Tougher tier system to be introduced, 10pm curfew to be pushed back an hour: A tougher three-tiered system of local restrictions will come into force in England when the lockdown ends on 2 December, the government has said. Prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to set out his plan – including details of how families can see different households at Christmas – to MPs on Monday (23 November). More areas are set to be placed into the higher tiers to keep the virus under control and some tiers will be strengthened to safeguard lockdown progress. It is not yet clear exactly how restrictions could change, but it is understood the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants will be eased. Johnson is expected to say that, while last orders must be called at 10pm, people will get an extra hour to finish their food and drinks. Full details of the so-called “covid winter plan” are expected on Monday, after cabinet discussions on Sunday (22 November). Some local measures will be the same as those in the previous three-tier system, used in England to tackle the spread of coronavirus up until the current lockdown began on 5 November. But the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) is expected to publish research on Monday (23 November) saying measures in the previous tiers were not strong enough. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality said: “If this is a lockdown in all but name then businesses will need further support”. She tweeted: “A reminder that the current tier three restrictions mean 94% of hospitality businesses become unviable by March. In tier two it is 75% and even at tier one it is still 25% – if there is any strengthening, it cannot be at the expense of hospitality. We need to see an easing of the ban on mixed household socialising and the inclusion of a dispersal period after last sales. Wales has shown this can be done within the context of other tougher restrictions on other parts of the economy without jeopardising health. If this is a lockdown in all but name then businesses will need further support – jobs will be lost because one in three hospitality businesses are now at risk of failure. Final point – if hospitality reopens and is still subject to tough restrictions, it must not be shut down again in January as the price for everyone else having controls relaxed.” Nicholls went on to tweet: “Helpful to allow one-hour dispersal but the real challenge for business in tier two is family bubbles only and no mixed households. That hits revenues hardest but also threatens long-term viability. The safest way to let family and friends socialise at Christmas is in managed hospitality. We urge the government to adopt the Welsh model of limited household mixing to let people see family safely without jeopardising public or business health. The rule of six with hygiene, sanitation, table service-only and social distancing managed is a safe model and evidenced based.” Responding to the news of the possibility of tighter restrictions, Oakman Inns founder Peter Borg-Neal tweeted: “It seems to me we now have to seriously consider some form of mass civil disobedience for the well-being of our country. Not rushing around with pitchforks and flaming torches but cleverly planned defiance. The key will be having strength in numbers.” The Covid Recovery Group, led by former chief whip Mark Harper and ex-Brexit Minister Steve Baker, is set to fight the new measures. A letter seen by The Sun on Sunday (22 November), which has been signed by 70 Tory MPs and 14 peers declares their outrage at the approach. They warned: “The lockdown cure prescribed runs the very real risk of being worse than the disease. We are especially concerned about outside sport, the 10pm curfew, closure of non-essential retail, gyms and personal care businesses, restrictions on worship, care home visits, hospitality and the inclusion of children under 12 in the rule of six. In these areas, we need to be assured of the evidence of their effectiveness, whether a mandatory approach produces better outcomes than a voluntary one, whether a blanket approach produces better outcomes than a targeted one, whether adherence will be sustainable and, crucially, that transparent assessment shows they do more good than harm.” Simon Potts, chief executive of The Alchemist, said: “Ending the curfew for bars and restaurants is welcome but it’s like getting a Christmas present without batteries. What would be more welcome is the full reopening of the industry over Christmas and recognition that infection rates as a result of hospitality being open are low.”

People and Training Conference goes virtual with daily video, Honest Burgers to feature today: This year’s People and Training Conference has gone virtual with a video sent out each day at 9am this week. The event, which showcases outstanding people culture among companies in the sector, is organised by the British Institute of Innkeeping in association with Propel and sponsored by CPL Learning. The first video, which be sent on Monday (23 November), features Chantal Wilson, people director at Honest Burgers. She talks to Abi Dunn about how technology has supported the business in achieving 96% employee engagement since March. Honest Burgers’ journey through covid-19 has been hugely simplified by its industry-leading employee experience platform and Wilson talks about what this has meant for the company and how it started on its “tech” journey.

