Quote of the Week
"Are you sure you’re in government?’"In the clip Sky's Dermot Murnaghan raised the issue of David Cameron's party in turmoil to Anna Soubry, Minister for Small Business. When Soubry played dumb over government campaign rules, Murnaghan asked:
"Are you sure you’re in government?’"Click
here to watch the clip.
Graduation of the Week
This week, 33 chefs celebrated their graduation from
BaxterStorey’s award-winning Chef Academy. Renowned chefs
Tom Kerridge,
Alyn Williams and
John Campbell attended a special reception in central London to mark the occasion.
Rik Razza, head of chef development at BaxterStorey, said: “I believe that the academy has had its most successful year yet. The quality of what is now being produced and the students’ progression has been significant. I would also like to acknowledge and thank HIT (Hospitality Industry Training) for the role that they have played at assessment level.”
Fundraiser of the Week
Celebrated chefs
Monica Galetti,
Mark Sargeant and
John Campbell hosted a special fundraising dinner which raised £17,500 for industry charity,
Hospitality Action.John Campbell Chef Proprietor of Michelin Starred, The Woodspeen Restaurant: “I am delighted that the evening was such a great success! Last year Hospitality Action spent over £632,000 supporting our colleagues in crisis. The £17,500 raised tonight will give hope to all those suffering within our industry and let them know they always have somewhere to turn.”
Awards of the Week
The UK’s best casual dining operators were revealed last night at the launch of the first
Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2016.JD Wetherspoon, Côte Restaurants, wagamama, Zizzi, and Gourmet Burger Kitchen all took home awards, while Loungers’ Alex Reilley was named ‘Champion of the year’ by the founding judges.Casual Dining’s group event director, Chris Brazier: “The casual dining market is thriving, thanks in large part to the fantastic innovations and dedication of operators and the incredible dining experience they offer... celebrate achievements and reward those companies who are making a real difference to the growth of this dynamic, fast-moving sector. The calibre of entries has been exceptional, congratulations to all our winners.”
Business News this Week
More international tourists visiting English regions than ever before, and spending more
- In the first nine months of 2015 visits to English regions outside London were up 7% on the same period in 2014 with 11.7 million visits, setting a new record.
- Spending by international visitors across the regions was up 4% to £5.8 billion compared to the same period in 2014.
- Figures released this month by VisitBritain also show that July to September 2015 was a record breaker for a quarter three period, with 4.7m visits to the English regions, an 8% increase on the same period in 2014 and beating the previous record set in 2006.
- The number of international visitors travelling to the North showed especially strong growth in the first nine months of 2015 with visits to the North East up 23% compared to the same period in 2014, and up 12% in the North West.
For latest regional statistics from
VisitBritain click
hereContactless spend in pubs and restaurants soars
- According to results from Barclaycard, contactless spending in pubs and bars soared by 188% in the past year.
- Restaurant contactless spend is up by 104% too. This spending, which is people paying using cards that they tap onto the payment machine, rather than enter a pin number, has reached £7.75bn in the UK in 2015.
- While the category of pubs and bars saw the third biggest rise, just under commuter transport and pharmacies, spending at restaurants also made the top 10, in seventh place, and contactless spending at caterers also made the top 10 list, having risen 96%.
- Tami Hargreaves, commercial director, digital consumer payments at Barclaycard, said: “The speed and ease of contactless payments means this is fast becoming the preferred way for consumers to pay for many everyday purchases. An increasing number of merchants are also choosing to accept contactless payments in response to this demand, leading to an explosion in contactless spending across the board.
“The £30 limit increase has also provided opportunities for consumers to make contactless payments for larger purchases – such as a full basket of groceries at the supermarket or a round of drinks in the pub – which goes some way to explain why volumes rocketed in 2015.”
For more information on EP please contact Ben Butler
This week, 33 chefs celebrated their graduation from BaxterStorey’s award-winning Chef Academy. Renowned chefs Tom Kerridge, Alyn Williams and John Campbell attended a special reception in central London to mark the occasion.Rik Razza, head of chef development at BaxterStorey, said: “I believe that the academy has had its most successful year yet. The quality of what is now being produced and the students’ progression has been significant. I would also like to acknowledge and thank HIT (Hospitality Industry Training) for the role that they have played at assessment level.”
Celebrated chefs Monica Galetti, Mark Sargeant and John Campbell hosted a special fundraising dinner which raised £17,500 for industry charity, Hospitality Action.John Campbell Chef Proprietor of Michelin Starred, The Woodspeen Restaurant: “I am delighted that the evening was such a great success! Last year Hospitality Action spent over £632,000 supporting our colleagues in crisis. The £17,500 raised tonight will give hope to all those suffering within our industry and let them know they always have somewhere to turn.”
The UK’s best casual dining operators were revealed last night at the launch of the first Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2016.JD Wetherspoon, Côte Restaurants, wagamama, Zizzi, and Gourmet Burger Kitchen all took home awards, while Loungers’ Alex Reilley was named ‘Champion of the year’ by the founding judges.Casual Dining’s group event director, Chris Brazier: “The casual dining market is thriving, thanks in large part to the fantastic innovations and dedication of operators and the incredible dining experience they offer... celebrate achievements and reward those companies who are making a real difference to the growth of this dynamic, fast-moving sector. The calibre of entries has been exceptional, congratulations to all our winners.”