News

Le Gavroche to cut opening hours following investigation

18-Nov-2016 By Sophie Witts

Michel Roux Jr’s restaurant Le Gavroche is to further reduce its opening hours after several former employees claimed they were paid less than minimum wage.

Tech initiatives at K West Hotel & Spa improve staff productivity

17-Nov-2016 By Emma Eversham

The K West Hotel & Spa says staff have become more productive and have more time to spend making guests feel welcome since investing in guest-facing technology.

The Clink Restaurants reduce prisoner re-offending by 41%

14-Nov-2016 By Hannah Thompson

The Clink Charity – the hospitality and restaurant training scheme for prisoners operating across the UK – reduces re-offending rates among male ex-offenders by a “statistically significant” 41 per cent, a new report has shown.

Airbnb targets business travel bookings

14-Nov-2016 By Sophie Witts

Airbnb is stepping up its efforts to target business travellers with a new tool designed to boost corporate bookings.

Leon introduces 'parent-shifts' to promote flexible working

11-Nov-2016 By Sophie Witts

Restaurant chain Leon has launched a flexible working scheme to allow staff to fit their hours around family life.

Government to probe rights of ‘gig economy’ staff

27-Oct-2016 By Sophie Witts

The rights of ‘on-demand’ workers such as Deliveroo drivers are to be reviewed as part of a new Government low pay inquiry.

Premier Inn plans hub expansion

25-Oct-2016 By Sophie Witts

Premier Inn is planning to double its number of high-tech hub hotels following strong half-year sales at the chain.

Protecting the produce: How Greenpeace and Norway saved Arctic cod

24-Oct-2016 By Hannah Thompson

There is often conflicting information on the sustainability of fish and seafood, particularly Arctic cod, which can lead to confusion among chefs and consumers. But now, new work by Greenpeace and the Norwegian fishing industry is set to make things...

Hourly hospitality pay outstripping minimum wage

21-Oct-2016 By Mark Wingett

Hourly pay for UK hospitality workers is already significantly outstripping new legal minimum wage thresholds, research by Fourth Analytics has revealed.

The battle of the bookings: How hotels can work with, not against OTAs

12-Oct-2016 By Hannah Thompson & Emma Eversham

As the industry gears up for two major hotel events in the next few weeks, experts have agreed that online travel agents (OTAs) may not be the ‘necessary evil’ they are made out to be, and may actually offer many features designed to help, rather than...

Marriott seeks tech start-ups for hotel deal

10-Oct-2016 By Sophie Witts

Marriott is looking to boost its digital operations by offering two tech start-ups the chance to test their ideas in its European hotels.

How restaurants are catering for customers with food allergies

10-Oct-2016 By Emma Eversham

Restaurant owners have spoken out about the steps they’ve taken to comply with allergen legislation as well as cater for the growing number of customers with food allergies.

Front-of-house focus: The new order of service

10-Oct-2016 By Joe Lutrario

Restaurant has put seven very different top-end restaurant service styles under the microscope to see what makes today’s dining rooms tick.

Sethi family to launch first Deliveroo-only restaurant

07-Oct-2016 By Sophie Witts

The siblings behind Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Gymkhana are set to reinvent the takeaway by launching the first Deliveroo-only brand.

Young National Chef winners: Industry must help new talent

07-Oct-2016 By Sophie Witts

Some of the UK’s best young chefs have called on the restaurant industry to offer better support to help new talent.

Ruth Hansom from The Ritz wins Young National Chef of the Year 2017

04-Oct-2016 By Sophie Witts

Ruth Hansom, commis chef at The Ritz, London, has been named Young National Chef of the Year 2017.

British hospitality workers earn 18% more than EU counterparts

28-Sep-2016 By Mark Wingett

British restaurant employees are earning on average 18 per cent more than those from other EU countries and 20 per cent more than people from non-EU countries, according to new research from hospitality recruiter, The Change Group.

VIEWPOINT

Goodwood Estate's Darron Bunn on why hospitality businesses have a duty to invest in future talent

23-Sep-2016 By Emma Eversham

Darron Bunn has racked up more than 20 years' as a chef, working with Marco Pierre White and Nico Ladenis before running gastropubs, leading brigades at five-star hotels and more. As group executive chef at Goodwood Estate he oversees all food operations,...

Drake's restaurant appoints new head chef

12-Sep-2016 By Sophie Witts

Fred Clapperton has replaced Steve Drake as the head chef at Drake’s Restaurant in Ripley, Surrey following the former owner’s departure.

TECHNOLOGY

Age of the restauroids: Will robots become a reality in restaurants?

12-Sep-2016 By Joe Lutrario

They’ve been predicted for decades, but are we about to see robots finally become a reality in the dining room and kitchen?

