Please see below our roundup of the weekend newspapers: Johnson to open 50 new outlets Luke Johnson, the Pizza Express entrepreneur, will open 50 new restaurant and retail outlets across the UK next year through his venture capital firm, Risk Capital Partners. Johnson said the new sites would be for his Patisserie Valerie, Giraffe, Gail’s Artisan Bakery and Feng Sushi brands. Speaking at the Telegraph Festival of Business in Manchester on Friday, he said mid-market companies could afford to be bullish despite “the threats and fears” about the wider economy. “We can become overly obsessed about the macro [economic] matters – the eurozone crisis, inflation, unemployment. There are two ways to grow – you can remain constant in a growing market or take share in a static or stagnant market. If you have something better than the competition, whether the exchange rate has gone to hell in a hand basket doesn’t really matter.” Johnson said “Britain is still a great place to do business” and that he intends to continue to make “virtually all” of his investments in the UK. “I’m an optimist by nature and the son of a historian [Paul Johnson] – he’s pointed out to me in the past that in the long run optimists always win.” The former Channel 4 chairman added that he still keeps “tabs” on Pizza Express, which he sold in 1999, and questioned the wisdom of a recent rebranding exercise. “That cost them £25m. I don’t know whether that was a good investment or not. We’ll see.” He also said the chain, which is owned by Gondola Holdings, should “do no more discounting”, criticising its use of voucher sites which offer ‘buy one get one free’ offers, for example. ”You have one customer paying half what the person on the next table is paying. They should put the pricing to a sensible level throughout.” Johnson repeated his call for a national insurance holiday to encourage small businesses to hire and said share options for employees in small companies should be “100pc tax free on any gain”. “There should be a whole set of time limited exemptions for early stage businesses [including] business rates and employment legislation for companies too small to employ a full time HR person. The country as a whole needs more entrepreneurs.” Daily Telegraph, Saturday M&B: “an absolute mess” Just three directors discussed billionaire Joe Lewis’s bid for pubs group Mitchells & Butlers at yesterday’s board meeting – leading one investor to describe the company as “an absolute mess”. The M&B board is made up of five members, two of whom are representatives of Lewis and had to leave the room during discussions over his expected 230p-a-share offer. That left interim chief executive Jeremy Blood, interim chairman Bob Ivell and finance director Tim Jones around the table as the only remaining independent directors. Furthermore, both Blood and Ivell have been forced to deny that they are stooges for the largest shareholders in M&B (down 6.7p to 260.4p). Responding to the board meeting and the furore surrounding Lewis’s actions, one shareholder described the situation as “an absolute mess”. They continued: “In an ideal world we would want a rather larger number of directors discussing this bid. It’s not ideal, but it’s where we are and there’s not much we can do about that.” The criticism comes days after 4.8pc shareholder Standard Life branded the offer from Lewis “insulting”. Daily Mail, Saturday Whitbread star performer Whitbread is named as a top performer in The Independent’s No Pain No Gain column. It says that the shares are well down from their year’s high but last week’s update proved how much the stock market is besotted with economic woes. The shares jumped more than 100p as the leisure group, once a “big six” brewer, reported booming sales in its Costa Coffee operation and a sound display by the Premier Inns budget hotel side. Pub/restaurants served flat numbers but the group’s overall display sent the doubters running for cover. The Independent, Saturday Another victory for Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign A major restaurant operator in the United States is to introduce a “PG” system for menus in the latest victory for Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity. Darden Restaurants, which owns several nationwide chains, will require children to have parental permission when they order chips with a meal. Fruit or vegetable side dishes and low-fat milk will become the standard option instead. Amid growing calls for healthier options the restaurants will also reduce calories and sodium in meals for children by 20 per cent over the next decade. Darden’s Olive Garden, Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse and Bahama Breeze chains will also each offer at least one children’s meal option of less than 600 calories. Olive Garden has previously been criticised by nutritionists for its popular “never ending pasta bowl” offer. Darden, which owns 1,900 restaurants in 49 states, is the latest US restaurant operator, to heed calls from consumer advocates for healthier meals for children following moves by McDonald’s and Burger King to offer fruit. Mrs Obama, speaking at an Olive Garden restaurant in Hyattsville, Maryland, said: “I’m here today because this is a big deal. This is a breakthrough moment in the restaurant industry. I believe the changes Darden will make will impact the health and wellbeing of an entire generation of young people. What’s good for kids and families can also be good for business. We want parents to feel confident that enjoying a meal at a restaurant doesn’t mean sacrificing their children’s health.” Daily Telegraph, Saturday De Vere heads quit Richard Balfour-Lynn and Jag Singh are leaving De Vere Group so they can focus on other interests including MWB, the operator of the Malmaison and Hotel du Vin chains. The departure of Balfour-Lynn, chief executive, and Singh, chief financial officer, will be announced next week. Andrew Coppel, chairman, will also