Casual Dining

Kona Kai: Tiki-inspired cocktail bar opens in Chelsea

14-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The owners of The Sugar Cane cocktail bar in London’s Clapham Junction have officially launched Kona Kai – a Polynesian-style destination bar located on the Fulham/Chelsea border.

UK pubs benefit from more than £40m in international visitor spend

14-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

UK pubs are estimated to have benefited from the 13.8m international visitors who visited a pub in 2011 to the tune of more than £40m, according to new figures released by the national tourism agency VisitBritain.

BHA restructures in bid to raise hospitality industry’s influence on Goverment

14-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has restructured its organisation, with the creation of a Board of Directors to replace the former BHA Council and National Executive. 

Alcohol minimum pricing: Scotland seeks 50p a unit

14-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The Government in Scotland has confirmed it will push for a minimum price per unit of alcohol of 50p if its proposed legislation to introduce minimum pricing north of the border is approved by the Scottish Parliament.

English wine's marketing board gets new look

14-May-2012 By Emma Eversham

English Wine Producers (EWP), the marketing board for English wine, has redesigned its logo as part of a move to better promote what it feels is a modern, growing industry to the trade. 

Shepherd Neame's Jonathan Neame named BBPA chair

11-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Jonathan Neame, the chief executive of Kent-based brewer and pub operator Shepherd Neame, has been named as the new chair of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).

Cozy Pubs continues Essex expansion

11-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Cozy Pubs has increased its foothold in rural Essex with the acquisition of The Saracens Head Hotel in the market town of Great Dunmow.

Diageo debacle provided great media potential, says BrewDog PR

10-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

A major row between Scottish-based independent brewer BrewDog and global drinks giant Diageo provided ‘great media potential’ for the pub group, with its Twitter followers able to escalate the issue into a global trend overnight.

Public lends support to VAT cut for pubs, restaurants and hotels

10-May-2012 By Emma Eversham

A large percentage of the public has supported calls for a VAT cut for the hospitality sector according to the results of a new survey.

Courvoisier launches on-trade cocktail marketing campaign ahead of Imbibe Live competition

10-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Courvoisier has launched a marketing and promotion campaign, Cocktails on a Grand Scale, to encourage the use of cognac in cocktails; bartenders are also being invited to enter a competition at Imbibe Live later this year.

Mark Hunter steps down as BBPA chairman

09-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Mark Hunter is to step down from his post as chairman of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) following a change in roles at brewer Molson Coors where Hunter has been UK & Ireland chief executive since 2007.

BII’s Licensee of the Year revealed

09-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Mahdis Neghabian, of The Camden Eye pub in London, has been named the 2012 Licensee of the Year by the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII).

Hospitality Action Week 2012: How to get involved

08-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The entire UK hospitality industry, from five-star hotels and country pubs to catering colleges, restaurants and industry workers, is uniting to take part in Hospitality Action Week from 14-20 May. 

ASK THE EXPERTS

How to improve environmental and commercial sustainability

08-May-2012 By Robert Morrall

Robert Morrall, managing director of Route Organisation, explains how hotels, pubs and restaurants can gain commercial benefit from improving their environmental credentials.

Wear Inns receives £10m investment to fund expansion

08-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The northern pub chain Wear Inns has received an investment of £10m from the Business Growth Fund (BGF) and NVM Private Equity (NVM) to fund expansion plans for the company, which expects to make new acquisitions in the next few months.

Leeds-based Stew & Oyster opens second site

08-May-2012 By Emma Eversham

Stew & Oyster, the pub concept in Leeds which serves craft beers alongside a selection of stews and oysters, has opened its second site just outside the city.

Continuing divergence between managed and leased/tenanted pub performance

04-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

A new report from global ratings agency Fitch Ratings has concluded there is a growing divergence in performance of pubs in the UK between managed sites and those that are tenanted or leased.

