Gavin Adair – Rosa’s Thai Cafe ‘consistently trading well above Coffer Peach Tracker, super property deals all over the place’: Rosa’s Thai Cafe managing director Gavin Adair has told Propel the company is consistently trading w … view

Vegan expectations rise as negative reviews increase 5%: Vegan expectations are rising highlighted by an increase in the number of negative reviews, according to new research by guest feedback, recovery and social reviews service Feed It … view

Friends of Ham saved from administration: Leeds-based bar and charcuterie brand Friends of Ham has been saved from administration by an independent buyer. The business, which has sites in Leeds and Ilkley, published a notice on The Gazett … view

Greene King reports 141% surge in apprenticeship applications: Brewer and retailer Greene King has reported applications for its apprenticeship programme have surged 141% following its 2016 pledge to take on 10,000 apprentices. This year … view

Gaucho boss – we’re discussing expansion opportunities with potential buyers, ‘business as usual’ despite administration: Gaucho chief executive Oliver Meakin has said the company is discussing expansion opportunities with potenti … view

Corks and Kegs to open 18 more UK sites for desi brand Burger Singh: London-based Corks and Kegs is set to open 18 further UK sites for Indian desi brand Burger Singh in the next three years. Burger Singh already has two UK sites – in C … view

Adnams reports First Half loss despite increased turnover: Suffolk brewer and retailer has reported a First Half loss as it beds in investments in its brewery and retail estate. Chairman Jonathan Adnams said: “After an exceptional year … view

Greene King executives opt to freeze salaries as company looks to control costs: Executive directors of brewer and retailer Greene King have had their salaries frozen this year – by themselves. Chief executive Rooney Anand and chief fin … view

BigDish sets out plan to bring dynamic pricing to UK restaurant sector: BigDish, the food tech company that operates a yield management platform for restaurants, has provided an update on its UK growth strategy. BigDish completed the 100% … view

Rockfish reports like-for-likes up 15% as it closes on three new sites: Rockfish, the seafood restaurant group founded by Mitch Tonks, has reported like-for-like growth of 15% in the quarter to July ahead of three planned openings in the … view

Domino’s reports like-for-like sales up 5.9% in First Half: Domino’s Pizza has reported group system sales up 12.8% to £616.6m in the 26 weeks to 1 July. UK system sales were up 8.3% with 22 new stores and 5.9% like-for-like growth ( … view

Benito’s Hat aims to double company estate following £1m investment, opportunity to add ‘significant numbers’ through franchising: Michael Pearson, managing director of Mexican restaurant brand Benito’s Hat, has told Propel he ex … view

Douglas Jack – restaurants are worst-placed going forward: Peel Hunt leisure analyst Douglas Jack has argued that restaurants are the worst-placed leisure sector segment going forward in terms of performance. In a note, he stated: “Th … view

German Doner Kebab looks to launch 800 to 1,000 restaurants in North America in next ten years: German Doner Kebab (GDK), which is owned by the Glasgow-based Sarwar family, has told Propel it is looking to launch between 800 and 1,000 res … view

Nominations for 2018 Dusk ‘til Dawn, the bar and nightclub sector awards, now open: Nominations for the 2018 UKHospitality Dusk ‘til Dawn Late Night Awards, the annual celebration of the UK’s late night hospitality sector, are now o … view

McDonald’s finds listeria in salads at 350 branches in France: McDonald’s has detected the presence of listeria in a batch of chicken caesar salad sold between 9 July and 14 July at 350 branches in France. The company has made a publi … view

Applegreen buys majority stake in Welcome Break: Applegreen, the petrol forecourt retailer with operations in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, has entered into contracts to acquire a majority holding in W … view

Arc Inspirations agrees new £7m senior debt deal with Santander to fund expansion: Arc Inspirations, the Leeds-based operator of a number of fast-growing brands including Manahatta, Banyan Bar & Kitchen and The Box, has announced a new s … view

Charles Wells to invest €3m in France estate: Bedford-based brewer and retailer Charles Wells has announced it will invest €3m a year during the next three years into growing its French estate of managed pubs. The news follows a hugel … view

Deliveroo urges government to give restaurants a break and simplify business rates: The government needs to simplify the business rates system to help operators, Deliveroo has said, after its research revealed tens of thousands of restaur … view

