All articles by James McAllister
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NewsLaine Pub Company founder Gavin George joins Chickpea Group board
George, who stepped down as CEO of Laine in 2024, will work closely with the Chickpea board to advise on and support its next period of growth
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InterviewsUrban Pubs & Bars: ‘We’re very much an opportunity driven business’
The pub group’s acquisition of Albion & East adds two more postcodes to its growing London estate, and further purchases could be on the cards
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NewsGovernment urged to rethink inheritance tax reforms
Oak Taverns and Milsom Hotels & Restaurants are among the family-owned businesses calling on the government to change course amid fears the reforms could leave many operators forced to sell
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NewsNoble Inns to launch French bistro concept
The London-based gastropub group will open Bistro Sablé on the site that it previously operated as The Smokehouse in Islington
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NewsChipotle: ‘We continue to believe Europe is a big opportunity’
The US-based Mexican fast casual chain is set to open new restaurants in the region next year after making ‘great strides in culinary and operational execution’
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NewsInn Collection aiming to grow to 40 sites by 2030
The North-East based group is also looking to create more than 700 jobs as part of the five-year growth plan, which comes after it secured £125m in funding from HSBC
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NewsUrban Pubs & Bars acquires Albion & East
The Davidson Kempner and Global Mutual-backed pub and bar group said the acquisition of four venues in the capital strengthens its position as ‘London’s leading independent pub group’
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NewsFlat September for restaurants’ at-home sales
September’s delivery sales were 4.1% ahead of last year on a comparative basis, data from CGA by NIQ shows, while takeaway and click-and-collect sales dropped 8.7%
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InterviewsCaptain D’s: ‘British people will take this at their own pace’
The US-founded fast casual seafood chain has dropped anchor in the UK, but will Brits be tempted by an American operator trying to sell them fish and chips?
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NewsGordon Ramsay Restaurants grapples with challenges in casual dining as losses widen
The world-famous chef’s restaurant empire saw pre-tax losses rise from £3.4m to £12.6m in its latest financial results despite reporting record revenues and the group’s highest ever EBITDA
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NewsThesleff Group to launch ‘luxury Japanese’ concept
The operator behind London restaurants Los Mochis and Sale e Pepe will start 2026 with the opening of a ‘luxury Japanese dining and drinking destination’ in Mayfair
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Analysis & InsightIndependent thinkers: how hospitality is harnessing the power of agentic AI
The rise of autonomous artificial intelligence is giving hospitality businesses the opportunity to bolster training, improve order systems and, perhaps ironically, place more emphasis on the human experience
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NewsThe spud wars: SpudBros fire off legal letter to potato pretenders
Newly launched Portsmouth operator The Spud Father has accused SpudBros of placing ‘stress and worry’ on the business after being threatened with legal action over its name
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NewsBusiness rates surcharge could cause closures, UKH warns
The trade body has untied with the British Retail Consortium to warn that the planned surcharge could leave hundreds of high street properties at risk of closure
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InterviewsSandwich Sandwich: ‘Grab and go is the future of the business’
Founder Nick Kleiner tells MCA the brand will open its first grab and go location focusing on pre-made sandwiches in London in the coming months and is also scoping out further international opportunities
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Analysis & InsightSugary drinks could face further levies as ‘sin tax’ receipts fall
Research from UHY Hacker Young shows ‘sin taxes’ contributed 2.8% of total tax revenues in 2024/25, down from 4.3% in 2015/16, amid long-term shifts in tobacco and alcohol consumption
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Analysis & InsightFlat September for hospitality as groups deliver like-for-like sales growth of 0.2%
Britain’s top restaurant, pub and bar groups delivered a second period of fractional growth in a row and only the fourth positive month since the start of 2025
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OpinionRestaurants need to start seeing service charge the same way diners do
Gaucho insists broadening its tronc scheme to cover a wider breadth of staff will offer an ‘equitable distribution’ of service payments, but diners aren’t going to see it that way
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NewsRestaurant and hotel prices rise marginally as UK inflation holds at 3.8%
The 12-month inflation rate for restaurant and hotel prices rose to 3.9% in September, up from 3.8% in August
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InterviewsHarts Group: UK a ‘challenging place to run restaurants’
Sam Hart reveals the group has cancelled plans to open further UK sites under its Spanish tapas concept Barrafina, and is instead focussing on five sites across the UAE in the next decade