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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Jan- 2019 -24 JanuaryApps & Technology
App-based food orders expected to double by 2020
Research firm The NPD Group has predicted visits in the British out-of-home (OOH) market will slide in the next two years while digital orders will exceed one billion per year for the first time by end of 2020. The use of apps in particular is expected to continue to see…
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15 JanuaryFeatures
How LPG is fuelling the UK’s booming street food industry
The chances are that most of us will have eaten food from a street food vendor at some point in the last 12 months. From small summertime farmer’s markets, to giant festivals, to the numerous Christmas markets found in towns and cities throughout December, street food is now a part…
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8 JanuaryRestaurants
Whitbread to launch Bar + Block steakhouse in Wimbledon
Whitbread is set to launch its eighth Bar + Block Steakhouse following its roll-out in Nottingham, Aldgate and Leamington Spa in 2018. On 8 February, the new steak-focused all-day casual dining restaurant will open on The Broadway in Wimbledon, London. Bar + Block Wimbledon will be a 302-square metre, 156…
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2 JanuaryPeople
Casual Dining Group makes senior management change whilst adding new courses
Casual Dining Group (CDG) has further developed its earning and development programme with the addition of new courses in partnership with UK universities, following the promotion of Claire Clarke to group HR director. Previously the people director, Clarke is now responsible for overseeing all strategic HR decisions across CDG. The…
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2 JanuaryRestaurants
10,000 restaurant jobs lost in 2018 with more expected
The casual dining crunch saw 30 people a day lose their jobs during 2018 through administrations, CVAs and rationalisation a study by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has revealed. Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Carluccios, Prezzo, Chimichanga, Byron and Jamie’s Italian were amongst the big name restaurant chains that closed outlets…
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Dec- 2018 -21 DecemberOpinion
Food and drink culture – the rebellion is here
For decades, there has been strict control on how we eat, when we eat and what we eat. Historically, there existed an old routine of only having porridge or sausages in the morning; or only having a club sandwich at noon; or indeed roast beef and mashed potatoes in the…
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14 DecemberRestaurants
YO! Sushi partners with Cineworld
Cinema chain Cineworld has announced a national partnership with YO! Sushi to give its Cineworld Unlimited customers a 25% discount on food and drink at the Japanese restaurant. The offer includes alcohol, is available seven days a week and is exclusive to Unlimited customers. Earlier this year, Cineworld announced a…
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12 DecemberBusiness
Gino D’Acampo’s My Coffee & Deli Bar expands eight weeks after opening
Gino D’Acampo’s first Italian fast-casual dining offer, My Coffee & Deli Bar, has expanded just eight weeks after its launch. The new eatery, located on the ground floor of My Pizza & Prosecco Bar in fashion retailer Next, Manchester, has acquired further floor space within the fashion store. The expansion…
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11 DecemberPeople
Greene King’s Rooney Anand appointed chairman of Casual Dining Group
Restaurant operator Casual Dining Group (CDG) has announced the appointment of Rooney Anand as its new chairman effective from December, replacing Martin Robinson who stepped down from his role after four years. Anand has been chief executive officer of pub company Greene King for 14 years and is stepping down…
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7 DecemberPeople
Pizza Express founder dies
Peter Boizot, the founder of the Italian restaurant chain Pizza Express, has passed away at the age of 89. The company confirmed the Peterborough-born restaurateur had died on 5 December in a tribute on its website posted the following day. Boizot founded the chain in 1965, with its first opening…
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