Unexpected drop in hospitality administrations

04-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Accountancy firm Baker Tilly has analysed the latest figures from insolvency regulators The Insolvency Service and revealed the number of hotel and licensed businesses appointing administrators dropped unexpectedly in the first quarter of the year.

The Collection lounge bar launches new restaurant

04-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The Collection lounge bar in Chelsea has launched a new restaurant, Kitchen 264, headed up by Israeli executive chef Oded Oren offering a modern Mediterranean menu.

Cooks & Co launches new recipe pestos for foodservice

04-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The Cooks & Co brand, owned by fine food distributor R.H. Amar, has launched new recipes for its two pesto pasta sauces for foodservice operators.

Liverpool and Manchester competing with London for international tourists

03-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Liverpool and Manchester have experienced big rises in the number of international tourists they attract as cities in the regions begin to emerge as rivals to Edinburgh and London for foreign visitors.

Novus Leisure on track for record profits

02-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Bar and nightclub operator Novus Leisure has announced it is on track for record profits of nearly £20m for the 12 months to June in a financial update this morning.

Business Profile: ETM Group

02-May-2012 By Joe Lutrario

Attention to detail and a moulding of the product to suit specific markets has seen ETM Group become arguably London’s most successful pub-restaurant outfit.

Failing pub specialists add sixth pub to portfolio

02-May-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Quality Inns, the pub brand launched by the husband and wife team of Easton and Alison Hogben, has added The Floating Bridge in Dartmouth to its list of venues. 

JD Wetherspoon 'more cautious' as tax bill mounts

02-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

National pub group JD Wetherspoon has announced that it is to reduce the number of new pub openings in the next financial year as it grapples with a £50m increase in its annual tax bill.

The Merchant of Bishopsgate pub opens in Liverpool Street station

01-May-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Food travel company SSP UK has launched a new modern pub on the concourse level at London’s Liverpool Street train station in a bid to ‘completely overhaul and revolutionise the UK’s perception of a typical station pub.’

Restaurants have ‘work cut out’ as discount voucher use still rising

30-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Almost half of UK restaurant-goers – equating to some 15 million people - rate discount vouchers as ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ important when deciding where to dine out, with the number continuing to increase. 

Craft Beer Co expands with second site in Brighton

30-Apr-2012 By Emma Eversham

Craft Beer Co, the specialist beer bar concept founded by Martin Hayes, is expanding its reach with the launch of its second site in Brighton and a third also planned for later this year. 

Online food safety management system launched by Hygiene Audit Systems

30-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Hygiene Audit Systems, a food and health safety consultancy, has launched Hawk, an online food safety management system designed to allow hospitality operators to store and view food safety monitoring records at a time and place that is convenient to...

Recruiting and retaining staff: How to develop employees and cut turnover rates

27-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Advertising in all the right places and whittling down prospective candidates for a job can seem wasted if you are forced to dig out the job description again after only a few months. So how can you ensure staff development supports the recruitment process...

Whitbread sees Costa Coffee sales boost and Premier Inn recovery

26-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Restaurant, hotel and coffee shop operator Whitbread has reported an 11.2 per cent increase in total revenue for the financial year to 1 March 2012, with Group like-for-like sales also up 2.6 per cent.

Recruiting and retaining staff: A guide to CVs and interviews

26-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

So you’ve advertised a role in your business and the applications are beginning to pour in. But how do you effectively search through stacks of CVs and what questions should you be asking in the interview stage to make sure you’re picking the best person...

Service at 87% of hospitality businesses not good enough to generate recommendations

26-Apr-2012 By Emma Eversham

The latest findings from a customer service benchmarking survey show that 87 per cent of hospitality businesses are not providing good enough service to generate guest recommendations.

UK economy drops into 'double-dip' recession

25-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The hospitality industry has reacted to the news the UK economy has returned to recession and is now in a 'double-dip' recession, according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Recruiting and retaining staff: How and where to advertise hospitality jobs

25-Apr-2012 By Emma Eversham

What do Gumtree, Twitter, viral web videos and local newspapers have in common? The answer is they have all served as promotional mechanisms for advertisements for hospitality jobs recently.    

