All MCA Insight articles in October 2019 – Page 4
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OpinionMiddle Eastern promises: James Walters on Arabica KX
James Walters has opened a second incarnation of his Levantine-inspired restaurant concept Arabica. A lot has changed, but what remains is the chef’s determination to steadily evolve the brand
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NewsThe restaurants moving into food-to-go
Attracting the crowds for weekday lunches can be hard so many are turning to grab and go and customisable offerings, including Mac & Wild and Freak Scene, MCA’s sister title Food Spark reports.
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NewsNando’s lines up Nino express format in Clapham
Nando’s is to launch a third London site under its Nando’s Nino express format, aimed at takeaway and delivery, MCA’s sister title Big Hospitality reports.
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NewsJohnson revives sale plan for Gail’s
Entrepreneur Luke Johnson is reviving plans for a sale of Gail’s Bakery, Sky News reports.
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NewsFazenda turnover up but profits down after two new openings
City District, the operator of premium Brazilian steakhouse Fazenda, has increased its turnover but narrowed profits after opened two new restaurants last year.
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NewsHedge funds circle Pizza Express
Hedge fund CarVal is one of a number of money managers that has bought into Pizza Express’s heavily discounted corporate bonds, The Daily Telegraph reports.
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NewsJust Eat reports 25% revenue growth in Q3
Just Eat has reported revenue growth up 25% to £247.5m in Q3 2019.
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NewsChick-fil-A to leave the UK
Chick-fil-A is to exit the UK once its six-month lease expires. The US chicken shop opened its doors last weekend but was dogged by negative publicity around suggestions it’s anti-LGBTQ. The long running controversy is the result of comments made by COO Dan Cathy in 2012 in favour ...
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Opinion
How to give hospitality the personal touch
Using machine learning and AI could deliver huge benefits to hospitality, but there are challenges. MCA and Punchh brought together marketing and IT directors to discuss how best to do it.
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NewsRare Restaurants appoints new group CFO
Rare Restaurants, the operator of Gaucho and M Restaurants, has appointed Rob Dawson as group chief financial officer, MCA understands.
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NewsAnalysts’ verdict: Goodbody on Domino’s
Domino’s decision to exit its international markets should be well received by investors, according to Rachel Fox, gaming and leisure analyst at Goodbody.
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NewsWinnow secures £15m to tackle food waste
Winnow, the artificial intelligence platform for cutting food waste, has completed a series B round of funding worth £9.3m.
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NewsTortilla teams up with SSP
Tortilla has signed a development agreement with SSP Group, which will see the Mexican fast-casual brand open five travel hub sites within the next year.
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OpinionSteve Moore: ‘The development never goes away. It starts on day one, it doesn’t finish on day one.’
Steve Moore is in jovial form when we speak a few weeks ahead of the launch of Electric Shuffle.
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NewsByron brews up partnership with Paddy & Scott’s
Byron has teamed up with Paddy and Scott’s to boost its coffee offer. The roll out will begin in their new look branded site High Street Kensington in November. The coffee will be on offer alongside Byron’s new brunch menu. It will then roll out across the Byron estate. “We are delighted to introduce Paddy and Scott’s into Byron,” said Byron CEO Simon Wilkinson.
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NewsDomino’s delivers ‘solid’ performance
Domino’s has hailed a “solid” performance as it released a Q3 trading update for the 13 weeks to 29 September 2019.
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NewsA culinary postcard from Jordan
One of the greatest attributes of the UK casual dining scene is its sheer diversity and multi-cultural richness. It has been supported by a long history of international migration and more recently, by assorted entrepreneurs looking to bring a taste of their childhood to their relocated adulthood (for example, Tony Kitous at Comptoir Libanais and Nisha Katona at Mowgli) and by inspired travellers looking to replicate assorted food and beverage delights on their return home (not least Mark Lilley at Abokado and Stephen and Juliette Wall at Pho).
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OpinionRichard Caring: 'We’re fighters. We’ll make it work by investing in the business.'
A year ago, Richard Caring told MCA how Bill’s needed a “bit of love as it got left behind”. With a major refurbishment programme well underway, the investment seems to be paying off. Finn Scott-Delany catches up with Mr Caring and Bill’s executive chairman David Campbell.
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NewsBills posts £9.1m loss for 2018; lfls boost following refurb programme
Bills Restaurants made a £9.11m loss last year – but has retuned to above market like-for-like sales growth across its estate following a major refurbishment programme, MCA can reveal.
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NewsCMA will continue to investigate Deliveroo and Amazon deal
The CMA has launched an official Phase 1 investigation into Amazon’s deal with Deliveroo. The investigation will try to establish whether the deal would create a lessening of competition in the UK food delivery market. If the CMA does reach that conclusion, Amazon and Deliveroo could offer compromises in order to appease the CMA’s concerns. If it can’t, a Phase 2 investigation could start and potentially block the deal altogether.