Restaurants News – Page 53
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NewsBig fat stats put the obesity debate back on the menu
There are times everyone needs a juicy bacon cheeseburger, a big portion of chips, a three piece KFC, a pepperoni pizza, lots of chocolate, a few scoops of ice cream or some crisps. Not altogether obviously, that would be far too delicious. But individually, and as an occasional treat, where’s the harm? The trouble is the UK has long suffered from a lack of restraint. Couple that with our love of takeaways and a national diet rooted in stodgy classics and we have reached a point where the government estimates that 63% of adults in England are overweight or obese. It says one in three kids leaves primary school overweight or obese. Obesity related illness costs the NHS over £6bn every year. Those are big fat stats.
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NewsTortilla CEO Richard Morris: VAT cut will help us through tough times ahead
The government’s 15% VAT reduction will be a useful boost for hospitality businesses faced with what’s set to be an incredibly challenging winter season, MCA’s The Conversation has heard.
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NewsWhitbread scraps £10 cap on industry discount
Whitbread has scrapped the £10 Eat Out to Help Out discount limit and will give guests 50% off the food bill and soft drinks on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during August. All its 750 restaurants, whose brands include Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, Whitbread Inns, Cookhouse + Pub and Bar + Block will have reopened by 5 August and all will participate without any cap on the 50% discount.
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NewsDeals fall sharply in Q2 2020
Grant Thornton has said deals are still closing amidst the coronavirus pandemic, but the numbers are well down on Q1. Its ‘Food and beverage insights’ report said 27 deals were announced in Q2 2020 compared to 44 in Q1 and that 52 deals were done in Q2 last year, a 39% and 48% fall respectively. However, the total disclosed deal value for Q2 2020 was £2bn from 11 with publicly disclosed values, a significant increase on Q1 2020’s value of £298.8m million. A large part of this 578% increase was down to the £780m JV between Marston’s and Carlsberg to form Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company.
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NewsDishoom launches delivery-only kitchens
Indian restaurant concept Dishoom has launched four delivery-only kitchens across London.
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NewsHawksmoor extends EOHO with own promotion
Hawksmoor has signed up to the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, combining the discount with its own offer.
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NewsNando’s boosts welfare standards and aims for zero carbon emissions
Nando’s is making sweeping changes to improve the welfare of its chickens as well as the overall sustainability of its business. Nando’s already used fresh Red Tractor assured chickens and will continue to do so, but has now signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment, which means implementing higher standards of welfare in its supply chain by 2026, including not using chickens reared in cages or multi-tiered systems.
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NewsPizza Express to reopen a further 150 sites
Pizza Express is set to open a further 150 restaurants by the beginning of August.
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NewsLeon to open four new motorway sites
Leon has announced the opening of four new restaurants at motorway services in the next few months.
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NewsFive Guys UK CEO John Eckbert: ‘The rent issue comes down to your own moral compass’
The existing rent model doesn’t accommodate for a period of forced closure, so dealing with accrued rental debt comes down to a question of morals, The Conversation has heard.
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NewsHospitality Leaders Poll: Operators vote against passing on price cuts
Anyone calling for restaurants to pass the VAT cut onto customers is likely to be disappointed, according to the latest weekly Hospitality Leaders Poll by MCA/HIM. Despite big brands like Starbucks, Nando’s, KFC Pret and JD Wetherspoon saying they would be cutting prices, of the 265 respondents to the weekly poll, all of whom are board level positions or founders of restaurants, pubs and food to go operations, 85% said they would not be passing on the cut.
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NewsHow Azzurri Group went into administration
One of the star performers in a competitive casual dining sector, and an even more competitive Italian subsector, Azzurri Group was formed out of the break-up of Gondola.
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NewsEggslut opens second UK outlet
Eggslut has opened its 10th location worldwide and second UK outlet in London’s Fitzrovia, at 19 Percy Street. The two level restaurant from the cult brand has worked with street-artist Woskerski and installation experts Bompas and Parr on the interior, and teamed up with regular supply partners Clarence Court eggs, Bread Ahead bakery and Nude Coffee Roasters. The site has launched with the now-familiar social distancing measures, cashless payment, a one-way walking system and plastic screens at tills. All staff will wear plastic gloves and masks.
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NewsBoparan removes £10 cap on Eat Out to Help Out offer
Boparan Restaurant Group has announced it will be extending the Eat Out to Help Out offer, removing the £10 limit on half price discounts across all of its restaurant brands.
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NewsMcDonald’s reopens dine-in at 700 restaurants
McDonald’s will reopen dine-in areas from today across England following a successful pilot.
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NewsWhitbread to open entire restaurant estate next month, joins Eat Out to Help Out scheme
Whitbread has announced that its entire restaurant estate will have reopened by the beginning of next month, and all sites will be taking part in the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
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NewsSlim Chickens to open first site under new franchise agreement
Slim Chickens is set to open its first new restaurant under a franchise development agreement with JRK.
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NewsWagamama announces double closure following business review
Wagamama is to permanently close two of its London sites, including its ‘noodle lab’ in Soho. The pan-Asian chain, which is owned by The Restaurant Group (TRG), says it made the decision following a review of the company’s portfolio brought about by a ‘marked shift’ in customer demand caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. As a result of the review, it has been decided that Wagamama’s Mansion House restaurant, as well as its ‘noodle lab’ test kitchen on Dean Street, are no longer economically viable, and both sites have been closed.
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NewsTen Entertainment to reopen English venues
Ten Entertainment Group will reopen all 39 of its English bowling centres on 1 August 2020.
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NewsPret launches vegan bakery counter
Pret is to launch a vegan bakery counter in its Veggie Pret stores.