News
The latest industry news from 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.
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Jul- 2020 -31 July
The impact of social distancing in restaurants in the UK
As many businesses are starting to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19, several health protocols are now strictly implemented in old and new restaurants. Aside from making sure that the dining utensils and the restaurant itself are properly sanitised and disinfected, food businesses should ensure that customers and staff…
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31 July
Government reveals new £20m grant for small businesses
The government has announced a new £20m grant scheme to help thousands of smaller, independent businesses in England to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Nationwide Caterers Association, small and medium sized businesses will have access to grants of between £1,000 – £5,000 to help…
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31 July
The Box Kitchen & Bar to launch with head chef Nat Tallents
The Box Kitchen and Bar in Plymouth is set to open with MasterChef: The Professionals contestant and National Chef of the Year 2020 semi-finalist, Nat Tallents, set to be at the helm of the kitchen. Having postponed its original May 2020 opening date due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the new…
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31 July
Hospitality sees ‘steady improvement’ as more sites reopen
Managed pub, bar and restaurant groups are beginning to see a “steady improvement” in sales, despite trading remaining “well below” pre-Covid norms, the CGA has revealed. According to its latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker, the week beginning 20 July saw collective like-for-like sales down by 28.5% against the year prior. …
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31 July
BBPA repeats call for government to cut VAT on beer in pubs
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has urged the UK government to extend its VAT cut on food in pubs to include beer as well. The trade association has made the plea as the European Commission confirmed that within the EU’s VAT Directives, Member States can apply targeted reductions…
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30 July
Rick Stein’s Marlborough restaurant saved amid 25% rent reduction
The Rick Stein Marlborough restaurant has been saved from closure after the landlord came forward and agreed a 25% reduction in rent to save the business. In June 2020, it was announced that the restaurant would be forced to close its doors permanently, due to the increased financial strain during…
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30 July
Fullers in ‘stronger position than many’ despite £10m hit
Fullers has welcomed a “transformational” year of trading, with revenue and other income from continuing operations up 3% to £333m in the year ended 28 March 2020. Profit before tax for total group operations soared from £26.1m to £174.5m in the period. Like-for-like growth was seen across all areas of…
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30 July
Deliveroo launches Table Service tool
Deliveroo has announced a new targeted support package to help pubs and bars reopen safely with the launch of its contactless dine-in tool – ‘TableService’. Deliveroo is the first major UK platform to introduce Table Service, which allows customers to order via the Deliveroo app in pubs, bars and restaurants,…
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29 July
McDonald’s sales plunge 30% despite US resilience
McDonald’s has revealed that sales plunged by 30% to $3.76bn (£2.89bn) during the second quarter of the year. As a result, the global restaurant chain said that the fall in sales led to net income also falling by 68% to $483.3m (£372m). Despite the fall, McDonald’s said global comparable sales…
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29 July
Starbucks sales slump amid Covid-19
Starbucks has announced that global comparable store sales plummeted 40% in the quarter ended 28 June, driven by a 51% decrease in comparable transactions, though partially offset by a 23% increase in the average ticket. Consolidated net revenues slumped by 38% to $4.2bn (£3.24bn) against the prior year, primarily due…
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