Tim Martin – ‘detached’ government’s lockdown and tier strategies will end in a ‘bad financial crisis’: JD Wetherspoon chairman and founder Tim Martin has said the government is so far detached from reality that its current lockdown and tier strategies “will only end in a bad financial crisis”. Talking exclusively to The Propel Friday Wrap, Martin claimed the decisions being made by the government are “as bad as I’ve seen in my nearly 50 years as an adult”. He said the problem was not from the first lockdown “because there were a lot of unknowns”. He said: “The big issue is we reopened on 4 July, broadly on Swedish rules for pubs, agreed between the government, local authorities, civil servants and so on, which were difficult at first but they were sensible enough and we were gradually adapting but what happened after that was the government started to rule by diktat and we now have rule by emergency powers and when people rule by emergency powers they make stupid mistakes, such as closing golf courses, wearing a mask to go to the loo, not being allowed to go to the bar in a pub but you can in a shop and there’s been no transmissions in shops aside from a tiny, tiny percentage.” On the subject of what the next few months holds, Martin said: “A lot of it depends on luck – where you happened to be when the lockdown happened? How much cash you had at the time and how friendly you were with your bank manager? You’ve got the random rules of nature that are very unfair on so many businesses. We are better placed than most I guess. The industry is in a hell of a state. How can you have 500,000 to 600,000 people out of work already? And it can only get worse because businesses haven’t been making a profit. Every time you have to lock down or go to tier three or two, you are stretching the elastic even further. When you get a government that’s so detached from reality, which has got quite a bit of money for the time being so it can do some silly things as long as it has the printing presses keep going, it will only end in a bad financial crisis. The financial crisis has hit us and it will roll up if we don’t get out of the lockdown and tier system quickly and it will engulf the rest of the economy.” Martin also labelled the idea of the government “saving Christmas” as egocentric. He said: “I hate the idea of ‘saving Christmas’. It is the most egocentric thing I’ve ever heard; that ‘the quad’ – the group of four top politicians – are going to save Christmas. Looking at the big picture, Christmas is very important, especially with the tremendous cash flow crisis in the industry, but I’d rather follow a concerted path like that in Sweden and revert to 4 July rules (opening UK-wide with safety measures but no 10pm curfew), which will not jeopardise health and get pubs, shops and restaurants open on a permanent basis. Focusing on saving Christmas opens scope for politicians to open up for two weeks then lock it down again. We need to get back to 4 July.” 

VAT cut and rates holiday extensions crucial to survival of UK’s hospitality businesses, warn trade bodies: Extending the VAT cut and the business rates holiday are top priorities for the hospitality sector if businesses are to survive beyond the winter, according to new research. Research for UKHospitality, the British Beer & Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping by CGA showed support on VAT and business rates top of hospitality’s essential business support needs, with removal of curfew restrictions and allowing household mixing in venues also vital to survival. In the survey of more than 400 different businesses that operate more than 20,000 venues across the UK, more than half said an extension of the government’s business rates holiday was crucial to their survival. Four in ten also stated the government needed to extend its VAT cut to beyond March to help businesses remain viable. One in four felt enhanced grants to enable them to meet at least some of their costs while closed was vital to their survival. The research also pointed to a cut in beer duty being crucial, with more than one third of brewers stating it should be a government priority upon reopening as did one in five pubs. The trade associations said the government must now deliver this urgent support that the sector requires to help ensure its very survival, as it revealed 72% of hospitality and pub businesses could become unviable and close in 2021. In a joint statement, the trade bodies said: “Slashing hospitality VAT and introducing a business rates holiday for the sector were critically important moves earlier in the crisis. Many businesses are only just clinging on, so the VAT cut and rates holiday must be extended as a priority. Beyond these, there is still much the government can, and should, do to give beleaguered businesses a fighting chance of survival. This includes getting as much of the sector open as possible at the start of December. Rethinking the arbitrary 10pm curfew, which hamstrings venues, is a must. We also need to review the ban on household mixing inside venues in tier two regions, which is keeping friends and families apart. The restrictions being imposed on businesses before we went into the second lockdown were strangling trade and putting people out of business. If we exit this lockdown into similar, or worse, tighter restrictions, it is going to be the end for thousands of businesses.”

