Eating - Hospitality

UK's first insect restaurant opening this summer

23-Feb-2015 By Sophie Witts

The UK’s first restaurant serving insects will open in South Wales this summer.

Ottolenghi co-founder: 'Sesame to fill London's Mediterranean street food gap'

12-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Ottolenghi co-founder Noam Bar says Sesame, his new food-to-go concept opening this spring will finally bring street food from the Mediterranean to the masses.

Two thirds of Brits plan to eat out on Valentine's Day

12-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Two thirds of people say they are planning to eat out on Valentine's Day, but only 28 per cent will spend more than £50 on the occasion according to a survey by daily deals website Groupon.

UK eating out sector faces 'turbulent and tremendous' year

02-Feb-2015 By Carina Perkins

The UK eating out market continues to grow – with the regions showing recovery for the first time – but discount driven consumers remain a challenge for the sector.

Eating alone is biggest concern for solo travellers

29-Jan-2015 By Emma Eversham

Restaurant staff are being urged to make solo diners feel more comfortable after a survey found that a quarter of British diners feel they receive worse service when dining alone.

Diner mindset survey offers restaurant planning help

16-Jan-2015 By Helen Gilbert

Diners in the North and South East are most likely to splash out on meals spending an average of £113 per month, a new survey looking into differing diner mindsets has revealed.

Restaurants and pubs enjoy rise in September sales

17-Oct-2014 By Lauren Houghton

The eating and drinking out sector has enjoyed its 18th consecutive month of positive growth, according to Coffer Peach Business Tracker data.

Small Talk

James Sommerin on the highs and lows of going it alone

16-Oct-2014 By Carina Perkins

James Sommerin, former head chef of the Michelin-starred Crown at Whitebrook in South East Wales, opened restaurant with rooms Restaurant James Sommerin on the Esplanade in Pernarth earlier this year.

Mobile payment could boost restaurant revenues

07-Oct-2014 By Carina Perkins

The restaurant industry could boost revenues by £5.6 billion by adopting mobile payment, according to a new study.

Photos strongest factor for diner engagement on TripAdvisor

02-Oct-2014 By Melodie Michel

The number of photos posted online by diners and management directly affects engagement from prospective customers, according to TripAdvisor’s first restaurant engagement study.

Restaurants see steady growth in August

12-Sep-2014 By Lauren Houghton

Despite the cooler weather, restaurants in the UK saw a 17th consecutive month of growth this August, according to Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Eenmaal considers permanent venue in London as UK solo dining rises

21-Aug-2014 By Melodie Michel

Dutch solo dining pop-up concept Eenmaal is planning a UK event and potential permanent venue in London, as new research suggests that eating out alone is growing in popularity.

Roka taps into quick dining market

01-Aug-2014 By Ruth Williams

Roka, Rainer Becker’s contemporary Japanese robatayaki restaurant brand, is entering the casual dining market with a new concept called Shochu Kanteen housed in the basement of its Charlotte Street restaurant.

Eating out up 4%

29-Jul-2014 By Melodie Michel

Consumers ate out more often this past June than in the same month in 2013, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by Horizons.

Ethos meat-free restaurant concept comes to London

24-Jul-2014 By Lauren Houghton

Meat-free casual dining restaurant Ethos will be opening in Mayfair this September.

Mitch Tonks reveals Rockfish expansion plans

08-Jul-2014 By Ruth Williams and Melodie Michel

Mitch Tonks, the high-profile chef, has opened his fourth Rockfish seafood restaurant in Torquay, Devon as part of plans to grow the brand to 15 restaurants in coastal towns.

Spanish restaurant MasQMenos launches in the UK

07-Jul-2014 By Lauren Houghton

Spanish all day dining concept MasQMenos has launched in the UK and opened its first restaurant in London’s Holborn.

Ryan Clift: Pearls of Wisdom

06-Jun-2014 By Laura Price

The British-born chef who ran Vue de Monde in Melbourne for eight and half years before setting up the Tippling Club in Singapore talks about pairing drinks with food, serving £30 cocktails and making cauliflower cheese using sound waves.

Restaurant magazine: Fergus Henderson on life, cooking and nose-to-tail eating

30-Apr-2014 By Carina Perkins

Fergus Henderson received the Diners Club Lifetime Achievement award at this year's World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards for his contribution to Britain's culinary landscape. In the cover feature of this month’s Restaurant magazine, editor Stefan...

Mitch Tonks to open new Rockfish in Torquay

11-Apr-2014 By Lauren Houghton

Renowned fish chef and restaurateur Mitch Tonks will open his third Rockfish restaurant in Torquay this summer with his business partner Mat Prowse.

Talkin' 'bout Y generation: study reveals eating out habits of 16-24 year olds

10-Apr-2014 By Carina Perkins

Young people still value good customer service when they visit restaurants, with price and convenience also influencing choice, according to new research from Voxburner.

Camera shy: Should food photos be banned from restaurants?

21-Feb-2014 By Luke Nicholls

Snap-happy foodies taking pictures of their meals with smartphones has become a common sight for restaurants worldwide, but for some chefs the practice has become a nuisance; disrupting the ambiance and often doing the presentation of the food an injustice.

