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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Apr- 2020 -15 April
UK demand for Chinese takeaway almost quadruples as lockdown continues
Orders of Chinese takeaways have nearly quadrupled in the UK over the last four weeks, according to Flipdish, the online ordering system for restaurants and takeaways. Demand has increased by 272%, only beaten by Indian food which has surged 294% in the last month with Pakora being the most popular…
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15 April
Just Eat extends NHS discount amid ‘unprecedented response’ due to Covid-19 crisis
Just Eat has announced that it will extend its new 25% discount for NHS workers after an “unprecedented response” amid the coronavirus pandemic. The food delivery service revealed, in the first two weeks alone NHS staff have ordered over one million meals and saved over £1.5mcollectively. Just Eat said the…
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15 April
Covid-19 could cause UK economy to shrink by 35%, says OBR
The UK’s economy could shrink by as much as 35% in the second quarter of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has said. The watchdog is also predicting a 13% drop in annual GDP as a result of the outbreak, which it said would…
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15 April
Burger King ads banned over ‘misleading claims’
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a series of Burger King advertisements after they were deemed to be “misleading”. The ruling referred to three advertisements across the brand’s Twitter and Facebook feeds which promoted its Rebel Whopper, a plant-based burger that was pictured in all ads and accompanied by…
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14 April
Revolution raises credit facility
Revolution Bars has announced that it will increase its revolving credit facility to £30m following an agreement with NatWest. This will last until 31 August, when it will decrease to £24m as the group “begins to benefit from its normal positive working capital cycle” following the predicted easing of lockdown…
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14 April
Petition for Tronc payments to be included in furlough wages hits 6,000 signatures
A petition launched on change.org calling for the government furlough scheme to include tronc payments for hospitality staff has hit over 6,000 signatures. Currently, under the Job Retention Scheme, tronc payments such as tips and gratuities are not not included in the amount paid to furloughed workers. The petition, created…
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14 April
Food and beverage inflation hits 12-month low
Foodservice pricing reached its lowest point for 12 months in February 2020 with the majority of food and beverage categories showing no or minimal year-on-year inflation, the latest edition of the CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index has revealed. However, with the global Covid-19 pandemic now causing “major disruption” to global…
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14 April
Bella Italia to provide 1,000 free meals to NHS staff
Bella Italia has announced its commitment to provide 1,000 free meals to NHS staff on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic this month. The dining chain has now reopened its South Kensington branch in order to begin preparing pasta and pizza dishes from its spring menu to be delivered to…
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14 April
Feed the NHS campaign reaches £1m target
The ‘Feed the NHS’ crowdfunding campaign has reached its £1m amid the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign, which was launched by actors Damain Lewis, Helen McCrory and Matt Lucas last month, was created to help feed NHS workers one “hot healthy meal” each day during the Covid-19 crisis. At the time…
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9 April
Greggs taps £150m from government
Greggs will receive £150m in funds from the Bank of England amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the bakery chain has confirmed. The group confirmed that it is now eligible to issue paper under the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) scheme. Through the scheme, available credit will “meet the company’s liquidity…
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