Casual Dining

National Minimum Wage: Springboard expresses disappointment at freeze for under-21s

19-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The Government has announced the National Minimum Wage (NMW) will rise for adults and apprentices but will be frozen for 16-20 year-olds in a move that the hospitality careers charity Springboard described as disappointing.

Resident DJ to launch Meter Bar & Eatery at CAMP in Shoreditch

19-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

This Wednesday (21 March) sees the opening of Meter Bar & Eatery – a new pizzeria and bar concept from acclaimed DJ James Priestley, aiming to offer 'a slice of Naples in urban Shoreditch'.

Miller Brands launches aged format of St. Stefanus craft beer

19-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Miller Brands has launched a six-month aged version of the Belgian Craft beer range St. Stefanus which will now be available in a 75cl bottle. 

Temporary Event Notices: Hospitality lawyers advise licensees to apply before law change and Olympics

19-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Hospitality licensees considering applying for future Temporary Event Notices (TENs) for events including those during the London 2012 Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations have been advised to apply now before the system becomes more restrictive...

Groupon forced to change trading practices by OFT

16-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Voucher website Groupon has been forced to change some of its trading practices and how it interacts with merchants and businesses after an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading found 'widespread' examples of breached consumer regulations.

IDEAS FROM YOUR PEERS

Mother's Day Afternoon Tea at the Waldorf Hilton and St Patrick's Day Menu at the RIBA

16-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

In this special edition of Ideas from you Peers, hotels, restaurants and bars including the Waldorf Hilton, Vinopolis, the RIBA and the Chophouse brasserie, tell BigHospitality what they're doing to attract more customers this weekend.

Spirit reports continued strong growth and increase in food sales

16-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Spirit Pub Company has announced trading remains on track to meet the company expectations for the financial year with like-for-like sales across its managed estate up 4.6 per cent in the 12 weeks to 3 March 2012 with food sales becoming more important...

The Sustainable Restaurant Association signs up pub companies Peach and Renaissance

15-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

Pub companies Peach and Renaissance have pledged to become more environmentally friendly and continue to improve on areas such as dealing with food waste and sourcing food locally by signing up to the Sustainable Restaurant Association's (SRA) rating...

Women in hospitality boardrooms: More needs to be done, says HVS Executive Search

15-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Women in hospitality are now more present at senior level but remain under-represented in the boardroom and more needs to be done to rectify this and encourage senior female managers to reach for directorships, according to global executive search company...

Food and drink matching trends: Wine

15-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

Of all the drinks categories, wine is the most traditional match to food. Wine lists are given out readily with food menus in the vast majority of restaurants and most diners will expect to see one at least integrated into the food menu if not given to...

Pub licensees should be turning a profit sooner, according to pub consultant and former M&B operations director

15-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Pub licensees should not be content to see their pubs turning a profit in six months but aim to make money sooner, according to Alastair Scott, pub consultant and founder of Malvern Inns and former operations director at Mitchells & Butlers (M&B).

London's restaurants urged to sign up to voluntary healthy eating scheme

14-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

Restaurants and other food outlets in London are being urged to sign up to a voluntary scheme which would see them accredited for actively making their menus healthier. 

Marston's reports subdued 2012 market and expects weakness to continue

14-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Marston's, the pub operator and brewer, has reported a like-for-like sales increase in the 23 weeks to 10 March of 3.5 per cent and has declared its trading performance remains 'resilient' despite weaker conditions since the new year which...

Minimum alcohol pricing: Is it now inevitable and what would the impact be on hospitality?

14-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Minimum alcohol pricing which stops retailers selling drinks for less than the tax paid comes into force this year but reports now suggest the Government is looking to go further and may support a minimum per unit price; but what would the impact be on...

Top 50 northern hospitality industry members named

14-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

The Northern Restaurant & Bar Show has named its top 50 members of the hospitality industry who are based in the north of England. 

Day Tripper: Restaurants and bars drive 250 million UK day visits

13-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Going out for meals and drinks has been revealed by VisitEngland to be the second most popular reason for day trips in the UK with 250 million trips in 2011 helping to boost the worth of the day visit economy to £54bn.

Trade remains tough for restaurants and pubs, February sales figures show

13-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

Trade remains tough for many chain restaurants and pubs across the UK according to the latest figures from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker. 

