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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Mar- 2020 -27 March
Casual Dining Show 2020 cancelled
Event organisers Diversified Communications has announced it has taken the decision to cancel the Casual Dining Show 2020. The news, revealed in an email, comes after the scheduled event venue – London’s ExCeL – is to be converted into a makeshift hospital. NHS Nightingale as it will be called will…
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27 March
Covid-19: Chiquito to close 61 stores permanently
Mexican restaurant chain Chiquito is to close 61 stores across the UK permanently as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. According to the Guardian, the chain’s remaining 20 sites will reportedly reopen once the Coronavirus situation improves. The Restaurant Group, which owns Chiquito, said 11 Food and Fuel pubs in…
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27 March
What we know about furlough leave and the CJRS
HMRC published details of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) on 26.3.20 which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Key points include: Employees that employers can claim CJRS for For the purposes of CJRS, the definition of employee would include workers and agency workers provided they are subject to PAYE i.e. this…
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27 March
Hospitality sector suffers 76.6% slowdown due to coronavirus lockdown
The hospitality sector has experienced a 77% slowdown in the past month according to new analysis which lays bare the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to income streaming provider Wagestream. The analysis reveals how the industry has been forced into a “radical decline” since but is still “soldiering on”…
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27 March
Covid-19: Restaurant and pub sales fall 71% in last week of trading
Like-for-like sales in pubs, bars and restaurants nosedived 71% in the week that licensed premises were ordered to close amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Data from the CGA’s Coffer Peach Business Tracker revealed that like-for-like trading in restaurant chains was down 75% that week. Managed pub sales fell by 67%,…
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26 March
Self-employed to get 80% income grant
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the government will pay self-employed people a taxable grant based on their previous earnings over the last three years, worth up to 80% of earnings, and capped at £2,500 a month. Sunak said it will run for a minimum of three months, with scope for…
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26 March
Pizza Hut delivery remains open despite restaurant closures amid coronavirus crisis
Pizza Hut has announced the temporary closure of all its UK dine-in restaurants amid the Covid-19 virus outbreak. In an email to customers, Pizza Hut’s general manager Neil Manhas reassured customers Pizza Hut’s ‘delivery huts’ are still open despite closures in dine-in restaurants and stopping collection and takeaway options. Manhas…
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26 March
Wetherspoons’ boss was right to withhold wages
The media and the Twitterati have had a field day vilifying the founder and owner of pub chain Wetherspoons over his decision not to pay his staff in light of the coronavirus restrictions. Tim Martin had sent an email to his 43,000 staff saying he could not afford to pay…
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26 March
Shepherd Neame announces staffing changes
Shepherd Neame has announced a temporary change to its staffing structure and salary levels as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to unfold. In an aim to protect jobs for the long term, none of its staff are being made redundant, and all will remain employed “in the hope that the teams…
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26 March
Covid-19: Banks under fire over emergency loan scheme
Banks have come under fire over government-backed emergency loans which require business owners to sign for a personal guarantee, as the UK battles with the Covid-19 pandemic. The British Business Bank (BBB) opened applications for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) on Monday (23 March), and claimed the loan…
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