A kitchen is at the heart of any business that wants to make food its main focus, so to be able to deliver the best to your customers, it needs to be working efficiently for you and your staff. Here we look at what you can do if your kitchen isn’t performing to its best abilities and present the best options for you depending on your budget. We’ll look at the pros and cons of a total refurbishment versus replacement of one or two key items. Plus, chefs tell us about their favourite pieces of kit in an exclusive video and we round up the latest gadgets for the kitchen in our product guide gallery.

With the emergence of websites like TripAdvisor and Toptable giving anyone the chance to post reviews of restaurants, hotels and pubs, together with the growth in social networks like Twitter and Facebook, owners of hospitality businesses are finding themselves written about and scrutinised in a way they've never known before. The results aren't always positive, so how can you monitor and deal with negative publicity? Read our five-part feature to find out.

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Organised by Callebaut, Caco Barry and Carma, the World Chocolate Masters saw the best chocolatiers in the world redraw the boundaries of working with chocolate.

The term 'gastropub' - once a useful descriptor for a serious food pub - has become a catch-all for all manner of places. Now, BigHospitality's sister publication Restaurant magazine has set out to reclaim the term and restore its meaning. In this series of features, read why the term has become so confusing and see which kind of food pub your business really is as Restaurant narrows the sector down to four key categories.

With just over a year to go before the Olympic Games come to London, it's time to start planning your involvement if you want to make next summer's big event profitable for your business. Our practical four-part Planning for the 2012 Olympics guide aims to provide you with everything you need to make your hospitality business a winner during London 2012 .

The British hospitality industry has been through a tumultuous period, as have similar markets across the globe, forcing operators the world over to dream up innovative ways of drawing in customers and operating more efficiently. In this sense there’s much British hospitality operators can learn from their peers both at home and abroad.

If April’s glorious weather is anything to go by, publicans can expect a fruitful summer this year as drinkers emerge from their living rooms and embrace the long-forgotten pub beer garden. But to make the most of the season, operators should be tapping into what summer drinks consumers may be demanding if they want to maximise their profit margins.

Pop-up restaurants and bars are not a new concept but have continued to remain a popular stalwart of modern drinking and dining culture.In our special feature this month, we take a look at how it’s done, what costs and overheads are involved and what location you should choose from those that have been there and done it.

The UK’s hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector is one of the nation’s largest employers and contributes around 8 per cent to GDP, but while Britain is considered to be the fourth most admired country by global tourists, it is only ranked 13th for its hospitality. We take a look at how and why Britain needs to improve its service standards.

Every week this month we’ll be bringing you ideas on how you can use breakfast to drive extra revenue in your business, as well as tips on getting customers through the door during the early hours.

Armed with fact and opinion from leading industry experts, we predict and identify what cuisines will take off this year, which flavours and food pairings will become popular, plus we’ll have an exclusive insight into what ingredients the UK’s top chefs will be using in 2011.

The past 12 months have thrown a mixture of fortunes in the paths of restaurant, pub and hotel operators. From ash clouds and snow to Michelin stars and royal weddings, we take a look at what has defined 2010 for the hospitality industry.

Often the personal skills required to work in our industry can’t be cultivated through traditional training programmes. Here, you'll find some quirky but effective training techniques that could help develop your staff's skills, attitude and drive.

To help you have the most profitable Christmas you can, we've compiled this guide full of hints and advice on getting your offer right, marketing it, making your operation efficient and cutting costs, plus a few festive ideas to get you started.

As your employees, suppliers, customers, the local community and the environment are all directly affected by how your business is operated, it’s important to adopt a responsible attitude and find out how Corporate Social Responsibility not only works for those around you, but improves your profits too.

As consumers look to cut back on their restaurant and bar bills, we take a look at the ways you can help your drinks offering boost your bottom line.

BigHospitality looks at how you can get the best out of your team and drive them on to new heights, be they front of house, in the kitchen, or behind the bar, to ensure your business prospers thanks to a focused and motivated workforce.

As Restaurant magazine launches the R200 list of the UK's largest food-led pub and restaurant operators , we take a look at the steps you should take to expand your business and brand across two or more sites.

The FIFA World Cup 2010 kicks off on 11 June in South Africa with 32 teams battling for football’s greatest accolade. The competition presents a huge opportunity to drive sales and BigHospitality's series of articles will help you make the most of it.

Staying on top of hygeine can play a part in the success of your hotel, restaurant or pub. Here, we look at why it's important to make hygiene a top priority for your business, what you can do if you haven't already pushed it to the top of your list.

As the world moves online, so too must the hospitality industry. But how do you ensure you use the web to your advantage? From the use of external websites, to social networking, e-newsletters and mobile phone applications, we examine the different options for promoting your company online.

Like a lot of gadgets these days, Electronic Point of Sales (EPoS) systems can do some pretty amazing things. In this series of articles, BigHospitality looks at all the latest systems and how using them can help you streamline your business and make it more efficient.

Being sustainable needn't be expensive, tedious, time-consuming or tricky. In this series of articles, BigHospitality looks at what restaurants, pubs and hotels can do to improve their sustainability status, and gives you a peak at a selection of products that can help along the way.