Covid-19
Our COVID-19 coverage captures the full impact of the pandemic on the UK’s foodservice and hospitality sector, from lockdown trading restrictions and government support schemes to recovery planning, operational adaptations, and long-term business implications. This includes essential reporting for restaurant operators, pub landlords, caterers, chefs, and F&B directors navigating one of the most disruptive periods in industry history.
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Aug- 2020 -24 AugustRestaurants
Wasabi launches CVA proposal
Wasabi, the grab and go sushi and bento retailer, has announced the launch of a company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposal. Founded in 2003 and employing over 1,500 staff, Wasabi operates a total of 51 sushi and bento shops in the UK, the majority of which are located in central London.…
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21 AugustRestaurants
Nando’s launches food donation and employment programme
Nando’s has announced the launch of a new food donation and employment programme entitled Fuel Your Future. The initiative will see Nando’s restaurants across London, Birmingham, the North East and East Midlands serve free meals once a week to vulnerable young people and their families. The programme aims to help…
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20 AugustCoronavirus
Trade bodies pen open letter urging for ‘robust’ Test and Trace
Industry trade bodies have penned an open letter calling on the sector to maintain “robust” procedures when implementing Test and Trace or risk seeing guidelines “significantly strengthened”. In the letter, written by UKHospitality, The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and the British Institute of Innkeeping, said that Test and…
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20 AugustPubs and Bars
Greene King swings to loss in full-year results
Greene King has swung to a pre-tax loss of £273m in the full-year ended 26 April, down from a profit of £172.8m reported in 2019. It comes after exceptional and non-underlying costs hit £380.6m in the period, up from £74.1m the year before. In the same period, revenue fell by…
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19 AugustRestaurants
The Dairy and Counter Culture restaurants shutter permanently
The Dairy and Counter Culture restaurants in Clapham, London, has shuttered permanently, as the UK’s high streets continue to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic. Announcing the news in an Instagram post, restaurateur Robert Gill said it was with “a very heavy heart” that it was announcing the closure of the…
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19 AugustRestaurants
Pizza Express to close 73 sites, 1,100 jobs at risk
Pizza Express has formally launched a CVA in a bid to reduce its restaurant estate and rental cost base following the pandemic. The CVA proposal will see the permanent closure of 73 restaurants, resulting in a loss of 1,100 jobs. The casual dining chain first announced it had reached an…
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18 AugustComment
Take me home – The future of the food industry
For better or worse, whether it be multi-channel cable television, police sirens or chlorinated chicken, the UK will always lag behind the US, and then eventually catch up. Right now, the Covid-19 pandemic has joined forces with the tech revolution (and our peculiar national obsession with copying the Americans) to…
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17 AugustRestaurants
Tea at the Ritz diners targeted by credit card scammers
Scammers have targeted guests of Tea at the Ritz, the Ritz Hotel’s iconic dining venue, after posing as staff in order to steal card payment information over the phone. According to the BBC, the scammers, who had the guest’s exact booking information, called diners to confirm their card details. They…
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14 AugustBeverages
BBPA welcomes no US tariff on beer for British brewers
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has welcomed the decision from the US not to place tariffs on beer imported from the UK. According to the trade union, the US Trade Representative (USTR) was considering revising the retaliatory tariffs it has placed on various goods imported from EU countries…
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13 AugustCoronavirus
Hospitality sector urged to support customer tracing schemes
UKHospitality (UKH) has “reiterated” the importance of hospitality businesses to playing their part in supporting the test and trace schemes across the UK. The trade association’s recent member survey results showed that the vast majority of businesses (more than nine out of 10) are taking appropriate measures to record customer…
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