How Gaucho’s boss has turned the once-troubled steakhouse into a success story January 17, 2023 Martin Williams – the man behind M Restaurants – and his partners pulled Gaucho out of administration in 2018. Since then he’s turned the brand into one of the hospitality industry’s shining lights, with profits up and expansion continuing. We ask him how he’s done it. ASK regular restaurant-goers what their biggest bug bear is [...]
Biscuit lovers help lift Fortnum & Mason’s back from the brink January 16, 2023 Fortnum & Mason has returned to profitability following two successive years of losses. The historic British department store and grocer reported an operating profit of £6.1m on sales of £187m when its year ended on 10 July 2022. This marks a dramatic turnaround from the £2.7m loss the luxury food store posted in its previous [...]
Gaucho to open Covent Garden restaurant as steak success continues January 16, 2023 COVENT GARDEN has been the home of ballerinas, opera singers and street performers for more than a century – and it will soon add Argentinian cowboys to its cast with the opening of a new outpost of steakhouse favourite Gaucho. The man behind the group, Rare Restaurants’ boss Martin Williams, told City A.M. he would [...]
Why bear watching is better when you see no bears January 15, 2023 In some ways, going on a bear hunt is exactly how I’d imagined it would be. Approaching a clearing at the edge of a forest, I’m instructed to creep on tip- toes, avoiding the menacing crunch of leaves which could be loud enough to send a Marsican brown running for the hills. I can’t help [...]
“We can’t stop London changing”: Londoners’ unquenchable thirst for Thirsty Thursday January 12, 2023 Work from home Friday and Thirsty Thursday have become the new normal, as the four day week in the office becomes a regular part of our lives. As the City adapts, City A.M. ceases printing on Friday and takes our news to where our readers are, online, with the paper running Monday to Thursday as [...]
Former Premier League footballer jailed for seven years over £15m Ponzi scheme January 12, 2023 Former Premier League footballer Richard Rufus has been jailed for running a £15m foreign currency exchange Ponzi scheme. The London-born 48-year-old was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison at Southwark Crown Court today. Rufus, who played 99 times in the Premier League for Charlton Athletic, tricked friends and family into giving him [...]
Why Flaine in the French Alps is up there as one of the best ski resorts for beginners January 9, 2023 THE WEEKEND: I’m putting on skis from the first time ever and hitting the slopes in the brilliant sunshine. It’s hard to believe that only six hours earlier I was still in London. I’m in the French Alps ski resort of Flaine, near Mont Blanc, and the sheer ease of accessibility is one of the [...]
Puttshack and Bounce chief: Pubs and restaurants urged to ‘get creative’ instead of expecting government support January 6, 2023 The government can only do so much to help hospitality businesses amid turbulent times, with firms needing to “get creative”, the boss of the Puttshack and Bounce brands, told CityA.M. Pub and restaurant bosses have long been calling for more government to help it charter tumultuous waters, in the form of a VAT cut and [...]
Pubs: As record number predicted to go bust in 2023 hospitality guru urges gov to lift sector from ‘the abyss’ January 6, 2023 A record number of pubs, clubs and restaurants could go to the wall this year without more support, warned a leading industry voice.
What we’ll be eating in 2023: A guide to top new food trends, from seaweed to set menus January 5, 2023 London is one of the dining capitals of the world, representing every corner of global cuisine and sending ripples across the world with its food trends. We asked some top chefs what they think will be the big food trends of 2023, with answers ranging from lots more seaweed to a resurgence of “proper” Neopolitan [...]