D&D: Bluebird Chelsea owner gets £40m boost from new investors Leisure The business behind such popular London haunts as Bluebird Chelsea and Coq d’Argent is set to be bought by investment firm Breal Capital and Byron Burgers chain owner Calveton, as it looks to raise funds following a challenging period for the hospitality sector. D&D London, which started out as Sir Terence Conran’s Conran Restaurants, said [...]
Restaurant groups suffer £673m in losses as bosses call for tax relief COVID IMPACT The country’s top restaurant groups saw losses skyrocket in a year, hitting £673m, as bosses have called for more cash to help ailing venues. The top 100 groups saw losses increase 174 per cent in the year to the end of September 2021, according to an analysis of company accounts by accountancy firm UHY Hacker [...]
Burger chain Byron heads for administration with 1,200 jobs on the line Burger chain Byron heads for administration with 1,200 jobs on the line Burger chain Byron is scrambling to find a buyer who can stave off impending financial collapse, save 1,200 jobs, and reopen its 52 restaurants in the UK by mid-next month. The company has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, in an attempt to protect it from creditors during talks with potential buyers. Sources [...]
Here’s a tip: Hospitality bosses call for movement on service charge protections amid labour crunch May 16, 2022 As the hospitality industry faces a labour crunch threatening to bring it to its knees, bosses have said legislation to protect workers’ tips could help freshen its image. Ministers have promised legal protections for employees’ tips since 2016. In a further blow, the Employment Bill, set to contain this framework, was scrapped from the Queen’s [...]
New Byron owner Calveton mulls acqusition of rival chain Gourmet Burger Kitchen September 16, 2020 Gourmet Burger Kitchen’s South African owner is pushing ahead with a process to sell the casual dining chain, with the new owner of Byron reportedly plotting to buy the firm. Deloitte has begun contacting prospective buyers of GBK over the past week, Sky News reported, which would make it the latest restaurant group to be [...]
As meat free January rises we ask if plant-based can usurp meat January 8, 2024 As the meat free movement gains momentum this veganuary, we revisit our 2018 deep-dive into the rise and rise of plant based burgers and ask if meat as we know it will one day be a thing of the past. In the mockumentary Carnage, Simon Amstel imagines a future in which eating meat is as [...]
Hospitality redundancies: How many restaurant and pub jobs have been lost during the pandemic? February 27, 2021 How many restaurant and pub jobs have been lost during the pandemic?
Byron staff oppose changes to how service charge is divvied up September 6, 2021 Staff at burger chain Byron have claimed their tips may be diverted to increase pay for kitchen workers and restaurant managers. A 10 per cent service charge is currently split between front of house staff, who get 70 per cent, and kitchen workers, who get 30 per cent. However, the company told staff a new [...]
Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia owner cuts 1,900 jobs as it collapses into administration July 2, 2020 The owner of high street restaurant chains Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia has collapsed into administration and slashed 1,900 jobs, as the hospitality sector continues to feel the strain of the pandemic. Ninety one of Casual Dining Group’s restaurant outlets will close with immediate effect, slashing 1,900 of the firm’s 6,000 staff in the process. [...]
Byron saved from bankruptcy but 650 staff to be axed July 31, 2020 Burger chain Byron has been saved from bankruptcy this afternoon after it was bought by Calveton UK, with current investors taking a minority stake. However, more than half of the popular high street restaurant’s stores and employees will be axed as a result of the deal. Only 20 of Byron’s 51 restaurants will continue to [...]