News
The News section on Catering Today delivers the latest updates and developments across the UK hospitality and catering industry. Covering restaurants, pubs, quick service brands, and catering groups, it reports on company announcements, market performance, government policy, and sector-wide trends. With a focus on commercial and operational impact, Catering Today’s news coverage keeps hospitality professionals informed of the events and decisions shaping business conditions and strategic opportunities across the sector.
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Jan- 2021 -7 January
The Pony and Trap owners to open new Bristol restaurant
Josh Eggleton, owner of The Pony and Trap gastropub has announced the opening of a second restaurant in South Bristol. According to ITV News, the new venue entitled The Pony North Street will open in Bedminster, with an official date for its launch unconfirmed. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, The…
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7 January
Northern Ireland’s wet pubs receive £10m support package
Northern Ireland’s economy minister, Diane Dodds has announced a £10.6m relief fund for ‘wet bars’ that lost out due to Covid-19 restrictions in the summer months. The support is aimed at the “hardest hit” traditional pubs which do not serve food and were therefore forced to close between 4 July…
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7 January
Mitchells and Butlers succumbs to 67% Q1 sales drop
Mitchells and Butlers has announced a 67% decrease in first quarter sales for the 14 weeks ending 2 January 2021 which was attributed to the continuous impact of Covid-19 and the forced closures of all sites. The pub group has seen a steep reduction in sales and was heavily impacted…
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7 January
Wales’ best known brewery to move to England
Brains, Wales’ most famous brewery, is expected to move to England amid redundancies, according to ITV News. In December 2020, Brains announced that their 156-strong pub chain would be taken over by Marston’s. The pub group will run the Brains pubs on a combination of leased and management contract arrangements,…
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6 January
French Chef Albert Roux dies aged 85
French restaurateur and chef Albert Roux has died at the age of 85. Roux who owned Le Gavroche, a two Michelin-star restaurant in London with his late brother Michel was said to be “unwell for some time”, before his passing on 4 January 2021. The venue which opened in 1967…
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6 January
Greggs predicts first annual loss in 37 years
Greggs has forecast a £15m full-year financial loss due to Covid-19 restrictions closing its stores and reducing revenues. The bakery chain’s annual sales dropped by more than £300m year-on-year in 2020, resulting in the company’s first annual loss since it listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1984. The company’s…
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6 January
UKH Cymru calls for Welsh government support
UKHospitality Cymru has called on the Welsh government to use the new treasury support funds of £227m to provide economic backing to the hospitality sector. David Chapman, executive director for UKHospitality Cymru, reiterated that the treasury announcement reflects the “serious position” that businesses are in now that once again they…
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6 January
Flight Club eyes Bristol opening
Flight Club, a darts-themed chain of bars, has applied for a premises license at Corn Street, Bristol, according to Bristol Live. The chain already offers its mix of drinks and games in Birmingham, Manchester, and London, with a Leeds establishment also coming soon. With groups of up to 20 allowed…
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5 January
Chancellor unveils £4.6bn in new lockdown grants
Businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000, the chancellor has announced. The news comes after the prime minister’s announcement that businesses will be closed until at least February half-term in order to help control the spread of Covid-19. This…
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5 January
Mardin & Maras director banned for 7-years for undeclared takings
Caesar’s Pizza & Kebab owner Huseyin Gozel has been banned from trading for seven years after the Insolvency service revealed the restaurant’s undeclared takings and £400,000 worth of owed tax. Huseyin Gozel, director of Mardin and Maras Limited, which operates the kebab restaurant, entered into liquidation in September 2019 after…
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