Hospitality news

Headlines

National Chef of the Year finalists revealed

The ten chefs competing in the National Chef of the Year final on 19 September have been revealed.

Friday Five: the week’s top news

This week's top news stories include the JKS Restaurants brining its Arcade food hall concept to Battersea, the closure of Bristol's Pony Bistro and the reveal of the 10 chefs that will vie to become the 2022 National Chef of the Year.

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4 smart ways for restaurants to meet consumer demands this summer – Scheduling expert Planday shares on how digitising rotas can help with recruitment and reduce labour costs

It’s shaping up to be a busy summer for restaurants and other hospitality operators in the UK. Those that want to meet the demand have to be ready to adapt to new challenges and ever-evolving customer expectations around service and technology.

Six new operators for Camden’s Buck Street Market

Camden’s Buck Street Market has signed six new global culinary operators that it says each bring something different to the sustainability-focused London destination.

Luxury Boutique Hotels rebrands and extends its service to restaurants and restaurants with rooms

Following the appointment of Paul Hackett as managing director, operational and marketing support platform Luxury Boutique Hotels has extended its services to independent restaurants with rooms and standalone restaurants.

Solstice restaurant Newcastle by chef Kenny Atkinson

Latest opening: Solstice

Kenny Atkinson’s second Newcastle restaurant will see him “push his skills” in what looks to be a play for two Michelin stars.

Döner Shack lines up first London opening with wider plans for rollout in the capital

German street food concept Döner Shack is launch its first London outpost in late autumn, the first of four new openings planned for the capital over the next six months.

Sergi Guillen Beneito wine director Ormer Mayfair by Sofian

Uncorked: Sergi Guillen Beneito

The wine director at Ormer Mayfair by Sofian on having to pour a bottle of 2001 Petrus down the sink and Castilla Leon-based producer Alvar de Dios.

Josh and Holly Eggleton’s Pony Bistro restaurant in Bedminster to close its doors

Josh and Holly Eggleton’s Pony Bistro to close its doors

Josh and Holly Eggleton’s Pony Bistro restaurant in the Bristol suburb of Bedminster will close its doors at the end of the year to allow the siblings to focus on the upcoming relaunch of their Chew Valley flagship The Pony and Trap as the Pony Chew Valley....

Rapidly escalating energy bills are killing our nations’ pubs says British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) in letter to Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and...

pub & bar

Rapidly escalating energy bills 'killing pubs', warns BII

The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has warned that spiralling energy costs are 'killing our nations’ pub' and called on the Government to provide urgent, essential support to businesses.

Pasta group Al Dente to open flagship restaurant in South Kensington

Handmade pasta specialist Al Dente will open a flagship restaurant in South Kensington later this year bringing its total number of dine-in sites to three.

Arôme doubles up in London with Mayfair bakery

Asian-influenced bakery concept Arôme has launched a second London site in Mayfair.

Artfarm acquires famed Soho private member club The Groucho Club

Artfarm acquires The Groucho Club

Artfarm has acquired The Groucho Club, the famed Soho private members club which has acted as a hub for the arts, literature and media community in London for the past four decades.

Amy Corbin co-founder Kudu restaurant in Peckham

How I Got Here: Amy Corbin

The co-founder of Peckham's Kudu mini-empire on juggling a young family with restaurants, the staffing crisis and her father and mentor Chris Corbin.

Wendy’s rolls back on UK growth targets

Wendy’s is now expecting to have 35 UK restaurants open by the end of 2022, down from the 50 to 60 previously spoken about in its first quarter update.

JKS Restaurants to open an Arcade food hall at Battersea Power Station next year

JKS Restaurants has confirmed it is to bring its food hall concept Arcade to Battersea Power Station next year.

Brighton and Hove chefs Kanthi Thamma and Diego Ricaurte to launch spice-driven restaurant Palmito in Hove

Former The Chilli Pickle chefs to explore spices with Palmito

Brighton and Hove-based chefs Kanthi Thamma and Diego Ricaurte will open an eclectic, spice-driven restaurant later this month.

