Our mission is remarkably simple. To tell it how it is!
Britons dined out nearly 11 million times last week as the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme unfolded. The initiative, devised by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and his Treasury team, is has been designed to stimulate Britain’s ailing economy. Hospitality is among the sectors worst hit by the pandemic. Sunak has set aside around £500 […]
More than 22,000 hospitality jobs are believed to have been lost so far in 2020, more than double the total number recorded last year. Figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) reveal 22,039 restaurant and casual dining sector positions have been lost in the sector, up 95.4 per cent on the 11,280 in […]
Five trade bodies in the UK have collectively called on the government to help solve the rent crisis, the foremost threat faced by restaurants attempting to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. UK Hospitality, The British Property Federation (BPF), British Retail Consortium (BRC), Revo, and ukactive have together asked the government to introduce a “Property Bounceback Grant” […]
The veteran restaurateur Russell Norman, who co-founded the pioneering Venetian small plates group Polpo in 2008 alongside Richard Beatty, has left the company. The news was first reported by Bloomberg food critic Richard Vines on Wednesday, quoting Norman to say, “things change”. New filings listed by Companies House show Norman’s directorship at Polpo was terminated […]
A new restaurant is opening in a former hardware store in Manchester. That’s right: some positive, independent restaurant news! The Mediterranean concept is set to launch in the middle of next month and will feature a menu of small plates inspired by the cuisine of Spain’s Balearic islands, as well as Portugal, Italy, and coastal […]
Our weekly round-up of what the national and local restaurant critics are writing about, for the week ending 9 August 2020. Restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes in England were permitted to re-open on Saturday 4 July after over 100 days of enforced closure. Some establishments remain closed – the owner of the three Market Halls, […]
Struggling restaurant and pub operators have hailed the new Eat Out to Help Out scheme as a great example of government support for the industry and an important first step in giving the general public the confidence to go out to eat again. Pubs and restaurants across the country have reported bumper sales in the […]
BAME in Hospitality is to launch a mentorship scheme in autumn designed to support the career development of minority ethnic employees in the hospitality industry. Mentors such as chef James Cochran, writer Rukmini Iyer, food critic Jimi Famurewa, and chef Nokx Majozi will be involved, with the group calling on mentors from diverse backgrounds and […]
PizzaExpress is to enter a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) “in the near future” that could lead to the closure of 67 sites and job losses topping 1,000. The group said this week that it will reduce its UK restaurant portfolio and rental cost to ensure a more manageable and profitable enterprise. Divestment from the Chinese […]
The Dorchester Collection’s 45 Park Lane hotel has appointed Jamie Shears as executive chef. Shears joins following the departure of David McIntyre, who left last month after nine years in charge. The new chef will oversee the culinary direction of the five-red-AA-star, 45-bedroom hotel in London’s Mayfair, including Wolfgang Puck’s Cut restaurant. Shears will begin […]
