- This week revealed The Devonshire as the UK’s best gastropub in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list for 2026. The pub, from Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll, former The Fat Duck executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts, and London landlord Oisin Rogers, beat last year’s triple crown winner, Suffolk-based The Unruly Pig, back into second place, while fellow London institution, The Red Lion & Sun in Highgate, continued its climb up the list to take third place. This year’s list was revealed at a ceremony held at Plaisterers’ Hall in London, with chefs Tommy Banks, whose pub The Abbey Inn was ranked 13th, and John Hooker from the Cornish Arms, ranked 10th, and their teams providing the meal for guests.
- The government confirmed a business rates support package for pubs that it says will save the average pub an additional £1,650 in 2026/27. Under the plan, pubs in England will receive a 15% cut to new business rates bills from April, followed by a two‑year real‑terms freeze. The government claims that, with the new support, 75% of pubs will see their bills fall or stay flat, and the sector as a whole will pay 8% less in business rates by 2029 than under previous plans. The announcement followed Rachel Reeves’ decision to rule out further help for other parts of the hospitality industry, saying that “the situation the pubs face is different from other parts of the hospitality sector”.
- Also, this week, The Revel Collective was split and sold as part of a pre-pack administration. Lindsay Hallam, Matthew Callaghan and Oliver Wright of FTI Consulting were appointed joint administrators of the company and completed the sale of Revolution, Revolución de Cuba and Founders & Co brands to Neos Hospitality, as well as a sale of Peach pubs to Coral Pub Company, operated by Ted Kennedy. The transactions secured the continuation of 20 Revolution, Revolución de Cuba and Founders & Co bars, and 21 Peach pubs alongside protecting some 1,582 jobs across the sites and central support function.
- New research on the prevalence of ‘dining and dashing’ found that 8% of Brits admitted to leaving a restaurant without paying for their meal. The survey of 1,500 UK adults by card payment solutions provider takepayments found that 9% of men and 7% of women admitted to dining and dashing, and that the 35-44 age group is the most likely to leave without paying. Darren Larkman, field sales director at takepayments, says dining and dashing is becoming a growing concern, warning that even though 8% may seem like an “insignificant percentage”, it could mean “a total loss of £8bn for restaurants”.
- KFC UK & Ireland is making its Kwench by KFC speciality drinks range available across its UK restaurants. Following a successful pilot in Manchester, the UK & Ireland will become the first KFC market globally to roll out Kwench across all restaurants in 2026. Backed by a £38m investment from KFC and its franchise partners, Kwench marks the brand’s move into the growing Gen Z drinks market. The range will introduce 11 made-to-order drinks across four categories, including Krunch Shakes, Boba Refreshers, Sparkling Lemonades and Iced Coffees.