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All Opinion articles – Page 2
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OpinionJamie Oliver: ‘We are in the throes of a culinary brain drain’
The celebrity chef and restaurateur has warned the hospitality sector is being crushed by a combination of astronomical business rates, a rigid VAT system and a mountain of bureaucracy
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OpinionFull circle as Revolution Bars join Neos Hospitality
As Neos Hospitality acquires 20 Revolution and Revolución de Cuba sites out of administration, it’s just the latest in a series of talks the parties have held over the years about joining forces
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OpinionBack in the Box: Roger Wade’s next move
After stepping down from the board of Boxpark four years on from its sale, founder Roger Wade is launching a shipping container venture for events and hospitality. But could opposition to the trade
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OpinionGordon Ramsay: ‘The industry is facing a bloodbath’
Writing in The Standard, the chef said, “it seems no one in power is thinking ahead”, and called for at least a 20% cut in business rates to ease the burden of transitional increases
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OpinionFarewell to the would-be action man of Big Beer
Dominic Walsh looks at the departure of Heineken boss Dolf van den Brink; the bonhomie and pantomine of pub AGMs; and what’s next on the menu for David Page at Bow Street Group
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OpinionIn the crosshairs of heightened risk
Food is particularly vulnerable to multiple risks in the years ahead, but there are things hospitality operators can do to mitigate them, argues David Read, chairman of Prestige Purchasing
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OpinionRichard Bailey: Labour tax policies ‘vandalising communities’
Pubs are ‘under siege’, with government tax increases ‘decimating’ the country’s cultural heritage, according to the Thwaites and Independent Family Brewers of Britain chairman
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Opinion‘If a pub disappears it’s a tragedy. A chain restaurant doesn’t have the same cache’
Despite pressure to widen relief to the whole sector, the Chancellor has repeatedly emphasised pubs as the category most in need of support
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OpinionRates solution must be for whole hospitality sector
Having signaled a U-turn on pub business rates is on the cards, ministers will hope the climbdown eases the onslaught – though a few critical questions remain
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OpinionLet’s raise a glass-half-full this Christmas
Despite a prevailing sense of gloom over costs, it was refreshing to hear some genuine positivity from hospitality leaders looking ahead to 2026
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OpinionThe Dom Walsh Awards 2025
From industry veteran and long-standing Mitchells & Butlers chairman Bob Ivell, to Simon Emeny and Jeremy Clarkson, MCA’s columnist dishes out this year’s industry gongs
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OpinionPop-up food markets: crowd pleaser or footfall stealer?
While festive and other temporary markets act as hubs of activity and are a draw for tourists, bringing more footfall into the area, are they always in the best interests of the permanent tenants they have popped-up next to?
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OpinionCrisp Pizza on relocating pubs
Carl McCluskey points the finger at the landlord of his family Hammersmith pub; and a flamboyant former pub tycoon joins forces with a former PM for a private members’ club wheeze
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OpinionThe last bastion: Hospitality will continue to make memories in a world of AI
As transactional interactions become commonplace, venues offering genuine hospitality and personal connection will become increasingly valuable, Philip Harrison writes for MCA
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OpinionDeeper risks in the food system
Food supply risks are increasing, and hospitality businesses are in danger of being blindsided by day-to-day challenges, David Read, chairman and founder of Prestige Purchasing writes for MCA
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OpinionGerry Carroll: ‘To present this budget as support is indefensible’
Valiant Pub Company’s co-founder accused the government of being either ‘incompetent in policy design or outright dishonest’. Featuring additional commentary from JW Lees and Oak Taverns.
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OpinionCan Jamie’s Italian recapture the zeitgeist?
Jamie’s Italian was once a gamechanger for casual dining. Now, nearly two decades after it was founded, the celebrity chef has partnered with Brava Hospitality to bring the brand back
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OpinionSimon Emeny: ‘There’s no plan for economic growth and, without it, nowhere left to go’
The executive chair of Fuller’s says the budget was worse than he feared and leaves pubs and hotels ‘being wrung dry by tax shocks’
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OpinionTop chef’s astonishment over pub’s rateable values
One of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs, and owner of a growing colleciton of premium pubs in Yorkshire, Tommy Banks is one of many operators who have been left gobsmacked by new business rates bills which appear to penalise their success
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OpinionByron: What’s next for the embattled burger brand?
Having just avoided collapse for the fourth time in a decade, and with only seven restaurants remaining, MCA explores what the future might hold for the ‘proper hamburger’ business under 21-year-old investor, and founder of Niyamo Capital, Akshat Tibrewala - its new majority shareholder