 

Petition launched to save Scottish hospitality sector in lead-up to Christmas: Thousands of people have signed a petition urging the Scottish government to tweak its lockdown restrictions in a bid to save hospitality businesses. The campaign has been launched by the Scottish Hospitality Group and is part of a broader campaign to address minor changes in restrictions that could avoid business closures and job redundancies. The campaign received almost 4,000 signatures within its first 36 hours. The introduction to the petition on the 38 Degrees website reads: “The Scottish hospitality sector is on the brink of ruin. Without a change in the government’s approach or adequate financial support, local communities will lose vital facilities and thousands of people will lose their jobs – including many young people.” Scottish Hospitality Group spokesman Stephen Montgomery said: “This is a plea on behalf of the whole industry, not just our members. We are truly humbled by all the support we’ve had in such a short space of time but we need even more people to get behind the campaign. It’s vital we send the strongest possible message on behalf of the workers, suppliers and communities that rely on Scotland’s pubs, restaurants and hotels.” The petition offers a six-point plan for the Scottish government to follow. Its requests are to allow licensed premises in tiers two and three to trade until 10pm with customers allowed to stay two hours for a meal; to provide grant funding for viable businesses that cannot open, such as drink-led pubs; waive business rates until at least March 2022; support 5% VAT across all hospitality revenue streams until at least March 2022; set up a working group with industry to explore how best to emerge and recover from covid-19; and honour its youth guarantee that it launched only a few months ago by supporting this industry. The group has previously asked for the Scottish government to “tweak the tiers” or publish the scientific evidence behind the restrictions on trading hours. It also warned time is running out to save Christmas for families and businesses across Scotland. Scottish Hospitality Group members, on average, receive grant aid that is £5,100 per week below their running costs – running costs are £5,800 but the grant is only £700. 

 

Consumers feel safer with order and pay tech as users more than double within four months: The number of consumers using digital solutions to order and pay for food has more than doubled since the pandemic began, according to the latest insights from Zonal and CGA’s GO Technology research. Before covid-19 struck, about a fifth (18%) of the 5,000 UK adults surveyed, said they typically used technology to order and pay for food and drink. However, that number has more than doubled to 43% since hospitality reopened in July emphasising the pivotal role technology has played in hospitality since the end of the first lockdown. And consumers have reacted positively to the new wave of order and pay technology. Just over three quarters (77%) say they have been satisfied or very satisfied with the ease of ordering, and even more (79%) with the ease and speed of payment. Not surprisingly, engagement with technology is much higher among younger adults with nearly two thirds of 18 to 24-year-olds (62%) cite they have used order-and-pay solutions since lockdown, but the number tails off significantly among older groups like 55 to 64-year-olds (32%). Despite three quarters (74%) of consumers say they are willing download only one to five apps on their devices, the younger adults are much more likely to prefer mobile apps to websites. The GO Technology findings emphasise the very close correlation between digital ordering solutions and customer concerns over safety. Some 40% of consumers say they feel safer in venues that use order and pay technology, demonstrating how it has been an important tool in operators’ efforts to give people the confidence to eat and drink out during the pandemic. And this is a factor when choosing a venue with more than a third (34%) stating they would be more likely to visit a venue that has order-and-pay technology. Zonal product director Alison Vasey said: “Customers have embraced self order and pay systems and feel safe in venues that have adopted this technology. As usage continues to grow, operators will look to enhance the online ordering experience through additional features and personalisation to keep customers engaged with the platforms once covid-19 measures are eased.” Karl Chessell, CGA business unit director, food and retail, added: “The adoption of technology across hospitality has been one of the most eye-catching side effects of the covid-19 pandemic. Digital solutions have been an integral part of hospitality’s efforts to show consumers they are in safe hands.”

