Features

The latest exclusive features, from industry figures and the business journalists at Catering Today. We bring you the latest on what’s happening in the restaurants, bars and catering industry, with exclusive stories, analysis, best practice and industry comment.

Jan- 2020 -

17 January

The trillion-dollar club has gained Google as a member

Remember at school when teachers used to explain how one million was an essentially incomprehensibly large number? I recall one of mine showing the number represented on a huge rolled out piece of paper as wide and long as a carpet, with precisely one million individual dots. I was about…
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16 January

All hail Trump for his damp squib trade deal with China

Do you know what, I don’t know anything about the detail of Trump’s new ‘deal’ with China, designed to hit ‘pause’ on the escalating trade tensions between the two countries after a couple of years of rancour. But I am going to assume, given the president has described it as…
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15 January

The importance of industry events: a meaningful investment of time and money

It’s a new year, we should have all made plans and goals for 2020 and perhaps some resolutions too. The new year to me feels like a new chapter; it gives opportunity, promise and potential. If you don’t feel the new year brings any of those things, then take stock.…
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13 January

The future is digital: Why more restaurants are going cash-free

Only one in 10 transactions in the UK will use cash within the next decade. Or at least that’s what ITV’s Cash Free Britain? predicted on an ITV news report just last week. And this prediction is not as bold as it may seem upon first glance. Businesses and customers…
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9 January

Who would have thought skinny jeans could be anyone’s undoing?

It’s not often that the business pages give you a good belly laugh. But today we have the spectacle of Marks & Spencer blaming its poor Christmas trading results partly on an oversupply of skinny jeans for men. Apparently customer surveys revealed that the high street bellwether’s ranges were “too old” the…
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8 January

How will high street restaurants survive dark kitchen disruption?

Shops have already suffered the fate of losing their footfall to clicks on the internet and it seems restaurants are headed the same way. Amidst the plight of the high street for retail, I’ve always thought of restaurants as the real stalwart. Surely you can’t get rid of restaurants from…
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6 January

As long as WW3 does not kick off, 2020 looks set to be a better year

All eyes on are on the rising tensions between the United States and Iran after president Trump ordered the assassination of Iran’s most powerful general, Qassem Suleimani. The oil price has risen, stocks have fallen this morning, and the threat of war almost always depresses global trade flows. But let’s bask in…
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6 January

How the blue planet effect is greening the hospitality industry 2010-2030

At the start of a new decade it seems only fitting to look back on the previous decade and forward to the next. If there is one defining movement of the last ten years, it’s got to be a growing concern for the environment and how we transition to doing…
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Dec- 2019 -

16 December

The seasonal game of highs and lows

As the end of 2019 approaches, this is the busiest time of year for many working in catering and hospitality. For us, December and January are the quietest months. But the quieter months are very valuable to us. We use this time to reflect on our successes and failures during…
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13 December

The election is over – time for the Tories to deliver for small businesses

It now looks as though political stasis and all the damage that does to business will be lifted in 2020. Boris Johnson’s victory in the election is the Tories’ strongest since the Thatcher era, and gives him great scope to implement bold policies. At this juncture it’s worth taking a look…
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