become chief executive. Gareth Cadecott, group finance director, will take on Singh’s responsibilities. Bruce Cave will move from chief operations officer to group development director. The Times, Saturday History is against the Euro Pubs boss Tim Martin writes in the Daily Express on the single currency crisis. “The concept of the euro is an economic folly since it does not have the essential component of a single currency – a single government. I said so 12 years ago in 1999 and have now been proved right. In a ludicrous and surreal response the majority of the financial world argued then that the euro would survive as a result of ‘convergence’ among the euro economies. I find it difficult not to laugh because the whole idea is so absurd. Has there ever been economic convergence between Newcastle and London or Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil, let alone Amsterdam and Athens? The concept is breathtakingly daft. The new loony words which prescribe a remedy for the euro’s ills are ‘fiscal union’.” Daily Express, Saturday Sandwiches lift Uniq Supermarkets and coffee shop food supplier Uniq posted tastier profits yesterday as demand for sandwiches offset higher raw material prices and the high-street slump. The company, whose takeover by food firm Greencore is expected to get the green light from the Office of Fair Trading by the end of this month, said profits had risen 47% to £4.7million in the half year to June 30. Revenues fell to £151.8million from £156.3million last time. Its Food to Go sandwich range, which is on sale at Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and coffee chain Costa, was the star performer with sales up 9% and profit up to £5.8million from £5million. Uniq said new products helped demand. Daily Express, Saturday The Independent, Saturday Daily Mirror, Saturday Watchdog enters M&B fight Billionaire Joe Lewis’s takeover approach for Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has prompted fresh Takeover Panel moves to monitor links between Lewis, who owns 22.8% of the company, and Irish tycoons JP McManus and John Magnier who hold more than 20%. It is understood the panel has asked for details of contact between Lewis, McManus and Magnier over the past few months. The Lewis camp insisted this weekend that the billionaire has yet to discuss his M&B offer with the two Irish tycoons, who are crucial in his bid to gain control of the managed pub operator. The Sunday Times’s Agenda column said the fiasco of Lewis’s bid showed that London’s takeover rules are not fit for purpose. It said that Lewis will succeed in buying M&B for a song and that it was too late to stop him. One M&B shareholder remarked, “this is all setting a very unhealthy precedent”. The best that M&B can hope for is that Lewis will increase his bid to a level that would allow the company to give a grudging recommendation. A formal bid for the group could come as early as tomorrow (19 September). Sunday Times Lewis bid for M&B welcomed by board The board of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) encouraged the prospect of a bid from major shareholder Joe Lewis as a means of resolving the long-running saga surrounding the embattled pubs group, it has emerged. The three strong group of independent directors welcomed the idea of a takeover but rebuffed the Bahamas billionaire’s offer after discovering the level at which it would be pitched. Lewis met the board on 27 August and presented a takeover as a means of resolving both sides’ dissatisfaction with the status quo. But the directors baulked at the 22.8% shareholder’s nil-premium proposal. News that the board welcomes the idea of a takeover by Lewis underlines the strength of the currency trader’s hand in his dealings with the pub company. Lewis’s first takeover offer, pitched at a nil-premium 224p a share, was rebuffed, as was a second 230p proposal. Piedmont, Lewis’s investment vehicle, has been handed a 17 October deadline to make a final bid. The pub company’s directors are being forced to walk a difficult line. While adamant that Lewis should not succeed in acquiring the pub group on the cheap, they also fear the possibility of returning to the status quo where two major shareholders hold more than 40% of the company. Sunday Telegraph M&B investors hit out at potential bidder Joe Lewis for destabilising pub company Leading investors in Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) have hit out at potential bidder Joe Lewis for destabilising the pub company and are calling for greater powers to be given to the Takeover Panel to protect shareholders. “You are not in a very comfortable position if you are a small shareholder,” said one. “The question is when will he make a formal bid and if so at what price? Smaller shareholders are holding their breath to find out what this means and it is incredibly difficult for them.” Lewis has been given until 17 October to make a formal bid for M&B or walk away. The billionaire, who owns 22.8 per cent of the group behind brands such as All Bar One, Browns, Vintage Inns and Harvester, has made informal proposals at 224p and 230p a share. Both have been rejected by the board as “derisory”. However, Lewis, 74, is expected to increase his offer in the next few weeks and is also expected to talk to Irish businessmen JP McManus and John Magnier, who own 20.1 per cent of M&B through their Elpida investment vehicle. Sources close to Lewis denied any hint that the trio had discussed a takeover of M&B. “We were pulled through the mud before and we know that people will be watching our every move, so we have to be extra careful, open and transparent,” said one. However, there is now talk that the idea of a done deal between Lewis and Elpida is wide of the mark. The Irish pair are understood to have bought into the firm at an average of 350p a share and are said to be unwilling to realise losses. Lewis is also understood to be setting up a meeting in the next few