Casual Dining

Yorkshire town on the hunt for ""top class"" chef to open new restaurant

01-Oct-2010 By Rachel Johnson

The Yorkshire town of Malton is looking for a "top class" chef or patron to open a new restaurant in the town, and it's offering £10,000 to the right person to do so

Third of restaurant-goers say ‘no’ to calories labelling

01-Oct-2010 By Rachel Johnson

Over a third of British restaurant goers would not want calorie labelling on restaurant menus, with 44 per cent of these saying it would ‘ruin’ their restaurant experience, a new poll has revealed

Corporate Responsibility: Ten top tips

01-Oct-2010 By Becky Paskin & Rachel Johnson

Trouble beginning your journey toward becoming a more responsible business? We've asked the experts for their top tips to help get you started.

Corporate Responsibility: Orchid Group

30-Sep-2010 By Rachel Johnson

At 290 sites, Orchid is one of the largest food-led pub groups in the country, which is why Paul Cutsforth, the group’s operations director, is happy to give something back to the community, both at home and away.

What does local sourcing really mean?

29-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

Local sourcing is a term the whole nation is aware of, but what does it really mean?

Martin Wishart named AA Chef of the Year

28-Sep-2010 By Rachel Johnson

Scottish chef Martin Wishart, the owner of Edinburgh’s first Michelin starred restaurant, has been awarded the AA Chef’s Chef of the Year 2010 award by his culinary peers

Corporate Responsibility: How to get started

27-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

With the hospitality industry still reeling from the effects of the recession, concentrating on how responsible your business is may not be at the top of your ‘to do’ list.

Harvest Swap Shop at St. Paul's and Young Guns at South Lodge Hotel

24-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

Restaurants hotels and pubs, including The Restaurant at St. Paul's and South Lodge Hotel tell us about the extra activities their planning to attract customers

Tofan Bars to open Narnia-style bar in Kilburn

22-Sep-2010 By Jo Bruce

A new London bar offering hot cocktails served in teacups and jam jars and a giant Narnia-style wardrobe seating area opens this Friday

Whitbread plans 200 new hotels by 2015

21-Sep-2010 By Martyn Leek

Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn and Beefeater, intends to open 200 new hotels in the next four to five years, BigHospitality understands

Traditional dishes back in fashion as Brits call for regional food in restaurants

21-Sep-2010 By Rachel Johnson

British consumers are calling for more traditional British cuisine in restaurants, new research has revealed

Ask the Experts: How can I recruit quality staff on a limited budget?

20-Sep-2010 By NULL

Krishnan Doyle, founder and director of COREcruitment, answers one restaurateur’s query about how to hire quality staff while sticking to a low budget

Negative diner reviews more damaging than critics

20-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

Over half of diners will avoid a restaurant after seeing a bad review, with a third trusting the view of their peers over the professional critics

Young Chef Young Waiter announces 2010 finalists

20-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

Sixteen young chefs and waiters have been selected to compete in the overall final of the Young Chef Young Waiter competition next month

Mitchells & Butlers acquires Ha Ha Bar & Grill

17-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

Mitchells & Butlers has acquired the 22-strong Ha Ha Bar & Grill from Bay Restaurant Group for £19.5m

CAMRA reveals 16 best British pubs

16-Sep-2010 By Rachel Johnson

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) has named the 16 best real ale pubs in Britain in its yearly guide released today

Summer sales boost for restaurant and pubs

14-Sep-2010 By Rachel Johnson

Restaurant and pub chains are enjoying a sales boost this summer, according to figures released today, although experts warn that autumn revenue may take a tumble if bad weather continues

Web training launched as study finds one fifth of small businesses still without website

13-Sep-2010 By Rachel Johnson

Owners of small restaurants across Britain are being invited to a series of free events which will explain how to make the internet work for them

Night-time industry worth £66bn a year, say economists

13-Sep-2010 By Rachel Johnson

The British night-time industry is worth £66bn a year to the UK economy, according to a report published on Friday

Charitable Feasts at Fishy Fishy and Mark Best at The Loft Project

10-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

Restaurants hotels and pubs, including Fishy Fishy and The Loft Project, tell us about the extra activities their planning to attract customers

Profits up at Wetherspoon but Martin condemns hefty tax bill

10-Sep-2010 By Martyn Leek

JD Wetherspoon, the managed pub retailer, has this morning unveiled record sales of £996.3m and a 7.3 per cent increase in profit before tax, but faced a tax bill of over £400m

The Battlesteads named 2010 Great British Pub of the Year

10-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

The Battlesteads in Wark-on-Tyne, Northumberland, has been named the 2010 Great British Pub of the Year

Inbound tourism figures “encouraging”, but still below pre-recession level

09-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

A recovery in the number of visitors to the UK has been described as “encouraging”, although the level is still significantly below pre-recession figures

HIT Scotland launches £100k scholarship fund for 2011

09-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

The Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland is once again seeking applications for its emerging talent scholarship scheme

Blumenthal’s Hinds Head named Michelin Pub of the Year

08-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

Heston Blumenthal’s Hinds Head in Bray has been named the 2011 Michelin Pub of the Year

Whitbread sees ‘continued growth’

07-Sep-2010 By Becky Paskin

Premier Inn and Costa Coffee operator Whitbread has today revealed a 7.9 per cent hike in like for like sales for the 24 weeks to 19 August

Ask the Experts: Where can I find and recruit a master pastry chef?

