Coronavirus

Hospitality industry calls for lease forfeiture moratorium to protect businesses

19-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Leaders in the restaurant industry are urging the Government to create a six-month lease forfeiture moratorium to prevent landlords from changing locks and taking control of premises for non-payment of rent.

National restaurant groups start to shutter sites in face of pandemic

19-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Major national branded restaurant groups Byron, Pho, Zizzi, ASK Italian and Brasserie Blanc have closed their sites to the public as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus: the positive hospitality industry moves

18-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

A regular round-up of the positive action the world of hospitality is taking in a difficult time

Restaurants see sales plunge 69%

18-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Sales at UK restaurants, cafes and pubs plunged 69% year-on-year in the last week as social-distancing measures were ramped up across the country due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

BrewDog starts production of hand sanitiser to help tackle shortage

18-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

BrewDog is latest alcohol producer to announce it has begun making bottles of hand sanitiser in a bid to help tackle the shortage caused by the Coronavirus outbreak.

Unite calls for greater support for hospitality staff

18-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Trade union Unite has called on the Government to provide greater support to staff within the hospitality industry who face being laid off during the Coronavirus crisis.

Rules relaxed so restaurants and pubs can become takeaways

18-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Rules will be relaxed to allow restaurants and pubs to operate as hot food takeaways during the Coronavirus outbreak, the Government has announced.

Major restaurant groups close in wake of Coronavirus crisis

18-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Major restaurant groups including Hawksmoor, D&D London, Corbin & King and Mowgli have temporarily shuttered their sites as the Coronavirus pandemic intensifies.

There's been a lot of misinformation - why most businesses can't claim for Coronavirus losses

18-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Matthew Dewen, director at hospitality insurance company Full-Time Cover, on why the vast majority of restaurants can’t claim for business interruption during the ongoing Coronavirus crisis.

Government extends business rates holiday to all hospitality businesses

17-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The government has announced that the business rates holiday is to be extended to all businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sector for the next 12 months, to help those struggling with the ongoing Coronavirus.

Coronavirus: the positive industry moves

17-Mar-2020 By Restaurant

A round-up of the positive action the world of hospitality is taking in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic

Charity Only a Pavement Away pledges to fund sickness pay gap for members

17-Mar-2020 By Big Hospitality

Hospitality industry charity Only A Pavement Away, which supports the homeless, ex-offenders, and vulnerable veterans with jobs in hospitality, has committed funding to ensure its members don’t fall back into destitution in light of growing concerns over...

Industry petition calls on Government to support hospitality

17-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Over 60,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Government to offer guaranteed support to the hospitality industry as Coronavirus continues to hit businesses.

Wandsworth’s StreetCube declared ‘official emergency food solution’

17-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Sustainable-minded street food project StreetCube has declared itself an ‘official emergency food solution’ for people in the Wandsworth area.

Restaurant operators won't be covered by insurance in event of hospitality lockdown [updated]

17-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Restaurant operators are unlikely to be covered by insurance if there was an official government lockdown on bars and restaurants because COVID-19 will not be included in many businesses’ insurance policies.

Restaurant industry responds to 'catastrophic' Government advice

17-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The restaurant industry has reacted with a mix of anger, confusion and dismay at the Government’s advice that people stay away from pubs and restaurants as containment of the Coronavirus picks up pace.

Victor Lugger: 'restaurants must ask themselves how can we be closed for six weeks and survive?

17-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Restaurant operators need to start asking themselves how they will be able to keep their staff employed while being closed for five to six weeks, according to the co-founder of Big Mamma Group.

Hawksmoor delays New York opening because of Coronavirus

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Steakhouse group Hawksmoor has announced it is to delay the opening of its first non-UK restaurant because of the escalating Coronavirus issue.

Guide for hospitality sector on dealing with Coronavirus published

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

A guide for hospitality business on how to deal with the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, featuring advice from public health experts and doctors, has been published online.

Best Western to consider turning hotels into temporary hospitals

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Hotel group Best Western Great Britain says it will consider turning hotels into temporary hospitals if the NHS needs additional bed space during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Hospitality sector faces 'existential threat' as Government called on for more support

16-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

UKHospitality has called on the Government to step up its package of business support as the effect of coronavirus continues to spread.

Duty of care: The Coronavirus and the law

16-Mar-2020 By James Campbell and April Lord

James Campbell and April Lord of law firm Pillsbury on the legal implications the Coronavirus has for restaurants, including risk assessments and force majeure in contracts.

Friday Five: the week's top news

13-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

We round-up some of the top hospitality stories from the past week.

Coronavirus: 5 things restaurant owners should do now

13-Mar-2020 By Catherine Gannon

With fears around the Coronavirus and its potential impact on hospitality growing, it's time for operators to have conversations with landlords, HMRC and employees.

Deliveroo to introduce ‘no-contact drop-off’ service

13-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Deliveroo is to launch a ‘no-contact drop-off’ service in a bid to help quell consumer concerns, as the Coronavirus crisis intensifies.

Restaurants combat Coronavirus cashflow problems with gift vouchers

13-Mar-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Restaurant companies including Harts Group and Kricket are asking their customers to purchase gift vouchers to combat the Coronavirus’s potentially disastrous impact on their cashflow.

Restaurants 'should plan for the worst-case scenario' with coronavirus

13-Mar-2020 By Restaurant

Restaurant operators should plan for the worst-case scenario with the coronavirus outbreak, according to people close to the sector.

Statement: William Reed UK Food Shows postponed

12-Mar-2020 By Restaurant

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 health situation William Reed Business Media, publisher of BigHospitality, has taken the difficult decision to postpone the NEC UK Food Shows.

Large restaurant groups overlooked in Budget 2020

12-Mar-2020 By Sophie Witts

Large hospitality businesses were “utterly ignored” in yesterday’s Budget despite being on the “front line” of the Coronavirus impact, UKHospitality has said.

Chinatown restaurants temporarily close to limit Coronavirus impact

10-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

A number of restaurants in London’s Chinatown appear to have temporarily closed in a bid to limit the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on their bottom line.

UKHospitality calls for business rates suspension for businesses threatened by Coronavirus

10-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Trade body UKHospitality is calling on the Government to support food, drink and leisure businesses threatened by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, with measures including a three-month suspension of business rates.

Industry hit by 'double whammy' of Coronavirus and immigration policy

10-Mar-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Confidence among the bosses of Britain’s pub and restaurant groups has been fractured by the double whammy of Coronavirus and the Government’s new immigration policy, according to new snap poll.

The Lowdown: Coronavirus and hospitality

05-Mar-2020 By James McAllister

Growing hysteria surrounding the spread of the Coronavirus has led a slump in restaurant bookings and footfall, and things are unlikely to improve any time soon…