Industry representatives needed for new Hospitality Apprenticeship Board

08-Sep-2016 By Emma Eversham

People 1st is asking hospitality businesses which are 'passionate about skills and apprenticeships' to nominate representatives for a new Hospitality Apprenticeship Board.

Amazon launches one-hour restaurant delivery service in the UK

07-Sep-2016 By Mark Wingett

Amazon Restaurants has officially announced it will allow its Prime members in certain postcodes across London, to order food from selected restaurants for free delivery within an hour.

Arora strengthens management and advisory teams ahead of expansion

06-Sep-2016 By Emma Eversham

Hotel owner and operator The Arora Group has strengthened its senior management team and appointed three advisors to its board to help drive forward its growth plans.

Front-of-house staff encouraged to enter Gold Service Scholarship 2017

01-Sep-2016 By Emma Eversham

Front-of-house staff are being encouraged to enter the Gold Service Scholarship as the 2017 competition opens for entries.

CAU’s Graham Hall to head up Ennismore restaurants

01-Sep-2016 By James Wallin

Graham Hall is leaving his role as managing director of CAU to head up the new restaurant division being created by Gleaneagles owner, Ennismore.

Adam Handling apologises for TripAdvisor outburst but calls feedback “unfair”

31-Aug-2016 By Hannah Thompson

Chef Adam Handling has branded online criticism as “unfair, frustrating, and personal", but has apologised for replying to a negative TripAdvisor review by saying the customer was an “imbecile” who should “stick to McDonalds”.

Joe’s Southern Table and Bar launches Instagram-inspired avocado buns

17-Aug-2016 By Hannah Thompson

It was bound to happen: between the nation’s obsession with avocados, burgers, carb-free plans and gluten-free diets, an ‘avocado bun’ has finally arrived in London.

Michelin-starred chef backs restaurant for the homeless

16-Aug-2016 By Sophie Witts

Michelin chef Martin Wishart is to cook at a new Edinburgh restaurant designed to support the homeless.

Autism-friendly training hotel to open in Gateshead

10-Aug-2016 By Sophie Witts

A £2m hotel designed to train young people with autism and learning difficulties to work in the hospitality industry is to open in Gateshead in October.

Byron faces customer boycott over immigration row

28-Jul-2016 By Sophie Witts

Customers are threatening to boycott the Byron burger chain after dozens of its workers were arrested in a raid by immigration officials.

Marriott launches social marketing programme M Live in Europe

26-Jul-2016 By Emma Eversham

Marriott International's real-time social marketing initiative M Live is being launched in Europe following its success in its US, Asia Pacific, Caribbean and Latin American regions.

Hospitality paying staff more than NLW survey finds

19-Jul-2016 By Emma Eversham

The hospitality industry is paying workers over 25 an average of 27p above the National Living Wage (NLW) a wage survey has reveal

Four ways Pokemon Go can boost restaurant sales

19-Jul-2016 By Sophie Witts

Pokemon Go has taken the UK by storm, and savvy bars and restaurants are already using the game to boost sales.

Bill's restructures management team

14-Jul-2016 By Mark Wingett

Bill’s Restaurants, the Richard Caring-backed chain, has carried out a restructuring of its management team, which has seen chief operating officer Roberto Moretti and managing director Scott Macdonald leave the company with immediate effect.

EU Allergen laws: Foodservice operators told it's 'business as usual'

06-Jul-2016 By Emma Eversham

The owners of foodservice businesses are being urged to continue to abide by the EU's allergen labelling laws despite the UK's intention to leave the EU.

Just Eat to trial robot restaurant delivery service

06-Jul-2016 By Emma Eversham

They have been trialled as servers and concierges in hotels, now robots are to enter the restaurant delivery market through a partnership between takeaway food delivery company Just Eat and Starship Technologies.

Brexit: Hospitality employers could face 'staggering' costs to recruit non-UK staff

05-Jul-2016 By Emma Eversham

Hospitality employers could be faced with 'staggering' costs to recruit and retain staff from outside the UK once it leaves the EU, an immigration lawyer has warned.

Hospitality leaders: Living Wage shows Government's 'contempt' for businesses

28-Jun-2016 By Sophie Witts

Hospitality leaders have criticised the Government’s ‘disgraceful’ decision to introduce the National Living Wage (NLW) without consulting businesses first.

Independent B&Bs seeing ten-year ratings high, says TripAdvisor study

27-Jun-2016 By Hannah Thompson

Independent B&Bs and hotels are seeing a ten-year high in average ratings, according to online review site TripAdvisor.

Ryanair to launch budget hotel booking site

22-Jun-2016 By Sophie Witts

Budget airline Ryanair is to launch a new low cost hotel booking site later this year.

How to win at loyalty in a changing world

20-Jun-2016 By Emma Eversham

When international hotel companies Marriott and Starwood announced they were looking to merge their two businesses, the biggest concern from their guests wasn’t whether some of their favourite hotel brands would disappear, but what would happen to the...

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