Callow Hall: Laid-back charm and rural beauty in the Peak District May 24, 2022 THE WEEKEND: Found on the southeastern edge of The Peak District, Callow Hall is the first hotel from the Wildhive hospitality brand. Placing nature at its core, the owners behind the launch are aiming to champion the UK’s lesser-known spots, by offering laid-back stays in restored historic houses. What’s more, by hopping on the train [...]
Crossrail LIVE: First Elizabeth Line train departs after hundreds of excited Londoners wait for hours at Paddington May 24, 2022 The first Elizabeth line train from Paddington through central London departed on time at 6.33am carrying hundreds of excited transport enthusiasts. A crowd of people gathered outside Paddington station in an attempt to to be on the first Elizabeth line train when services begin at 6.30am. There were around 300 people waiting at 6am. Colin [...]
Jubilee Weekend: Cruise the Thames to toast her Maj May 23, 2022 One is not quite on the royal yacht – but I’ve certainly found my sort of gin palace as I board our hire boat to cruise the River Thames. To mark the start of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, I’ve joined a party on an eight-berth vessel to steer from Chertsey to Windsor, Her Majesty’s [...]
Mexican fast food chain Tortilla poaches rival Chilango May 23, 2022 London listed restaurant group Tortilla has snapped up rival Chilango, as it seeks to reap the rewards of office workers returning to London. The Mexican fast food chain dished out £2.75m to buy Chilango from the investment firm RD Capital Partners , it announced on Monday. Chilango’s estate of eight UK sites – six of [...]
McDonald’s agrees to sell its stores in Russia and warns of $1bn exit loss May 19, 2022 Fast food giant McDonald’s has agreed to sell its Russian stores across 45 regions – but warned it is likely to make a $1bn loss. The chain announced it entered into an agreement with an existing licensee Alexander Govor, who has operated 25 restaurants in the eastern region of Siberia since 2015. This comes after [...]
Social animals: Marston’s boss insists Brits’ thirst for the pub will not dry up despite historic inflation May 18, 2022 Brits will continue to be “social animals” at the pub, despite inflation hitting a 40-year high, the boss of Marston’s has said. “Having been locked up for two-three years, we are even more social animals,” Andrew Andrea insisted. The pub boss was optimistic that, despite increasing cost of living concerns, punters would continue to knock [...]
Pubs and restaurants battle to keep prices competitive amid ‘intense pressure’ on margins May 17, 2022 The hospitality sector has warned of “intense pressure” on margins while shoppers have been told food prices could surge as much as 10 per cent. Marks & Spencer chairman Archie Norman cautioned that shoppers could see an even pricey weekly shop amid historic levels of inflation. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on [...]
Tennent’s Lager maker sells minority stake in Admiral Taverns pubco May 17, 2022 Bulmers maker C&C group intends to sell its entire minority interest in pub operator Admiral Taverns to Proprium Capital Partners for £55m. The drinks firm invested in the community pub chain in a joint venture with Proporium in September 2017. In C&C’s full year results published on Tuesday, it revealed the sale of the shares [...]
McDonald’s to launch on Deliveroo as app seeks to be ‘definitive’ online food firm May 17, 2022 Hungry Londoners will be able to order McDonald’s through the Deliveroo app in the coming weeks as the firms forge a UK partnership. The fast food titan will join the restaurants listed on Deliveroo in the UK during the second quarter of 2022. It comes after McDonald’s yesterday revealed it was injecting £250m into redesigning [...]
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 [...]