OpenTable, Inc), the leading provider of online restaurant reservations, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Foodspotting, an app for finding and sharing great dishes at restaurants, for approximately $10 million in cash. By enabling OpenTable to deliver a richer visual and social experience for diners and provide its restaurant customers with new … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2013
IoH’s Passion 4 Hospitality Student Conference 2013
The Passion 4 Hospitality (P4H) Student Conference 2013 will take place on Monday 11 March at the Victory Services Club, London. For 2013, P4H has been extended from its origins as a student debating competition to become a unique showcase and celebration of talent and career opportunities in the hospitality industry. The conference has been designed to propel and equip … [Read more...]
Win dinner at Tom Aikens and enjoy his Great British Menu
Great British Menu is back on our screens for its 2013 series. Some of the best chefs in the UK, including many from the Great British Chefs website, are competing to provide the menu for a special Comic Relief banquet. To celebrate our friend's at Great British Chefs are offering a very special prize of dinner for two at Tom Aikens Restaurant in Chelsea on Friday … [Read more...]
Chef+ The first APP for professional Chefs, now even better
Chef+ The first APP for professional Chefs from The Staff Canteen has had a makeover, meaning social networking for professional chefs just tastier. The updated version of Chef +is, of course, still packed with all the original features that saw over 7,500 downloads to date in the first year, plus now you can experience the world’s best chefs on your smart, watch Raymond Blanc, … [Read more...]
Living Ventures to raise £750k through EIS scheme
Restaurant and bar group Living Ventures is encouraging individual investors to buy a slice of its latest £2.5m fine dining venue. The group is looking to raise £750,000 and is offering a 30% shareholding in its Manchester House Restaurant and Lounge Bar, which is due to open in Spinningfields in June. In an unusual step, the company is offering 30 investors or "member … [Read more...]
Guest experience: the great satisfaction myth
H&C News has been running a series of articles on ‘guest experience’, with some of our leading hotels and hoteliers sharing how they aim to deliver excellence, not just satisfaction. In this article, Michelle Collins of The Flying Dodo challenges us to recognise that it is feelings and emotions that actually drive human and therefore guest behaviour and response, and to … [Read more...]
Pub & Bar careers briefing
The industry Perception Group has announced a free briefing for the Pub & Bar Careers work placement programme for HR and industry professionals. The event takes place on Tuesday 26 February 2013 at the Slug & Lettuce, County Hall, SE1 from 10.00am. Delegates will hear from the team behind the group detailing the work placement trials that have taken place with … [Read more...]
How Travelodge will invest £223 million in its brand this year
Travelodge has announced its plans for major investment in the brand: 14 new hotels to open, including two in Spain Create 420 new jobs Launch a new room concept which has been designed by its customers Introduce truckle beds Rollout out a £57m refurbishment programme across its estate Grant Hearn, Travelodge CEO said: “Now that we have a solid financial … [Read more...]
Do Drop Inns for Orchid – traditional pubs with an independent feel
The Orchid Group has created a new umbrella group of quality pubs called ‘Do Drop Inns’. Do Drop Inns is designed to be a customer-facing name to identify the current Modern British pubs as part of a recognised, trusted group but with their own unique feel. It will drive retail initiatives and put learning from other Orchid divisions into practice. Inspired by the … [Read more...]
Printers Help keep Regular Menu Changes “on the Menu”
Modern restaurant and hotels have to make constant menu changes to keep pace with the changing tastes of diners. The same applies to catering firms, who have to make constant tweaks with what they offer in order to stay on target price wise and to keep up with customer demand. Gone are the days when menus could be changed seasonally or even in some cases … [Read more...]
NewWave heads to Bocuse d’Or
Exclusive NewWave collector's plate for the gourmet cooking enthusiasts in Lyon As a member of the Bocuse d’Or Cooking Competition, naturally Villeroy & Boch is on hand for the final round in Lyon – and in addition to the commemorative competition plate, there is also an exclusively designed collector's edition plate by Vavro. French star chef Paul Bocuse created the … [Read more...]
Armourcoat win KEiBA ‘Success in International Markets’ Award
Armourcoat have won the KEiBA (Kent Excellence in Business Award) for ‘Success in International Markets’ for 2012. Armourcoat have driven an ambitious global sales strategy over the past decade, now managing an extensive network of fifty agents representing over seventy countries around the world. The KEiBA award recognises companies that are challenging the … [Read more...]
One seat available at Hotel Guest Experience Roundtable
One hotel group that over the past few years has always impressed H&C News is citizenM. Our first encounter was September 2010 when we went up to Glasgow to see their first hotel opening outside Amsterdam. A few firsts in guest experience were witnessed that day, such as check-in through a computer terminal not a check-in desk. Over the years we have followed citizenM … [Read more...]
Chef’s Recipe of the Week, by Tom Aikens
This week's Recipe of the Week is Truffle Chips by Tom Aikens and courtesy of Great British Chefs Tom Aikens is competing in The Great British Menu this week and will be hoping to bring a smile to the judges faces, with this year's Comic Relief theme. For now, we love his perfect gourmet side; triple-cooked chips with Parmesan and truffle oil, which could be served with … [Read more...]
Gordon Ramsay back to business – and profit
The Sunday Times reports that the Gordon Ramsay restaurant operation has returned to profit, after several difficult years of publicity of the wrong sort, including an expensive and time-consuming dispute with his father in law. His Kavalake company, through which his operations are run, has reported pre-tax profits of £2 million in the year to August 2012 – the previous … [Read more...]