JD Wetherspoon to cut prices for one day to highlight VAT disparity: Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin is calling on pub and restaurant operators to show their support for a UK-wide Tax Equality Day on Thursday 13 September. And he has the … view

UK diners take first social media snap 65 seconds after dish is served: UK diners take their first social media snap only 65 seconds after their dish is served, according to new research by restaurant booking platform OpenTable. The surve … view

City Pub Group buys three pubs, exchanges on fourth: The City Pub Group (CPG) has bought three new pubs and exchanged contracts on one other. CPG has completed the acquisition of three sites in London; the Travellers Friend in Woodford an … view

Chesterford Group managing director sees ‘positive prospects’ for UK fish and chip sector: James Lipscombe, managing director of The Chesterford Group (TCG), which operates 42 fish and chip shops in the UK, has told Propel the sector … view

McDonald’s Easterbrook – delivery now 10% of sales in some markets, UK leads LfL growth: McDonald’s has reported the UK led the sales growth in its key international markets with high single-digit sales increases for the quarter. Ch … view

McDonald’s trials barista service in the UK: McDonald’s is trialling a barista service in some of its UK restaurants after finding coffee drinkers are its most frequent customers. Baristas are serving customers in outlets at St Paul� … view

UK drives 4.9% like-for-like sales growth in McDonald’s key international markets: McDonald’s has reported global like-for-like sales rose 4% in second quarter ended June 30, 2018 – consensus forecast by analysts was 3.6%. The “in … view

AB InBev reports volume growth, Stuart Macfarlane to leave: AB InBev’s has reported beer volume growth of 0.9% in its Quarter Two. Ebitda growth was 7.0% despite increased marketing investment. Jason Warner, president of North Europe at … view

Ralph Findlay – new-build pub opportunity for Marston’s is as ‘strong as ever’: Marston’s chief executive Ralph Findlay has stressed the new-build pub and lodge opportunity for Marston’s is as “strong as ever”, despite red … view

Caffe Nero reports 2.5% like-for-like sales growth: Caffe Nero Group has announced 2.5% like-for-like sales growth for the 12 months ending 31 May 2018, with group sales increasing by 10%. The results for the year marks 82 consecutive qua … view

Donald Trump submits plans to invest £150m in Scottish golf resort: Donald Trump’s company has submitted plans to invest a further £150m in Balmedie golf resort, near Aberdeen, one of two Scottish courses the US president owns. The Tr … view

Fuller’s reports like-for-likes up 4% in managed division: Fuller’s, the London brewer and premium pub company, has released a trading statement for the 16 weeks from 1 April to 21 July 2018 in advance of the company’s annual genera … view

Roy Ellis – we are negotiating on seven Albert’s Schloss sites: Roy Ellis, chief executive of Mission Mars, the north west-based operator behind Albert’s Schloss and Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza, has told Propel he is negotiating on se … view

Turnover of UK’s top 100 takeaways rises 10% to £2.7bn, delivery apps help boost sales: Turnover of the UK’s top 100 takeaways has risen 10% in only a year, up to £2.7bn from £2.46bn, according to new research. The study by Funding … view

Easyhotel secures Dublin freehold: Easyhotel, the owner, developer and operator of “super budget” branded hotels, has acquired a freehold site in central Dublin, Ireland, to develop a purpose-built, freehold Easyhotel. The company sta … view

Feed It Back finds Google most-used for visit reviews, Facebook used for warmest AND most critical reviews: New statistics from Feed It Back’s monthly social review tracker has revealed more than half (54%) of all reviews in May were su … view

Colliers – rise of Airbnb makes hotel business rates unfair: Rating experts have called on the hotel industry to appeal against hefty business rates in light of the rise of Airbnb. Figures produced by Colliers International and Hotelsch … view

Fourth finds almost three-quarters of QSR workers come from outside UK: Almost three-quarters (73.1%) of workers in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) sector come from outside the UK – 62.7% from EU countries and 10.4% from the rest of … view

TGI Friday’s reports sales growth in the UK, growth in Ebitda on underlying basis: TGI Friday’s, led by Karen Forrester, has reported sales rose 5% on an underlying basis to £215,988,000 in the 52 weeks to 31 December 2017, with like … view

Matthew Kirby – motorway service stations a ‘recession-proof environment’: Chozen Noodle chief executive Matthew Kirby has branded motorway service stations a “recession-proof environment” that provides a steadier stream of sale … view