All Opinion articles – Page 7
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Opinion
Creating a buzz
Kenny Blair, managing director of Buzzworks Holdings, which features in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For 2019, talks to Jo Bruce about people power, expansion plans and being a family business while still striving to value every voice.
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OpinionDispensing with tradition
Having shaken up the stuffy wine bar industry with its innovative sample-based concept, Vagabond is readying V2.0 for regional expansion. A year on from securing backing from Imbiba, founder Stephen Finch talks to MCA’s Finn Scott-Delany about why the concept is so tricky to mimic.
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Opinion
Subway subpar?
At more than 2,500 outlets, Subway is the biggest foodservice brand in the UK by site numbers. But how is the franchised business performing? MCA director of insight Steve Gotham delves into the data.
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Opinion
Reputation and rumours
The success rate of former CEOs at Mitchells & Butlers in getting the business to fly has been questionable, but has Phil Urban cracked it? In his latest monthly column Dominic Walsh discusses how far the operator has come over the past four years – and those PizzaExpress rumours.
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Opinion
A postcard from Pembrokeshire
Not one to let his holiday get in the way of fodder for his columns, MCA market insight director Steve Gotham, gauges the offerings for those on staycation in southwest Wales and highlights some of the more interesting concepts he ate at, in the name of research.
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Opinion
’A brand that has been around for a certain amount of time can be both a gift and a curse’
The Restaurant Group’s director of product innovation talks to Sarah Sharples at MCA’s sister title Food Spark about dish development at Frankie & Benny’s, why innovation is key to fighting casual dining woes and her hopes for sustainable eating.
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Opinion
No disgrace in getting things wrong
With several well-known names joining the ranks of closures in the past month, MCA contributing editor Peter Martin discuss the impact of choice on the market and why sometimes it’s important to just give something a go.
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Opinion
Four-day weeks: Is four the magic number?
With the political debate around a four-day week intensifying and an increasing number of employers adopting it, Jo Bruce talks to hospitality operators who have reduced their team members’ working hours on their experiences of a shorter working week.
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Opinion
We need to talk about lunch…
Is the lunch occasion losing some of its specialness? With the average number of lunches eaten out on the decline, MCA’s market insight director Steve Gotham delves into some of the data to see what trends could be impacting the numbers.
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Opinion
A Southern state of mind
Piper-backed Hickory’s may be about to open only its 10th site in as many years, but the American barbecue concept is looking to fire up its rate of openings. Georgi Gyton finds out more about the business’ success and why it thrives in areas where no one else wants to be.
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Opinion
An enterprising move or PR exercise?
Plans announced last Friday by the Mayor of London to launch Night Time Enterprise Zones may be well meaning, but will they actually work? Andrew Don gauges the opinions of operators in the sector, featuring commentary from The Deltic Group, UKHospitality, Disco Bars Group and the Night Time Industries Association.
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Opinion
Why chicken restaurants could rule the roost
With a new wave of fried chicken shops opening in the UK in the past few years, Lauren Wellman, leasing agent at Shelley Sandzer, discusses the fundamentals that can make a focused on poultry a smart choice for emerging operators and whether there will be an operator who can steal KFC’s crown.
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Opinion
Analysts corner: M&B and Ei Group
Berenberg shares its latest thoughts on the performance of M&B and Ei Group, and how it’s affected their ratings.
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Opinion
A match made in heaven?
Love Island has returned to television screens with Uber Eats as its new headline sponsor – a deal worth a reported £5m. MCA’s Finn Scott-Delany looks at what Uber Eats hopes to get out of the big-ticket deal, and what it means for rivalry in the food delivery market.
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Opinion
Greek democracy
The Athenian, the Greek street food concept, has just secured a prime unit in London Bridge for its eighth site. As part of MCA and Restaurant magazine’s Generation Next series, which celebrates the future stars of hospitality, Neo Christodoulou and Tim Vasilakis discuss bringing souvlaki to the UK.
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Opinion
Carbon ‘forkprint’ helps neutralise food emissions
Restaurants in California kicked off the movement, but now a consultancy service for menus is looking to bring the UK on board. MCA’s sister title Food Spark investigates.
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Opinion
There’s more to online reputation than TripAdvisor
While it may garner more headlines, TripAdvisor is not the biggest review platform out there. With Facebook quietly working to up its game, operators need to be having a wider discussion about reputation management, and how they can be actively influencing their online appeal, says Carlo Platia, chief executive at Feed It Back.
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Opinion
Allergen shake-up could be 'hammer blow' to operators
If the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DeFRA) approves the FSA’s recommendations around allergens, it will be a hammer blow to the thousands of operators across the UK, writes Jon Shayler, chief operating officer at Erudus.
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Opinion
Taking back control
Customers seeking to have more autonomy over what they consume when eating has been one of the defining trends of the past few years. MCA market insight director Steve Gotham analyses what data from the authoritative Menu & Food Trends Report can tell us about the impact of rising responsibility on the sector.
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Opinion
Counting the beans of our daily drug
Prestige Purchasing founder and chairman, David Read sounds some warning bells over future coffee supply.