Food and Drinks Federation slams timing of consultation on online advertising ban as ‘astonishing’ in letter to PM: The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has slammed the timing of a consultation into a potential ban on online adverts for foods high in fat, sugar and salt in a letter written to the prime minister. The proposal to tackle the obesity crisis has a consultation period that expires on 22 December. The government wants gather views from the public and industry stakeholders to understand the impact and challenges of introducing a total ban. The Food and Drink Federation letter, which has been signed by UKHospitality, the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) and the Advertising Association – plus a number of FDF members including Associated British Foods, Mars Wrigley UK, Britvic, PepsiCo and Unilever – labelled the timing as “frankly astonishing”. In the letter, FDF chief executive Ian Wright said: “The food and drink sector wholeheartedly supports the government’s public health policy objectives. We are, however, greatly concerned by the timing of the recently launched public consultation proposing the option of a complete online advertising ban of a broad range of food and drink products. Food and drink manufacturers have played an indispensable part in feeding the nation during the covid-19 crisis. The sheer volume of work facing food companies in the next few weeks means that we simply cannot give this consultation the resource it deserves and demands. Something will have to give. The timing of this consultation is frankly astonishing, especially as the government’s stated ambition is to introduce these proposed advertising restrictions at the end of 2022.” The FDF also stated there is not even a clear definition of which foods are included in proposals. It added: “They are so broad they even capture family favourites from chocolate to peanut butter to sausage rolls.”

Stormont ministers leave hospitality with ‘huge amount of redundancies on our hands’ after agreeing to extend restrictions: Ministers in Northern Ireland have left the hospitality sector with a “huge amount of redundancies on our hands” after agreeing to extend pandemic restrictions on the sector for two weeks from Friday, 27 November. Close-contact services and cafes have been allowed to reopen as planned but will have to close again next Friday, while other hospitality sectors such as pubs and licensed restaurants will remain closed throughout. From 27 November, non-essential retail and services including hairdressers, beauticians and driving lessons will also have to shut to protect an NHS battling a surge in coronavirus cases. Takeaway hospitality services will be allowed but leisure and entertainment services will be closed. Colin Neill, chief executive of industry group Hospitality Ulster, said: “There is a huge amount of anger right across the hospitality industry. We have been left with no trade, no hope and a huge amount of redundancies on our hands.” Aodhan Connolly, of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said: “This couldn’t come at a worse time for the retail industry. November and December are peak trading months and millions of pounds per week will be lost in sales during what should be our busiest period.” 

Ex-football star launches campaign to get people back to work in city centres: Former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville, who co-owns GG Hospitality hotels, has launched plans to get people back to work in city centres. Neville and business leaders in Manchester have formed UnitedCity to get the city “back on its feet” by supporting businesses in sectors such as hospitality and leisure. The independent campaign group said it would commission privately funded campaigns and independent research to give clear messaging and data around safety in the workplace, within hospitality venues and on transport. UnitedCity said it has the backing of Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and the leader of Manchester City Council Sir Richard Leese, and will work with local authorities to highlight the economic and health costs of coronavirus and seek ways to minimise them. Its research would later be used to negotiate lockdown restrictions with the government so “a clear roadmap can be put in place to navigate out of restrictions that hamper the region’s economic recovery or further compromise the mental health of its residents”, the group said. Neville told the Sunday Times: “We are a culture of people who want to get up and do things. We’re not programmed to sit at home. Saving one life is more important than 1,000 people in a restaurant or 10,000 people in a football stadium. But, if this thing is going to go on for a long period of time, there has to be that balance. We have to get people’s lives moving again.”

Guardian restaurant critic laments lack of on-the-go food options: The Guardian restaurant critic Grace Dent has revealed “how curious and muted a land is without its restaurants, bars and cafes”. Dent said: “In normal times, finding food on the go is never difficult. Airports are especially adept at removing money from my wallet, catering to my whims and lulling me into that hazy sweet spot when mealtimes are irrelevant and it seems perfectly normal to be slurping Wagamama ramen and drinking sake at 7am. But on this particular day at London City Airport, almost everyone involved with the country’s food industry was furloughed, on very reduced hours or had been let go in the latest round of downsizings. Travelling around Britain for work during the pandemic, I’m reminded constantly of how curious and muted a land is without restaurants, bars and cafes. Love or loathe the likes of Pret, Costa Coffee and YO!, but their neon lights would glow as I walked along high streets, through shopping malls or to my aeroplane, signifying that human life was here and that everyday life was functioning. Lights on in a distant Pret have saved my sad soul on more than one occasion, as I’ve fallen through the door and taken the last pea and mint soup. I now often wonder if normal will ever happen again.” She also explained on a trip to Belfast, she would usually head to Ox, Coppi or The Muddler’s Club for dinner because it had “grown into a prosperous, joyous place with a thriving food scene and a youthful population” but, at the time, the sector was closed and revealed she had been forced to stash cashew nuts in her luggage in case no food would be available at her hotel. “What I’ve learned while travelling about Britain is not to assume there will be food everywhere, and to buy willy-nilly whenever you need it,” Dent added.

