Coronavirus - Hospitality

Consumers show support for mandatory face coverings in hospitality

17-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

The majority of customers in restaurants and pubs would like to see waiting staff using face coverings, according to new research from guest experience management expert HGEM.

Taste Shakers seeks restaurants to develop products for retail

14-Jul-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Retail specialist Category Wins and foodservice PR and marketing agency William Murray have launched a joint venture to get more restaurant brands onto supermarket shelves.

Restaurants urged to sign up early for Government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme

13-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

Restaurants and other establishments serving food for on premises consumption are being encouraged to sign up to the Government’s Eat Out to Help Out initiative.

Restaurants and pubs in Wales to reopen indoors from 3 August

10-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

Restaurants and pubs in Wales will be able to reopen for indoor trade from 3 August it has been announced.

Friday Five: The week's top news stories

10-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

The Government's announcement of a cut in vat to 5% for hospitality was the leading story this week - here are some of the other stories that stole the headlines.

Promotion

"Great response" for Sprout CRM's free contact tracing app

10-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

Sprout CRM’s free track and trace app has received a great response, with thousands of check-ins reported already.

'No plans' to extend support to businesses impacted by Leicester lockdown, says Government

09-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

The Minster for Business and Industry, Nadhim Zahawi, has said the Government has 'no plans' to extend further support to businesses in Leicester currently forced to remain closed.

Sturgeon confirms restart date for Scottish hospitality

09-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that pubs and restaurants in Scotland can reopen for indoor service from next Wednesday (15 July), providing they follow strict health measures.

Westminster Council sets out further measures for outdoor dining spaces to address 'crowding concerns'

09-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Westminster Council says it will be asking businesses operating an outdoor service to implement a ’no seat, no service‘ policy, and enforcing a clear ‘no licence, no trade’ message.

Burger King boss warns up to 10% of its sites could close

09-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Burger King UK CEO Alasdair Murdoch has said the economic damage triggered by the Coronavirus pandemic could cause the fast food chain to close up to 10% of its estate.

Cereal Killer Café closes permanently

09-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

The founders of cult breakfast café Cereal Killer have announced the permanent closure of their two London sites, saying the prolonged Coronavirus lockdown and industry uncertainty led to the decision.

BBPA calls on Chancellor to provide targeted support for sector as it looks to recover

08-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) says that, with the right support, its sector could help drive the economic recovery in the UK after the Coronavirus lockdown.

The summer statement: four things we might see

08-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

As Chancellor Rishi Sunak prepares to set out his plan to jumpstart the UK economy and alleviate some of the devastation caused by Coronavirus, here's four things he may introduce:

Podcast: Selin Kiazim on ditching the service charge

07-Jul-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Selin Kiazim says the reopening of her restaurants post lockdown has given her a blank canvas on which to draw on, which is why the time is right for her to scrap service charge.

Welsh hospitality sector set for 30,000 job losses as it calls for inside reopening date

07-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

At least 30,000 jobs are expected to be lost in the Welsh hospitality sector as a result of the Coronavirus, with nearly half of these having already happened, according to the results of a new survey.

More than 18,000 pubs reopened on 4 July

07-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Data collated by the CGA's Outlet Index suggests that 18,277 of a possible 40,575 pubs and bars in England reopened on 4 July.

Leroy joins Oklava and Hill & Szrok in scrapping service charges

07-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Wine bar and restaurant Leroy in London's Shoreditch is the latest business to announce it will no longer be adding a service charge to its bills.

Industry leaders call on Government to provide 'urgent' business support for hospitality sector

06-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

More than 100 industry leaders from across the hospitality sector have written to the Government demanding urgent support to stimulate the revival of the sector following the Coronavirus crisis.

Restaurants scrap service charge, saying they'll increase wages through higher prices

06-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Oklava and Hill & Szrok have separately announced they will be no longer add a 12.5% service charge to bills, and will instead be incorporating the cost into menu prices.

Re-opening safely post lockdown

06-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

Three operators on their plans to ensure the safety of their customers and teams as they re-open their doors for eat-in customers.

Pret confirms 30 site closures

06-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger has confirmed it is to close 30 of its UK sites as part of its plans to restructure the business.

Pret set for slew of closures (updated)

06-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger boss Pano Christou is expected to announce as many as 45 closures to the sandwich chain's c.450-strong UK estate, putting up to 800 jobs at risk.

Friday Five: The week's top news

03-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

With restaurants set to reopen this weekend, we round-up some of the main hospitality news stories from the past week.

Westminster Council gives go-ahead for outdoor dining spaces

03-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Al fresco dining spaces are set to pop up across the City of Westminster from tomorrow (4 July).

