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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Jul- 2020 -13 July
Delayed Saffron Summer restaurant to finally open
Saffron Summer, a sister restaurant to the eponymous Indian fine dining restaurant in Chessington, is to open in Reigate in Surrey tomorrow (14 July). The restaurant which occupies the site of the former Clove restaurant at 15 Church Street in Reigate, had originally been due to open in March, before…
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10 July
Guide on food safety and sanitation in the time of COVID-19
Now more than ever, food and beverage businesses should take extra precautions on how they prepare, handle, and deliver their products to their customers. They should follow the health and safety protocols set forth by the Department of Health and Social Care of the UK and the World Health Organisation.…
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10 July
Oakman Inns appoints new CEO and chair as sales slide 17%
Oakman Inns has announced a series of board changes including the appointment of Dermot King as chief executive, also revealing that FY sales fell by 17% due to Covid-19. Prior to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Oakman revealed it was “trading well” with LFL sales up 4.3% year to…
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10 July
The Restaurant Group secures £50m loan
The Restaurant Group has revealed it has accessed £50m from the Government CLBILS scheme, in a loan supported by Lloyds Banking Group. The operator said the move will give it “increased flexibility”, alongside the group adding an additional £10m to its overall committed debt facilities. The operator has also agreed…
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10 July
Opening weekend trade still down by 45% YoY
Managed pubs, bars and restaurants that opened last weekend saw like-for-like trading down by 44.5% against the year prior, according to latest figures from the CGA. Managed pubs and bars recorded sales that were down by 44.7% against the same weekend in 2019, while trade in reopened managed restaurants was…
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10 July
Cereal Killer Cafè closes two London sites
The founders of the Cereal Killer Cafè have announced the permanent closure of two of their London sites, attributing the coronavirus lockdown and industry uncertainty to the decision. In a statement posted on Facebook, brothers Alan and Gary Keery said they would be saying “Cheerio” to their cafes, “for now”,…
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9 July
Arrest over suspected furlough fraud
A West Midlands man has been arrested as part of an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation into a suspected £495,000 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) fraud. HMRC officers executed a search warrant yesterday (8 July 2020) in the Solihull area and arrested the 57-year-old. This is the first arrest…
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9 July
Chancellor cuts hospitality VAT to 5%
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a new scheme to pay companies £1,000 bonus per employee for those they keep on until January on part pay. Sunak said if employers bring back all nine million people who have been furloughed, this will be a “£9bn policy to retain people in work”.…
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9 July
Industry reacts to Sunak’s summer statement
The hospitality sector has widely welcomed the series of measures announced by the chancellor in his “summer statement” yesterday, with UKHospitality saying it is “reassuring” that he singled out hospitality and tourism as a “vital part” of the UK’s economy. Yesterday (8 July), along with a £9bn retention scheme that…
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9 July
New Brewdog drive-through set to open in the UK
Scottish craft brewer Brewdog has revealed plans to open a new ‘Brewdog Drive Thru’ in the UK. The sites will serve as beer collection points, hubs for electric vehicle deliveries as well as hubs for closed loop, zero waste packaging such as growlers, mini-kegs and returnable bottles. The group said…
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