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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Apr- 2018 -13 April
Easter weekend boosts restaurants following dismal March
Strong trading over the Easter holiday weekend helped lift the gloom for Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups – after a poor, snow-hit March. Latest figures from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker show that collective like-for-like sales for the four days of Easter were up 5.9% compared to the Easter…
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13 April
Nottingham restaurant owner jailed for VAT fraud
The owner of a restaurant in Nottingham’s city centre has been jailed for pocketing the VAT charges made to customers. A HRMC investigation found that Ali Elbahtini Ibrahim, 48, owner of Marrakesh Moroccan bar and restaurant, kept £55,000 in VAT charges for himself. Investigators went to the restaurant and paid…
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13 April
Banton pub receives £740k lottery fund for renovation
The Swan Inn pub in Banton has been awarded a £740,000 cash sum from the National Lottery to turn it into a community hub. The pub is among 24 groups who will share the £5.7m pot of lottery funding, and has been granted by the Big Lottery Fund to ‘bring…
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12 April
Men earn more at UK’s top 10 catering firms
Eight out of the UK’s 10 leading contract caterers have reported a gender pay gap of more than 10% in hourly wages, according to a new analysis report by sustainable foodservice advisor Footprint. The study also found that there was an imbalance in the proportion of women who feature among…
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12 April
The City Pub Group reports “pivotal year in the evolution of the business”
The City Pub Group has announced the revenue is up by 35% to £37.4m in what it calls a “pivotal year.” Audited results for the 53 weeks ending at 31 December 2017 showed that like-for-like sales growth was up by 3.8%, driving by growth in drink and accommodation. The Group…
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12 April
‘Beast from the East’ hits Greene King sales
Greene King Pubs were hit by a fall in like-for-like (LFL) sales for the 49 weeks to 8 April. The pub company LFL sales were -1.8%, with the weather over the last 12 weeks impacting trading. The company reported that destination food-led pubs and on an underlying basis, excluding the…
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12 April
TGI Fridays hit with first ever strike over tips and minimum wage
TGI Fridays staff members are to be balloted by trade union Unite for strike action over tips and minimum wage. In the first of a series of strikes over the coming months, waiting staff from the chain’s Milton Keynes and Covent Garden restaurants will be balloted from 18 April to…
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11 April
Taste of the West announces energy partnership
Food and drink organisation, Taste of the West, has announced a new partnership with Beco Energy Limited. The company will provide its 1,100 members with energy, in a hope to show its commitment to sustainability. John Sheaves, chief executive of Taste of the West, said “We are delighted to have…
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11 April
London restaurants celebrate authentic Thai cuisine
On Thursday 5 April 2018, the chefs from Nipa Thai at Royal Lancaster London joined the teams from other renowned Thai restaurants in the capital to present an evening of authentic Thai flavour. Over 70 guests attended the Thai Select event at Ice Tank in Soho, experiencing Thai cuisine from…
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11 April
UKHospitality provides interim advice on new Acrylamide legislation
UKHospitality has published interim guidance to reduce acrylamide levels in food following new legislation which comes into force today, 11 April. The regulation requires food businesses to identify potential sources of acrylamide and demonstrate that they have taken appropriate action to reduce the levels of acrylamide according to the principle…
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