Just Eat’s sales sizzle as more restaurants join October 10, 2013 ONLINE takeaway network Just Eat enjoyed a 77 per cent jump in revenues last year, as 11,000 more restaurants joined its online service, taking its client list up to 32,000. Just Eat Group Holdings, which allows hungry customers to browse multiple takeaway menus, said it generated £59.8m across all of its businesses, £41m of which [...]
Sunny weather lifts Marston’s performance October 9, 2013 PUB CHAIN Marston’s full year results to 5 October yesterday showed encouraging performance on the back of good weather driving sales in the second half of the year. Its Destination and Premium pub’s annual sales grew 2.2 per cent driven by food sales up 3.7 per cent. Marston’s said profits from its Tavern pubs fell [...]
Meander through London on the trail of great Italian food October 8, 2013 London Restaurant Festival’s Ciccheti Trail is a foodie’s dream THE PUB crawl, once a concept that filled my youthful soul with an inordinate degree of excitement, nowadays seems somewhat antiquated. Is this my fault – is it simply that I have grown into a dour 30-something severely lacking any kind of alacrity? Or is the [...]
Consumer spending rises ahead of prices for sixth straight month October 6, 2013 CARD transactions rose ahead of inflation for the sixth month running in September, according to an analysis of Barclaycard’s 33.7m customers released yesterday. Consumer spending grew by three per cent in comparison to the same month last year, with restaurants seeing a big increase in trade, up 11.2 per cent. The figures match suggestions that [...]
You don’t need snow to have fun in Haute Savoie October 6, 2013 Savoie Mont Blanc in France is famous for its winter sports but it’s worth checking out all year FOR winter skiing in Haute Savoie, it always pays to put in a little training. Off-season trips, it turns out, require some preparation too: increase wine consumption in the weeks preceding; swap to elasticated trousers to allow [...]
Mitie wins £38m pub contract October 1, 2013 Outsourcing group Mitie has secured a £38m contract with Mitchells & Butlers to handle the pub chain’s waste management and cleaning for three years. Mitie will provide recycling and waste management at all 1,600 pubs and restaurants operated by Mitchells & Butlers, while also cleaning 650 locations across the firm’s estate. Mitchells & Butlers brands [...]
Foodie who hit the ground running September 29, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks to David Moore, the restauranteur behind London’s Pied a Terre THE GLOBAL restaurant industry is forecast to increase in size by 7.2 per cent over the next three years, rising from total revenues of $2.45 trillion (£1.53 trillion) in 2011 to $3.48 trillion by the end of 2016. And in the UK, [...]
Two former City workers who built businesses out of the financial crisis September 29, 2013 Adam Taylor and Lexi Tamasan’s pet food subscription service is taking a sizeable bite out of a large market PET FOOD is not the first product most think about when founding a company. But when Adam Taylor saw his mother, who suffers from arthritis, struggling with a large bag of dog biscuits, it struck him [...]
Elephant trekking, luxury and great Thai food September 29, 2013 This luxury beach resort was devastated by the 2005 tsunami. Now it’s back and better than ever THE PERFECT way to end an unforgettable afternoon spent trekking through the jungle trails of Khao Sok National Park in Phuket, Thailand is to give a leathery, old elephant a sunset bath. With Bauthong (lotus flower) repeatedly submerging [...]
Restaurant review: Boulestin September 24, 2013 RESTAURANT 5 St James’s Street, SW1A 1EF Tel: 020 7930 2030 FOOD Three Stars VALUE Three Stars ATMOSPHERE One Star Cost for two with drinks: £140 An occupational hazard of being a restaurant critic is that people often ask you where they should go for dinner, or for recommendations of who does the best ostrich [...]