Casual Dining

Hostech: Order and Pay technology

How mobile ordering and payment systems are putting power in the right hands

01-Feb-2021 By Restaurant

Order and pay technology will help revolutionise a post-pandemic restaurant sector.

Labour warns 650,000 hospitality businesses at risk of collapse before lockdown ends

01-Feb-2021 By James McAllister

More than a third of hospitality businesses – an estimated 650,000 companies – fear collapse in the next three months, Labour has warned.

Loungers to stick to its property model post pandemic

01-Feb-2021 By Georgia Cronin

The inevitable increase in high-footfall site opportunities following the pandemic will not change Loungers’ established property strategy, CEO Nick Collins has said.

Landlord launches legal action against hospitality tenants over unpaid rent

01-Feb-2021 By James McAllister

Burger brand Five Guys and café chain Caffe Concerto are both facing legal action over unpaid rent after one of their landlords filed respective county court claims against each operator.

Returning to hospitality 'a priority' for many consumers post lockdown

01-Feb-2021 By James McAllister

Four in five consumers say they hope to return to a hospitality venue within a few weeks of them reopening, according to new research from CGA.

Friday Five: the week's top news

29-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

This week's main hospitality news stories include the launch of the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2021; speculation on when lockdown will end; and Mercato Metropolitano's global expansion plans.

Wonderland Restaurants to launch DC characters-inspired home dining experiences

29-Jan-2021 By Restaurant

Wonderland Restaurants has partnered with Warner Bros Consumer Products to launch Wonderland At Home, a premium boxed dining experience service that will feature some of the most iconic brands from film and television.

Marston’s piques private equity interest

29-Jan-2021 By Georgia Cronin

Brewer and pubco Marston’s has confirmed reports that Platinum Equity has made an initial approach to take the company private.

Treasury reaffirms defence of EOHO as data shows 'no link' to increased Covid cases

29-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

The Treasury has reaffirmed its defence of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme (EOHO) after publishing data that showed there was 'no correlation' to rising Coronavirus cases.

Coppa Club operator Various Eateries obtains £2.5m interruption insurance payout

29-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Various Eateries, the restaurant group founded by hospitality entrepreneur Hugh Osmond, has received an interim payment of £2.5m under its Business Interruption Insurance (BII) policy.

Business interruption insurance: five steps to making a claim

29-Jan-2021 By Jonathan Cole

Businesses across the country are seeking pay outs on their business interruption insurance as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Follow these five steps to help you make a successful claim.

Holyrood extends business rates holiday

28-Jan-2021 By Joe Lutrario

The Scottish Government has extended the business rates holiday for hospitality, leisure and retail for three months in its latest Budget.

Hospitality ‘not a huge risk’ for transmission

28-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Hospitality 'certainly isn’t a huge risk' when it comes to the transmission of Coronavirus infection, public health officials have told Parliament.

Gousto offers indies the chance to create recipe box dishes

28-Jan-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Gousto is offering five independent restaurants £10,000 each in funding alongside business coaching and the chance to co-create one of its recipe box dishes.

PizzaExpress MD: “perversely we are in a much stronger place than we were a year ago”

28-Jan-2021 By Stefan Chomka

After a tough 2020 that saw it close 74 restaurants and make large redundancies, PizzaExpress says it is ready for the next stage of its growth.

Hospitality in crisis: what will happen when the lease forfeiture moratorium expires?

28-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

The end of the lease forfeiture moratorium will leave the hospitality sector facing a multibillion-pound arrears bill, with fears that a bloodbath for small businesses is just around the corner

'Three-stage' plan to end lockdown sees hospitality remain closed until May

28-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

A 'three-stage' plan to gradually ease lockdown restrictions in England will see pubs and restaurants remaining closed until May.

Oakman Inns strengthens pipeline for 2021

28-Jan-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Oakman Inns has added a freehold site in Harpenden to its 2021 pipeline following an ‘excellent’ response to its recent equity fund raise.

Sales collapse amid pandemic costs hospitality £200m a day in 2020

28-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Hospitality lost out on over half of its expected sales in 2020, with back-to-back lockdowns and ever-increasing restrictions costing the sector approximately £200m a day.

Demand for rural and coastal pubs increases

27-Jan-2021 By Georgi Gyton

Investor appetite for pubs remains healthy with many buyers undeterred by the impact of the pandemic, according to Christie & Co’s Outlook 2021 report.

Rosa’s Thai Café to open in Birmingham's Paradise development this spring

27-Jan-2021 By Restaurant

Rosa’s Thai Café will open its fourth restaurant outside of the capital, in Birmingham’s Paradise project.

HSBC predicts “relatively swift” recovery for listed leisure companies

27-Jan-2021 By Joe Lutrario

HSBC is predicting a “relatively swift” recovery for listed travel and leisure companies when the sector is finally allowed to reopen.

Treasury has 'no plans' to extend VAT cut but Sunak insists more support is coming

27-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

The Treasury says it has 'no plans' to extend the VAT cut for the hospitality sector, despite the Chancellor warning that the economy will get worse before it gets better.

How I Got Here: Richard Green

27-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

The owner of London-based wine bar and restaurant group 28-50 reflects on his career to date, which has seen him establish a portfolio of hospitality businesses across the UK and Europe.