Vinoteca to open third wine bar in Soho

12-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Brett Woonton, Charlie Young and Elena Ares, the team behind Vinoteca with sites in Farringdon and Marylebone, will open their third wine bar, dining room and wine shop at 53 to 55 Beak Street Soho in mid April.

Campaign to promote UK tourism gets support from Prince Charles

12-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

English Tourism Week, VisitEngland's promotional campaign designed to raise the profile and importance of domestic tourism and showcase the value of the industry to local communities and to the national economy, has drawn the support of Prince Charles,...

'Give beer a break', urges SIBA chairman

09-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) chairman Keith Bott has called for policy makers to ‘give beer a break’ as he addressed delegates at the organisation’s annual conference yesterday in Stratford-upon-Avon.

JD Wetherspoon to reduce planned pub openings for the year

09-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

JD Wetherspoon has revealed a rise in like-for-like sales of 2.1 per cent in the 26 weeks to 22 January 2012 but announced it is scaling back its planned pub openings for the financial year and remains cautious about future performance.

IDEAS FROM YOUR PEERS

Rococo Chocolates at The Chester Grosvenor and Hop Shoots at The Draft House

09-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars including The Chester Grosvenor, The Draft House, The Dorchester and Ichi Sushi tell BigHospitality about special events and promotions they're running to attract new customers. 

London 2012: Restaurants and bars urged by TfL to target Olympics commuters

08-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Restaurants and bars are being encouraged to team up with Transport for London (TfL) to promote offers and deals for workers travelling during the Olympics in order to ease the after work commute during London 2012.

TGI Friday's Karen Forrester named best individual retailer

08-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Karen Forrester, managing director of TGI Friday’s in the UK, has been named Best Individual at this year’s Retailers’ Retailer of the Year Awards where Cote, Brasserie Blanc and Alex Reilley at Loungers were also winners.

Food and drink matching trends: Beer

08-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

When it comes to maximising drinks sales, beer has always stood in the shadow of higher GP wine and there has been little faith that diners would ever choose grape over grain. But, with a rise in the popularity of craft beers and a continuing surge in...

Nominations open for Women 1st Shine Awards

07-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Women 1st has announced the nominating process has opened for the 2012 Women 1st Shine Awards which recognise outstanding female achievement in the hospitality industry.

Government should encourage pub drinking to control alcohol violence, new research suggests

07-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The Government should encourage people to return to pubs and bars to drink if it is to control night-time violence caused as a result of alcohol, according to new research from the Institute for Health and Community at Plymouth University.

Chefs urged to pitch their chips against McCain's in Hand Cut Chip Challenge

07-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

McCain Foodservice is giving chefs who are proud of the hand cut chips they make for their menus to pitch them against their own Gastro Chips range to see how they compare in terms of taste, appearance and operational efficiency.

Lotus Professional launches NexxStyle air-cushioned napkin range

07-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Georgia-Pacific, which manufactures the Lotus Professional range of tissue products and dispensing systems, has launched the NexxStyle range of air-cushioned napkins which can be branded and customised by restaurants and hotels.

International Women's Day: Angela Hartnett, Jillian Maclean and Carrie Wicks discuss women in hospitality

07-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

International Women's Day 2012 is celebrated on Thursday 8 March under the theme 'Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures'. Ahead of the event BigHospitality spoke to three leading women in hospitality to get their take on the industry approach...

Wine sales at restaurants, hotels and pubs fall 6% in 2011

06-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

Volume sales of wine at restaurants, hotels and pubs fell 6 per cent in 2011, according to the latest Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) Market Report with spirit sales down slightly less at 2 per cent. 

Jacques Borel’s industry VAT club redesigns logo to focus on jobs

06-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The campaign set-up to lobby for a cut in VAT charged in hospitality businesses on drink, food and accommodation to 5% has redesigned its logo to represent a refocus for the campaign on the employment benefits a VAT boost to the industry could give the...

Electrolux Professional launches more energy-efficient refrigerated cabinet range

06-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Electrolux Professional has launched ecostore, a new range of refrigerated cabinets, which it said offer greater capacity and are 65 per cent more efficient at consuming energy than equivalent products available.

ASK THE EXPERTS

How to help staff sell wine with confidence

05-Mar-2012

Lily Brierley, training manager at Enotria, explains how hospitality business owners can make their staff more aware of wine lists and encourage them to openly talk about wine with customers in a bid to maximise drinks sales.

