UK restaurants and pubs saw like-for-like sales edge up 1.3 per cent last month, but a combination of the unusually cold and wet weather, Euro 2012 and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee brought contrasting prosperities for the sector.
With the popularity for local produce and diner demand for provenance information showing no sign of slowing down, Renaissance Pubs has solved the problem of developing closer links and relationships with suppliers by investing in their own farm.
The UK on-trade drinks market is straining under the weight of the recession, with consumers now tending to react in one of two ways: trade up and buy less, or trade down and buy more, according to the 2012 First Drinks Market Report.
Hoteliers are being encouraged to join London Hotelwatch, a new website set up by the Metropolitan Police and Facewatch, which the Institute of Hospitality (IoH) says will be open to hotels across the UK.
EPoS designer and manufacturer Bleep UK has teamed up with hospitality touch screen manufacturer Conceptic Touch UK to launch eMenu, an interactive touch screen menu and ordering app designed to replace traditional paper menus in restaurants.
Hotels across the capital are lowering the cost of their rooms in the run-up to the Olympics to lure in guests as recent figures show that 23 per cent of them are currently unreserved for the two weeks of the Olympics games.
Tax stamps on every bottle or can of beer would be 'extremely problematic' and the case for it is 'premature' when tax fraud enforcement options remain open to HMRC, according to a panel of MPs who reported to the Government yesterday.
Pizza Express, Wagamama and La Tasca are among the high street restaurant chains who have been voted best choices for healthy eaters by health food magazine Healthy Food Guide.
The owner of the St Michael's Hotel & Spa in Falmouth has acquired the former Cornwall Council headquarters in Truro with a view to transforming the property into a luxury four-star hotel, spa and restaurant.
This year’s Annual Hotel Conference (AHC) will focus on arming hoteliers with the skills they need to boost profit as well as give them a chance to network with industry peers, one of the event’s founders has announced.
Riverside Vegetaria in Kingston upon Thames has been named as the best vegetarian restaurant in the capital after topping a vote organised by Ethical Eats, the London Food Link network of restaurants which is part of Sustain.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has called on the Government to abandon plans announced in the Budget for the introduction of tax stamps on every bottle and can of beer saying it will damage pubs and may be illegal.
In our new look Ideas from your Peers column, we evaluate the effectiveness of one of Whitbread’s marketing campaigns, The Reward Club, which it has been using to promote its Beefeater brand for the last four months and question if it is a worthwhile...
The continued growth and success of multi-cuisine buffet restaurants shows no sign of abating as another operator, Tops, enters the fray with a new restaurant in Manchester and two more sites planned.
Annabel Smith, one of the first two women to receive official beer sommelier accreditation from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD) Beer Academy, has told BigHospitality changing glassware can significantly change the attitudes of women to...
American restaurant chain T.G.I. Friday's has joined businesses in the hospitality industry calling for a reduction in VAT by signing up to membership of Jacques Borel's VAT Club.
Hotels in Edinburgh have seen occupancy rates and revenues plummet for the third month in a row, with the downward trend looking set to continue in the Scottish capital for the rest of the year.
The issue of customer’s booking tables and not showing up has plagued the restaurant industry for years, but now bookingrid.com, a new marketing platform for restaurants which uses a demand-led pricing model, believes it has finally found a solution.
The man behind Horsham restaurant Wabi says he believes he has created a brand that can rival established Japanese restaurant operators such as Nobu and Roka as he unveils plans to open a restaurant in London's Lincoln's Inn Fields this autumn.
Today's news that inbound tourism to Britain has just delivered all-time record revenue to Britain over the past year has been hailed a ‘gold medal-winning performance’ by VisitBritain’s chairman, but he also warns that the industry must not get...
Many independent hotel owners could be in line for rebates on their business rates bills worth tens of thousands of pounds due to the impact of the recession, according to business rates specialist CVS.
The average price of a hotel room in London during the London 2012 Olympics is an increase of 26 per cent compared to the same period in 2011, with one night in the capital costing £210.
