Restaurants

The Restaurants section on Catering Today delivers comprehensive coverage of the UK restaurant industry, from independent operators to national chains. It reports on business performance, openings, acquisitions, and leadership changes, alongside analysis of market trends, menu innovation, and consumer behaviour. With insight into finance, operations, technology, and sustainability, Catering Today provides hospitality professionals with the intelligence and updates shaping commercial strategy across the UK dining landscape.

Apr- 2018 -

5 April

Scottish chef to launch The Scotsman Café and Bar

Scottish chef and Masterchef: The Professionals knockout week finalist Chris Niven has been unveiled as executive head chef of The Scotsman Grand Café and Bar. The new independent dining and drinking venue is set to open in Edinburgh this summer. Located on the North Bridge in the former advertising hall…
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5 April

Moro and Morito founders launch bespoke catering company

Sam and Sam Clark of Moro and Morito are launching a brand new bespoke outside catering company, Casa Moro, and new private dining room space in Hackney Wick, in May this year. Casa Moro will offer Moro and Morito’s unique Spanish, Middle Eastern and Cretan flavours, created and cooked by Morito head…
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4 April

Drop in younger diners could cost foodservice industry £800m

Global information company The NPD Group is predicting a decrease in eat-out or out-of-home (OOH) visits by consumers aged 25-to-34 between now and 2022. In its new report, The Future of Foodservice: Great Britain 2022, it suggests OOH visits in Britain’s foodservice industry among this age group will decrease from…
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Mar- 2018 -

28 March

McDonalds to phase out plastic straws

Fast food giant McDonalds is set to begin phasing out plastic straws within UK restaurants in a bid to help the impact on the environment. The company will start trailing paper straws instead of plastic ones from May onwards. Straws will also be kept behind the counter and only given…
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26 March

Easter weekend set to boost sales

Brits are set to spend £80m in pubs, restaurants and bars this Easter weekend. The bank holiday weekend will contribute to a £91m in extra spending across the industry in 2018, according to spending analysis from Liberis. On average, Liberis predicts high street retailers’ card transactions within the food and…
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23 March

Prezzo to shut 94 restaurants affecting 500 jobs

Italian restaurant chain Prezzo has signed a deal agreeing to shut 94 of its 300 outlets across the UK. The company approved the company voluntary agreement (CVA) in a shareholder meeting today. The CVA proposal was backed by 88% of the company’s creditors, and will see the outlets close in…
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23 March

Restaurant industry experiencing ‘significant increase in financial distress’

New research has shown that subdued consumer spending and ‘fierce’ promotional activity in the UK’s restaurant industry has contributed to a significant increase in financial distress across the sector over the past year. Experts also warned that some restaurant owners may struggle to afford the commercial rent payments due on…
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23 March

Carluccio’s seeks private equity buyer following profit drop

Italian restaurant chain Carluccio’s is looking for a private equity buyer after appointing advisers KPMG to assess its options. The Financial Times reported that KPMG had approached Wagamama owner Duke Street and Pret a Manger owner Bridgepoint over a possible buyout. It has also sought turnaround specialists and private equity…
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21 March

Restaurants back One Planet Plate campaign

Restaurants are backing the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s One Planet Plate Campaign. The Sustainable Restaurant Association campaign is due to launch on 24 March to coincide with WWF’s Earth Hour, and encourages participating restaurants to serve special sustainable dishes. Each dish will highlight a sustainability issue and address it by offering…
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20 March

Jamie Oliver refutes claims restaurant CEO is ‘an incompetent failure’

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has denied claims that his brother-in-law and CEO is ‘a bully’ and ‘incompetent’. An article published in The Times, stated that an insider had informed the paper that morale had collapsed since Hunt had been appointed and that he is ‘a bully who is destroying his…
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