Trends & analysis

Fewer burgers on menus as operators widen range of American-style foods

18-Aug-2014 By Carina Perkins

Burger popularity has peaked in the UK, with branded operators serving increasingly innovative American and street food inspired dishes, according to the latest Menurama study from Horizons.

Liverpool waterfront hotels outperform rest of city

18-Aug-2014 By Melodie Michel

Liverpool waterfront hotels enjoyed 82 per cent occupancy between April and June – 4 per cent over the city’s average of 78 per cent, according to figures by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership.

Glasgow hotels enjoy record occupancy during Commonwealth Games

15-Aug-2014 By Melodie Michel

Glasgow hotels enjoyed a record of 97.3 per cent occupancy during July as the city played host to the Commonwealth Games, according to LJ Research.

The Oxo Tower Brasserie and Tex Mex food top 2014 dining trends

14-Aug-2014 By Lauren Houghton

Restaurant booking website Bookatable has released its Quarterly Dining Trends report on dining trends in Britain over the last year, which shows the most popular restaurant booked through the site alongside the rising popularity of different international...

London hotels lose out to regions in June

24-Jul-2014 By Carina Perkins

London hotels lost out to the regions last month, with East Midlands and Liverpool hotels enjoying particular growth, according to the latest HotStats UK Chain Hotels Market Review.

Banks are failing SMEs, finds competition watchdog

18-Jul-2014 By Carina Perkins

Banks are failing to provide the service and value that small and medium-sized (SME) businesses such as bars, restaurants and hotels need to thrive, according to a new report from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Customers less satisfied with leisure sector

17-Jul-2014 By John Harrington

Customer satisfaction with leisure sector businesses has fallen slightly over the past six months, new research shows.

Flat June sales for restaurants despite #WorldCup2014

17-Jul-2014 By Carina Perkins

Managed pub and restaurant groups’ collective like-for-like sales grew just 0.4 per cent in June, according to the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Ask the Experts

How to ensure cashless customer payments are secure

02-Jul-2014 By David Maisey

Customer demand for cashless payment is on the rise and independent hospitality businesses must start accepting credit and debit cards or risk losing out to the chains. Here David Maisey, managing director of card payment specialists Chip & PIN Solutions,...

Design: Restaurant design trends for 2014

23-Jun-2014 By Carina Perkins

In the first part of our special feature, we look at how restaurant design is finally moving away from American-inspired industrial chic and reflect on the next big trends for 2014.

Design: Balancing aesthetics and efficiency

20-Jun-2014 By Carina Perkins

In the second part of our special feature on design, BigHospitality looks at how clever use of space and furniture can ensure a restaurant or bar delivers the right balance of aesthetics and efficiency.

Discounting ‘here to stay’

20-Jun-2014 By Melodie Michel

Despite a slowdown in the use of discounting by branded restaurants, experts believe this type of marketing activity is here to stay, albeit in a more personalised form.

Wine and spirits over 40% of on-trade sales

20-Jun-2014 By Carina Perkins

Wine and spirits sales now make up 41.45 per cent of the value of all drinks sold in pubs, bars and restaurants, according to the latest Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) report.

Staycations to boost UK economy by £15bn

11-Jun-2014 By Melodie Michel

Domestic tourism could give the UK’s economy a £15bn boost in 2014, as the number of Britons taking a holiday at home has more than doubled in three years.

Burgers and coffee shops lead strong 2013 chain performance

11-Jun-2014 By Melodie Michel

Burger, coffee shops and Italian/pizza were the menu categories that registered the greatest sales among the 100 largest UK chains in 2013, according to data released by Technomic.