Business

Sustainability no longer a 'buzzword' but an 'insurance' for restaurants

11-May-2012 - Silla Bjerrum, the co-founder of Japanese restaurant and takeaway chain Feng Sushi and one of the restaurant industry's biggest sustainability champions, has told BigHospitality attitudes towards sustainability have changed beyond recognition in the last five years.

Restaurants leave customers playing the waiting game

11-May-2012 - More than half of UK diners believe that speed of payment is now a more important issue for a restaurant to address than the quality of food, with 89 per cent claiming that slow payment has ruined their evening.

News in brief

Bukhara, former Best Restaurant in Asia, comes to London in hotel pop-up

11-May-2012 - Celebrated Indian restaurant Bukhara, formerly awarded the title as The Best Restaurant in Asia in The World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards, is coming to London with chef Manjit Gill opening a pop-up at the Sheraton Park Tower hotel.

‘Idyllic’ Dalmunzie Castle Hotel up for sale

11-May-2012 - The 17-bedroom Dalmunzie Castle Hotel in the heart of Scotland’s Cairngorm National Park is being marketed for sale for £1.75m.

Lotus Professional introduces natural napkin to JustOne range

11-May-2012 - The Lotus Professional brand has introduced a natural, unbleached napkin using recycled paper to its JustOne range which it says will help hospitality businesses display their green and sustainable credentials.

Cozy Pubs continues Essex expansion

11-May-2012 - Cozy Pubs has increased its foothold in rural Essex with the acquisition of The Saracens Head Hotel in the market town of Great Dunmow.

Diageo debacle provided great media potential, says BrewDog PR

10-May-2012 - A major row between Scottish-based independent brewer BrewDog and global drinks giant Diageo provided ‘great media potential’ for the pub group, with its Twitter followers able to escalate the issue into a global trend overnight.

Jurys Inn meetings business secures AIM accreditation for all UK venues

10-May-2012 - Jurys Inn has become the first international hotel group to secure AIM accreditation from the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) for all its UK venues and is the latest hotel operator to announce its ambitions in the meetings sector.

UK hotels advised to target Singapore, South Korea and Brazil to boost bookings

10-May-2012 - Hoteliers in the UK are being advised to market themselves towards guests from three emerging markets – Singapore, South Korea and Brazil – in a bid to increase room bookings.

Public lends support to VAT cut for pubs, restaurants and hotels

10-May-2012 - A large percentage of the public has supported calls for a VAT cut for the hospitality sector according to the results of a new survey.

News in brief

Merseyside hotel doubles capacity using renewable energy specialist

10-May-2012 - Merseyside's Mere Brook House Hotel, near Thornton Hough in the Wirral, has opened a new cottage conversion with a design aided by a renewable energy specialist; doubling the capacity of the venue.

Courvoisier launches on-trade cocktail marketing campaign ahead of Imbibe Live competition

10-May-2012 - Courvoisier has launched a marketing and promotion campaign, Cocktails on a Grand Scale, to encourage the use of cognac in cocktails; bartenders are also being invited to enter a competition at Imbibe Live later this year.

News in brief

YO! Sushi to open first US site this summer

09-May-2012 - YO! Sushi is to open its first US restaurant this summer at Union Station in Washington DC. 

Master Innholders annual scholarship programme open for entries

09-May-2012 - The Master Innholders has announced the opening of its annual scholarship programme, offering hospitality managers and senior department heads the chance to earn a coveted place on an intensive management development course. 

IHG profits rise, UK market remains 'resilient'

09-May-2012 - InterContinental Hotels Group has revealed revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the UK grew in the first three months of the year and described the market as resilient as profits surged across the business.

BO Innovation's 'Demon Chef' Alvin Leung to open London restaurant

09-May-2012 - Alvin Leung, the chef behind the two Michelin-starred restaurant BO Innovation in Hong Kong has confirmed plans to open a restaurant in London this year. 

Mark Hunter steps down as BBPA chairman

09-May-2012 - Mark Hunter is to step down from his post as chairman of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) following a change in roles at brewer Molson Coors where Hunter has been UK & Ireland chief executive since 2007.

News in brief

Tonkotsu: Tsuru Sushi's new ramen concept unveiled

09-May-2012 - London-based sustainable Japanese restaurant chain Tsuru Sushi has revealed details of the first restaurant set to open under its new ramen concept in early July.

BII’s Licensee of the Year revealed

09-May-2012 - Mahdis Neghabian, of The Camden Eye pub in London, has been named the 2012 Licensee of the Year by the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII).

Wear Inns receives £10m investment to fund expansion

08-May-2012 - The northern pub chain Wear Inns has received an investment of £10m from the Business Growth Fund (BGF) and NVM Private Equity (NVM) to fund expansion plans for the company, which expects to make new acquisitions in the next few months.

Manchester restaurateur behind Southern Eleven announces second concept

08-May-2012 - James Hitchen, the restaurateur behind Manchester's Southern Eleven restaurant, is to open a second concept, Neighbourhood, in the city's Spinningfields development less than a year after his first project.

Hospitality Action Week 2012: How to get involved

08-May-2012 - The entire UK hospitality industry, from five-star hotels and country pubs to catering colleges, restaurants and industry workers, is uniting to take part in Hospitality Action Week from 14-20 May. 

News in brief

Punch Taverns first pubco to back BII apprenticeship summit

08-May-2012 - The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has announced Punch Taverns has become the first pub company to back its National Licensed Hospitality Industry Apprenticeship Summit in June to promote employing apprentices in the pub industry.

ASK THE EXPERTS

How to improve environmental and commercial sustainability

08-May-2012 - Robert Morrall, managing director of Route Organisation , explains how hotels, pubs and restaurants can gain commercial benefit from improving their environmental credentials.

Amadeus wins Coventry Cathedral catering contract

08-May-2012 - The NEC Group's catering company Amadeus has won a £2m contract to supply catering at Coventry Cathedral for the next five years.