Boisdale launches campaign to allow live music in restaurants July 1, 2020 London restaurant group Boisdale has launched a campaign urging the government to overturn a ban on live music in restaurants, as the hospitality sector prepares to reopen after months of lockdown. Boisdale, which owns restaurants in Mayfair, Bishopsgate, Canary Wharf and Belgravia, has said it will continue to host live music performances at one of [...]
Companies borrow £48bn through UK coronavirus loan schemes July 21, 2020 Close to £48bn has now been lent out through the government’s coronavirus loan schemes, with the bounce back loan (BBL) programme offering by far the most support for businesses. It comes as the UK government accelerates plans to reopen the economy. Pubs, restaurants and cafes were opened at the start of this month and gyms, [...]
Why the government must give more support to London’s hospitality sector October 1, 2020 Hospitality and tourism have felt the force of Covid-19 like no other sector. Green shoots started to emerge during the summer months, as Eat Out to Help Out, a staycation boom and the warm weather put much-needed cash in the registers of hotels and restaurants across the UK. While London remained quiet, there was some [...]
Deliveroo debuts dine-in feature for reopening restaurants June 29, 2020 Deliveroo has today announced a new so-called table service feature, which will help restaurants cater to customers choosing to dine in without breaching social distancing measures. Available from 15 July, the tool will let customers browse the menu, order and pay at a restaurant via the Deliveroo app. Deliveroo has said it will not charge [...]
Flight Club founders unveil new shuffleboard venue in Canary Wharf November 29, 2019 The founders of popular darts bar Flight Club today unveiled a brand new venue promising a fresh take on the traditional pub game shuffleboard. Electric Shuffle has now opened in Canary Wharf, allowing after-work boozers to dabble in some competitive socialising. Read more: Crazy golf club Swingers tees up multimillion pound investment as it tees [...]
Fuller’s takes a hit on sale of brewery business November 15, 2019 UK pub chain Fuller, Smith & Turner warned this morning that the costs associated with the sale of its brewery business to Japanese beer giant Asahi have been higher than expected. Shares in the company fell 5.69 per cent to 990.24p after it said profit for the full year ended 28 March is expected to [...]
London faces emergency two-week lockdown as UK hospital deaths hit highest since July September 29, 2020 Ministers are drawing up plans to enforce sweeping lockdown measures across the country including a ban on household mixing in London, as new coronavirus infections continue to rise. Pubs, restaurants and bars may be forced to shutter for two weeks in both the North of England and in London, marking a return to so-called circuit [...]
Coronavirus: Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Ask Italian owner Azzurri appoint advisers April 23, 2020 Casual dining chains Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) and Azzurri, the owner of Ask Italian and Zizzi, have both appointed advisers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants have been severely impacted by the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown, which has resulted in an unprecedented drop in revenue. GBK has appointed Deloitte to advise on future options for [...]
Life after lockdown: What are the new UK social distancing rules? May 11, 2020 After seven weeks of social distancing, the UK government is beginning to ease its coronavirus lockdown measures. Boris Johnson announced a conditional plan in an address on Sunday night for a partial easing of the UK lockdown. The measures, which have now been outlined in a 60-page document, form the first phase of the government’s [...]
Persimmon boss picked pub for first big purchase after £40m bonus November 18, 2018 Persimmon’s new boss spent almost £800,000 on a pub in his hometown as his first big personal purchase after receiving a £40m bonus this year. Dave Jenkinson became the housebuilder’s interim chief executive last week after former boss Jeff Fairburn was forced out amid a furore over his £75m bumper bonus. Jenkinson bought Shambles in Morpeth, [...]