News
64% of the UK’s top 100 restaurant companies are now making a loss
Research from national accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young has shown that the UK’s hospitality industry has reached a bleak new milestone as a record 64% of the top 100 restaurant companies are now making a loss.
WLC 2022: The Terrace, Yarmouth
From Wine List Confidential 2022, Douglas Blyde takes a closer look at The Terrace on the Isle of Wight, which was commended for being “One To Watch”. There he finds an eclectic menu, nautical views and wine list divided between “classic” and “quirky” bottles.
France tightens by-the-glass wine rules for venues
The French government has passed a new law that tightens the rules for wines sold by-the-glass or carafe, with those who fail to follow the new rules liable to be fined.
Grouse is back on the menu at two London restaurants for the Glorious Twelfth
London restaurants Maggie Jones’s and La Poule au Pot have added grouse to their menus as Britain’s official shooting season begins.
Gordon Ramsay Restaurants reports £12m losses and staff cuts
Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant group has suffered colossal losses of up to £12 million, and has reported cutting 300 staff members in the year to August 2021 because of closures and restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Expert shares how restaurant music can influence your drinking
A behavioural scientist has revealed some of the tricks a restaurant will use on customers to influence your meal, including how music can affect how much you drink.
Chef Alastair Little dies
Alastair Little, the self-taught chef who opened his eponymous Soho establishment in 1985 and is credited with setting a new standard for London restaurants, has died at the age of 72.
The Queen is opening her own pub, and is on the hunt for a landlord
Her Majesty is rumoured to be opening a pub on her Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, and is recruiting for someone to run the royal drinking den.
Hotel group offers ’emotional support’ wine if your flight is delayed or cancelled
It’s fair to say that air travel is no cakewalk at present, with the interminable queues and cancellations at airports broadcast nightly on the news. Enter, stage left The Kimpton Hotel Group, which has come up with a novel way to ease travel woes: offering free “emotional support” wine to customers.
UK heatwave dented on-trade drinks sales
Though we might consider a chilled glass of something to be the ultimate remedy for beating the heat, on-trade drinks sales fluctuated during July’s hottest fortnight as many consumers avoided going out to pubs and restaurants.