Industry takes cautious approach to reopening

03-Jul-2020 By Georgia Cronin

Hospitality operators are taking a cautious approach to reopening as just 59% of businesses plan to reopen some of their sites on 4 July, the new Business Confidence Survey from CGA and Fourth has found.

World's 50 Best Restaurants launches 'Bid for Recovery' auction

03-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

The World's 50 Best Restaurants is to launch first in a series of fundraising initiatives to help support the global hospitality industry as it emerges from the Coronavirus pandemic.

Hospitality leaders split over viability of track and trace

03-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

Hospitality businesses are split over whether they think it is possible for them to collect customer details as laid out by the Government in its safety guidelines for the sector.

Trade bodies publish track and trace guidance for businesses

03-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) have published guidance to businesses on supporting the Government’s track and trace customer registration scheme.

Industry demands further clarity from Welsh Government over hospitality reopening dates

03-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

The Welsh Government has said pubs, cafes and restaurants can begin to reopen from 13 July, providing Coronavirus cases continue to fall across the country.

Market Halls says it will reopen 'when it can' as it makes entire staff redundant

03-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Market Halls says it has taken the decision to keep all three of its London sites closed while social distancing remains.

Casual Dining Group enters administration

02-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Casual Dining Group (CDG) has entered administration with 91 sites in its c.250-strong restaurant estate set to be closed permanently.

The Lowdown: Post-lockdown restaurant criticism

02-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

As restaurants prepare to reopen, there’s a growing conversation around the role of critics and whether they should, for the time being at least, sheath their hatchets and focus on the positives.

Scotland to ease two-metre rule for some sectors

02-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland's two-metre physical distancing rule will be eased for some businesses when the country enters the next phase of its routemap on 9 July.

Technology

App launches to help hospitality with NHS track and trace scheme

02-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

A free-to-use check in app that allows venues to easily capture customers details and help with the NHS track and trace scheme has been launched.

The Athenian tees up London Bridge launch

02-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Greek street food player The Athenian is to open its eighth restaurant location later this month in London Bridge.

We Hear You initiative launched to provides instant guest feedback on Coronavirus safety protocols

02-Jul-2020 By Restaurant

An initiative to gain consumer feedback on the safe reopening of hospitality venues quickly and effectively has been launched to help build confidence in the sector as restaurants begin to reopen.

One in five suppliers could close without Government support

02-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Up to 460,000 jobs could be at risk if Government does not extend hospitality support to include suppliers, according to a new survey carried out by the UKHospitality Supplier Alliance.

PAX app launched to help operators maintain customer contact tracing

01-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Aussie chef Magnus Reid is launching an app to give operators a 'hassle-free way' of ensuring they maintain customer contact tracing once they reopen

Inception Group sets up £25,000 NHS bar tab

01-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

London-based hospitality company Inception Group, which operates venues including Mr Fogg’s and Cahoots, has set up a £25,000 bar tab for NHS workers as part of its reopening plans.

Dishoom temporarily revises reservation policy as it sets out reopening plan

01-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Dishoom says it will temporarily allow groups of less than six to reserve tables for evening service at any of its restaurants as part of its reopening strategy.

"The readiness to make sure people enjoy themselves can still be there” - Chuku's talks reopening

01-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

The founders of Nigerian tapas restaurant Chuku’s in Tottenham say physical distancing will not detract from the socially-driven spirit of their restaurant.

Flexible furlough comes into force

01-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS) come into effect today (1 July), allowing businesses to bring back furloughed employees part time if they wish to.

SSP to cut more than half its UK workforce

01-Jul-2020 By James McAllister

Food travel operator SSP is to make more than half its 9,000-strong UK workforce redundant, as the company struggles with the reduced passenger numbers caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Leicester lockdown to hit more than 550 hospitality businesses

30-Jun-2020 By James McAllister

At least 239 restaurants and 182 pubs in Leicester will remain closed beyond 4 July as a result of the Government's decision to extend the city's lockdown by two weeks.

Government told to 'stop dithering and take action' by London restaurateurs

30-Jun-2020 By Restaurant

A three-month suspension of the congestion charge, increased public transport and a decision over VAT are just some of the measures being asked of the Government by a group of high-profile London chefs and restaurateurs.

Edinburgh's Castle Terrace to close permanently

30-Jun-2020 By James McAllister

Castle Terrace, the Edinburgh restaurant opened 10 years ago by chefs Dominic Jack and Tom Kitchin, has announced that it will not reopen post-Coronavirus lockdown.

Bar service? Live sport? Carvery? What the government guidance means for how pubs can operate

30-Jun-2020 By Restaurant

Further information for pubs on how they can operate within the Government’s Coronavirus guidelines beyond 4 July, including whether they can screen football matches, whether they have to take customer details, and if they can run a carvery, has been...

Restaurant

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