Our mission is remarkably simple. To tell it how it is!
Just a third of restaurant operators expect to reopen their full portfolios after lockdown, according to a report by the Business Confidence Survey. The number of venues looks set to fall, despite government support and inventive business strategies during the closure period. Around a third (35 per cent) of businesses said they will eventually reopen […]
Some of the restaurant industries biggest names have called on the Government to include tronc, service charge, and tips in its furlough scheme. The likes of Hawskmoor’s Will Beckett and Corbin and King’s Jeremy King said the exclusion of such pay awards has caused “real and serious hardship”. The letter has been written by WMT […]
Our weekly round-up of what the national and local restaurant critics writing about, for the week ending 3 May 2020; the country remains in lockdown, with restaurants, cafes and bars officially closed due the coronavirus outbreak. You can still support your local and favourite restaurants; many are offering takeaways or deliveries, or you can buy […]
The Global Craftsman Group, which is behind renowned restaurants Goodman, Beast, and Zelman Meats, has teamed up with Burger & Lobster to launch a new venture. The collective will be selling premium meat boxes called Prime Feast, featuring the steaks that are served in the restaurants. An announcement said Prime Feast encourages people to #StayHome […]
Thai restaurant group Busaba has started working with the financial firm KPMG to examine its options. The group, established by the prolific Hong Kong-born restaurateur Alan Yau in 1999, has 13 sites across London. When contacted, KPMG declined to make further comment relating to the matter. Busaba at one point expanded beyond London, but in […]
The Oxford Kitchen will relaunch as 215 Kitchen and Drinks after lockdown, with chef Paul Welburn stepping away from a more formal tasting menu concept. Welburn, who trained for a time under the late Gary Rhodes and appeared in the 2014 series of Great British Menu, indicated he will offer a more casual approach in […]
The trade body UK Hospitality has again underpinned its belief that a “unified” approach to reopening restaurants after lockdown restrictions are lifted. After the Welsh government put forward its criteria, and Nicola Sturgeon, first minister of Scotland, outlined what a phased lifting could look like, UK Hospitality warned that a confused message could damage the […]
Results revealed today from a survey of hospitality businesses paint a gloomy picture of low trading expectations from operators in a sector that is the UK’s third highest employer. The findings have prompted renewed calls from the trade body for urgent commitments from Government to extend support for the hospitality sector, as it examines the […]
Shake Shack has started testing delivery services in London. It has begun serving customers via takeaway and delivery in the West End and Docklands, joining a number of other small- to medium-sized groups in looking at ways to plug the gaps until things return to normal. Shake Shack Tottenham Court Road resumed trading earlier this […]
Our weekly round-up of what the national and local restaurant critics writing about, for the week ending 26 April 2020; the UK is in lockdown, with restaurants, cafes and bars officially closed over a month ago, due the coronavirus outbreak. You can still support your local and favourite restaurants; many are offering takeaways or deliveries, […]
