Casual Dining

PM tells businesses to "stick by staff" ahead of support package for workers

19-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told businesses to “think carefully” before laying off staff ahead of the announcement of a support package for workers today (20 March).

Co-op creates 5,000 jobs for laid-off hospitality workers

19-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

The Co-op is to create 5,000 store-based jobs in a bid to provide temporary employment for hospitality workers who have been laid-off during the Coronavirus outbreak.

YO! Sushi temporarily closes 54 restaurants, but 16 remain open

19-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

YO! Sushi is temporarily closing 54 of its restaurants but a further 16 will remain open as part of its measures in light of the Coronavirus epidemic and to try safeguard the future of the brand and the livelihoods of it staff.

Kari the day: the rise of Sri Lankan cuisine

19-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

With Hoppers opening its biggest site to date in London’s King’s Cross last month, and two Sri Lankan restaurants recently launching in Soho, the lesser known subcontinental cuisine has moved into prime London territory.

Gary Neville to tackle Coronavirus by opening hotels to NHS workers

19-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Former Manchester United and England star Gary Neville is to allow health workers to use his hotels free of charge in an effort to help with the Coronavirus crisis.

Hospitality Action launches appeal to support stricken workers

19-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Industry charity Hospitality Action has launched an emergency appeal to support those in the sector affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

National restaurant groups start to shutter sites in face of pandemic

19-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Major national branded restaurant groups Byron, Pho, Zizzi, ASK Italian and Brasserie Blanc have closed their sites to the public as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Restaurants see sales plunge 69%

18-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Sales at UK restaurants, cafes and pubs plunged 69% year-on-year in the last week as social-distancing measures were ramped up across the country due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

BrewDog starts production of hand sanitiser to help tackle shortage

18-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

BrewDog is latest alcohol producer to announce it has begun making bottles of hand sanitiser in a bid to help tackle the shortage caused by the Coronavirus outbreak.

Unite calls for greater support for hospitality staff

18-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Trade union Unite has called on the Government to provide greater support to staff within the hospitality industry who face being laid off during the Coronavirus crisis.

Rules relaxed so restaurants and pubs can become takeaways

18-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Rules will be relaxed to allow restaurants and pubs to operate as hot food takeaways during the Coronavirus outbreak, the Government has announced.

Major restaurant groups close in wake of Coronavirus crisis

18-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Major restaurant groups including Hawksmoor, D&D London, Corbin & King and Mowgli have temporarily shuttered their sites as the Coronavirus pandemic intensifies.

There's been a lot of misinformation - why most businesses can't claim for Coronavirus losses

18-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Matthew Dewen, director at hospitality insurance company Full-Time Cover, on why the vast majority of restaurants can’t claim for business interruption during the ongoing Coronavirus crisis.

Club Mexicana to open debut restaurant in May

17-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Mexican-Californian inspired street food operator Club Mexicana has announced that its first restaurant will open at the end of May.

Charity Only a Pavement Away pledges to fund sickness pay gap for members

17-Mar-2020 By Big Hospitality

Hospitality industry charity Only A Pavement Away, which supports the homeless, ex-offenders, and vulnerable veterans with jobs in hospitality, has committed funding to ensure its members don’t fall back into destitution in light of growing concerns over...

Industry petition calls on Government to support hospitality

17-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Over 60,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Government to offer guaranteed support to the hospitality industry as Coronavirus continues to hit businesses.

Wandsworth’s StreetCube declared ‘official emergency food solution’

17-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Sustainable-minded street food project StreetCube has declared itself an ‘official emergency food solution’ for people in the Wandsworth area.

Restaurant operators won't be covered by insurance in event of hospitality lockdown [updated]

17-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Restaurant operators are unlikely to be covered by insurance if there was an official government lockdown on bars and restaurants because COVID-19 will not be included in many businesses’ insurance policies.

Restaurant industry responds to 'catastrophic' Government advice

17-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The restaurant industry has reacted with a mix of anger, confusion and dismay at the Government’s advice that people stay away from pubs and restaurants as containment of the Coronavirus picks up pace.

Victor Lugger: 'restaurants must ask themselves how can we be closed for six weeks and survive?

17-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Restaurant operators need to start asking themselves how they will be able to keep their staff employed while being closed for five to six weeks, according to the co-founder of Big Mamma Group.

Hawksmoor delays New York opening because of Coronavirus

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Steakhouse group Hawksmoor has announced it is to delay the opening of its first non-UK restaurant because of the escalating Coronavirus issue.

Ramen supper club Supa Ya Ramen to open first permanent restaurant

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Ramen supper club Supa Ya Ramen will open its first permanent restaurant this week.

Guide for hospitality sector on dealing with Coronavirus published

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

A guide for hospitality business on how to deal with the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, featuring advice from public health experts and doctors, has been published online.

Best Western to consider turning hotels into temporary hospitals

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Hotel group Best Western Great Britain says it will consider turning hotels into temporary hospitals if the NHS needs additional bed space during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Hospitality sector faces 'existential threat' as Government called on for more support

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

UKHospitality has called on the Government to step up its package of business support as the effect of coronavirus continues to spread.

