Business

Leeds-based Stew & Oyster opens second site

08-May-2012 - Stew & Oyster, the pub concept in Leeds which serves craft beers alongside a selection of stews and oysters, has opened its second site just outside the city.

Raw food café concept launches in Mayfair

08-May-2012 - 42°Raw – a healthy, raw food café concept serving plant-based dishes all cooked under 42° - has opened within the site of The Royal Academy of Arts in the heart of London’s Mayfair.

Dedicated hotel insurance solution launched by Cooke & Mason

08-May-2012 - The commercial insurance specialists Cooke & Mason has launched Hotelcover, a new insurance and risk management solution designed specifically for hotels and the leisure industry.

World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2012: Were three British restaurants enough?

04-May-2012 - With only three UK restaurants on the list at Monday night’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, BigHospitality spoke with Noma’s René Redzepi, along with a 50 Best judge, a restaurant critic and two British restaurants that did make the grade, to find out why there was such a poor British showing.

Continuing divergence between managed and leased/tenanted pub performance

04-May-2012 - A new report from global ratings agency Fitch Ratings has concluded there is a growing divergence in performance of pubs in the UK between managed sites and those that are tenanted or leased.

Aurora Hotel Collection opens luxury hotel near Gleneagles, plans openings and acquisitions

04-May-2012 - Aurora Hotel Collection, the portfolio run by hotelier Steven McLeod, has opened The Cairn Lodge & Hotel in Auchterarder, near Gleneagles, and said it plans several openings in the next 18 months and is still looking to acquire venues.

Unexpected drop in hospitality administrations

04-May-2012 - Accountancy firm Baker Tilly has analysed the latest figures from insolvency regulators The Insolvency Service and revealed the number of hotel and licensed businesses appointing administrators dropped unexpectedly in the first quarter of the year.

The Collection lounge bar launches new restaurant

04-May-2012 - The Collection lounge bar in Chelsea has launched a new restaurant, Kitchen 264, headed up by Israeli executive chef Oded Oren offering a modern Mediterranean menu.

Career Profile: Barrie St Clair

04-May-2012 - Yorkshire-born Barrrie St Clair spent the first half of his career working through the ranks as a hotel chef. After working as a sous-chef at the Le Meridien hotel, St Clair worked with Marco Pierre-White for an unsuccessful stint before joining the Waterloo restaurant and wine bar The Archduke. 

Cooks & Co launches new recipe pestos for foodservice

04-May-2012 - The Cooks & Co brand, owned by fine food distributor R.H. Amar, has launched new recipes for its two pesto pasta sauces for foodservice operators.

Brett Graham admits Highest Climber award will put more pressure on The Ledbury

03-May-2012 - Brett Graham, the Australian chef whose two Michelin-starred restaurant The Ledbury scooped the Highest Climber award at this year's World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards, has admitted the accolade will put further pressure on his Notting Hill team.

News in brief

Urban Leisure Group to relaunch 22 Below as Central & Co brasserie and bar

03-May-2012 - London bar operator Urban Leisure Group (ULG) is re-launching its speakeasy-style bar 22 Below as a contemporary brasserie and bar this month. 

BHA to host first Tourism and Hospitality Summit ahead of bumper British summer

03-May-2012 - The British Hospitality Association (BHA) is bringing together hospitality business leaders, investors and high-level Government officials for discussions that will ‘shape the future of the industry’ in what will be the the first-ever Tourism and Hospitality Summit on 1 June.

Events venue Dartington Hall targets leisure market following refurbishment

03-May-2012 - Events venue Dartington Hall, near Totnes in Devon, is also positioning itself as a leisure destination following an extensive refurbishment of its 50 bedrooms. 

Millennium & Copthorne sees London RevPAR and profits surge

03-May-2012 - UK-based international hotel group Millennium and Copthorne (M&C) has reported a 24 per cent increase in pre-tax profits to £25.9m in the first quarter of 2012.

Liverpool and Manchester competing with London for international tourists

03-May-2012 - Liverpool and Manchester have experienced big rises in the number of international tourists they attract as cities in the regions begin to emerge as rivals to Edinburgh and London for foreign visitors.

Average price of three-course meal breaks £20 barrier

03-May-2012 - The average price of a three-course meal in a UK restaurant has risen by 7.1 per cent to £20.90 - up from £19.52 last year, while the average price of an individual dish has risen nearly 3 per cent year-on-year, from £6.19 to £6.41.

Ignite Group appoints new managing director of Bumpkin

03-May-2012 - Ignite Group has announced the former commercial director of Ping Pong Restaurants, Tina English, is to join the company this month as the new managing director of British food restaurant chain Bumpkin.

Business Profile: ETM Group

02-May-2012 - Attention to detail and a moulding of the product to suit specific markets has seen ETM Group become arguably London’s most successful pub-restaurant outfit.

Failing pub specialists add sixth pub to portfolio

02-May-2012 - Quality Inns, the pub brand launched by the husband and wife team of Easton and Alison Hogben, has added The Floating Bridge in Dartmouth to its list of venues. 

The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards 2012: in pictures

02-May-2012 - In what was the tenth year of the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards, Noma cemented its position as the best place to eat on the planet after topping the list for a third consecutive year. Here are our photos from the night. 

News in brief

Barcelo UK hotels re-launched under Puma Hotels Collection brand

02-May-2012 - The 21 hotels in the UK formerly operated by Spanish hotel company Barcelo have been re-launched under the Puma Hotels' Collection brand. 

Novus Leisure on track for record profits

02-May-2012 - Bar and nightclub operator Novus Leisure has announced it is on track for record profits of nearly £20m for the 12 months to June in a financial update this morning.

The World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2012: Interviews with Brett Graham, Ashley Palmer-Watts and Fergus Henderson

02-May-2012 - The World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards - one of the biggest events in the culinary calendar - took place on Monday night at London's Guildhall with dozens of the world's top chefs, including Rene Redzepi and Ferran Adria in attendance. 

Sat Bains, Claude Bosi and Tom Kitchin to cook at Southbank Centre pop-up

02-May-2012 - Sat Bains and Tom Kitchin are among six chefs with eight Michelin stars between them who will be cooking at a pop-up restaurant on top of the Royal Festival Hall this Summer.