This April, Orderella, the leading mobile ordering app which allows its customers to order and pay for drinks and food with their phone, is being trialled at 40 Star Pubs & Bars. The leased pub division of leading cider and beer business, Heineken UK, will undertake the trial before being potentially rolled out to a total of 1,200 of the business’s venues. Simple and … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2014
Arthur J. Gallagher gives a warm reception to Harbour & Jones
Harbour & Jones has been awarded the catering and reception services contract at Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG), an international insurance broker based in the heart of the financial district within its state-of-the-art new offices in The Walbrook Building. Situated on the ground and seventh floor of the impressive nine-story building, AJG moved into its new offices in … [Read more...]
Losses rise for Strada and Café Rouge owner Tragus
The Guardian reports that Tragus, owner of the Cafe Rouge, Strada and Bella Italia chains, has reported pre-tax losses of £36m despite overall sales revenues being slightly up. Owned by Blackstone, Tragus has debts of £325 million and, despite utilising discount vouchers to drive traffic and revenues, its losses have almost doubled year on year. Tragus made a pre-tax loss … [Read more...]
Green light for 4 star Dakota Hotel, Leeds
Evans Property Group has received planning permission from Leeds City Council to transform the former ‘stacker’ car park on Greek Street in central Leeds into a luxury hotel which will be operated by award-winning boutique hotel chain, Dakota Hotels. The new hotel forms part of Evans’ ongoing multi-million pound investment in the Bond Court area of the City where neighbouring … [Read more...]
Compass goes bananas for Fairtrade Fortnight
Compass Group UK & Ireland has a raft of activity planned in support of Fairtrade Fortnight (24 February to 9 March 2014). The first foodservice company to switch to 100% Fairtrade bananas in 2008, Compass is backing the Fairtrade Fortnight campaign to make banana production fair for farmers and workers across the globe. Treats and fair-trade products for … [Read more...]
Dum Dum’s Donutterie sells out 5000 Doughnuts in 5 hours
Doughnut lovers gathered outside Dum Dum Doughnuts on Monday 24 February ahead of the brand’s hotly anticipated Box Park launch. As doors opened at 8am, they scrambled to get their hands on a Dum Dum Doughnut before sell-out: 5000 Dum Dum's flying off the counter. Demand for the British artisan brand, set to rival Dominique Ansel’s New York Cronut Craze, has not been exclusive … [Read more...]
Intensive chocolate master class for Sodexo chefs
A group of chefs from independent education at Sodexo, the world’s largest services company, took an intensive master class from renowned French chocolatier Philippe Gobet. Hosted at Cacao Barry’s UK Chocolate Academy in Banbury, the one-day course was arranged under Sodexo’s partnership with the world famous Ecole Lenôtre in Paris, announced last year. Chefs from … [Read more...]
Bennett Hay wins FremantleMedia’s new London hub
Bespoke hospitality services business Bennett Hay has been awarded a three year contract with FremantleMedia, one of the largest creators, producers and distributors of television brands in the world, at its newly refurbished headquarters in Stephen Street, just off London’s Tottenham Court road. Supporting 800 people on site, including production teams, Bennett Hay will be … [Read more...]
Daniel Clifford extends his “Exclusively” offering with listing at The Bloomsbury Ballroom
Daniel Clifford, chef patron of the two-Michelin starred Midsummer House, Cambridge, in partnership with Seasoned Events, the award-winning London wedding and event caterers have secured a listing The Bloomsbury Ballroom, London. Having launched the Exclusively brand with Blenheim Palace in December last year, the demand for the service to be brought to London has been … [Read more...]
Neighbourhood restaurant Poppy’s Place to open
Poppy’s Place, a new address for all-day dining in Fulham, is to open its doors in March 2014. Poppy’s Place is the first venture from the young team of restaurateur and consultant Scarlett Guess and Chef Alastair Prichard. It will offer a ‘farm-to-table’ cafe menu of seasonal breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes by day, and will, by night, transform itself into a candlelit … [Read more...]
Richard Hunt to cook up a storm for Lifestyle Hospitality Group
Lifestyle Hospitality Group (LHG), a Devon-based multi-million pound hospitality business, has welcomed talented Executive Chef, Richard Hunt, as the company's Group Development Chef. The new role is to ensure high standards are maintained across the group and the appointment comes at a vital time as LHG is experiencing considerable growth and the company’s successful … [Read more...]
City of Wolverhampton College wins Platinum in Healthy City Awards
Innovate Services’ catering function awarded for food hygiene standards, healthy food and drink options and encouraging physical activity amongst students. Innovate Services, the innovative catering operator to the education sector, and City of Wolverhampton College have scooped a city award, after putting healthy living on the menu. The college’s Paget Road refectory, which … [Read more...]
Lexington ranked 7 in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For
Lexington has been recognised as one of the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For 2014 by The Sunday Times, jumping up four places from 2011 to rank seven. Lexington also achieved the Best Companies' Three Star Status – the highest possible rating – recognising the company for achieving 'extraordinary' levels of employee engagement. The list was announced at a glittering ceremony … [Read more...]
Economic recovery boosts investor interest in Europe’s hotels
Hotel values for the majority of the key European cities have grown during 2013, according to the 2014 European Hotel Valuation Index (HVI) published this week by global hotel consultancy HVS London. Hotel values are expected to continue to increase as the lending environment becomes more favourable and the economic recovery improves demand. The European Hotel Valuation Index … [Read more...]
Absolute Taste cater for new exhibition at flagship Linley store
Worldwide events and catering company Absolute Taste has catered for the celebrations to launch the new exhibition at the LINLEY flagship store in Pimlico, London. The fascinating interactive exhibition, entitled “A Celebration of British Design, Craftsmanship, Engineering & Innovation”, is curated by David Linley and Scott Simpson and opened on Thursday 27 February. The … [Read more...]