News

Gender pay gap? Not an issue at Accor’s Ibis hotels

09-Nov-2015 By Emma Eversham

Female employees earning less than their male counterparts is ‘not an issue’ within Accor’s Ibis hotels in the UK and Ireland says Inge van Ooteghem, SVP economy and budget hotels, and senior UK representative. 

English lamb: How to make more of it on your menu

09-Nov-2015 By Emma Eversham

Recent consumer research carried out by Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Beef & Lamb found that diners love the taste of lamb, yet increasingly they are finding the meat difficult to locate on menus when eating out.

ASK THE EXPERTS

How to balance hospitality and technology

02-Nov-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Adrian Valeriano, vice president UK of OpenTable tells us how you can get the most from the latest innovations in the world of technology.

Employers must 'step up' and reach out to young talent

28-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

Hospitality businesses need to ‘step up’ and do more to recruit ambitious school leavers in to the industry, the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned.

Google: Treat mobile websites as you would desktop

23-Oct-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Restaurants should treat their mobile website as they would treat the desktop version; that is the advice given by Google’s restaurant industry manager, Charlotte Sutton.

TripAdvisor: Online reviews have ‘massive’ impact on hospitality industry

23-Oct-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Online reviews have had a ‘massive’ impact on the hospitality industry, bringing with them a number of benefits, according to TripAdvisor’s director of partnerships, Gwanael Merlin.

MPs launch inquiry in to hospitality apprenticeships

22-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

A cross-party group of MPs has launched an inquiry in to the state of apprenticeships in the hospitality and tourism industry.

James 'Jocky' Petrie on improving innovation at The Gordon Ramsay Group

21-Oct-2015 By Emma Eversham & Liam Garrahan

Following his recent appointment as group executive development chef at the Gordon Ramsay Group, BigHospitality caught up with James 'Jocky' Petrie to find out more about the work he's doing there. 

TripAdvisor unveil analytics dashboard

20-Oct-2015 By Liam Garrahan

TripAdvisor has launched an analytics dashboard for all hospitality businesses registered on its site, allowing them to track trends and create their own competitor sets.

Rejecting Living Wage damages hospitality's image, warns industry leader

19-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

The hospitality sector must welcome the introduction of the Living Wage or risk sending out ‘the wrong message’, a leading industry figure has warned.

Young chefs must spread sustainability message, says top campaigner

08-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

The next generation of chefs has a responsibility to ensure future restaurants improve sustainability standards, chef and campaigner Arthur Potts Dawson has warned.

Five Guys UK introduces National Living Wage ahead of next year's change

05-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

Five Guys UK has become the latest chain to raise staff salaries ahead of the introduction of the National Living Wage next April.

Employers warn apprenticeship levy could lower quality of training

02-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

A government levy designed to boost the number of apprenticeships on offer could lower the quality of training programmes, employers warned today.

Minimum wage rise: Businesses face £20k fine for underpaying staff

01-Oct-2015 By Sophie Witts

Hospitality businesses have been warned they could face fines of up to £20,000 per employee for failing to pay staff the new national minimum wage rate - which comes in to force today (1 October).

Relax immigration laws to help address chef shortage, says recruiter

28-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

The chef shortage problem could be eased temporarily by relaxing Britain's immigration laws to allow a 'freer movement of chef talent' around the globe, the director of hospitality recruitment company The Change Group has claimed. 

How to crowdfund for a restaurant successfully

28-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

Crowdfunding - the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people – is arguably no longer the ‘alternative’ finance method for hospitality businesses.

Mobile phones cause “emotional stress” at dinner table

25-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Mobile phone use while dining out causes “constant, low-level emotional stress”, a report finds.

Velocity acquires US mobile payments app Cover Inc.

23-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

UK-based mobile payments app Velocity has taken its 'first major step' in its plan for international roll-out by acquiring US mobile payments app company Cover Inc.

Technology having increasing impact on diner choice

15-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

Fifty-five per cent of diners say that technology plays a vital role in the restaurant experience, according to a recent report, with online menus, reviews and apps having an increasing influence on where consumers choose to eat.

How to create a sustainable seafood menu

14-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

The pressure is on restaurants to serve more sustainable seafood, but how can chefs persuade diners to make eco-friendly choices?

Wetherspoon's boss: Living Wage will hit pubs in poorer areas

11-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

The boss of JD Wetherspoon has warned that the introduction of the National Living Wage will place added financial pressure on pubs in less affluent areas.

Report underlines hospitality staffing crisis

07-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

The hospitality industry’s desperate need for more staff has been highlighted in the latest Report on Jobs by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG.

Pizza Express scraps 8% admin fee on staff tips

03-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

Pizza Express has buckled to ongoing public pressure and announced that it will no longer deduct an eight per cent administration fee from staff tips paid on credit card. 

Responding to online reviews key to boosting bookings

01-Sep-2015 By Sophie Witts

Hotels which encourage and respond to online reviews generate nearly four times as many page views as other venues, according to new research from TripAdvisor.

Minimum wage and apprentice rate could rise in 2016

25-Aug-2015 By Sophie Witts

The Government is seeking the views of hospitality businesses over the possibility of raising the National Minimum Wage for apprentices and under 25’s.

Chef shortage causing crisis for UK curry restaurants

24-Aug-2015 By Sophie Witts

The ongoing shortage of skilled chefs is threatening the survival UK curry restaurants, according to the Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA).