More than 80% of customers set to order delivery more often than before pandemic

26-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

More than eight in 10 consumers (85%) will order delivery more often or the same as they did before the pandemic, according to new Deliveroo report,

Hospitality sector worst hit by pandemic as unemployment soars

26-Jan-2021 By Restaurant

The hospitality sector has been hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of employment, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed.

Closures account for majority of deletions in 2021 Michelin Guide

26-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

A total of 20 restaurants were demoted or deleted from the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2021, many as a result of having closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Michelin Guide 2021: Core by Clare Smyth and Hélène Darroze at The Connaught each win three stars

26-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

London restaurants Core by Clare Smyth and Hélène Darroze at The Connaught have both been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2021.

Night-time economy 'currently losing 40 businesses a week'

25-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has renewed calls for the Government to immediately extend financial support measures, claiming the sector is currently losing around 40 businesses a week.

Graduate Hotels to partner with White Rabbit Projects for Oxford and Cambridge launches

25-Jan-2021 By Restaurant

US-based hotel group Graduate Hotels is partnering with hospitality development platform White Rabbit Projects for two UK hotel launches this spring.

Gastrono-me plans multiple site expansion

25-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

The team behind Gastrono-me Restaurants Ltd, which currently operates a single site in Bury St Edmunds, are planning to expand the business across the UK over the next three years.

Pub sector veterans seek backing for acquisitions

25-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Two veterans of the pub and bar industry are looking to raise funds to finance a wave of mergers and acquisitions across the sector

Speculation over reopening date grows as 'halfway house' restrictions mooted for after Easter

25-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Speculation over when lockdown measures on hospitality could be lifted has continued to grow over the weekend, with the Government considering the introduction of 'halfway house' restrictions after Easter.

Consumer confidence sees 'sizeable' drop

25-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Consumer confidence about eating and drinking out has dropped by 10% since October, CGA’s first 2021 Hospitality Consumer Forecast reveals.

Crowdfunding campaign set up to help save London's The India Club from closure

22-Jan-2021 By Restaurant

A crowdfunding campaign has been set up to help save The India Club in London’s The Strand from closure.

Friday Five: the week's top news

22-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

This week's main hospitality news stories include calls for Rishi Sunak to announce additional business support; fears over the end of the rent moratoria; and pubs struggling to access Government grants.

Industry leaders call on nightlife fans to submit evidence to Parliamentary inquiry

22-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Industry leaders from across the night-time economy have called on the public to take part in a recently launched Parliamentary inquiry into the devastating impact of Covid-19 on British nightlife.

Top chefs join soon-to-launch meal kit delivery plaform Restaurant Box

22-Jan-2021 By Restaurant

Karl O' Dell, former head chef at Texture restaurant in London, and Olivia Burt, 2019 MasterChef The Professionals finalist are among the chefs soon to launch delivery meal options on new restaurant meal delivery platform Restaurant Box.

Papa John’s introduces flexible franchising formats to expand into ‘non-traditional’ venues

22-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Papa John’s is to introduce new flexible franchising formats for 2021 as it looks to expand its reach into ‘non-traditional’ venues.

Petitions Committee chair urges Prime Minister to engage with the hospitality sector

22-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Chair of the Petitions Committee Catherine McKinnell MP, who led last week's Minister for Hospitality debate, has written a letter urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to engage with the sector.

Most hospitality businesses won't survive lockdown until May without further support

22-Jan-2021 By Restaurant

The vast majority of operators (79%) will not be able to survive a lockdown until May without further Government support, according to the latest findings from Lumina Intelligence’s Hospitality Leaders Poll.

6,000 licensed premises lost for good last year

22-Jan-2021 By Restaurant

Almost 6,000 licensed premises disappeared from Britain last year as the Cornavirus pandemic took its toll on the hospitality sector, according to latest industry figures.

Fears grow of a protracted lockdown as scientist suggests hospitality should stay shut until May

22-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Fears are growing that the hospitality sector could be forced to remain closed for much of the spring, after a scientist warned against opening pubs and restaurants before May.

Richoux and Villagio operator enters administration

21-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Dining Street Limited, the casual dining operator behind restaurant chains Richoux, Villagio and The Broadwick, has entered administration with 147 jobs lost.

Boxing days: what 2021 holds for the makeaway market

21-Jan-2021 By Stefan Chomka

2020 saw the emergence of ‘makeaway’ meal kits as restaurants battled for survival during the pandemic. With the end of lockdown now in sight, what will 2021 hold for businesses thinking out of the box?

Updated - Rudy's Pizza eyes seventh opening

21-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Neapolitan pizza brand Rudy’s is eyeing a site in Cheshire for its seventh restaurant opening.

Chancellor mulls further furlough extension

21-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is understood to be weighing up another extension of the Government’s Job Retention Scheme (JRS).

Hop Vietnamese acquired by founder in accelerated sale

21-Jan-2021 By Finn Scott-Delany

Hop Vietnamese has been acquired in an accelerated sales process to a new entity controlled by founder Paul Hopper.

Thunderbird Fried Chicken expands to suburbs

21-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

London-based premium fried chicken brand Thunderbird is to launch its latest dark kitchen location today (21 January), which will mark its first venture into the suburbs of the capital.

Rooney Anand raises £200m to invest in pub sector

20-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Former Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand has raised £200m to invest in Britain’s pub industry, betting on the prospects of a post-pandemic recovery for the sector.