Coronavirus

Eat Out to Help Out boosts treasury coffers by £250m

09-Sep-2020 By Finn Scott-Delany

The Eat Out to Help Out Scheme benefitted the Government to the tune of £250m, data revealed by leading hospitality trade bodies shows.

Pubs and restaurants in Bolton limited to offering takeaway-only under new lockdown measures

08-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

Hospitality venues in Bolton will be restricted to offering takeaway-only with immediate effect under measures announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock to try and curb the spread of Covid-19 locally.

Delivery to account for a greater share of consumer meals post Coronavirus

07-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

Increased consumer exposure during lockdown is set to provide a 'long-lasting boost' to the foodservice delivery market, according to Lumina Intelligence’s new Foodservice Delivery Market Report Update 2020.

PizzaExpress CVA approved

07-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

PizzaExpress' company voluntary arrangement (CVA) proposal, which will see 73 of the group's restaurants closed and 1,100 jobs put at risk, has been approved by creditors.

Pret plans suburban expansion and shift into retail as it looks to evolve

07-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger will evolve into a 'multi-channel business' with dark kitchens, more suburban sites and a shift into retail all planned.

'High levels of uncertainty' put 1,650 Costa jobs at risk

03-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

Costa Coffee has warned up to 1,650 jobs are at risk of redundancy as a result of the ongoing impact on trade caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Gail’s opens new Blackfriars bakery

03-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

Artisanal bakery chain Gail’s has launched a 50-cover site in London's Blackfriars.

Jeremy King: "the pandemic will provide a platform for the next generation"

02-Sep-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The co-founder of Corbin & King discusses reopening most of his estate, trying to launch a restaurant during the pandemic; the mixed bag of dealing with landlords and what he hopes the positive sides of the pandemic will be.

Gordon Ramsay Restaurants trading 'ahead of forecasts' as it prepares to push forward with expansion

02-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

Gordon Ramsay Restaurants says trading since reopening is ahead of forecasts, as it prepares to push ahead with major expansion plans.

YO! CVA approved

02-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

YO! has confirmed it is to permanently shutter 19 sites after its Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposal was approved yesterday (1 September) by creditors.

Vanilla Black announces permanent closure

01-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

Restaurateurs Andrew Dargue and Donna Conroy have announced that their innovative vegetarian fine-dining restaurant Vanilla Black will not reopen on it’s current site in London's Holborn.

Business leaders call for coordinated campaign to boost footfall in the capital

01-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

Hospitality business leaders operating in London have warned that the sector is at 'real risk of failure' unless there is a coordinated campaign to encourage tourists and office workers back.

Pret cuts 3,000 jobs as Coronavirus 'sets sales back 10 years'

28-Aug-2020 By Restaurant

Pret has made nearly 3,000 staff redundant as a result of closures due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Opening of wet-led pubs in Northern Ireland delayed again

27-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Wet-led pubs in Northern Ireland will not be allowed to reopen next week as planned, the country's Executive Office has said.

Big Mamma confirms Covent Garden opening

27-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Restaurant group Big Mamma is to go ahead with its plans to open a third London restaurant, in Covent Garden, despite the current challenging trading environment.

Wahaca to close 10 sites as it considers CVA

26-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Wahaca is to permanently close more than a third of its estate and is considering a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), as it works to secure its future.

D&D London 'confident for the future despite undoubted challenges'

26-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

High-end restaurant group D&D London says it is 'confident about the future despite the undoubted challenges ahead'.

Greene King offers further rent concessions

26-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Pubco and brewer Greene King has offered its tied tenants an additional £6m of financial support.

Number of restaurant premises signed up to Eat Out to Help Out drops by 1,000

25-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

The total number of individual restaurant premises signed up to the Government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme has fallen by 1,000 between the second and third week.

Birmingham City Council to tighten restrictions with powers to close pubs and restaurants

25-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Birmingham City Council will have the power to close local hospitality venues if they are deemed to be creating a risk under measures set to be introduced tomorrow (26 August).

Top Cuvée to open permanent retail space

25-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Top Cuvée founders Brodie Meah and Max Venning are to expand their online retail offshoot into a permanent site located just around the corner from restaurant mothership in London's Highbury.

Greggs plans 'ambitious' national rollout plans for delivery but warns of job losses to come

25-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Greggs CEO Roger Whiteside has set out plans to launch a 'very ambitious national rollout' for click and collect and delivery by the end of September.

Pubs and restaurants in Aberdeen get green light to reopen as local lockdown eases

25-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Pubs and restaurants in Aberdeen will be able to reopen tomorrow (26 August) as the city's local Coronavirus lockdown is lifted.

Wasabi launches CVA proposal

24-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

London-centric sushi and bento brand Wasabi has announced the launch of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposal to help protect the business against the 'profound impact' of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Asma Khan to relocate Darjeeling Express to Covent Garden

24-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Asma Khan is to relocate her Darjeeling Express restaurant from London's Soho to Covent Garden, having taken over the former Carluccio's site on Garrick Street.