Sticks’n’Sushi to hit double figures with Westfield London site

Denmark-founded Japanese restaurant group Sticks’n’Sushi will open a restaurant at Westfield London this December that will take it up to a total of 10 UK sites.

Rude service restaurant Karen’s Diner to rollout across the UK

The Lowdown: Karen’s Diner

An Australia-founded restaurant group that prides itself on its foul-mouthed service is hoping to launch a string of sites across the UK.

Springboard looks to raise £100,000 for hospitality with virtual race

Industry charity Springboard is calling for walkers, runners, cyclists and swimmers to join its race to Qatar and back this October to raise funds to ‘futureproof the talent pipeline for hospitality’.

Chef Michael Wignall on his The Angel at Hetton gastropub and restaurant in North Yorkshire

Halo effect: How Michael Wignall breathed new life into the UK’s first gastropub

Yorkshire’s The Angel at Hetton is ascending once again thanks to its chef patron’s (relatively) down-to-earth approach and unquestionable skill in the kitchen.

Hospitality spend sees 1.5% decline in July

Consumer card spending on hospitality saw a month-on-month decline of 1.5% in July, according to the latest figures from Barclaycard.

Former Gusto Italian marketing director James Newman to launch Detroit pizza concept Well Oiled

pub & bar

Former Gusto Italian marketing director to launch Detroit pizza concept

Former Gusto Italian marketing director James Newman will launch a Detroit pizza concept in the Leeds suburb of Meanwood this October.

Hospitality operators 'in deeper trouble now than during pandemic' as utility energy bills triple Sacha Lord WOOD Manchester Simon Wood

Operators 'in deeper trouble now than during pandemic' as utility bills triple

Pubs, restaurants and bars are seeing outgoings triple, and are in deeper trouble now than during the pandemic, one of the UK's Night Time Economy Advisors has said

pub & bar

Inception Group secures first Soho site for Mr Fogg’s

Bunga Bunga, Maggies and Cahoots operator Inception Group will open its first Mr Fogg’s bar in Soho early next year.

FiLLi makes another play for UK market

Fast growing United Arab Emirates-founded chai and Indian street food franchise FiLLi will have another crack at the UK market later this month having launched a site just ahead of the pandemic.

South East London Brighton worst affected by hospitality staffing crisis

South East worst affected by hospitality staffing crisis

London’s West End ranks first among the UK’s 25 highest revenue leisure regions, but lowest in terms of staff availability, according to research by CACI into the hospitality staffing crisis.

Slim Chickens launches first restaurant in partnership with Tesco Extra in Redditch

Slim Chickens to launch first restaurant in partnership with Tesco Extra

Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) is set to open its first Slim Chickens restaurant under a new partnership with Tesco Extra this month, in the supermarket giant's Redditch superstore.

The future of hospitality tech. This time it’s personal.

With the cost of literally everything skyrocketing, it’s a good time to look at how tech is helping hospitality venues across the UK do more with what they already have.

Endo Kazutoshi's SUMI to expand premises as new head chef Christian Onia appointed

Endo Kazutoshi's SUMI to expand premises as new head chef appointed

SUMI, the more informal sister restaurant to Endo Kazutoshi's London flagship, is expanding its premises this summer, reopening in September with new head chef, Christian Onia, at the helm.

64% of the UK’s top 100 restaurant companies are now making a loss

A record 64% of the UK’s top 100 restaurant companies are now making a loss according to research from accountancy group UHY Hacker Young.

Tortilla to rebrand the majority of its Chilango sites

Tortilla is set to rebrand the majority of its Chilango sites following its acquisition of the rival burrito player earlier this year.

Drought fears cause concern as food prices surge further

Concerns are growing about drought conditions in many parts of the UK, the latest CGA Prestige Foodservice Index reveals, amid a fifth consecutive month of double-digit percentage inflation.

Flash-grilled: Sara Masarotti

The general manager at The Drunken Butler in London's Clerkenwell on how confidence can keep you calm under pressure during a busy service, and an unusual Pokémon-related guest request.