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.

Mar- 2018 -

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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20 March

35 of the UK’s Top 100 restaurant groups are loss making

35 of the UK’s Top 100 restaurant groups are now loss-making, up 75% from just 20 last year, new research shows. Chartered accountants, UHY Hacker Young, found that trading conditions have become increasingly difficult for restaurant chains dealing with oversaturation in the market as well as rising costs. Casualties include…
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19 March

Former Locanda Locatelli chef enlisted for new Italian restaurant

Louis Korovilas, a former chef at London’s Michelin-starred Locanda Locatelli, has taken on the head chef role at a new Italian restaurant in Covent Garden. Korovilas has also previously worked at the Michelin-starred French restaurant Pied à Terre. The new eatery, called Bancone, will focus on fresh pasta and is…
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16 March

Marco Pierre White to open second Chophouse restaurant in Manchester hotel

Marco Pierre White is to open a new Chophouse brand restaurant at Manchester’s Velvet Hotel in April. Called Mr. White’s English Chophouse, the restaurant is to open following an agreement between Black & White Hospitality, which owns the franchise rights to five of White’s restaurant brands, and the hotel’s management…
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16 March

Vegan, alcohol-free restaurant launches crowdfunding campaign

London-based vegan, wheat and alcohol-free restaurant Redemption Bar has launched a £300,000 crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube to open two new outlets. Developed by former brand director of Virgin, Catherine Salway and New Zealand restaurateur and raw vegan chef, Andrea Waters, the company already has two restaurants in Shoreditch and Notting…
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