‘All I want is a bus service’: Weary Tiverton and Honiton voters go the polls June 21, 2022 “It’s become a national referendum that’s been foisted on Tiverton,” says coffee shop patron Benjamin Barton. “All I want is a bus service, I would be really easily swayed if somebody said ‘we’ll put in a better bus service’.” And so goes the groan of discontent in the Devon town of Tiverton, which is daily [...]
A twin-city break in charming Andalucia is now easier than ever June 20, 2022 “There should be more therapy involving fish,” says Carmen, my guide at the Riofrío caviar farm in the sleepy village of the same name, halfway between Granada and Malaga. Carmen’s crouching down and gazing into one of a dozen ten-metre-long pools of water. Behind her the backdrop of the angular Loja Mountains is framed by [...]
McDonald’s to cough up more than €1bn to settle French tax dodging case June 16, 2022 Fast food titan McDonald’s is set to cough up more than €1bn to tie up a spat with French authorities over tax dodging. An agreement between McDonald’s fiscal authorities was given the greenlight in a tribunal in Paris on Thursday. The US giant will pay back €737m in unpaid taxes and a €508m fine, a [...]
Taco Bell ‘on fire’ as Mexican fast-food chain gears up for 100th UK site June 16, 2022 “We’re on fire” is how Taco Bell International’s president Julie Felss Masino described the Mexican fast food chain’s rollout to CityA.M. After launching 50 sites in the UK over the past decade, the US-based firm has expanded by another extra 50 sites in just the past 18 months. The chain, a subsidiary of Pizza Hut [...]
From banking to baking: How Austrian cuisine came to Islington June 15, 2022 Burn-out often leads to career change. So it was when Hubert Zanier tired of being an investment banker and instead dedicated his working life to schnitzels, strudels and other Austrian classics. He now runs Islington’s Austrian restaurant and patisserie Kipferl (German for croissant). “Kipferl started life as a small delicatessen near Smithfield. It quickly gained [...]
Revolve brings a buzzy brasserie to bustling Broadgate Circle June 15, 2022 Imagine Magaluf but populated entirely by people who work in finance – that’s Broadgate Circle on a balmy summer evening. It’s a mad, sweaty cauldron full of pink-faced men drinking lager and gently glistening in the heat. Take a step back from the epicentre and you’ll find a second, slightly elevated circle of bars and [...]
A struggle to get credit: Bank lending to hospitality nosedives following end of Covid loans CBILS and BBLS June 14, 2022 Outstanding bank lending to small businesses in the hospitality sector has fallen by more than £1.4bn since the end of CBILS and BBLS loans schemes. According to new data shared with City A.M., bank lending dropped to £14.6bn in April 2022, down from £16.08 billion in March 2021. With the cost of living crisis eating [...]
What it’s actually like in Qatar ahead of the World Cup 2022 June 14, 2022 Before I touched down in Qatar, I assumed it was a nation of falconry, beauty pageants for camels, and endless amounts of money. Save for a sprinkling of snazzy, FIFA-approved stadiums, little suggests Qatar plays football. When I arrive I see no goal posts in parks, locals playing, or even “No Ball Games” signs like [...]
Delivery kitchen operator Peckwater Brands raises £15m in funding round led by pub giant Stonegate June 13, 2022 Delivery kitchen operator Peckwater Brands has clinched £15m in a Series A funding round, which was led by the country’s largest pub company. The funding round was led by Stonegate Group, with the pub chain taking a minority stake in the firm, for an undisclosed sum. Peckwater Brands helps restaurant chains build virtual brands that [...]
Top dining chains see losses swell as inflationary pressures hammer the high street June 13, 2022 The country’s top restaurants have seen losses swell considerably in the past six months, surpassing the £800m mark. According to analysis from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, losses at the top 100 restaurants swelled 24 per cent from £673m to £832m in just the past six months shows a new study by UHY Hacker Young, [...]