Energy price hikes: Restaurants feel the heat as costs soar

10-Feb-2014 By Luke Nicholls

The inflation-busting price hikes announced by ‘the big six’ electricity and gas firms last year have hit hospitality businesses hard, with 90 per cent of restaurateurs claiming rising energy costs have forced them to reassess menu prices.

Town locations remain streets ahead for diners

05-Dec-2013 By Stefan Chomka

The high street is still the preferred place for consumers to eat out and visit coffee shops, new research has shown, despite the growth in restaurant activity in out-of-town locations.

Alan Murchison Restaurants in liquidation

27-Nov-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Alan Murchison Restaurants Ltd, which operated the Michelin-starred L’Ortolan restaurant in Berkshire, has been put into voluntary liquidation after running up debts of almost half a million pounds.

Claude Bosi: Hibiscus must evolve to stay on top

18-Nov-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Two-Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi says he must not turn a blind eye to the increasing ‘casualisation’ of fine-dining as he looks to try and keep people flocking through the doors of his Mayfair establishment Hibiscus.

Hyper local restaurant booking app Ruffl launches

24-Oct-2013 By Emma Eversham

New 'hyper local' restaurant app Ruffl has launched, connecting diners to restaurants with available tables in the area they are in and helping to fill restaurant owners' empty tables.

National Restaurant Awards: Hand & Flowers takes 2013 title

07-Oct-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The Hand & Flowers, Tom Kerridge’s pub-restaurant in Marlow, has been voted the UK’s best restaurant at the 2013 National Restaurant Awards, snatching top spot from The Ledbury, which held the title for three years.

Sustainable Champions: SRA unveils new accreditation for dining destinations

06-Sep-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) has developed the first ever sustainability accreditation for food destinations, after its research found that 70 per cent of consumers would choose a sustainable restaurant given the option, and more than...

Adam Byatt: Pearls of Wisdom

30-Aug-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Adam Byatt owns and runs both the Clapham fine-dining restaurant Trinity and casual concept Bistro Union – which he is hoping to expand. However the renowned chef, who learnt his trade at Claridge’s, has also faced challenges on the road to success.

The Imperial loses its ‘Arms’ as new owners focus on food

15-Aug-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The ‘Arms’ are being removed from the Imperial Arms in Chelsea as the new owners of the popular King’s Road venue want to transform it from pub to restaurant.

Value of hospitality and foodservice market to reach £90bn by 2018

05-Aug-2013 By Emma Eversham

The total foodservice and hospitality market in the UK is expected to be worth £90bn by 2018, according to Allegra Strategies’ Eating Out in the UK report as eating out becomes the ‘new normal’.

Successful start to summer for restaurants and pubs

17-Jul-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Life for Britain’s restaurant and pub groups is on the up with a third successive increase in like-for-like sales coming in June and total sales ahead by 4.8 per cent compared with the same time last year.

Branded restaurant market to reach £22bn by 2018

26-Jun-2013 By Emma Eversham

The branded restaurant market is predicted to grow by £5.6bn to £22bn over the next five years as it continues to win market share from independents according to a report by Allegra Strategies.

Pair behind Outsider Tart bakery launch Blue Plate restaurant

10-Jun-2013 By Peter Ruddick

David Muniz and David Lesniak, who launched the Outsider Tart bakery in Chiswick, have opened Blue Plate, a 'soul food joint', in the premises next door.

Center Parcs reveals restaurants, cafés and hotel for new village

19-Apr-2013 By Luke Nicholls

International holiday park owner Center Parcs has revealed the range of restaurants and cafés that will be included within the new Woburn Forest village when it opens in spring 2014.

Chef Ben Spalding to hold weekly 'Stripped Back' at returning Street Feast

11-Apr-2013 By Emma Eversham

Chef Ben Spalding's outdoor dining concept Stripped Back is to become a regular feature at Street Feast, the night food market in Dalston, when it returns to a new venue this week.

Restaurant magazine: Jason Atherton on growing his restaurant empire

02-Apr-2013 By Emma Eversham

Chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton talks about his growing restaurant empire and comparisons with his former boss Gordon Ramsay in an exclusive interview with Restaurant magazine this month.

Bush Hall owners venture into restaurants with adjacent Dining Room

27-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Husband and wife business partners Charlie Raworth and Emma Hutchinson, who run the two Shepherd’s Bush live music and events venues Bush Hall and The Music House for Children, are set to launch a neighbouring all-day restaurant this spring.

The gastropub revolution: Pub-restaurants begin to dominate eating-out market

15-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Food sales in managed pubs are outperforming the rest of the UK’s eating-out sector on the back of keen pricing, effective marketing and a broadening of their offering to appeal to a wider consumer-base.

BigHospitality’s 2012 look-back: Chicken restaurants and pub food

17-Dec-2012 By Emma Eversham

As we approach the end of the year we take a look-back at our most-read articles to find out what the hot topics were that got you clicking on and sharing in 2012. In our first instalment we look at the rise of the chicken restaurant and the evolution...

Pub, bar and restaurant visits rise but 'Generation Y' eat and drink out less

03-Dec-2012 By Peter Ruddick

UK consumers went out more often to eat and drink in the last six months with increases in the frequency of visits to pubs and the number of visits made to take advantage of the growing lunchtime market, the latest Deloitte Taste of the Nation survey...

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