All articles by James McAllister – Page 6
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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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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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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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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
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NewsBig Fang falls into the red as turnover drops
The competitive socialising group reported a 5% drop in turnover, but says it has an ‘exciting pipeline of new sites’ for consideration
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OpinionTransforming Côte is going to require a little je ne sais quoi
Karali Group has built a solid footing in the QSR and fast casual space, but taking on high street brassiere brand Côte is a whole new challenge
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NewsFormer Caprice Holdings COO to lead Hakkasan Group
Yavuz Pehlivanlar will lead the continued expansion and strategic growth of Hakkasan Group’s modern Asian dining brands including Hakkasan, Yauatcha, Ling Ling and Sake No Hana
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InterviewsSides: ‘We want to be the largest UK-founded chicken brand’
The fried chicken brand has unveiled a major revamp of its menu that will fuel a rapid period of growth across the UK and beyond
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OpinionNo longer cheap as chips – QSR embraces the £5 meal deal
Amid a clamour for customers, more and more QSR operators are introducing their own meal deals all pitched around the same price point in a hopeful bid to demonstrate value
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Analysis & InsightInvestors still see sustainability as ‘a key element of the sector’
According to Burger King UK CFO Tim Doubleday, running a responsible business and having a strong sustainability agenda are “massively linked together”
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Analysis & Insight‘Definite disconnects’ between consumers and businesses over environment
Data show that operators do not see sustainability being as important for driving reputation as consumers do, UKHospitality’s Sustainability Seminar heard
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NewsMcDonald’s trials ‘smoother’ order ahead app feature
The new feature uses geofencing technology to alert the restaurant when the user is three minutes away, meaning their order will be available to pick up on arrival
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NewsGreene King boss: Cafés and delivery apps are ‘taking away leisure time from the pub’
Nick Mackenzie has said that pubs across the UK are having to adapt to bring in a generation of Brits who drink less and less often
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NewsSoho House founder Nick Jones to launch London hotel next year
The opening marks Jones’s first hotel project outside the Soho House brand since he stepped away as CEO of the private members’ club group in 2022
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InterviewsRanjit Mathrani: ‘People aren’t spending, they’re saving'
The chairman of MW Eat tells MCA the impact of last year’s budget has been ‘devastating’ while uncertainty over what comes next is putting a dampener on consumer spending
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Analysis & Insight‘There’s such appetite for innovation’ – hospitality leaders on new formats, tech opportunities and food development
Leaders from some of the UK hospitality sector’s biggest groups, including Wingstop, Leon, German Doner Kebab, Moto Hospitality and Franco Manca gathered for a roundtable ahead of MCA’s Innovation Conference last week to discuss how they are evolving their businesses for the future