06-Sep-2010 By NULL

Sally Brand of talent management specialists Learn Purple, advises Yvonne Compton from Newcastle-upon-Tyne how to find a highly skilled master pastry chef for her new business

Pearls of Wisdom: David Thompson

03-Sep-2010 By Stefan Chomka

David Thompson is head chef at Nahm, the first Michelin-starred Thai restaurant in Europe, situated in the five-star Halkin hotel in London’s Belgravia. He will soon open a new restaurant in Bangkok

Fairer tax on beer would create 30,000 jobs, says pub industry

01-Sep-2010 By Rachel Johnson

Around 30,000 new jobs would be created if the government gave beer a fair deal in the alcohol duty system the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said today

How to maximise your drink sales: alcohol

27-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

More and more alcohol is being consumed at home, so whether you run a hotel, restaurant or bar you need to make sure you maximise your wine, beer and spirit sales to boost profit.

Publicise last-minute deals to draw Bank Holiday crowds

26-Aug-2010 By Rachel Johnson

British restaurants and hotels must ensure that they offer last minute bargains if they are to take advantage of the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend, industry experts have said

How to maximise your drinks sales: hot beverages

26-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin & Stefan Chomka

As consumers look to a more continental lifestyle, one that involves a mid-afternoon coffee or tea, restaurants, pubs and hotels should take note to improve their hot beverage offering, which will ultimately boost revenue.

Salad salt levels ‘absurdly’ high

26-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

Salads bought from high street outlets such as EAT and Pret a Manger have been found to contain more salt than a packet of crisps, over half the recommended daily allowance

Burnside pubs and hotels marketed following administration

25-Aug-2010 By Martyn Leek

The pub and hotel businesses owned by Burnside (UK) and Burnside Inns, which collapsed into administration last week, have been placed on the market

National Apprentice Service urges chefs to employ apprentices

24-Aug-2010 By Natasha Devan

As 16 year-olds across the country receive their GCSE results today, restaurateurs and head chefs have been urged by the National Apprentice Service to take on more apprentices in their kitchens

How to maximise your drinks sales: soft drinks

24-Aug-2010 By Chris Druce

Alcohol sales in the on-trade are on the slide, but the soft drinks category continues to go from strength-to-strength. So whether you’re running a bar, restaurant or hotel you need to make sure your soft drink offer has plenty of fizz.

YCYW 2010 regional finalists announced

24-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

The Restaurant Association has named the 48 regional finalists in this year’s annual Young Chef Young Waiter competition 2010

La Trompette sommelier to represent UK in European competition

24-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

Matthieu Longuere MS, head sommelier at London’s La Trompette, has been selected to represent the UK in the Concours du Meilleur Sommelier du Europe 2010 in November

Wetherspoon snaps up Glasgow’s Europa Bar & Grill

23-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

Glasgow’s Europa Bar & Grill has been sold to JD Wetherspoon for an undisclosed sum, marking the 11th Glaswegian property for the national pub chain

Ask the Experts: How can I motivate my staff on the cheap?

23-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

BigHospitality puts one reader's question about how to motivate their staff without monetary reward to Alan Cutler of Hospitality Leadership, in our bi-monthly advice feature Ask the Experts.

Pub closures blamed on consumer shift to ‘continental eating’

23-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

A new café or restaurant will open for every pub or bar that closes over the next three years, as consumers adopt a more ‘European’ lifestyle

How to maximise your drink sales: the perfect serve

23-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

Money made from drinks in food-led operations should account for 30-50 per cent of your total revenue, but even though consumers are now seeking cheaper options, there are a few tricks you can use to help your drinks offering fight back.

Mitchells & Butlers sells non-core pub package in £373m deal

20-Aug-2010 By Martyn Leek

Mitchells & Butlers, the managed pub operator, has sold 333 of its non-core pubs for £373m to Stonegate Pub Company, a new vehicle backed by TDR Capital, the private equity firm.

Time Out announces finalists for 2010 London Eating & Drinking Awards

19-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

Time Out London has announced the shortlisted restaurants and bars in its annual Eating & Drinking Awards 2010

Grand Union to grow to 16 pubs in 2011

18-Aug-2010 By Gemma McKenna

Grand Union Group, the London-based multiple pub operator, will open three new pubs by the end of the year, and plans to grow to 16 in 2011

Finalists listed for Great British Pub Awards 2010

18-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

Over 100 pubs from across the UK have been shortlisted for the Great British Pub Awards 2010, due to take place next month

Brasserie Blanc set to make entry into pub market this week

16-Aug-2010 By Martyn Leek

Mark Derry, the entrepreneur behind Loch Fyne, has described Brasserie Blanc’s entry into the pub market as a 'watershed moment' for the company

Michelin-starred takeaway wraps from Benares and private karaoke in Paradise

13-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

Restaurants, hotels and pubs, including Benares and Paradise by way of Kensal Green, tell us about the extra activities they're planning to attract customers