All MCA Insight articles in July 2025
View all stories from this issue.
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Weekend PressThe female chef exposing restaurants’ sex and drug culture
She’s the anonymous figure whose Slutty Cheff Instagram account lifts the lid on the darker side of the restaurant world, from drug binges to the harassment of female staff, The Times reports
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Weekend PressCould M&S’ strawberries and cream sandwich be taxed?
Experts say M&S’s viral summer sando could be hit with 20% VAT for looking a bit too much like dessert. The Independent’s Hannah Twiggs explores the issue
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Weekend PressStruggling pubs and cafes to get lifeline under new rules
Struggling pubs, cafes and clubs around the country could be rescued under new a new law to let locals take them over, The Mirror reports
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Weekend PressGeneral Atlantic is exploring US IPO of Joe & The Juice
Private equity firm General Atlantic is exploring a potential US initial public offering of Joe & the Juice as soon as next year, Bloomberg reports
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Weekend PressHow I learnt to stop worrying and love uncool restaurants
You say small plates, I say pornstar martini, writes Marina O’Loughlin in the FT
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Weekend PressNational insurance hike hits hospitality as 69,000 jobs go
Chancellor’s increases in national insurance blamed for cuts by pubs, restaurants and hotels, amid industry fears that 200,000 people could lose their roles, The Sunday Times reports
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NewsAuntie Anne’s UK growth boosted by strong like-for-likes
The food to go concept, known for its hand-rolled pretzels, achieved 10% like-for-like growth in 2024 and is pushing to reach 100 sites
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NewsOpenings of the week
MCA rounds up this week’s biggest openings stories, featuring Harry’s, KERB, Greene King, Bloomsbury Leisure Group, and more
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InterviewsTGI Fridays: ‘We are really excited about what lies ahead’
No stranger to the struggles of the casual dining market, TGI Fridays is looking to stage a comeback by revamping its menus and service style and ensuring the brand is relevant to the next generation of customer, CEO Julie McEwan tells MCA.
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NewsCraft Union: ‘We’ve kept our founding philosophy at the heart of the business’
Managing director Frazer Grimbleby explains how the pub operating model has tripled weekly sales with its seven-days-a-week, daypart-spanning wet-led offer
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Analysis & InsightStonegate: ‘Guests are more loyal to the people behind the bar than the brand above the door’
As the group shifts its founding focus away from managed pubs towards hybrid and leased & tenanted models, Simon Brooke explores the consumer and market dynamics behind this move, and how it could unlock new opportunities for entrepreneurial pub operators
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NewsTortilla zeroes in on health in new summer menu
New £5 protein pots and a revamped salad offering are designed to appeal to the health-conscious customer across a wider variety of occasions
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InterviewsPunch sees managed partnership model as ‘key growth engine’
The pub group is investing heavily in its managed partnerships model and sees it as “one of the key growth engines of our business over the coming years”, CEO Andy Spencer told MCA’s Pub Conference
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Analysis & InsightEating out frequency dips but spend rises
Despite warmer weather, average frequency fell slightly in the four weeks to 8 June, albeit spend per visit rose 6.4% year-on-year, according to Lumina Intelligence
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NewsPing Pong ceases trading
The dim sum chain has closed its final four restaurants, in Soho, Southbank, Bow Bells House and St. Christopher’s Place, after 20 years trading in London
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NewsVietnamese ‘Lunch Lady’ restaurant Cô Thành to make London debut
Hong Kong’s famed Vietnamese restaurant, which was popularised by Anthony Bourdain, is to open a site in Coven Garden in September
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NewsHoni Poke acquires Island Poké
The combined businesses operate 45 sites across the UK and Europe, in a strategic move to establish Honi Poke’s position as the UK’s leading poke operator
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Analysis & InsightGreggs shares drop in wake of profit warning
Barclays analyst Richard Taylor cited “concerns of overexpansion,” saying investors are “reasonably questioning whether the scale of the rollout is still appropriate”
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NewsPortobello Pub Company ‘consistently ahead of market peers’
The Zetland-backed, 27-strong pub group said like-for-like growth remains strong in a challenged market, with group revenue of £29m
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Analysis & InsightThe hunt for value for money – four ways brands can deliver for their guests
Lumina Intelligence insight lead Andy Crossan highlights AI, differentiation, format diversification and brand identity as four key areas where operators can examine to find growth