Giraffe to take empire to 50 restaurants by Olympic Games

04-Nov-2010 - Fast-casual restaurant chain Giraffe has announced it is to expand by at least a further 10 restaurants next year, bringing the group up to 50 UK sites

Call for Restaurant & Bar Design Awards entries

04-Nov-2010 - Restaurant and bar operators who have opened or renovated their premises this year are being called to enter the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards

Women leaving hospitality costs industry £3bn, finds report

03-Nov-2010 - Every year, over 300,000 female workers leave the hospitality industry, a turnover that comes at a cost of almost £3bn to businesses, according to a new report

Hawksmoor owners sell Green & Red to fund expansion

02-Nov-2010 - The Underdog Group has sold its East London tequila bar Green & Red to concentrate on the expansion of its steak restaurant concept Hawksmoor

Brenham Magee launches Fulham grill restaurant

02-Nov-2010 - Brenham Magee has opened his new grill restaurant, located above his newly launched bar in London’s Fulham

Ask the Experts: How can I protect my business from the spending cuts?

01-Nov-2010 - Robert Barnard, partner for Hotel Consultancy Services at PKF Accountants & business advisers, tells one reader what he can do to protect his business as the impacts of the spending cuts start to be felt

News in brief

Gidleigh Park rated best restaurant by UK diners

01-Nov-2010 - Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Devon, has been voted the best restaurant in the UK by diners voting in The Sunday Times and Harden’s restaurant guides

What you’re doing: Christmas special

29-Oct-2010 - Christmas in hospitality this year will be all about adding value to your services so you attract – and keep – new customers, while at the same time keeping your costs down. If you’re stuck for ideas as to how to go about doing this, take a look at what some of your peers are up to.

Hospitality benchmark names top brands for customer service

29-Oct-2010 - A hospitality benchmarking survey has named Living Ventures, John Lewis cafes and restaurants, Wagamama, Premier Inn and Maison Blanc as the top five multi-branch brands for customer service

Pearls of Wisdom: Claire Clark

29-Oct-2010 - The former pastry chef at Napa Valley’s The French Laundry has been running a pop-up patisserie at Harvey Nichols in London, and has hopes of opening her own dessert-focused restaurant concept in Mayfair next year

Jamie Oliver presents new London BBQ restaurant Barbecoa

28-Oct-2010 - Jamie Oliver will next Friday open his long-awaited BBQ restaurant Barbecoa at One New Change in the City with New York Chef Adam Perry Lang.

Profitable Christmas: Data capture for January

28-Oct-2010 - Christmas is a time for good cheer, plenty of treats, and general jolliness. But if you’re in the hospitality industry, Christmas is all about welcoming those extra people who come through your doors, and making sure you find ways to bring them back.

Zizzi trials breakfast concept with national roll-out planned

28-Oct-2010 - Zizzi will be testing a new breakfast concept at some of its branches, with plans to introduce the new ‘Brunchetta’ menu across all sites next year if it proves to be a success

Profitable Christmas: Adding value to hospitality

27-Oct-2010 - Tightened consumer belts over the Christmas period need not be as damaging to the hospitality industry as you might fear. Despite the expected slowdown, here are some simple measures that can keep people coming through your doors.

Busaba Eathai eyes retail sites for expansion

27-Oct-2010 - Busaba Eathai – the Thai restaurant chain founded by Alan Yau – is to open two shopping centre sites before the end of 2010, one of these – in Bicester Village, Oxfordshire – will be the Thai restaurant brand’s first outlet outside the Capital

Pizza Express unveils radical restaurant template

27-Oct-2010 - Casual dining giant Pizza Express has unveiled its new restaurant design template in Richmond, featuring a central theatre-style kitchen, banquette-seat tables with their own parabolic roof domes, bespoke music and fresh furniture and tableware

Profitable Christmas: Cut seasonal costs

26-Oct-2010 - With consumer spend expected to drop this Christmas, the last thing you’d want is for your business expenses to eat away at your potential profits, but there are several small, low cost initiatives you can implement now to tackle your growing outflow.

BBC’s The Restaurant winners open cocktail bar with Raymond Blanc

26-Oct-2010 - The winners of the BBC’s TV show The Restaurant – JJ Goodman and James Hopkins – will open a cocktail bar with Raymond Blanc at the end of November

Le Gavroche sommelier receives AFWS Excellence award

26-Oct-2010 - The head sommelier at Le Gavroche in London has received one of the top accolades in this year’s Awards for Excellence from The Academy of Food and Wine Service (AFWS)

Profitable Christmas: Attract spend-wary customers

25-Oct-2010 - Although the hospitality sector is recovering well after the recession, and despite consumers’ traditional increase in spend during December, the Government’s £80bn spending cuts may mean that restaurants, pubs and hotels will need to work just as hard as last year to attract trade.

Food group expands at ExCel London as Olympics approach

25-Oct-2010 - The food and drink firm Creativevents has added a new ‘healthy’ café to its catering facilities at the ExCel London convention centre, as part of its investment strategy leading up to the Olympic Games

Roux brothers invite 2011 scholarship entries

25-Oct-2010 - A call for entries has been sent out for the 2011 Roux Scholarship, with the recipe for the prestigious chef’s award this year focused on monkfish

People 1st looks for 100 most influential women in hospitality

22-Oct-2010 - Women working in the hospitality sector could be recognised for their achievements in a new initiative by People 1st, which will next month start a search for the 100 most influential women in the industry

Chiller breaks at The Bonham in Edinburgh and Halloween Tea at Podium

22-Oct-2010 - Restaurants hotels and pubs, including the Bonham Hotel in Edinburgh and Podium Restaurant at Hilton Park Lane, tell us about the extra activities their planning to attract customers this Halloween

Plans for luxury hotel above Harrods

22-Oct-2010 - Qatar Holdings, which acquired the London department store Harrods earlier this year, is considering plans to open a luxury hotel on the upper levels of the store.