Friday five: the week’s top stories
The newly formed hospitality group set to acquire 57 former Whitbread sites and the closure of James Martin’s casino restaurant are among this week’s top stories.
Trends & Reports
Beef inflation and challenging trading hits Five Guys profits and like-for-likes
Five Guys Europe has reported another fall in EBITDA in its 2025 results.
Almost one in five consumers use AI to plan pub, bar and restaurant visits
Nearly a fifth of consumers are using AI tools, including ChatGPT and search engine summaries, to research where to eat and drink, according to new research from hospitality technology provider Zonal.
High noon: why the battle for lunch trade is intensifying
With customer time and money in short supply, some of the biggest casual dining brands are launching lunchtime offensives that focus on value, speed and convenience.
Slim pickings: why hospitality must meet the needs of the belt-tightening brigade
With the number of GLP-1 medication users having exceeded vegetarians in the UK, the industry must accept that it’s no shrinking issue.
Christie & Co reports 22% rise in pubs and restaurants brought to market
Christie & Co has reported a 22% increase in pubs and restaurants brought to market between January and August compared to the same period last year.
The Lowdown: The return of the gourmet burger
The burger’s natural habitat is expanding beyond QSR outlets and dive bars as a new generation of chefs set out to make it bougie once again.
14 tips to ensure a merry (and profitable) Christmas at your restaurant
The run up to Christmas has officially started, so we’ve brought you an early present.
UKHospitality calls for action on regulation and rising costs in placemaking report
UKHospitality has called on the Government and local authorities to remove regulatory barriers and tackle rising costs in its new placemaking report.
No-show rates fall year-on-year, report finds
The number of no-shows across UK restaurants fell by 6% year-on-year, new data shows.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
The closure of Adam Byatt’s British bistro and 99 Sushi Bar’s UK debut are among this week’s top news stories.
Comment
Sushi is on a roll, and I’m down with that
In a difficult market, but one that demands sushi and at least some of the elegance that comes with it, sushi handrolls make sense.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
The potential sale of Pizza Express and the line-up for Victoria Station’s new food hall are among this week’s top news stories.
Delivery rollouts boost restaurants’ at-home sales but like-for-like growth slows
Britain’s top restaurant groups experienced near-double-digit growth in at-home sales in the past year, new figures show.
Meat and poultry prices rise as foodservice inflation persists
Food and drink prices in the hospitality sector rose by 0.4% month-on-month in August, data shows.
Salad days: unboxing the UK’s healthy QSR market
The market for healthy QSR salad brands is in fine fettle, but it remains a London-centric sector.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
Napoli on the Road’s latest accolade and the uncertain future of ‘London’s oldest’ Mexican restaurant are among this week’s top news stories.
Restaurant sales lead hospitality growth in August
Restaurant sales rose 2.4% year-on-year in August as Britain’s hospitality sector recorded its fourth consecutive month of growth, according to the latest NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker.
Research reveals how Gen Z is giving the Sunday roast a makeover
Younger diners are rewriting the rules of the traditional Sunday roast by adding ingredients including ketchup, hot sauce, chilli oil and kimchi, according to new research.
Comment
Can Jersey Mike’s really take a bite out of Subway?
North America’s second-largest sub sandwich chain is preparing to make its European debut in London, hoping to succeed where numerous US rivals - including Potbelly and Jon Smith Subs - have failed.
Burger & Lobster to focus on international growth amid “tough” UK trading conditions
Burger & Lobster is to focus on growing its franchised international estate as it contends with continued challenging trading conditions in the UK.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
Tom Sellers’ plans for five new F&B concepts at Stoke Park and Bread Ahead’s Borough Market dispute are among this week’s top news stories.
Why casual dining and QSR are waking up to the morning daypart
The first meal of the day is emerging as an increasingly attractive opportunity, with operators from ramen bars to fried chicken brands looking to enter the breakfast business.
50 Best rebrands as The 50
50 Best, the global hospitality rankings and awards brand owned by Restaurant publisher William Reed, has rebranded as The 50.
VERiFAIR survey finds 52% experienced inappropriate workplace behaviour in past year
More than half of respondents to a survey of more than 3,000 UK and Irish hospitality workers said they had experienced inappropriate, unsafe or unacceptable workplace behaviour during the previous year.
