Innovation
We cover the ideas, technologies, and operational changes driving innovation across the UK foodservice sector. From kitchen automation and AI-driven ordering to new menu formats, digital loyalty schemes, sustainable packaging, and service model evolution, this brings together the developments transforming how restaurants, pubs, bars, cafés, and catering firms do business. Whether you’re looking to boost efficiency, improve guest experience, or stay competitive, we report on practical innovations with real-world application, curated for chefs, operators, F&B executives, and hospitality leaders shaping the future of service.
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Feb- 2024 -6 FebruaryRestaurants
Pavyllon London awarded Michelin star
Pavyllon London, set within Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, has been awarded its first Michelin star. Michelin commended Pavyllon London for its “unique style” praising head chef Benjamin Ferra Y Castell for “cooking Yannick’s food with great skill, adeptly balancing the classic and the modern”. The restaurant is…
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Jan- 2024 -26 JanuaryCatering Companies
Chartwells announces raft of new contract wins and retentions
Chartwells Independent has announced it has successfully won two new three-year contracts with South Hampstead High School and Wimbledon High School. Both schools are members of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), the UK’s largest group of independent schools educating 20,000 girls each year. Chartwells Independent will also support both…
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25 JanuaryNews
Northern hospitality venues welcome 7.2% sales growth in 2023
Hospitality vendors in the North have demonstrated growth and resilience over the past year, averaging 7.2% sales growth despite the cost of living crisis and escalating business rates. New research conducted by Northern Restaurant and Bar in partnership with CGA by NielsenIQ revealed all northern England cities saw a growth…
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23 JanuaryCafes and Coffee Shops
Creams Cafe reveals record festive trading
Creams Cafe has announced that it saw record trading over the festive period with like-for-like in-cafe sales up 5.8% in December against the same period in 2022. The company also revealed that its delivery sales experienced an uplift with an increase in sales of 2.5%. The year-on-year growth comes following…
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22 JanuaryCatering Companies
Compass Group to acquire CH&CO for £475m
Global food service company Compass Group has signed an agreement to acquire CH&CO, a contract and hospitality services company that operates in the UK and Ireland, for an initial enterprise value of £475m. Plans of acquiring CH&CO comes as the company is a “highly regarded” management team and a track…
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17 JanuaryNews
Pan-Asian restaurant Yiqi launches in London’s Chinatown
Pan-Asian restaurant concept YiQi has officially launched its debut location on Chinatown London’s 14 Lisle Street. Celebrating a range of cuisines from across the ESEA region, YiQi’s menu includes South East Asian dishes, regional Chinese favourites, Korean classics, and Japanese dishes, with recipes and techniques created by chef Lum Wah…
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9 JanuaryPeople
Elior UK appoints new director at Scottish Gas Murrayfield
Contract caterer Elior UK has announced the appointment of Amanda Brown as its new director of sales and marketing at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. Brown joins with more than 20 years of experience within the hospitality industry, including strategic sales leadership roles in destination marketing, five-star hotels and premium venues across…
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3 JanuaryNews
Seven Dials Market to welcome new food traders in January
KERB, a hospitality organisation founded in 2012, has announced that Seven Dials Market is parting ways with four of its most lucrative traders in order to provide opportunity for new food talent. Having built credible reputations supported by KERB and its trading opportunities, the four members – Truffle, Club Mexicana,…
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Dec- 2023 -13 DecemberComment
How digitisation across the restaurant sector is set to evolve in 2024
As we reflect on the last year, it’s fair to say that the restaurant industry has continued to go through unprecedented digital transformation, as innovation in the sector accelerates. While these changes have presented disruptions and challenges, they have also provided restaurants with the opportunity to get creative and find…
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12 DecemberNews
Nando’s revenues hit £1.2bn in FY23
Nando’s has reported that revenues increased to £1.2bn for the year ending February 2023 with sales for the group in excess of pre-pandemic levels. Operating profit for the company returned to £17m for the first time since 2020 as margin on returning sales exceeded its fixed operating costs. The group…
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