New World Trading Company: ‘Unparalleled’ training scheme aiding staff retention

17-Aug-2015 By Emma Eversham

An ‘unparalleled’ training scheme for the pub sector which sees all members of staff spend two and a half weeks learning both in the classroom and on-site before opening is aiding staff retention and contributing ‘massively’ to New World Trading Company’s...

Chef shortage: the industry reacts

13-Aug-2015 By Emma Eversham

The challenge of successfully recruiting and retaining staff in the hospitality industry is not one that has just suddenly appeared in the last few months. 

New sensor technology tells diners when a restaurant is full

11-Aug-2015 By Sophie Witts

London dining app eet is introducing new sensor technology allowing people to track the availability of restaurant tables in real time.

Restaurants urged to invest in mobile-enabled websites to boost sales

11-Aug-2015 By Emma Eversham

Many restaurants are missing out on sales via mobile devices because their websites are not mobile-enabled or they haven't developed apps. 

Handmade Burger Company gains Gluten Free accreditation

10-Aug-2015 By Emma Eversham

Handmade Burger Company has become the latest restaurant group to receive Gluten Free (GF) accreditation from Coeliac UK.

Restaurant groups criticised for taking a slice of staff tips

10-Aug-2015 By Sophie Witts

Restaurant groups including Pizza Express and the Casual Dining Group (CDG) are facing criticism for deducting a percentage of staff tips paid on credit card.

Deliveroo to invest in restaurant technology after raising $70m

28-Jul-2015 By Sophie Witts

Deliveroo, the online ordering start-up that works with top restaurants to deliver dishes direct to customer doors, is to expand its UK platform after receiving a $70m investment.

37 per cent of diners don’t want front-of-house technology

24-Jul-2015 By Liam Garrahan

A report by Sacla’ has found that 37 per cent of diners over the age of 35 do not want restaurants to use front-of-house technology.

Why you should put gluten-free dishes on your menu

21-Jul-2015 By Michelle Perrett

BigHospitality looks at what restaurants, pubs and hotels can do to ensure they cater for the increasing gluten-free trend and asks whether it makes good business sense to do so. 

High staff turnover in hospitality causing a productivity crisis

20-Jul-2015 By Sophie Witts

High staff turnover in the hospitality industry has resulted in a productivity crisis costing the sector £272m per year, new figures show

Michelin restaurants sign up to Apple Pay

16-Jul-2015 By Sophie Witts

Some of London’s top restaurants will now take mobile payments through Apple Pay.

Disclosing the gender pay gap – what will it mean for hospitality?

15-Jul-2015 By Sophie Witts

David Cameron has announced that from early 2016 businesses with more than 250 employees will be forced to publish salary details of male and female staff in a bid to end the gender pay gap. So what will this mean for hospitality?

UK Government pressured to ban rate parity agreements

13-Jul-2015 By Sophie Witts

The Competition and Markets Authority is facing pressure to ban rate parity agreements set by online booking sites following the French Government’s decision to outlaw the terms last week (10 July).

Hospitality employers must act to prevent staff soft skills crisis

02-Jul-2015 By Sophie Witts

Hospitality employers must do more to tackle poor staff soft skills, which risk creating an industry crisis by 2020.

Expedia axes rate parity agreements with UK hotels

02-Jul-2015 By Sophie Witts

The Expedia Group has joined Booking.com in amending its rate parity agreements to allow European hotels to offer lower prices through other online booking sites.

Allergen laws: How technology can help businesses comply

15-Jun-2015 By Emma Eversham

BigHospitality takes a look at the back-of-house technology systems which can help in the compliance of allergen legislation. 

Mix & match: How the right mixer can bring out the best in your spirits

19-May-2015 By Emma Eversham

Sales of spirits, particularly in the luxury bracket, are increasing and bartenders are spending more time than ever sourcing innovative new products both from established producers and a new wave of craft distillers.

What you need to know about craft cider

28-Apr-2015 By Michelle Perrett

Like beer, cider is getting crafty. BigHospitality looks at what craft cider is all about and the opportunities it presents for pubs, restaurants and hotels. 

Three ways to get your dessert menu on-trend

07-Apr-2015 By Emma Eversham

The dessert course may be the last one on your menu but that’s no reason to forget about it. Ensure you hit the sweet spot with your customers by checking out our top tips to making your dessert menu on-trend.

How to choose the right coffee machine for your bar or restaurant

23-Mar-2015 By Carina Perkins

With the UK in the grip of coffee mania, restaurants and bars can no longer afford to serve up a sub-standard product. With so many options, choosing the right commercial coffee machine can be a tricky business – but this BigHospitality guide should help...

Exclusive Hotels Chefs' Academy: Aiming to train and retain staff

18-Mar-2015 By Carina Perkins

BigHospitality takes a visit to Exclusive Hotels and Venues' new Chefs' Academy to find out how the company is aiming to train and retain its kitchen staff through an extensive two-year training programme

New hospitality apprenticeship standards approved

17-Mar-2015 By Mark Wingett

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has approved five new apprenticeship standards for hospitality that will expand the range of options available to young people.

Five ways to recruit better

16-Mar-2015 By Emma Eversham

There’s no denying that recruiting staff to work in the hospitality industry is tough, but some companies are better at it than others. Read BigHospitality’s top five ways to recruit better and make the whole process a little easier. 

Hotel brands lose 31,653 website visitors per month to OTAs

05-Mar-2015 By Emma Eversham

Branded hotel groups are each losing an average of 31,653 website visitors per month to online travel agents (OTAs) as they continue to make trademark bids for their company names on search engines according to a new report.