Wetherspoon issues profit warning over ‘substantial’ cost hikes May 6, 2026 JD Wetherspoon has warned it could miss profit targets over “substantial increases in costs,” as pubs brace for soaring energy and shipping prices due to the Iran war. The UK’s best-known pub chain confirmed on Tuesday that the much-feared knock-on effects from the blockage to the Strait of Hormuz have begun to hit hospitality firms. [...]
Whitbread to cut nearly 4,000 jobs in £2bn cost saving plan April 30, 2026 Whitbread is to slash nearly 4,000 jobs as part of plans to offload restaurants and sell off the freehold rights to its hotels, in a bid to raise £2bn. Shares in the company slipped on Thursday after it announced the plans to raise £1.5bn by selling off the freehold rights to a raft of its [...]
The Capitalist: US tipping and doggy bags infest London restaurants April 30, 2026 The scourge of US tipping culture, a Pitbull lookalike competition and the world's longest tiramisu; catch up on the latest London shenanigans.
Our favourite Square Mile rooftop bars – one for every vibe April 30, 2026 In this series, we round up the best sky-high drinking spots across London. The first of the area focuses on the London rooftop bar options in the Square Mile. Madison, Coq d’Argent and Sushisamba are old favourites, but how do they fare against newer openings like Aviary, Sabine and PocketSquare? And which one should take [...]
Whitbread hopes to win back investors with £1.5bn property sell-off April 29, 2026 Premier Inn owner Whitbread will hope to win back investors when it announces a £1.5bn sell-off of a shedload of its property portfolio on Thursday. The FTSE 100 giant is gearing up for its full-year results later this week, and aims to please its investors with a cash injection to turn the corner on a [...]
Dining out with Michelin’s most dedicated followers April 24, 2026 The all-powerful Michelin Guide has garnered a cult following of enthusiasts. Carys Sharkey goes star gazing Slap-bang in the middle of March, the impressively drawn-out awards season reached its zenith. First comes the trailers, then the films, then the media rounds, then the SAG Awards, the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes and finally the Oscars. The [...]
How to experience Harry Styles’ Rome, from cool neighbourhoods to flea markets April 23, 2026 Why has Harry Styles fallen so deeply for the Italian capital? Amélie Outters checks out his favourite spots Near Campo de’ Fiori, inside a small Roman café, the queue moves slowly. The staff gruffly mumble orders in rapid Italian while customers lean over the glass counter, pointing at pizza sold by the centimetre and paid [...]
How bakers became the rock stars of London’s post-booze era April 22, 2026 Bakers have developed the clout of mixologists, finds Adam Bloodworth Anna Higham finds it extremely stressful when a queue forms outside her Quince bakery in Islington. She feels that, by definition, a line means she can’t give her best service, but she acknowledges that for many of the capital’s bakery touring elite, the absence of [...]
Tube strikes could cost London up to £760m this year April 22, 2026 Tube strikes planned until June could cost London’s economy up to £760m altogether, analysis provided to City AM has estimated. Lost working days due to uncertainty over the terms of 24-hour strikes is set to lead to hundreds of millions of pounds in lost income, economists have said. The Centre for Economics and Business Research [...]
Hows Trump’s war in Iran is hitting hospitality April 22, 2026 The hospitality sector has already been hammered by taxes, regulation and minimum wage hikes. Now Trump’s war in Iran is hitting everyone’s discretionary spending, says Sacha Lord I’ve written so much about how Hospitality, not just in London, but across the whole of the UK is suffering right now. I’ve been scathing towards the Chancellor, [...]