Pearls of Wisdom: Nick Tamblyn

02-Mar-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Nick Tamblyn has a strong track record in both the business and operations side of running succesful bars; most recently as chief executive of Kornicis Group, which operates the Smollensky’s and Henry J Beans brands. Tamblyn has also worked for First...

BII announces first National Licenced Hospitality Apprenticeships Summit

02-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) is to launch the first National Licenced Hospitality Apprenticeships Summit to demonstrate how apprenticeships can provide a motivated workforce in the hospitality industry.

Hawksmoor Spitalfields to open basement bar

01-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Hawksmoor Spitafields, the original steakhouse in London’s Commercial Street, is to open a new, 60-cover bar this week.

Baffito’s Bar & Pizzeria opens in Warrington, 10 sites planned by 2014

01-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Baffito’s Bar & Pizzeria has opened the doors of its first venue - a 140-cover site in Warrington - as the new brand plans to expand to 10 sites within the next three years.

SIBA Report highlights positive impact of Government investment for pub industry

01-Mar-2012 By Luke Nicholls

A decade of Government investment in the local brewing sector has produced an industry that is ‘thriving’, although the future remains threatened by ‘punitive’ levels of beer taxation, according to the Local Beer Report 2012 published today by the Society...

Hilton's Simon Vincent to lead newly-established Hospitality Guild

01-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

Simon Vincent, president Europe of Hilton Worldwide, has been tasked with leading the Hospitality Guild, a new umbrella organisation set up to champion skills development within the hospitality industry.

Aiden Byrne turns The Church Green into a grill and eyes Manchester for a fine dining restaurant

01-Mar-2012 By Emma Eversham

Aiden Byrne has decided to change The Church Green, the pub he bought in Lymm three and a half years ago, into a British Grill because it was no longer financially viable to run it as a fine dining restaurant.

Work experience: Vital or exploitative? Industry leaders give their views

29-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Work experience has hit the headlines as Government talks with businesses concerned about the scheme to get unemployed youngsters on placements continue; BigHospitality asked hospitality industry leaders at Hotelympia, including Raymond Blanc, for their...

Nestle Toque d'Or takes on new format for 2012

29-Feb-2012 By Emma Eversham

Nestle Toque d'Or, the culinary competition for catering colleges, has taken on a new format for 2012, doing away with the first round paper entries and putting more emphasis on exposing students to 'real life' hospitality scenarios.

Meantime London introduces limited edition Yakima Red seasonal beer to trade market

28-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Meantime London, the Greenwich-based craft beer brewing company, has launched Yakima Red, a limited edition seasonal beer, to the trade market as the latest addition to the range of craft beers from the company.

Cornish pub operator St Austell Brewery agrees £40m refinancing deal

28-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

The Cornwall-based brewery and pub operator, St Austell Brewery, has agreed a £40m refinancing deal with RBS and Barclays banks to help fund the company investments in its 174-strong pub estate.

Fred Sirieix designs 'Art of Service' college course with Westminster Kingsway College

28-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Fred Sirieix, general manager at Galvin at Windows, has designed a new service college course with Westminster Kingsway College for restaurant managers that will be available for those already working in the industry.

Pubs warned about TV football coverage by sports lawyer

28-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Publicans have been warned by a leading sports lawyer not to misread the victory of Portsmouth landlady Karen Murphy in the High Court as an acceptance of the legality of showing Premier League matches without a valid UK subscription service.

The Ivy commis chef April Partridge named Hot Talent 2012

28-Feb-2012 By Emma Eversham

April Partridge, commis chef at The Ivy was last night named winner of the Hot Talent award 2012.

Free BII membership for new Admiral Taverns licensees

27-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

New Admiral Taverns licensees will have a membership of the British Insitiute of Innkeeping (BII) for the lifetime of their agreement funded by the Chester-based pubco, following a similar announcement from Fuller's last year.

Restaurants and hotels can learn from each other on sustainability, says SRA

27-Feb-2012 By Peter Ruddick

Restaurants and hotels can learn from what both sectors already do well on sustainability and responsibility for the industry to progress on environmental issues, according to Mark Linehan of the Sustainable Restaurant Association who was speaking at...