Casual Dining

Eating out market continues to grow despite economic pressure

11-Jul-2011 By Becky Paskin

The UK eating out market is expected to grow by 2.8 per cent in 2011 to £42bn, with the low-mid value sector and lunchtimes showing the greatest signs of growth.

Busaba Eathai and Smack overall winners at Restaurant and Bar Design awards

08-Jul-2011 By Becky Paskin

Busaba Eathai in Bicester and Smack in Leamington Spa are the headline winners of this year’s Restaurant and Bar Design Awards, announced last night in London.

Hospitality execs plan investment as optimism increases

08-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Senior executives in the hospitality sector worldwide are more optimistic than their peers in other industries about the prospects of the economy, with many of them gearing up for growth in their business, according to a new survey by Ernst & Young.

Career Profile: Peter Wardley

08-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

Peter Wardley started out as a luggage porter before working his way through the ranks to become a hotel manager. He will open the Radisson Edwardian's latest hotel in Guildford in September as general manager.

UK’s popularity increases with European tourists

07-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The UK has this summer proved to be a more popular tourist destination for other European travellers than in past years, according to new data.

Etihad Airways seeks chefs for ‘five-star restaurants in the sky’

07-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is inviting UK chefs to join its cabin crew teams as it prepares to launch a new in-flight dining service for its first class passengers.

Malmaison launches steak restaurant concept and eyes standalone roll out

07-Jul-2011 By Becky Paskin

MWB, the owner of Hotel du Vin and Malmaison hotel groups, is to launch a new high-end steak restaurant and bar at Malmaison Manchester with ambitions to roll the concept out as a standalone brand.

Punch: Spirit demerger set for 1 August

07-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Punch Taverns has confirmed that its Spirit managed pub division will demerge on 1 August, and will be positioned to exploit the growing eating-out market.

Planning for the 2012 Olympics: The details

07-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

The London 2012 Olympics are just over a year away with almost a million* people expected to be attending them and their related events both in the capital and across selected areas of the country.

Reduced VAT ‘not a fantasy’, claims Luke Johnson

06-Jul-2011 By Becky Paskin

Serial investor Luke Johnson has claimed a reduction in VAT for the hospitality industry is not a ‘fantasy’, and has urged the UK’s larger chains to put pressure on MPs.

BII shortlists pubs for training awards

06-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

BII, the trade group for the licensed retail sector, has announced the shortlisted companies selected for its NITA awards, which recognise training efforts in the pub sector.

Pub operating costs stabilise, growth expected ahead

06-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Pub operating costs are stabilising for the first time since 2007, indicating that Britain’s pubs and bars have a good platform for growth, reveals a benchmarking report from ALMR.

Marco Pierre White: I’ve had to evolve

06-Jul-2011 By Becky Paskin

With a 20-strong stable of restaurants, pubs and inns Marco Pierre White has gone from Britain’s first three Michelin-starred chef to celebrated businessman.

People 1st and GoSkills merge for unified hospitality and travel training

05-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The hospitality skills council People 1st has merged with the transport and travel skills council GoSkills in a move designed to streamline customer service training efforts across the sectors.

Whitbread, M&B and De Vere support vocational learning

05-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

Whitbread, Mitchells & Butlers and De Vere are among the companies pledging support for a vocational learning scheme which aims to equip young people with the right skills for work.

CAMRA publishes London’s Best Beer, Pubs & Bars guide

05-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) has published a new guide on the London pub scene, with the aim of encouraging consumers to visit more pubs and bars.

Wetherspoon to open 14 pubs this month

04-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Pub operator JD Wetherspoon (JDW) will open 14 new pubs in July, which marks a monthly high amongst its annual target of 50 new pub openings.

ASK THE EXPERTS

How do you train staff when you have little, or no budget?

04-Jul-2011

Fred Sirieix, general manager of Galvin at Windows and creator of a new board game for training called 'The Art of Service', offers one reader a solution to their problem on staff training.

Tampopo chef to develop pan-Asian food offering for Mitchells & Butlers

04-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

Tampopo's former executive chef Adrian McCormack has joined pub group Mitchells & Butlers to help develop its pan-Asian food offering.

Drake & Morgan appoints key staff to push growth plans

04-Jul-2011 By Becky Paskin

Expanding bar/restaurant group Drake & Morgan has appointed two new key personnel to help drive its growth plans.

VAT cut like Ireland would create hospitality jobs, says BBPA

04-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) is calling on the Government to follow a move in Ireland to drop VAT rates in the hospitality sector which it says would create jobs and aid recovery.

Industry rallies to support restaurant’s lawsuit against TripAdvisor

01-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The Scottish restaurant Cock & Bull is considering filing a lawsuit against TripAdvisor for failing to remove a potentially defamatory review, and has already gathered support from hotels and restaurants around the country.

More safety advice for chefs after E.Coli outbreak reaches France

01-Jul-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Caterers in the UK are being advised to only serve sprouted seeds that have been thoroughly cooked, following further cases of E.Coli.

IDEAS FROM YOUR PEERS

Novak Djokovic-inspired menu at Little Bay and new family policy at Barcelo hotels

01-Jul-2011 By Emma Eversham

Restaurants, pubs and hotels, including Barcelo Hotels and Little Bay restaurants, tell us about the marketing campaigns and promotions they're running this summer to attract customers.

Punch Taverns appoints new chairman

30-Jun-2011 By Becky Paskin

Punch Taverns has appointed URENCO audit committee director and chairman Stephen Billingham as its new chairman following the group’s proposed de-merger of Spirit in September.

Strong food sales help deliver record profit at Greene King

30-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

Strong food sales at pub operator and brewer Greene King helped deliver the group record sales and profit last year.

