table tennis, cocktails and high-end dining concept to launch in London

01-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Bounce, a 12,500sq.ft ‘social ping pong club’ combining 17 table tennis tables with cocktails and high-end dining, is set to open in London’s Holborn in October. 

London 2012 Olympics fail to bring gold so far for restaurants, but pubs fare better

01-Aug-2012 By Emma Eversham & Luke Nicholls

The London 2012 Olympics have so far failed to bring the benefit of extra trade to restaurants in London’s West End and City areas with some actually reporting a sales drop of up to 70 per cent. 

MeatLiquor owners look to expand in London and to Brighton: Overseas investors show interest

01-Aug-2012 By Mark Wingett

Meatailer, the company behind MeatLiquor and MeatMarket, is hoping to open a further three outlets - two in London and one in Brighton - according to M&C Report. 

Funding hospitality: The banks

01-Aug-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur with a bold idea for a new restaurant concept or a successful hotelier with plans to expand an already popular business, there’s one thing you’ll always have in common – a bank account.

Corney & Barrow re-launches with new travel bar concept and global expansion plans

31-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Independent wine merchants Corney & Barrow has officially re-launched with a fresh brand identity and a three-pronged hospitality offering in London comprising C&B Bars, Cabin Travel Bars and Terrace Restaurant and Bars. 

Brighton nightclub owners to open experimental dining and drinking venue in Islington

30-Jul-2012 By Emma Eversham

The founders of Brighton nightclubs Madame Geisha and Haunt have unveiled plans to open a new Victorian-style experimental dining, drinking and live entertainment venue on London's Upper Street this autumn.

Funding hospitality: Where to get finance to start-up or grow a business

30-Jul-2012 By Emma Eversham

Attempting to gain funding to start-up a hospitality business or expand an existing one in the current economic climate, as many will know, is no easy task.

Orchid hands over 33-strong PBR estate to Eclectic

30-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Managed pub operator Orchid has given full control of its Premium Bars & Restaurants (PBR) division to Eclectic Clubs & Bars in a bid to ‘focus on the core business and the assets that it owns’.

Young’s set to open The Foley boutique hotel & pub

30-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

UK hospitality operator and brewer Young’s is set to open The Foley - a modern-day coaching inn, comprising a 17-bedroom boutique hotel, pub and dining room, in the Surrey village of Claygate. 

London 2012 Olympics: What will ‘the greatest show on Earth’ bring for hospitality?

27-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The wait is finally over as the London 2012 Olympics kicks off with the opening ceremony this evening. BigHospitality rounds up what the 17-day event could bring for your business and looks at whether it will actually have an overall positive effect on...

Novus Leisure sold to new investors for £100m

27-Jul-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Bar and nightclub operator Novus Leisure has been sold to new investors LGV Capital and Hutton Collins for £100m in a deal that will see the new owners supporting the strategy to double its central London portfolio over the next three years.

How to run a successful banquet or develop event catering

27-Jul-2012 By Peter Ruddick

TV shows like Great British Menu have led to a resurgence in popularity among chefs for cooking banquets or developing event catering, so BigHospitality went behind the scenes at a fine-dining three-course meal for 2,000 at the Royal Albert Hall to find...

Brownsword Hotels to reposition Washbourne Court hotel as pub with rooms

26-Jul-2012 By Emma Eversham

Brownsword Hotels is to reposition Washbourne Court in Gloucestershire, one of the former Von Essen country house hotels it bought out of administration last year, as a pub with rooms.

How to make your pub more accessible: BBPA publishes free guide for licensees

26-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has today published an essential guide for licensees on how to make their pubs as accessible as possible.

Wine experts reveal top wine and food pairings

26-Jul-2012 By Emma Eversham

A team of wine experts has compiled a list of the best wines to match 16 of the UK's favourite dishes, including fish and chips, chicken tikka masala and strawberries and cream.

Savoy Educational Trust backs ‘Futureversity’ as support for young people in hospitality reaches all-time high

26-Jul-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The Savoy Educational Trust is this week urging young people to sign up for Tower Hamlets ‘Futureversity’ summer courses which will help them gain skills and qualifications in the hospitality industry.

Redemption Food introduces autumn soups to Love Soup foodservice range

26-Jul-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Redemption Food has added a number of autumn seasonal products to its Love Soup branded range of soups for the foodservice trade to take advantage of continued consumer demand for more flavour varieties.