 

Restaurant installs pizza vending machine to serve customers round the clock: A pizza vending machine claimed to be the first in Britain has opened at a restaurant in Bristol – serving freshly cooked pizza in three minutes to customers waiting on the pavement outside. Sina Kiaei, owner of Pizza Bella in Bedminster, came up with the idea in a bid to keep serving during coronavirus lockdown. The restaurant has installed a touchscreen with a menu of stone-baked pizzas to choose from and customers simply pay by card before a fresh, boxed-up pizza appears – any time of the day or night. Staff partly prepare the pizzas and load them into the machine, which can keep up to 96 refrigerated until a customer selects one using the screen outside. Once it has been ordered, the pizza is automatically transferred to one of two stone-baked pizza ovens before placing it back in the box and delivering it through the letterbox for the customer. The machine is capable of cooking two pizzas at a time and allows Pizza Bella to become a round-the-clock operation. Kiaei told Bristol Live: “We were shut for two months in the first lockdown and I had a lot of time to think about how to adapt to the changing times. I was just going through thinking about how to somehow become a drive-thru, but that’s not possible – we’re on a main road. So I came across this, it’s just started out in France, and I had this one shipped over.”

 

Budweiser restarts Save Pub Life gift card scheme to give operators cash flow during second lockdown: Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I has relaunched its Save Pub Life scheme in a bid to put much-needed cash flow into pub operators’ pockets. The initiative, which was first launched at the end of March, allowed pub-goers to buy gift cards to spend at participating venues when they reopened in July. Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I matched the value of the gift cards and funnelled the money to all participating businesses during the first lockdown. More than 1,500 pubs signed up to the scheme, 17,000 gift cards were bought and more than £1m was donated in financial support in just over two months. The scheme is now back in effect and customers are encouraged to buy them to use when pubs reopen or as a Christmas gift for friends. Operators new to the scheme can sign up at Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I’s website and receive marketing materials and social media templates. Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I president Paula Lindenberg said: “It’s undoubtedly been a tough year for everyone and the latest round of pub closures has added to the difficulties our hospitality sector faces. Now that we find ourselves in a second lockdown, we want to encourage people to again support their local pubs, which are vital to our communities.” Gift cards are available in England and Wales only and range from £10 to £100.

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a well-established hospitality management group, based in Attleborough, Norfolk, as it looks to appoint a management account. This permanent position would suit a part or fully qualified accountant who is a strong communicator with a high attention to detail. The management accountant will report directly to the head of finance and will be involved in a close working relationship with external stakeholders, specifically multiple trading entities. They will be responsible for financial accounting, including reviewal of sales and purchase ledgers, monthly reporting, VAT reporting, troubleshooting with senior management and assisting with annual budgeting and reporting. Anyone interested can email their CV to oliwia@corecruitment.com

 

Administrators for failed bakery Patisserie Valerie slap lawsuit on auditors Grant Thornton over ‘negligent audits’: Administrators for collapsed bakery chain Patisserie Valerie have slapped a lawsuit on auditors Grant Thornton at the High Court for “negligent audits” of its accounts. Patisserie Valerie collapsed last year after a £40m hole was found in its accounts, possibly as a result of fraud. Grant Thornton is also being investigated by the accounting watchdog over the collapse. FRP Advisory, the administrator, confirmed the liquidators have “issued a claim for damages against Grant Thornton in respect of their negligent audits of the group companies’ financial statements”. Grant Thornton said: “We are aware a claim has been filed but it has not been served. We will, however, be rigorously defending the claim once we receive it.” Patisserie Valerie began in 1926 as a bakery shop in Soho, before it was bought by entrepreneur Luke Johnson in 2006. David Dunckley, chief executive of Grant Thornton UK, stated last year at a hearing with MPs it was not the role of the auditor to uncover fraud. The audit watchdog, the Financial Reporting Council, revealed plans last month to increase the onus on accountants to spot fraud.