UK F&B hospitality spending rose nearly 2% in August
UK spending on eating and drinking increased 1.8% year-on-year in August, according to the latest Barclays Consumer Spend report, with bars, pubs and clubs recording the strongest growth.
Can the culture wars be used to fuel the rise of a restaurant group?
Austin’s Dad is using dog-whistle politics and anti-‘woke’ ragebait to generate interest ahead of its bricks-and-mortar debut, which its relentless social media output suggests is imminent.
Technology
HeyGuest partners with OpenTable
AI concierge platform HeyGuest has partnered with bookings platform OpenTable to help restaurants automate guest communications and secure more bookings.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
The next step in Dishoom’s expansion and the closure of Sonora Taqueria are among this week’s top news stories.
Flat Iron named fastest-growing UK hospitality business
Flat Iron has been named the fastest-growing hospitality business in the UK.
Declining footfall hits business optimism
Optimism among hospitality leaders fell in the last quarter, despite many pub and bar operators benefiting from a boost to sales from the summer weather and FIFA World Cup.
Tech on Toast rebrands as Stacked
Hospitality technology platform Tech on Toast has changed its name to Stacked.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
Gennaro Contaldo’s new partnership and the return of former hide chef Ollie Dabbous are among this week’s top news stories.
Sugar rush: inside the UK’s growing dessert market
With a flurry of concepts entering the market and established players continuing to expand, the UK’s dessert sector is developing into a sizeable and increasingly diverse category.
Treasury minister warns hospitality VAT cut would cost ‘a lot of money’
Financial Secretary to the Treasury James Murray has warned that cutting hospitality VAT from 20% to 10% would cost ‘a lot of money’ according to The Sun.
The UK’s Top 100 restaurant groups see profits fall by nearly half
Profits at the UK’s 100 largest restaurant groups have fallen by 44%, according to new data by accountancy group UHY Hacker Young.
Treasury launches review of business rates for pubs and hotels
The Treasury is to launch a review into how business rates for pubs and hotels in England are calculated.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
Tom Sellers’ search for a London pub and country house hotel Heckfield Place’s new bar are among this week’s top news stories.
Delivery and takeaway sales stagnated in July
Britain’s top restaurant groups recorded marginal growth in delivery and takeaway sales in July.
Hospitality insolvency figures jump in second quarter of the year
The number of hospitality businesses filing for insolvency rose by more than 10% in the past quarter, figures show.
Little Caesars quietly closes sole remaining UK site
Little Caesars has quietly closed its only operating UK site in Greenford, west London, leaving its future plans on these shores in doubt.
Soho’s Khao Bird pledges to achieve net zero by 2030
Soho Thai restaurant Khao Bird has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 as part of parent company Redroaster’s Climate Action Plan.
Drought conditions in the UK threaten supplies as food and drink prices rise
Food and drink prices in hospitality have continued to rise with concerns over the impact of prolonged heatwaves creating uncertainty for buyers.
Up in smoke: what the closure of Bodean’s means for the wider BBQ sector
The apparent collapse of London’s best-known barbecue brand feels like the end of an era in which operators and investors believed US barbecue could become a major force in UK casual dining.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
The Fallow and Roe trio’s acquisition of the OXO Tower Restaurant and Bodean’s BBQ’s uncertain future are among the top stories making headlines this week.
Animal welfare activists target Pret A Manger store launch
Animal welfare activists have targeted the launch of a new Pret A Manger store in Rainham, Greater London, by depositing a car-sized Pret wrap with a giant ‘frankenchicken’ stuffed inside.
Andy Burnham signals further business rates relief for high street businesses
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering further measures to support high street businesses through business rates relief at the budget on October 28.
Yo! told to pull ads promoting cream puffs
Yo! has been told to withdraw paid-for online advertising for its KitKat cream puffs after falling foul of new rules governing the promotion of less healthy food and drink products.
Inside the UK’s taco boom
Taco brands are accelerating their UK expansion as changing consumer habits, affordable pricing and growing interest in Mexican cuisine reshape the market.
Friday five: the week’s top stories
A wave of brands making their UK debuts and the closure of Norwich’s only Michelin-star restaurant are among this week’s top news stories.