Casual Dining
We report on the business of casual dining, a key segment of the UK foodservice sector encompassing high-street restaurant brands, all-day dining concepts, and accessible, mid-market hospitality. This includes our coverage of openings, closures, financial results, menu innovation, tech integration, and leadership moves across the casual dining space. Whether you’re managing a national chain or operating a regional brand, we deliver timely insight into the pressures, pivots, and opportunities shaping this highly competitive market, with a focus on operational performance, consumer trends, and commercial sustainability.
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Feb- 2020 -17 FebruaryAwards & Events
Casual Dining 2020 confirms over 65 keynote speakers
Casual Dining, the restaurant, pub and bar event, has confirmed it has added CEOs, founders and senior directors from YO!, London Union, Loungers, Carluccio’s, Byron, Flat Iron, Imbiba, Pizza Pilgrims, Wahaca, Dishoom, Busaba, Yard & Coop, and Hippo Inns to its lineup of over 65 keynote speakers. The event, which…
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12 FebruaryNews
3 Trends that Will Change the Restaurant Industry in 2020 – What to Know
The restaurant industry in the UK is one that is rapidly changing and where competition is fierce. To survive, some food and beverage businesses have adopted creative measures to continue serving their customers while also preserving their margins. These practices are beginning to see widespread use, and this year, we’ll…
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6 FebruaryEducation
CDG launches Leadership Academy Plus programme
The Casual Dining Group (CDG) has officially launched its Leadership Academy Plus programme, which aims to combine its internal talent and leadership programmes with apprenticeships. The programme has been launched during National Apprenticeship Week 2020, which takes place between 3 -7 February. The scheme was developed in partnership with apprenticeship…
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5 FebruaryNews
Ryan Shilton joins Dormy House as head chef
The Farncombe Estate in the Cotswolds has appointed Ryan Shilton as head chef of Dormy House. In his new role at Dormy House, Shilton will be responsible for both the Back Garden restaurant, which opened to guests last year under the helm of estate culinary director Martin Burge, and casual…
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4 FebruaryFeatures
From barrister to restaurateur: Nisha Katona on her Indian street food chain
“I was a child protection barrister for 20 years but always with a completely blinding passion and obsession for the food of my ancestors – which is home-style Indian food,” says Nisha Katona, founder of Indian street food chain Mowgli. Katona started her restaurateur journey because she realised that a…
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Jan- 2020 -24 JanuaryRestaurants
Handmade Burger Co. falls into administration, 238 jobs lost
Handmade Burger Co. has fallen into administration resulting in its 18 restaurants closing and 238 jobs lost. David Griffiths, Conrad Beighton and Paul Masters of Leonard Curtis Business Rescue and Recovery were appointed Joint Administrators of The Burger Chain Limited earlier today. The administrators revealed that despite “considerable efforts” to…
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14 JanuaryRestaurants
Big Fernand launches in London
Parisian burger brand, Big Fernand, has announced the launch of its first British site in South Kensington, London. The casual dining chain, which launched in Paris in 1993, has over 55 sites across France, China and the UAE. The South Kensington site marks the start of its expansion across the…
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6 JanuaryRestaurants
Fewer closures but more job losses in casual dining, research finds
Casual dining closures fell by more than a fifth last year, according to joint research from the Altus Group and the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). Restaurant closures in the sector fell from 1,188 in 2018 to 922 during 2019, whilst total job losses rose by 8%. A total of…
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Dec- 2019 -20 DecemberBusiness Bites
Finally, a government addressing the business rates fiasco
Regardless of your political colours, small businesses up and down the land will be pleased to hear of at least one policy which looks set to survive the transition from manifesto wish lists to actual policy and legislation, and that is a business rates overhaul. The prime minister, Boris Johnson,…
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6 DecemberPubs and Bars
Licensed premises, pubs and restaurant numbers dip in 2019
The number of licensed premises has declined by 2% in the past year, according to CGA and AlixPartner’s latest market growth monitor. This equates to a steady rate of 46 closures of licensed premises a week in the 12 months to September 2019. The result also marked the ninth quarter…
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