Wilkinson – Byron has stabilised under new ownership, looking for new sites: Simon Wilkinson chief executive of Byron, which was acquired via pre-pack administration by investment vehicle Calveton UK under newly formed company Famously Proper for £4m in August, has told Propel the business has been stabilised under its new ownership, returned to a small profit and is on the lookout for sites and/or delivery hubs. Byron, which was one of the bidders for rival Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), currently has 19 sites and four delivery kitchen units. Wilkinson said: “For the period from the reopening of the estate at the beginning of September to the second lockdown (bearing in mind we opened after Eat Out To Help Out so didn’t have the benefit of inflated sales), we have made a small profit at company level, for the first time in a number of years. That’s against a backdrop of sales decline mirroring the industry average of circa minus 25%, we have some sites in growth but we are over-exposed in large city centres, which are still ghost towns and will be for the foreseeable future. The main contributing factors to positive figures have been the work done to reduce our central overheads from more than £6m at the end of last year to less than £1.7m per annum now, and the incredible work ethic and application of the leaner Byron team that has worked tirelessly. We have been helped by new landlord deals and the VAT reduction. An extended lockdown into December would be disastrous and undo all the hard work. It would be a body blow to the whole industry because most hospitality businesses make the large share of their profit during that six-week period until schools return in January.” Boparan Restaurant Group, which earlier this year acquired Carluccio’s out of administration, acquired the bulk of the GBK business through a pre-pack administration last month, in a deal Propel understands was valued at more than £5m. Wilkinson said: “We unfortunately missed out on a well-publicised opportunity to consolidate the market, but we have moved on quickly and are having many conversations with a number of landlords regarding ex-Byron sites, ex-GBK sites and many of the other empty units the length and breadth of the country. The whole industry are mere pawns in the government’s chess game so it is hard to make long-term commitments with confidence in such uncertain times, however, that won’t stop us from making what we believe to be the right decisions.”

Lasan secures former Cafe Rouge site in Harborne: Birmingham-based restaurant group Lasan is to further strengthen its presence in the city with its fifth site. The company has secured the former Cafe Rouge premises in Harborne High Street for its latest eatery. The, as yet unnamed, restaurant will offer an “elegant and urban chic” dining environment and is due to open in February 2021. Lasan Group owns four sites in the city – Raja Monkey, an Indian street food cafe in Hall Green; Fiesta del Asado steak restaurants in Hagley Road and Shirley; and its eponymous venue in the Jewellery Quarter that serves upmarket Indian cuisine. The Harborne restaurant will join the group’s other new launch – Argentine-style cocktail bar and eatery Sonrisa in Leicester. Lasan chief executive Jabbar Khan told Birmingham Live: “There’s no denying it’s been a tough year for us all, especially for the hospitality sector. We remain positive and continue to grow and invest during this challenging time. We’re really excited to be able to create more than 60 jobs between the two new sites.” The Cafe Rouge closed in July when Casual Dining Group was placed into administration. The business was subsequently bought by private equity firm Epiris and renamed The Big Table.

 

Peacock steps up to chief operating officer at TGI Friday’s, new people director appointed: TGI Friday’s, the Robert Cook-led business, has promoted Suzanne Peacock, the group’s people and culture director, to chief operating officer, after the departure of Tom Sycamore, Propel has learned. Sycamore, formerly of PizzaExpress and Mitchells & Butlers, stepped down from TGI Friday’s after less than a year with the business to pursue a new opportunity outside the sector. Peacock joined the business late last year. She was previously group talent and development director at Merlin Entertainments for more than four and a half years. On the back of her promotion, Propel understands that TGI’s has appointed Karen Barnard, formerly of Whitbread and Caffe Nero, as its new people director. Barnard was previously head of HR operations at Premier Inn and head of HR at Caffe Nero. Last week, the company confirmed it was launching a cocktail-led bar and restaurant concept, named 63rd+1st. Designed to cater for a broad audience, the first venue under the new concept will open on the former Carluccio’s site in Cobham, Surrey, on 8 January. Inspired by the original Friday’s founded in 1965 in Manhattan, on the corner of 63rd Street and 1st Avenue, the concept will be a “visible departure from the iconic Friday’s brand but harks back to the same principles of classic cocktails, quality food and legendary atmosphere”. Further 63rd+1st restaurants will launch across the UK in 2021. It is thought sites in Canterbury, Harrogate and Cambridge are being discussed for the new concept.

