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

Deltic Group reports like-for-likes up 4.9% as it returns to turnover and Ebitda growth: The Deltic Group, the UK’s largest operator of premium late-night bars and clubs, has reported like-for-like sales increased 4.9% for the year endi … view

Deltic Group reports like-for-likes up 4.9% as it returns to turnover and Ebitda growth: The Deltic Group, the UK’s largest operator of premium late-night bars and clubs, has reported like-for-like sales increased 4.9% for the year endi … view

Managed pub like-for-like sales up 2.8% driven by June heatwave and World Cup, restaurants see 1.8% drop: Britain’s pubs enjoyed a mini sales boom in June thanks to the hot weather and the start of the World Cup, according to the latest … view

UK sees record confidence as consumers spend while the sun shines: UK consumer confidence grew two percentage points in the second quarter of 2018, rising to minus 4%, the highest level recorded by the Deloitte Consumer Tracker since it s … view

Gaucho tries to strike rescue deal after £1m tax threat: Gaucho, which is owned by private equity firm Equistone, has been given until the end of today (Friday, 13 July) to pay a £1m-plus tax bill as it tries to strike a rescue deal. Th … view

Arc Inspirations reports World Cup trading boost: Arc Inspirations, the bar and restaurant operator led by Martin Wolstencroft, has seen like-for-like wet sales increase by 43% across its estate during the four-week World Cup period. The … view

Simon Mitchell – new initiatives will complete Kerb’s unique ‘ecosystem’ for street food traders: Simon Mitchell, managing director of street food business Kerb, has said the company’s “ecosystem” is its unique selling point … view

Spirits sector grows 5.3% with strong value growth across on-trade: The spirits sector has grown 5.3% year-on-year with strong value growth across the on-trade, according to the latest insights from global distillers William Grant & Sons … view

Ten Entertainment Group reports like-for-likes up 3.1%: Ten Entertainment Group, the UK operator of 44 bowling and family entertainment centres, has reported like-for-like sales increased 3.1% for the 26 weeks ending 1 July 2018. Total sa … view

Martin Morales – successful businesses ‘surf the waves of change’: Martin Morales, the restaurateur, chef and entrepreneur who is known as the pioneer of Peruvian food, has said despite the industry’s tough times, “successful bu … view

JD Wetherspoon reports like-for-likes up 5.2%: JD Wetherspoon has reported like-for-like sales increased by 5.2% in the ten weeks to 8 July 2018 and total sales increased 5.6%. In the year to date (49 weeks to 8 July 2018) like-for-like s … view

Matt Coles – operators can capitalise on emerging non-alcoholic category: Matt Coles, of Morar HPI’s food and drinks division, has said operators can capitalise on the “emerging minority” of people who are choosing to abstain from … view

Ei Group poised to sell £300m property division: Ei Group has appointed advisers to look at a potential sale of its commercial property division in a deal that could value the business at up to £300m. The company has hired Rothschild, t … view

Simon Mitchell – street food scene ‘sustainable in its own right’, some traders turning over more than £1m a year: Simon Mitchell, managing director of street food business Kerb, has said the street food scene is “sustainable in … view

Sector training awards open for entries: The National Innovation in Training Awards (NITAs), run by the British Institute of Innkeepers (BII), is open for entries. The event, organised in partnership with Propel, highlights individuals an … view

Sector training awards open for entries: The National Innovation in Training Awards (NITAs), run by the British Institute of Innkeepers (BII), is open for entries. The event, organised in partnership with Propel, highlights individuals an … view

Yoyo partners with Preoday to launch pre-ordering app: Mobile payment, loyalty and marketing platform Yoyo has partnered with ordering technology provider Preoday to create a way for UK retailers and caterers to provide pre-ordering servi … view

San Carlo Group reports turnover up 8.3% to £50m: San Carlo Group is eyeing further growth after the opening of Fumo London helped boost turnover to £50m. Accounts filed under Templeton Holdings, the parent of San Carlo, showed turnover … view

BDO – attractive returns to put wet-led operators on radar of more investors in next 12 months: Wet-led pub operators are expected to be on the radar of investors in the next 12 months as more take note of the attractive returns availab … view

BDO – attractive returns to put wet-led operators on radar of more investors in next 12 months: Wet-led pub operators are expected to be on the radar of investors in the next 12 months as more take note of the attractive returns availab … view

Carluccio’s launches substantial investment programme in wake of CVA: Carluccio’s is to launch a substantial investment programme at existing restaurants. The revitalisation will see more than 60 sites receive significant investment, … view

Krispy Kreme UK reports turnover up 13.8% to £76m: Krispy Kreme UK has reported turnover increased 13.8% to £75,908,000 for the year ending 31 December 2017, compared with £66,689,000 the previous year. At the end of the period, the co … view

Higher alcohol taxes planned by government to boost spending: The government is considering raising alcohol duty to raise billions of pounds to boost spending. Ministers were said to be considering lifting the freeze on alcohol duty that … view

Boston Tea Party ‘looking at the bigger picture’ as it reports 24% hot drink sales drop following coffee cup ban: All-day casual dining cafe Boston Tea Party said it is “looking at the bigger picture” as it reported a 24% drop in … view

Private equity firms circle Wagamama: The FT has reported that some of the largest private equity groups in Europe and the US are circling Wagamama ahead of its sale, which could come as early as this summer. The FT stated: “Wagamama ha … view

Casual Dining Group reduces debt as it sets up to take advantage of opportunities: Casual Dining Group (CDG), the operator of nearly 300 mid-market restaurants through its Las Iguanas, Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia brands, has announced a n … view