Casual Dining

Trading in city centres bounces back

27-Jun-2022 By Shwetali Sapte

Out-of-home food and drink sales grew in all 10 of the country’s biggest city centres over the four weeks to 4 June, new research from CGA and Wireless Social reveals.

'Difficult week' for hospitality as rail strikes cause trade to fall by up to 50%

24-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

This week's rail strikes have hit hospitality businesses hard, with some city centre pubs reporting a 50% fall in sales and the night time economy seeing a 40% drop.

Friday Five: the week's top news

24-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

This week's main hospitality news stories include Paul Ainsworth and Tommy Banks launching an employee exchange programme, rail strikes, and Honest Burgers ditching V Honest after just six months.

MacMerry300 jobs saved following group's collapse

24-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

Staff at the collapsed Scottish pub and bar group MacMerry300 have been told their jobs are safe, according to Unite Hospitality.

Le Pain Quotidien seeks to get its products on supermarket shelves

24-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

Le Pain Quotidien has become the latest high street restaurant brand to look to diversify by getting its products into supermarkets.

Shoryu Ramen to open first franchise restaurant

24-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Shoryu Ramen will open its first UK franchised restaurant this summer on Kensington High Street.

Delivery and takeaway sales begin to dip from pandemic peaks

23-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Delivery and takeaway sales at Britain’s leading managed restaurant and pub groups are falling from the peaks of Covid-19, the CGA by NielsenIQ and Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker reveals.

Predicted £12bn rise in restaurant revenues in 2022 'threatened by staff shortages and cost of living'

23-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

The restaurant sector’s post-pandemic recovery could be severely hampered by the cost-of-living crisis and a widespread lack of staff, says a new report.

The Oystermen duo open West End wine bar

23-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Rob Hampton and Matt Lovell, the duo behind Covent Garden seafood bar and kitchen The Oystermen, have opened a wine bar and bottle shop in London's West End.

Fast track: Gravity to open £10m venue in Stratford

23-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

Entertainment and leisure brand Gravity will open a second venue in London this year, at Westfield Stratford City.

Record staff shortages causing hospitality to lose £21bn in trade

23-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Record staff shortages in the hospitality industry are costing the industry £21bn in lost revenue and causing an estimated £5bn loss in tax for the Exchequer, trade bodies have warned.

Star Pubs & Bars announces energy deal to aid licensees

23-Jun-2022 By Shwetali Sapte

Star Pubs & Bars has announced a new energy supply deal with British Gas to help licensees mitigate the energy crisis.

Honest Burgers to convert V Honest site back to core concept after just six months

23-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Honest Burgers is to convert its all-vegan V Honest site close to London's Leicester Square back to its core concept in July, just six months after launching the spin-off brand.

Abandoned Ship: MacMerry300 goes into liquidation

23-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

A Scottish pub and bar group that had been accused of “systemic mistreatment” of its staff has ceased trading with all staff made redundant.

Pubs 'bouncing back' as they regain share of dinner occasions and drive higher spend

22-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Pubs have seen a rise in their share of total dinner occasions across the eating out market, according to new figures from Lumina Intelligence.

Bristol's Cargo shipping container development to be removed

22-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

Bristol’s vibrant shipping container development Cargo is to be removed and replaced with a 12-storey building.

Canteen Collective launches £400,000 investment campaign

22-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

Sustainably-minded coffee and restaurant group Canteen Collective is looking to raise up to £400,000 in a bid to double its current turnover of £2.5m.

Dan and Natasha Smith - “If you cook as well as you can, naturally things will happen”

22-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Dan and Natasha Smith were named Restaurateur(s) of the Year, sponsored by Entegra, at this year’s Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards, capping off an extraordinary year for the Kent-based publicans.

Tim Hortons to launch first-ever London site early next month

21-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

Canadian coffee giant Tim Hortons will open its first ever London site early next month having arrived in the UK nearly five years ago.

The Alchemist to open second Edinburgh bar and restaurant

21-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

Cocktail bar and restaurant group The Alchemist will open a second venue in Edinburgh next year.

Green & Fortune to double up on London's South Bank with Rose Court Events

20-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

Hospitality business Green & Fortune is expanding its portfolio with a fourth London venue.

Megan’s to hand out £5m bonus to staff

20-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

Restaurant group Megan’s is to share a £5m bonus between its staff members as recognition of the business’ progress.

Rail strikes to cost hospitality £540m

20-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

UKHospitality has warned that this week's rail strikes could deliver a 'fatal financial blow' to businesses already struggling to survive.

Friday Five: the week's top news

17-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

This week's main hospitality news stories include Ynyshir being crowned the UK’s best restaurant at The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards 2022, and Tom Sellers' new Mayfair venture.

Sides “on track” to reach 200 locations by the end of 2022

17-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

The Sidemen’s delivery-only brand Sides is targeting a total of 200 sites both in and outside the UK by the end of the year.