Greene King launches new virtual delivery brand – Chicken Crazy: Brewer and retailer Greene King has added to its virtual delivery brand portfolio, with the launch of new concept Chicken Crazy, Propel has learned. It is understood Greene King has started to roll out the new delivery brand across selected sites. Available through Just Eat, the new virtual brand, offers nine dishes to choose from, including “a signature Chicken & Gravy that comes with a slice of white bread to soak up all the lovely gravy”. The new brand also offers burgers, bone in and boneless boxes as well as a couple of lower calorie options. In September, Propel revealed brewer and retailer Greene King was trialling a new virtual delivery brand called Proper Pub Classics Co, in some of its Locals Pubs division sites. The virtual brand’s menu features pub classics such as fish and chips (£6.99), and steak & ale pie (£7.79), plus a small selection of burgers, a chicken wings sharing dish, sides and kids’ meals.

BrewDog to replace Kupp in Exeter: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog is to replace the former Kupp site in Exeter, for an opening next year. The site in the city’s Guildhall Dining Quarter has been closed since the summer of 2018, when the Scandinavian-inspired restaurant and cafe concept operated by Faucet Inn, went into administration. Propel revealed in October that BrewDog had 20 new bars in various stages of construction around the world. The company is currently working on openings in the UK, in Plymouth, Exeter, Manchester, Chelmsford, Basingstoke, Bath, Ealing, Headingley, Huddersfield, Bradford, Lincoln and Belfast. It is currently seeking permission to open the first beer hotel with rooftop fire pit and barbecue in England. The site is currently an empty three-storey office building in Manchester’s Fountain Street but, if granted, BrewDog will transform the venue into a boutique hotel with 18 en-suite rooms and a restaurant and bar on the ground floor, which will provide 150 covers. The brewer already has similar sites operating in Scotland and the US.

Smith & Western set for Horsham relocation next year: Smith & Western, the south east-based US-style restaurant chain, has confirmed plans to relocate its Horsham site to a more central location in the West Sussex town. The seven-strong group has confirmed it will open in the closed Steamer Trading unit in the town’s East Street. Smith & Western currently operates a site in North Parade, just outside Horsham town centre. However, plans were submitted last year to demolish the restaurant and replace it with 23 flats. The group, which is owned by the Sandford family, opened its latest site in early 2019 at the Addlestone One regeneration scheme in Addlestone, Surrey. The company had been in talks to open a site at Turk’s Yard next to the Thames in Kingston. The chain also operates restaurants in Boxhill, Crawley, Chichester, Lingfield and Tunbridge Wells.

Former Fifteen Restaurant employees to receive pay-out following employment tribunal: Former employees at Cornwall Food Foundation and its associated Fifteen Restaurant are to share more than £200,000 following a failure in the redundancy process. The restaurant at Watergate Bay, founded by Jamie Oliver, made the announcement it was going into liquidation in emails and via social media in December 2019 and ceased trading with immediate effect after almost 14 years. The foundation was a charitable venture running healthy eating programmes for the community and training young chefs and restaurant staff through the Fifteen Restaurant. Both businesses closed just days before Christmas last year without any prior warning causing the loss of 78 jobs. A Crowdfunder campaign was later launched to help the staff losing their jobs with the hopes of raising £10,000. However, after making contact, Citizens Advice Cornwall stepped in to make sure the former employees knew about their rights and helped them make applications to the employment tribunal for the protective award, which will be paid by the government’s redundancy payments scheme because the businesses are insolvent, reports Pirate FM. The law requires employers to consult with staff for at least 30 days whenever 20 or more employees are likely to be made redundant. Employees are entitled to compensation, called a “protective award” when that does not happen. The payments are equivalent to eight weeks’ pay for the former Fifteen staff.