All MCA Insight articles in September 2025 – Page 3
-
Event NewsHealth, Gen Z and the next wave of menu trends
Taking place in London on 9 October, MCA’s Innovation Conference will spotlight menu innovation, with three sessions looking at consumer health, Gen Z preferences and trend-led product development
-
NewsTonkotsu to grow regional presence with two new restaurants
The ramen restaurant group will open in Grand Central, Birmingham, later this year, followed by a site in Cardiff city centre in early 2026 – which will be its 20th location.
-
NewsStonegate looking to sell 23 free-of-tie pubs
The available sites, which are all located in England, include: Admiral Macbride, Plymouth; Crown & Anchor, Bromley; and Dartmouth Arms, Forest Hill – the location of Scott Collins’ MeatLiquor pub-restaurant
-
NewsKFC franchisee Gastronomy to open 50 new sites by 2030
Backed by HSBC, the expansion will take Gastronomy’s estate from 44 to more than 100 sites, with a focus on the North West, the Midlands, Shropshire and Wales
-
NewsKuvi Hospitality signs Miami’s Coyo Taco as first franchise partner
Group CEO Shereen Ritchie said the business is already in advanced negotiations on a central London location, set to open in early 2026
-
NewsEU clears Deliveroo sale to DoorDash, deal expected to complete in October
The European Commission has approved DoorDash’s £2.9bn acquisition of Deliveroo, removing the final regulatory hurdle for the deal first agreed in May
-
NewsRosa’s Thai finance director steps down, names interim
The TriSpan-backed restaurant group’s FD Tsara Taylor has left the business after more than four years, with Carly Jones named as interim
-
NewsXP Factory focused on ‘fewer, better, sites’ for Boom
The experiential lesiure operator is to rein in the expansion of its Boom Battle Bar business as the competitive socialising industry contracts, CEO Richard Harpham said on an investor call
-
NewsTim Martin: Profits-based business rates risk ‘undermining’ UKH efforts
In response to a recent proposal from Greene King, the Wetherspoon chairman argued that business rates based on profits would create “a nightmare of complexity”
-
NewsHunch Ventures takes over Jamie Oliver operations in India
International Market Management, led by founder Jasper Reid, has been bought out by its local JV partner after growing the Jamie Oliver estate to 15 restaurants across India
-
NewsCinnabon shutters entire UK estate
A “strategic decision” by UK master franchisee and operator EG On The Move to focus on its core convenience retail business has seen 12 Cinnabon sites close.
-
InterviewsRobinsons: ‘Our business will cost £2m more to run this year’
Joint managing director Oliver Robinson warns that government policy is piling pressure on pubs and brewers, pointing to higher NI, business rates and packaging compliance as key drivers
-
NewsMayor ‘should give TfL tenants rent holiday’
With many hospitality units in Transport for London (TfL) property, they should receive a rates holiday for the strike period if they are in affected postcodes, according to tax and business advisory firm Blick Rothenberg
-
NewsBurger & Lobster names new CEO as group posts resilient FY results
The 12-strong restaurant chain has appointed Dino Sura as global CEO, as founder Misha Zelman steps back into a non-executive director role
-
OpinionThe Ozempic effect: why smaller portions are reshaping London’s menus
‘Small appetite menus’ may soon become as common as gluten-free or plant-based options, offered without stigma and embraced as a standard part of menu design, Ted Schama, founder of One Voice Hospitality writes for MCA
-
NewsEvolv Collection to launch new chop house concept
Liverpool St. Chop House & Tavern will launch on 17 September, with the concept also being rolled out to two of its existing sites – Butler’s Wharf and Paternoster – “marking a pivotal moment in the group’s evolution”
-
NewsTube strike will cost hospitality sector up to £110m
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union are staging a five-day walkout, which began on Sunday 7 September, and will run until Thursday 11 September
-
Analysis & InsightIntroducing The Wagyu: Burger King UK takes a bite of premium QSR
The fast good giant has partnered with Gordon Ramsay to launch its latest menu item, which it describes as ‘a first of its kind’ product for the UK’s QSR sector
-
Analysis & InsightPremium drinks see growth in pubs and bars
Cocktails and spirits both increased their share of occasions during the 52 weeks to 8 June 2025, according to data from Lumina Intelligence, driven by the growth in alcohol occasions from young consumers.
-
Analysis & InsightHospitality & leisure spending up 2.5%
The category grew 2.5% year-on-year in August 2025, according to Barclays, albeit ‘insperiencies’ and digital content were among the biggest growth drivers