A joint initiative between Business in the Community (BitC), the British Hospitality Association (BHA) and Springboard today brought together an array of hospitality industry leaders with young people to stimulate a dialogue on employability skills, work...
The UK franchisee of the Italian restaurant chain Francesca has revealed there are plans to open one or two more restaurants in London this year ahead of further expansion and franchise plans for the business.
More than a third (37 per cent) of London-based businesses, including restaurants, hotels, and pubs, have said they will stockpile non-perishable goods in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics to help reduce deliveries made during the Games.
Nicolas Bouhelier, one of the team of pastry chefs representing the UK in the prestigious Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie, has said the competition can help pastry chefs in the UK become as respected as their European counterparts.
Raymond Blanc has called for the industry to 'embrace good strong ethics' as he takes up the post of president of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).
A possible change in the law to protect community pubs and bars from planning decisions and stop venues from becoming victims to changes of use has moved a step closer after passing the first parliamentary stage in the House of Commons.
To mark five years since the implementation of the ban on smoking in pubs and bars in England, BigHospitality has produced a podcast report investigating the current situation and possible future options for campaigners and publicans still hoping to change...
The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has pledged its support to the Green Food project, launched today by the Government in its bid to promote sustainable consumption and increase food production within the hospitality industry.
The number of restaurants producing branded products for supermarkets is increasing as more operators see it as a viable way to extend their brand and provide another revenue stream for the business.
Brian Turner, president of the UK Bocuse Team and UK Jury, has welcomed the rule changes to the competition ahead of the world final in Lyon in 2013 which will see greater recognition given to regional specifics and originality.
A husband and wife pair who opened their first hotel together in 2007 have acquired The Grapevine hotel and restaurant in the Cotswolds, buying the venue from administration and taking their portfolio of hotels to three.
Darren Gladman, former head chef of Rudding Park and proprietor of the Oakdale Golf Club catering franchise, is preparing to open his own bar and restaurant with his wife Debbie in Harrogate this autumn.
The Ledbury has topped a list of London restaurants which have been ranked by online guide All in London according to the number of awards and ratings they have received.
Having ignored most industry rules, Living Ventures co-founder Tim Bacon finds himself running one of the most dynamic food and drink operations in the country.
Permission has been granted for the development of a major leisure extension in Telford Shopping Centre, including 38,000 sq.ft of F&B space available to eight restaurant units.
Fast food restaurant chain Leon is aiming to raise £1.5m by starting a customer bond scheme which it hopes to use to fund expansion over the next three years.
A multi-million-pound highland estate which was once the holiday retreat of fashion legend Coco Chanel is set to be given a new lease of life as an upmarket boutique hotel.
The Great Harry pub in Woolwich is set to reopen tomorrow (July 10) on the site of the original building which was burnt to the ground during last year’s riots.
Soho House Group has become the latest restaurant operator to put chicken in the spotlight with the news it is to open a new venue called Chicken Shop in London this autumn serving rotisserie chicken as its only main course.
Brakspear pubs has purchased two venues from Enterprise Inns as chief executive Tom Davies declares the tenanted pub operator will remain on the acquisition trail and intends to expand further this year.
Karen Forrester, the UK managing director of American restaurant chain T.G.I. Friday's, has revealed the business has plans to open at least 20 new venues in the next three years as the brand reinvigoration continues.
Eric Zwiebel from the Summer Lodge hotel in Dorset has been chosen to represent the UK at the ASI World Sommelier contest and has said this country is now one of the best places in the world to work as a sommelier.
Le Bouchon Breton restaurant in Spitalfields Market has ceased trading blaming rain and the recession on the closure just months after declaring a rebranding and cheaper menu had helped business 'explode'.
Potato processing company Aviko has launched a frozen sweet potato fry product for the foodservice trade based on research that suggests consumers perceive the product as a healthy and attractive option, especially for families.
The UK’s appetite for steak seems to be showing no signs of abating, with a proliferation of meat-focused restaurants opening across the capital and beyond in the coming months.
