All articles by Georgi Gyton
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NewsBig Table Group restructures leadership team
The Epiris-backed operator of Las Iguanas, Bella Italia, Frankie & Benny’s and Banana Tree has restructured operations within its senior leadership team in order to remain “profitable and successful in the most challenging of times”
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EventsBook your tickets to MCA’s Restaurant Conference on 13 November
There are only two weeks to go until leaders from KFC, Azzurri Group, Bill’s, Fulham Shore, The Evolv Collection, Wahaca and JKS speaker at MCA’s annual Restaurant Conference
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Analysis & InsightCost of cocoa beans and other commodities set to fall
Global food prices are on course to fall by 6.1% this year, and 0.3% in 2026 – which should help to ease inflation across the worldwide economy, according to the World Bank’s latest projections
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NewsUK looking to end illegal gig economy work
The government is due to launch a consultation, today, on new laws which would force the likes of Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat Takeaway to perform stringent checks on their workers to make sure none are working for them illegally
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InterviewsStar Pubs: ‘We didn’t want training to be a one-off exercise’
Speaking at MCA’s recent Innovation Conference, Star Pubs’ head of licensee training and development, Tracy Bickerdike, said the group is striving for continual learning for its Just Add Talent operators
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InterviewsBOX Piccadilly is an ‘Everest’ moment for Arc Inspirations
Opening today following a £4m investment, Arc Inspirations’ London debut on Shaftesbury Avenue is “probably the most exciting and biggest decision we have ever taken,” CEO Martin Wolstencroft tells MCA
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InterviewsVarious Eateries exploring ‘exciting prospects’
The restaurant, clubhouse and hotel group remains ambitious for expansion, with its Coppa Club and Noci brands where it sees “the greatest opportunity for scalable growth”, chief executive Mark Loughborough tells MCA.
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InterviewsHonest Burgers: ‘AI is like a new employee that you need to train’
The restaurant group launched its own AI assistant ‘Pickle’ earlier this year, which has now absorbed the entirety of its employee handbook, procedures and troubleshooting steps, and is available 24/7
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InterviewsNory: ‘We will never look back when it comes to AI’
AI will ultimately be ingrained in every facet of our professional and personal lives much like the transformative nature of internet, co-founder and CEO Conor Sheridan told MCA’s Innovation Conference
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InterviewsHumble Grape plots further City expansion
The wine bar, restaurant and retail business is looking to add further sites to its estate, following the opening of its seventh venue in the City next month, founder James Dawson tells MCA.
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NewsMajority of MPs supportive of hospitality sector
The survey, carried out by market research firm Ipsos on behalf of the British Beer & Pub Association, found that 96% of Conservative and 86% of Labour MPs surveyed were ’favourable’ towards the sector.
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NewsFoodFixx acquires UK franchise rights to Dubai brand Chicking
The Scottish business said the deal would see it “operate, develop and expand the Chicking brand across the UK” – building upon FoodFixx’s existing franchise rights to the brand in Scotland.
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NewsGaucho appoints new FD
Martin Bishop joins the Argentinian steak restaurant group from Riley’s Sports Bar where he had been FD since December 2023. Prior to that he was head of group financial planning and analysis at TRG.
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InterviewsValiant Pubs set to break through 100-site mark by year end
The Njord Partners-backed pub company added 24 sites to its estate in the last finanical year, with the current cycle likely to result in a similar number of acquisitions, CEO Mark McGinty tells MCA
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InterviewsAzzurri Group’s Steve Holmes: ‘We can change prices five times a day if we want to’
Azzurri’s in-house data platform Openr has eased the impact of food and drink inflation while making menu changes simplier and smoother
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NewsGerry’s Hot Subs closes successful fundraising round
The American-style premium subs concept, led by Bodean’s founder Andre Blais, has secured £250k in new investment to help fund its next two openings
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NewsStonegate appoints new MD for managed business
The pub and bar group has appointed former Wagamama COO Nigel Sherwood to oversee its managed business as it continues to streamline the division’s portfolio, with Carol Campbell to step down.
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Analysis & InsightHospitality remains at core of communities
Sixty-six percent of consumers feel the hospitality sector plays an important role in their communities, with 74% agreeing the sector needs greater support from government, a new report from Zonal has found.
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Analysis & InsightMarginal uplift in eating out spend
Restaurants, café and bakeries saw spend growth of 0.8% in September 2025, however transaction volumes were down 2.1%, according to the latest monthly report from Barclays.
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NewsValiant achieves positive EBITDA in FY25
The community-focused pub company, founded in 2021 by Gerry Carroll and Mark McGinty, added 24 sites to its estate last year, with its estate totalling 80 pubs by the year end.