Night-time economy faces 'financial armageddon' with hundreds of thousands of jobs set to fall

21-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Nearly 60% of night-time economy businesses could go bust by the end of September if the Government fails to step in, according to a Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) survey.

Greene King posts £273m losses

20-Aug-2020 By Finn Scott-Delany

Greene King’s revenues were down 13.4% to £1.9bn in the full year to 26 April 2020 with its pub business worst hit by the Coronavirus.

Wingmans duo: "We don’t want to expand at a rate where we lose control”

20-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Wingmans founders Ben Ford and David Turofsky say that while further expansion for their cult chicken concept is on the cards, it’s not something they’ll be considering any time soon.

Aberdeen lockdown extended for a third week

19-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Hospitality venues in Aberdeen, Scotland, will have to remain closed for a third week, after Nicola Sturgeon announced another extension to the city's local Coronavirus lockdown.

Sector urged to adopt ‘robust’ Test and Trace procedures

19-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Industry trade bodies have warned that the sector must treat Test and Trace as a key part of its approach to reopening, or risk guidelines being 'significantly strengthened' going forward.

Wildwood operator Tasty cuts workforce by a third

18-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Wildwood operator Tasty says it has reduced its workforce by 32%, making a total of 284 staff redundant.

Stronger together - why it's not too late for the hospitality industry to take on the insurers

18-Aug-2020 By Sonia Campbell

Mishcon de Reya partner Sonia Campbell on why it's not too late for hospitality businesses to take on the insurers over their refusal to pay out on business interruption claims.

Gordon Ramsay Restaurants set for major expansion with 50 UK openings 'planned'

18-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Gordon Ramsay's ambition to 'create a billion-dollar dining proposition' is reportedly undented by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the chef laying out plans to open 50 new sites across the UK.

Creams to launch 'kiosk format' as it pushes ahead with 'ambitious' expansion plans

18-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Dessert-focused chain Creams is to launch a grab-and-go 'kiosk format' site on London’s Old Street tomorrow (19 August), as it prepares to push ahead with an 'ambitious opening programme'.

YO! eyes 19 closures as it launches CVA

17-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

YO! has set out a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposal that will see 19 of its sites closed, with a loss of up to 250 jobs.

Collection of track and trace details becomes mandatory in Scotland

14-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Nicola Sturgeon has told pubs and restaurants in Scotland to turn potential customers away if they refuse to provide contact details to help Coronavirus track and trace efforts.

Friday Five: The week's top news

14-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

We round-up some of the main hospitality news stories from the past week including the UK plunging into recession, and fears over the future of the hospitality jobs market.

Diners lap up discounts but operators are divided over Eat Out to Help Out

14-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Operators are split over how helpful the Chancellor’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been, according to the latest Hospitality Leaders Poll carried out by Lumina Intelligence.

GBK exploring 'all options' for long-term sustainability

14-Aug-2020 By Georgia Cronin

Gourmet Burger Kitchen's parent company Famous Brands has said it is continuing to explore “all options” to ensure the long-term sustainability of the brand in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis.

Soho Estates hails Summer Street Festival success with 90% of operators back open

14-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

London-based commercial landlord Soho Estates has hailed its Summer Street Festival campaign a 'success'.

Khan calls for ‘urgent’ support to secure the West End's survival

14-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Sadiq Khan has called on the Government to provide ‘urgent’ support to protect businesses in London’s West End.

The Lowdown: Window service

14-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

From kebabs being served out of a domestic kitchen window, to the revival of a medieval tradition, a number of businesses have begun to explore unique ways of reaching customers.

UKHospitality - sector 'must commit' to track and trace

13-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Trade body UKHospitality has reiterated the importance of hospitality businesses playing their part in supporting the track and trace schemes across the UK.

Shaftesbury transforms part of Chinatown into 'open air food destination'

13-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Shaftesbury PLC has temporarily transformed part of London's Chinatown into an 'open air food destination', as part of a campaign to support tenants as they reopen.

Pub and restaurant groups see sales halved in first month back

13-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Britain’s managed pub, restaurant and bar groups saw year-on-year sales fall by 50.4% in the first month of post-lockdown trading, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Aberdeen's local lockdown extended for at least another week

12-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Hospitality venues in Aberdeen, Scotland, will have to remain closed for at least another week, after Nicola Sturgeon announced an extension to the city's local Coronavirus lockdown.

Itsu begins to reopen select travel hub sites

12-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Itsu is to begin reopening a select number of its travel hub sites in London.

Alex Reilley: “Hospitality has finally got the respect it deserves”

12-Aug-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Loungers chairman and co-founder Alex Reilley says that the pandemic has brought about a welcome shift in how the hospitality sector is viewed by both the Government and the public.

Local Lib Dems demand Westminster extends street closures to include Mondays and Tuesdays

12-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Westminster City Council needs to ensure al fresco dining can take place every night of the week, says the Westminster & City of London Liberal Democrats.

Pret cuts staff hours by 20%

11-Aug-2020 By James McAllister

Pret a Manger says it has asked thousands of its staff to work fewer hours as part of its post-Coronavirus restructuring.