days with interim chairman Bob Ivell and chief executive Jeremy Blood. Mail on Sunday Food handouts for 100,000 Britons Tens of thousands of benefits claimants will be referred to food banks by the Government, which is worried that many Britons face a stark choice: starvation or feeding themselves by begging or stealing. From tomorrow, job centres in England and Wales will refer the needy to charity-run food banks that will give them a food parcel. It is the first time in living memory that hungry people will have been passed on to charities in this way. The move comes amid growing levels of food poverty, fuelled by rising food prices and high rates of unemployment. Under the scheme, people whose benefits have been delayed, or have been refused crisis loans, will be referred to their local food bank. A claimant will be limited to three consecutive referrals – each time giving them enough food for three days. They will be given basics such as tinned soup, baked beans, meat, fish and pasta. The scheme will operate from more than 70 food banks run by the Trussell Trust, a Christian charity. It will open another 60 in the next six months, according to Jeremy Ravn, a director. “We are forecasting that we will feed somewhere between 90,000 and 100,000 this financial year,” he said. “And we’d expect 30-40% of those to be [caused by] problems over benefits.” Independent on Sunday Oliver keeps an eye on kitchens Jamie Oliver has had CCTV cameras installed in his restaurants so he can keep tabs on his kitchen staff. In the first move of its kind the Naked Chef has put cameras in restaurants nationwide including at his chain Jamie’s Italian. Oliver said: “I have excellent chefs in all of my kitchens. And this use of CCTV is a very efficient way of maintaining quality.” Security experts have installed the cameras inside 19 of Jamie’s 23 kitchens. Chefs know they are running and the cameras are switched on the entire time they are working. Pictures are sent back live to a central database which Jamie can view at the click of a mouse wherever he is in the world. Footage is also regularly watched by Jamie’s team of executive chefs at his London HQ. They conduct random quality checks on his behalf. “We’ve all been joking that going to work is like being on Big Brother,” said an insider at one of Jamie’s restaurants. “The cameras mean we will be under scrutiny all day. But Jamie has high standards so no one is surprised by this. He can’t be in the kitchen very often so having the cameras is the nearest he can get to being at the stove and making sure the food is up to scratch.” A spokesman for CCTV firm MRFS, which fitted Jamie’s cameras, said: “Every plate of food that leaves the kitchen is streamed in high-definition live for Jamie and his team to observe in real time from one location. It has the potential to change the way kitchens approach quality control.” Sunday Mirror Ferdinand’s restaurant close to a red card Footballer Rio Ferdinand may boast he has one of Manchester’s Premier League restaurants but it’s way down the table in a hygiene survey. The Manchester United and England defender was close to getting a caution for cleanliness in the kitchen at Rosso. Its scores averaged a “generally satisfactory” three out of five from city council inspectors. Rosso – billed as Manchester’s best restaurant – was put to shame by many less glamourous venues which scored five. They included a hotdog stand at the city’s Victoria Station. Star on Sunday Calum Best plans to open themed pubs Calum Best, the son of tragic footballer George Best, plans to open a controversial themed pub in Dublin dedicated to the memory of his father who died of alcoholism. “Bestie’s Bar”, which will open in the New Year, will feature memorabilia including a collection of medals and trophies awarded to the footballing genius from Belfast. Best is in talks to front the new venue, which will be based in Dublin city centre, and also hopes to spread the franchise to Belfast and Manchester. The opening of the chain of pubs will be the subject of a television documentary by production company Straywave Media, and is likely to cause controversy among George’s family - in particular his sister Barbara, who set up The George Best Foundation to help people struggling with alcohol abuse following the footballer’s death. But as a source close to the project explains, Calum is keen on giving fans a place dedicated to the footballer’s memory. “Calum has been in talks about opening the pub, which he feels would be great for fans to come and celebrate his life. There are two big financial backers behind it and now they’re just looking for the best location,” said the source. “Of course a lot of people will wonder why it won’t be in his hometown of Belfast but we felt Dublin was the best place to start and his son Calum currently spends so much time here that he’s been able to devote a lot of time to it.” Irish Independent Enterprise zones suffer unemployment blow Official figures show unemployment in enterprise zones is climbing by up to six times the national average. Dole claimants have risen by about 10% in parts of Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester and unemployment in East Ham, home to east London’s Royal Docks enterprise zone, has risen more than 16%. The average national increase is 2.5%. Sunday Times Great British fry up threatened The famous coronary on a plate Great British fry up is under a taste threat, as food producers race to meet government targets to reduce the sodium level in food. The Great British fry up, otherwise known as a full English breakfast or a coronary on a plate, is a long standing tradition that is now facing another threat to its existence. Already spurned as an everyday choice due to its inherent unhealthy image, it now faces a taste threat as food producers face requirements to reduce the salt content of sausages and bacon. Sunday Times

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