Pubs and Bars
The latest news and updates on pubs and bars, 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.
-
Aug- 2018 -22 August
Restaurant launches crowdfunding campaign for ‘world-first’ gin and tea bar
East India Cafe, a Cheltenham-based Anglo-Indian restaurant, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the opening of a new gin and tea bar. The restaurant owners claim the Memsahib Gin and Tea Bar is a ‘world-first’ and it is inspired by the British Raj period, in which many Anglo-Indian women settled…
Read More » -
22 August
Restaurant offers free ‘Quarter Hounder’ to dogs
A London restaurant has began to offer a ‘Quarter Hounder’ burger to dogs alongside its human menu, with the burger available free of charge to customers’ dogs between 23 August and 29 August. The ‘Quarter Hounder’ was formulated as part of a collaboration between canine nutrition specialist David Jackson and…
Read More » -
20 August
Wetherspoon’s Welwyn hotel and pub plans lead to over 100 objections
JD Wetherspoon’s plans for a 13-room hotel and bar in Welwyn Garden City have suffered a setback after its planning permission application saw over 100 objections. Locals are said to be unhappy with the chain’s insistence to build on the spot after plans for a pub in the location were…
Read More » -
20 August
Restaurants see drop in trade as pub sales increase
Britain’s pubs fared well during July’s heatwave as managed pubs collectively saw like-for-like sales up 2.7% against last July. The latest figures from CGA’s Coffer Peach Business Tracker also showed that sales across restaurant groups were down by 4.8% compared with the same month last year. Altogether, the differing figures…
Read More » -
17 August
Vagabond receives £3.5m investment funding
Wine bar business Vagabond has secured a £3.5m funding from leisure and hospitality investment company, Imbiba. Vagabond was founded in 2010 by Stephen Finch as a relaxed bar with informal wine tasting, and fives sites across London with a sixth site to open in October 2018. The investment from Imbiba…
Read More » -
17 August
Business rates for English hospitality firms could rise to £50m, analysts say
Business rates for English hospitality companies could increase to £51.26m next April if inflation remains unchanged at 2.5%, according to real estate advisor Altus Group. Altus Group said next month could be “pivotal for the hospitality sector” as the upcoming Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation determines how business…
Read More » -
16 August
Imagine Inns increases estate with Star Pubs and Bars
North west pub company Imagine Inns has increased its estate to four pubs with a new acquisition with Star Pubs and Bars. The company has added The Feildens Arms at Mellor Brook and The Railway at Bromley Cross to its portfolio, and is to develop its new acquisitions with a…
Read More » -
16 August
Pub introduces £1 charge for phone noises
A Kent landlord has introduced a £1 fine for mobile phone users every time their phone emits a sound as part of its ‘digital detox’. Mark Robson, landlord of The Just Reproach, has said he introduced the fine to get his customers talking again. Proceeds from the fine are to…
Read More » -
15 August
Novichok attack-hit Greene King pub set to reopen
Greene King’s The Mill pub in Salisbury, which was at the centre of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal earlier this year, is set to reopen after decontamination work is completed. DEFRA announced that the pub which was shut as a precaution following the incident, is ready to be…
Read More » -
15 August
Pergola to open new 500-cover Kensington bar
London bar chain Pergola has announced it is to open a new bar on the roof of Kensington Olympia as part of a £700m investment in the exhibition centre. The new site will be the bar operator’s first all year-round bar, following previous sites Pergola Paddington, Pergola On The Roof,…
Read More »