Competitive socialising sector to get three more UK venues this summer

17-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

The market for competitive socialising venues is showing no signs of slowing down with three venues opening in quick succession in the sector.

UKHospitality Scotland calls for Covid underspend to be used to ease energy costs

17-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

UKHospitality Scotland has called on the country's devolved government to repurpose underspend from Covid support funds to help ease hospitality's spiraling energy and supply costs.

Group sales stand still in May as cost crisis deepens

17-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Like-for-like sales at Britain’s leading managed restaurant, pub and bar groups in May were just 0.1% ahead of the pre-Covid levels of 2019, the latest Coffer CGA Business Tracker reveals.

People on the move: June 2022

16-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

This month's job news includes a new roles at London's top five-star hotels, steak-focused groups Hawksmoor and Macellaio RC, and Toklas.

Rail strikes will have 'catastrophic impact on trade'

16-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

A leading hospitality trade body has warned that next week's national rail strikes will have a 'catastrophic impact on trade', limiting access to cities, events and festivals across the UK.

Shaftesbury and Capco agree merger to become Shaftesbury Capital

16-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

West End landlords Shaftesbury and Capital & Counties Properties (Capco) have reached agreement on a recommended all-share merger of the companies.

UK eating out market set to top 2019 value this year but inflation outpaces growth

16-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

The UK eating out market is forecast to reach £95.2bn in value this year, according to data from the new Lumina Intelligence Eating Out Market Report 2022.

How I Got Here Jeremy Ford-Young

15-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

The co-founder of plant-based fast-food brand BVRGER, which launched in 2020 and now has two sites in the capital, on building his business in the midst of the pandemic.

Popeyes looks north and south as it announces next tranche of openings

15-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Popeyes has confirmed plans to open sites in Brighton, Nottingham and Oxford as it looks to begin accelerating its UK roll out.

Muted response to Government food strategy

14-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Leon co-founder Henry Dimbleby has criticised the Government's newly-published food strategy, which he advised on, saying it is 'not a strategy'.

Staff shortages in hospitality hit record high

14-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

Hospitality staff shortages have hit a record high, according to figures released by the ONS.

Pret to launch in Spain and Portugal

14-Jun-2022 By Georgi Gyton

Pret A Manger has reached an agreement with Ibersol Group to launch Pret in Spain and Portugal as it looks to grow its international reach.

James Cochran to open Islington sports bar next month

14-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

12:51 chef James Cochran will open a sports bar on Upper Street early next month that will also act as a permanent home to his lockdown-born chicken brand Around the Cluck.

Losses grow to £800m for top 100 restaurants

13-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

Leading restaurant groups have seen their losses swell to more than £800m in the past six months.

Rockfish to take cod off the menu this summer

13-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

Mitch Tonks’ Rockfish restaurant chain will temporarily take cod off the menu this summer citing global supply chain issues.

Latest opening: Riding House Bloomsbury

10-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

Adam White’s follow up to his influential Riding House Café restaurant in Fitzrovia has finally arrived.

Machine learning: Bella Italia trials use of robot waiters

10-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

The group behind restaurant brands Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Café Rouge is trialling the use of robots at one of its venues.

High food and drink inflation predicted to extend into 2023

10-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

Analysis by CGA and Prestige Purchasing suggests volatility in supply and costs is likely to fuel high food and drink prices until at least 2023.

Poke House to open five more 'Instagrammable' restaurants in London this year

10-Jun-2022 By Restaurant

Poke House will open five more restaurants in London this year.

Weekend trading disappoints despite Jubilee bank holiday boost

09-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Last week’s two Jubilee bank holidays lifted sales for Britain’s pubs, bars and restaurants, CGA by NielsenIQ’s latest trading data shows, but street parties dented trading over the weekend.

Vinoteca to close Marylebone site

09-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

Wine bar group Vinoteca is to close its Marylebone site after 12 years at the location.

Homeslice to launch fully plant-based pizza restaurant

08-Jun-2022 By Joe Lutrario

Alan and Mark Wogan will open a fully plant-based Homeslice in Shoreditch later this month.

Fulham Shore targeting prime locations for expansion as new openings see strong trading

08-Jun-2022 By James McAllister

Fulham Shore has announced an expansion programme targeting prime new locations benefitting from 'historically low' rental levels.

City Pub Group sees ‘strong sales momentum’

08-Jun-2022 By Finn Scott-Delany

City Pub Group has reported like-for-like (LFL) sales have continued to strengthen faster than predicted, with May 2022 5% ahead of May 2019.

UKHospitality: Government needs to help sector attract investment

08-Jun-2022 By Shwetali Sapte

A lack of a coherent Government strategy to tackle the cost of living crisis is negatively impacting investment in the sector, UKHospitality CEO Kate Nicholls has said.