Felin Fach Griffin owner buys third Cornwall dining pub

29-Jun-2011 By Becky Paskin

Eatdrinksleep, the owner of dining pubs the Felin Fach Griffin in Brecon and The Gurnard’s Head near St Ives, has acquired The Old Coastguard in Cornwall for an undisclosed sum.

MPs support campaign to amend smoking ban in pubs

29-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

MPs from the three main parties are hosting a reception at The House of Commons later today to gain support for a campaign to amend the smoking ban.

Japanese restaurant Sake No Hana sold to Hakkasan

28-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Hush owner Jamie Barber has sold the Japanese fine dining restaurant Sake No Hana to Hakksan Limited.

Top jobs in hospitality require sacrifices, say female executives

28-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Women wanting to climb up the ladder in the hospitality industry must have no illusions about the heavy sacrifices necessary to maintain their career lifestyle, said top female executives in the sector.

Eclectic to open three Lola Lo’s with £1.6m investment

27-Jun-2011 By Becky Paskin

Eclectic Clubs & Bars has acquired two new sites for its rapidly expanding Lola Lo Polynesian nightclub brand, and is set to refurbish a third existing Po Na Na venue at a total cost of £1.6m.

Admiral invests £5m in upgrading pubs that ‘undersell’

24-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Admiral Taverns will invest £5m in upgrading a number of its pubs over a five-month period, in an effort to boost their appeal to customers.

BBPA: Pubs are key to high street revival

24-Jun-2011 By Tom Allsop & Becky Paskin

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has claimed that pubs should play a central role in government plans to create more prosperous and diverse high streets.

Institute of Hospitality launches Welsh branch

24-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The Institute of Hospitality (IoH) yesterday established a regional branch in Wales, which it says will allow it to more effectively represent the industry and collaborate with other groups in the sector.

Inner city pubs were hardest hit by smoking ban

24-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Inner city pubs have suffered most since the introduction of smoking bans in Scotland, England and Wales, finds a new report that examined pub closures around the country.

Career Profile: James Partridge

24-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

The Dorchester's new Director of Group Sales and Events' 20-year career in hospitality has taken him from a country house hotel nestled in the Cotswolds to the luxury hotel sector in London. He was responsible for launching Gordon Ramsay Holdings'...

Ideas from your Peers

Wimbledon in 3D at Park Plaza and BBQ masterclasses at Pearl restaurant

24-Jun-2011 By Tom Allsop

Restaurants, pubs and hotels, including Pearl and Park Plaza London Victoria, tell us about the marketing campaigns and promotions they're running this summer to attract customers

Stonegate and Town & City pub companies merge

23-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

Pub companies Stonegate and Town & City have merged to create the largest privately held managed pub operator in the UK.

Penrose tells hospitality industry: Talk to tourist boards and focus on skills

23-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

Tourism Minister John Penrose has told members of the hospitality industry to talk to their new local tourist boards about their businesses to ensure they benefit fully when tourists visit the area they are in.

Olympic sponsor P&G helps hospitality operators prepare first impression

23-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Cleaning product supplier Procter & Gamble, which has been named a sponsor of the Olympic Games, will be launching a series of pop-up pods to help the hospitality sector deliver a positive first impression to the influx of visitors expected during...

Ministry of Sound to roll out chain of Hed Kandi bars

22-Jun-2011 By Becky Paskin

Ministry of Sound has revealed plans to roll out a chain of Hed Kandi bars across London and the South East over the next three years, with the next venue due to open in Brighton this summer.

Fuller’s: Capital’s expansion plans could ‘dilute quality’ of estate

22-Jun-2011 By Becky Paskin

Fuller’s has responded to Capital Pub Company’s rejection of its takeover attempt with claims its growth strategy could ‘dilute the overall quality and attractiveness of the estate’.

Learning from abroad: Pubs and bars

22-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

As pubs and bars struggle to cope with alcohol tax rises and red tape, operators who want to do more than simply survive need to come up with new ideas to boost their business. In the third part of this month's feature we take a look at some of the...

Pubs outpace restaurants in value food sales

22-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

The economical food offering in pubs is helping the sector attract consumers while traditional full-service restaurants continue to struggle, according to new market research.

Business Profile: The Draft House

22-Jun-2011 By Stefan Chomka

Burgeoning London-based pub group The Draft House is bucking the trend with its premium beer-led operations. Yet owner Charlie McVeigh says it’s still to prove its real mettle

Raconteur's Jamie MacDonald is crowned UK's best bartender

21-Jun-2011 By Tom Allsop

Jamie MacDonald of the Raconteur bar in Stockbridge, Edinburgh has been crowned the UK's best bartender after winning the UK final of the international cocktail competition World Class 2011.

Women 1st secures more funding for hospitality training for women

21-Jun-2011 By Lorraine Heller

Women 1st, the programme set up by the hospitality skills council People 1st, has secured more government funding to provide women in the hospitality sector with training to further their careers.

Hospitality industry urged to improve customer service for 2012 Olympics

21-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

Businesses within the hospitality industry are being urged to improve their service standards in time for the 2012 London Olympics as a survey reveals that nearly three quarters of people don't think they are good enough.

Capital Pub Co. predicts strong sales through to London Olympics

21-Jun-2011 By Emma Eversham

Capital Pub Company, London's largest free house operator, predicts strong sales through to and beyond the London Olympics next year as the capital becomes the top destination for tourists.

Tax increases hit pub and restaurant wine sales

20-Jun-2011 By Tom Allsop

Record tax increases on alcohol are causing consumers to drink wine at home rather than in pubs and restaurants, according to the latest research from the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).