Hospitality industry steps up calls for VAT cut to boost business and jobs

23-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has revealed results of a new survey which show an overwhelming majority of operators support calls for a VAT cut. 

Managed pubs running out of market space, warns Horizons

23-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

As pub group TCG launches a new quick service food concept, foodservice analyst Horizons warns that managed pub companies could encounter problems as they run out of space to grow in the pub market and may have to consider becoming restaurants in their...

Raymond Blanc and Spirit Pub Company among Footprint Awards 2012 nominees

20-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Raymond Blanc, Spirit Pub Company, The Clink and Sark Island Hotels are among hospitality professionals and businesses nominated for the Footprint Awards 2012 which celebrates sustainable and environmental excellence in the foodservice supply chain.

IDEAS FROM YOUR PEERS

Strawberry Dessert Competition at The Cavendish London and Power Lunch at Dukes

20-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Restaurants and hotels including Dukes St. James London, The Cavendish, The Minnies Bar & Restaurant and Nobu Berkely ST tell BigHospitality about special offers and promotions they're running to help attract more customers. 

Chancellor ‘totally wrong to raise beer tax’, says BBPA

20-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has slammed Chancellor George Osborne and the Government for their decision to raise beer tax by a further five per cent in the March Budget.

Diageo and Coca-Cola unite for British Summer campaign with new Union Jack bottles

20-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Drinks companies Diageo GB and Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) have united to form a new campaign, ‘A Celebratory British Summer’, with the launch of a range of limited edition Union Jack bottles available for the on-trade.

Pubs and bars 'most distressed' UK businesses as critical problems soar

20-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Pubs and bars are among the country's 'most distressed' UK businesses with a massive 95 per cent rise in critical problems faced by the sector in the first quarter of the year, according to the latest Red Flag Alert statistics from Begbies...

Spirit announces rise in profits as business transformation continues

19-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Spirit Pub Company has announced it is continuing to transform the business as pre-tax profits for the 28 weeks to 3 March 2012 rose 7 per cent to £20m driven by a strategy for the managed site portion of the business.

VisitEngland reveals Excellence Awards 2012 finalists

19-Apr-2012 By Emma Eversham

National tourist board VisitEngland has revealed the names of the hospitality businesses and individuals who have made the final shortlist for 15 award categories in its 2012 Awards for Excellence. 

Quorn unites with KK Fine Foods to launch range of ready meals

18-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Mock meat manufacturer Quorn has teamed up with KK Fine Foods to create a new range of ready meals for pubs and hotels.

London 2012: Hospitality businesses urged to improve customer service with 100 days to go

18-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

As the countdown to the London 2012 Olympics reaches the last 100 days hospitality businesses are being urged by VisitBritain and People 1st to 'warm up their welcome' and improve customer service to make the most of the Games. 

Sales boost for eating out sector following warm March

17-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Restaurants and pubs have benefited from the unseasonably warm weather of March, with collective like-for-like sales up 1.9 per cent and total sales up 6.3 per cent on the same month last year.

Nestlé Professional launches Viaggi 'barista-style' beverage system in UK

17-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Nestlé Professional has launched its award-winning Viaggi beverage machine in the UK which delivers ‘barista-style’ coffees and hot chocolate to foodservice operators.

Geronimo Inns returns to roots with Chelsea Ram relaunch

16-Apr-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Rupert and Jo Clevely, the duo behind London-based, food-led pub operator Geronimo Inns, have reclaimed the Group’s first pub and are set to relaunch it this month, 17 years on from its initial opening.

Developer accused of demolishing Sydenham pub pledges to rebuild it

13-Apr-2012 By Peter Ruddick

A Bromley-based property developer, accused by Sydenham residents of demolishing more of The Greyhound pub than Lewisham Council's planning permission allowed, has pledged to rebuild the venue and ensure it is reopened for the local community.