All articles by Georgi Gyton – Page 20
-
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
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Analysis & InsightHigher prices the ‘new reality’ for hospitality
Within the fast food sector, burger concepts have recorded some of the highest menu price rises due to the increasing cost of beef, with coffee also one of the fast rising categories over the past two months, according to Meaningful Vision
-
NewsWagamama launches customisable kids’ bento boxes
Available for children under 12 and priced at £7.50, the bento box lets them build their own meal using separate compartments to choose a main, rice or noodles, fresh vegetables and a sauce.
-
NewsScoffs Group reports substantial increase in EBITDA
Costa Coffee’s largest UK franchisee has reported adjusted EBITDA of £4.1m for FY24 – up 92%, with the opening of its first franchise Itsu location marking a “significant milestone” in its diversification strategy
-
NewsBoston Tea Party sees 40% EBITDA uplift
The 23-strong coffee shop business has reported sales of £21.1m for 2024 – flat with the previous year – but a focus on menu simplification and tighter forecasting has helped mitigate increased labour costs
-
Analysis & InsightEnergy price hikes: ‘Additional costs are not welcome’
Hospitality operators are grappling with the prospect of further increases in the price of energy as electricity standing charges are set to double, placing “yet another burden on hospitality”
-
InterviewsBrava Hospitality: ‘Internal competition is good for business’
CEO James Brown speaks to MCA about the benefits of a portfolio business, how the rebrand of Prezzo has been paying off and when we can expect its second concept to launch
-
NewsVaulkhard Leisure seeing benefits of portfolio repositioning
The North East leisure business saw turnover decline to £14.3m in the year to 31 December 2024, compared to £15.3m in 2023, following the disposal of two further sites, however EBITDA was up on the prior year.