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 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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29 July
Bermondsey’s Loyal Tavern to permanently close
Chef Tom Cencil has announced the permanent closure of Bermondsey-based restaurant and bar Loyal Tavern. In an Instagram post, Cencil attributed the closure as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic. He said: “It’s with a broken heart and a decision that I thought I would never have to take,…
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28 July
The Black Swan at Oldstead claims top spot in Tripadvisor awards
The Black Swan at Oldstead has been named the number one restaurant in the UK, according to Tripadvisor’s 2020 Travellers’ Choice. The only other UK restaurant to make the world top 10 in the same category was Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray (ranked #10). The awards celebrate…
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