Just Eat Takeaway sales soar during coronavirus lockdown August 12, 2020 Food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway saw revenue soar 44 per cent in the first half of the year as consumers ordered food at home while restaurants closed during lockdown. The figures Revenue was up 44 per cent to €1bn as lockdown restrictions forced restaurants to close and consumers were told to stay at home. [...]
An obesity strategy that stigmatises patients won’t work August 12, 2020 At the end of last month, the government revealed an array of measures as part of its new obesity strategy to “protect against coronavirus and safeguard the NHS”. Unveiling a 12-week plan to get the nation fit and healthy, the Prime Minister spoke openly about his own brush with death, and the part his excess [...]
Top City restaurateur explores outdoor seating in post-lockdown Square Mile August 10, 2020 A top London restaurateur is preparing to launch an outdoor seating area at his venue Bank in a bid to encourage consumers to visit the Square Mile restaurant following the UK’s coronavirus lockdown. The outdoor seating plans at 1 Lombard Street, which restaurant boss Soren Jessen is preparing to submit to the City of London [...]
London calling: Why it’s time to bring life back to our city’s streets August 10, 2020 Despite a tentative easing of the national lockdown, the lingering economic and social consequences of this policy are frighteningly obvious to anyone venturing into central London. While social life and economic activity has, to a large extent, returned to the outer zones and suburbs, the offices and shops of London’s professional districts remain eerily and [...]
Back to Business: Jack and Charlie Stein on coming together as a family amid the corona crisis August 8, 2020 We talk to top chefs and restaurateurs about how they are dealing with the strange ‘new normal’. Rick Stein restaurants’ Jack and Charlie Stein talk about the relief of seeing cutsomers again and why the industry needs to go back to basics. Who are you and what do you do? Jack Stein: I’m chef director [...]
BBC hires 800 agents to quell pensioner revolt over licence fee August 5, 2020 The BBC has hired 800 agents to curb a growing revolt over the end of the over-75s licence fee, as it today prepares to send out millions of letters to affected households. The public service broadcaster last week scrapped the free TV licence for pensioners, arguing that the freebie was costing the BBC £745m a [...]
‘More than three-quarters’ of UK hospitality firms could go bust within a year August 4, 2020 More than three-quarters of UK hospitality businesses are at risk of insolvency within 12 months, the leading British trade body announced today, as social distancing measures and local lockdowns continue to weigh on the sector. A new survey by UK Hospitality showed that one in five hospitality businesses are at significant risk of insolvency within [...]
Back to Business: Masha Rener on keeping her restaurants afloat online August 1, 2020 We talk to London’s top chefs about how they are dealing with the strange ‘new normal’. Lina Stores head chef Masha Rener talks about how home-cooking with top ingredients is here to stay. Who are you and what do you do? I’m Masha Rener, head chef at Lina Stores in Soho and King’s Cross How [...]
The future of post-covid drinking, from the mega beer garden to drone deliveries August 1, 2020 With the baking summer heat threatening to melt my laptop, the idea of al fresco eating and drinking seems like a no-brainer. But Britain, with its unpredictable climate, traffic-clogged streets and plethora of excellent, dingy pubs, has proven resistant to the kind of outdoor cafe culture beloved of our European neighbours. Until covid, that is. [...]
Eat Out to Help Out – the best restaurants taking part in the government hospitality scheme August 1, 2020 There was a time when dropping most of your disposable income on avocado on toast made you an idiot who will never be able to afford a house. Now it makes you a hero who will save the economy. It’s so vital that you start eating at restaurants again that, as of Monday, the government [...]