Duty of care: The Coronavirus and the law

16-Mar-2020 By James Campbell and April Lord

James Campbell and April Lord of law firm Pillsbury on the legal implications the Coronavirus has for restaurants, including risk assessments and force majeure in contracts.

Friday Five: the week's top news

13-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

We round-up some of the top hospitality stories from the past week.

Coronavirus: 5 things restaurant owners should do now

13-Mar-2020 By Catherine Gannon

With fears around the Coronavirus and its potential impact on hospitality growing, it's time for operators to have conversations with landlords, HMRC and employees.

Deliveroo to introduce ‘no-contact drop-off’ service

13-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Deliveroo is to launch a ‘no-contact drop-off’ service in a bid to help quell consumer concerns, as the Coronavirus crisis intensifies.

Restaurants combat Coronavirus cashflow problems with gift vouchers

13-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Restaurant companies including Harts Group and Kricket are asking their customers to purchase gift vouchers to combat the Coronavirus’s potentially disastrous impact on their cashflow.

Restaurants 'should plan for the worst-case scenario' with coronavirus

13-Mar-2020 By Restaurant

Restaurant operators should plan for the worst-case scenario with the coronavirus outbreak, according to people close to the sector.

Nico Simeone to step away from original Glasgow restaurant

13-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Scottish-born chef Nico Simeone is to hand his debut restaurant, 111 by Nico, over to head chef Modou Diagne, in order to focus his time on further building the Six by Nico brand.

The Harrow at Little Bedwyn to close after 21 years

12-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Acclaimed restaurant The Harrow at Little Bedwyn in Wiltshire is to close this month after 21 years in business.

Statement: William Reed UK Food Shows postponed

12-Mar-2020 By Restaurant

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 health situation William Reed Business Media, publisher of BigHospitality, has taken the difficult decision to postpone the NEC UK Food Shows.

Large restaurant groups overlooked in Budget 2020

12-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Large hospitality businesses were “utterly ignored” in yesterday’s Budget despite being on the “front line” of the Coronavirus impact, UKHospitality has said.

The Lowdown: The Murphia List

11-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

An annual list that celebrates Irish people working in the world of hospitality has been published this week.

Bao trio to open all-day dining restaurant Cafe Bao in King's Cross

11-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The team behind popular Taiwanese steamed buns restaurant Bao will open their first all-day dining concept under the brand.

Budget 2020: what does it mean for hospitality?

11-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a freeze in all alcohol duties and cuts to business rates for small hospitality firms in his first Budget today.

Footballer Gareth Bale tees up Cardiff golf venue

11-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

High-profile Welsh footballer Gareth Bale is to open a restaurant, bar and mini-golf venue in his home city of Cardiff.

Anchor and Hope founders to open The Clarence gastropub

11-Mar-2020 By Restaurant

Rob Webster-Shaw and Jonathan Jones, the founders of top London gastropubs Anchor and Hope, Canton Arms, and Magdalen Arms and formerly of 32 Great Queen Street, will open neighbourhood pub The Clarence Tavern in Stoke Newington later this month.

Latest opening: Mambow

11-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Chef Abby Lee has created an affordable breakfast and lunch-focused bowl food restaurant that’s pitched as an alternative to the big brands.

How I Got Here: Richard Gladwin

11-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

With his brothers Oliver and Gregory, Richard Gladwin has launched four London restaurants. The most recent, Sussex, opened last year on the Soho site once occupied by Anthony Demetre and Will Smith’s Arbutus.

Some plant-based meals revealed to contain more salt 'than eight McDonald’s hamburgers’

10-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

The industry has come under fire for the amount of salt that some of the plant-based meals served in restaurants contain.

Patisserie Valerie to merge with Bakers + Baristas

10-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

The Irish private equity firm which bought Patisserie Valerie out of administration last year has merged the café chain with its Bakers + Baristas business.

Chinatown restaurants temporarily close to limit Coronavirus impact

10-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

A number of restaurants in London’s Chinatown appear to have temporarily closed in a bid to limit the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on their bottom line.

UKHospitality calls for business rates suspension for businesses threatened by Coronavirus

10-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Trade body UKHospitality is calling on the Government to support food, drink and leisure businesses threatened by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, with measures including a three-month suspension of business rates.

Industry hit by 'double whammy' of Coronavirus and immigration policy

10-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Confidence among the bosses of Britain’s pub and restaurant groups has been fractured by the double whammy of Coronavirus and the Government’s new immigration policy, according to new snap poll.

KIBOU to open debut London restaurant

09-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Cheltenham's KIBOUsushi is to open its first London restaurant next month.

Immigration bill will leave more than 200k jobs unfilled

09-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Trade body UKHospitality has warned that more than 200,000 job vacancies across the sector will be left unfilled if the Government’s new immigration bill is enforced in its current form.

Restaurant, pub and bar closures slow to lowest rate in two years

09-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

An average of six restaurants, pubs or bars closed every day in Britain last year, according to latest Market Growth Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners.