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.
-
Mar- 2020 -26 March
JD Wetherspoon boss bows to pressure and agrees to pay staff
The boss of JD Wetherspoon has bowed to public pressure, including calls from over a 100 MPs, and has agreed to pay his staff before his company receives financial support from the government’s wage reimbursement scheme. Yesterday (25 March) the government urged JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin to support his…
Read More » -
26 March
Giggling Squid halts takeaway service
Giggling Squid has announced the temporary closure of its takeaway and Deliveroo services in light of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The Thai food chain had originally continued operating a takeaway service from all of its sites across the UK, but has made the decision to close all its sites entirely…
Read More » -
25 March
Government urges JD Wetherspoon to support employees
The government has urged JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin to support his employees after reports he claimed they would face delays in payment and “should consider getting a job at Tesco instead”. Martin said the company would not cover wages from this week and employees would have to wait to…
Read More » -
25 March
Covid-19: Off-licenses considered ‘essential’ businesses by government
The government has added off-licenses to its list of retail businesses that can remain open following a ban to close all non-essential retailers to combat the Covid-19 outbreak. This also includes licenced shops selling alcohol, including those within breweries. It comes after the prime minister instructed retailers and all restaurants,…
Read More » -
25 March
Greggs closes all 2,050 stores
Greggs has temporarily closed all 2050 of its stores as it does its part to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. All of its stores closed at the end of business yesterday (24 March) as it revealed it has “acted quickly to follow Government guidelines, helping to prevent the…
Read More » -
25 March
Covid-19: Government suspends gender pay gap reporting
The Government Equalities Office (GEO) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has taken the decision to suspend enforcement of the gender pay gap deadlines for this reporting year (2019/20) due to the coronavirus outbreak. The GEO and EHRC said the decision means there will be no expectation on…
Read More » -
25 March
Britain ‘sees opportunity’ for food and drink deliveries, says CGA
In the week prior to the Prime Minister’s stay-at-home order, 53% of the public used or planned to use delivery as an alternative, according to the latest research from CGA. Some 13% of the public received delivery from a restaurant or takeaway either for the first time, or more often…
Read More » -
25 March
Domino’s donates 100,000 pizza’s to NHS staff
Pizza takeaway company Domino’s has announced it remains open and will donate over 100,000 pizzas to NHS staff amid the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus. Domino’s said in an email to its customers that it will be working with every one of its stores across the UK to donate over…
Read More » -
25 March
The Alchemist announces temporary closures of all UK sites
Cocktail bar and restaurant The Alchemist has announced that all its sites are closed amid the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 virus. The company, which has 20 sites across the country, released a statement that confirmed the closure. The statement read: “Our venues are closed, which means we’ve put things…
Read More » -
24 March
March Beer Duty payment to go ahead
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the March Beer Duty payment will not be cancelled, leaving thousands of small independent breweries “under threat”. This is according to the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), which called the chancellor’s decision to collect March’s Beer Duty payments as “incredibly disappointing”…
Read More »
