JDW’s Tim Martin confirms Dublin pub plan: JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin has told Propel that the company is planning to re-enter the Dublin market ten years after it abandoned its first attempt to open in the city. Martin said ther … view

Restaurant Group reports 5% like-for-likes, plans 35 openings: The Restaurant Group, which operates over 400 restaurants and pub restaurants throughout the UK, has reported like-for-like sales grew 5% in the 26 weeks ending 30 June. Total … view

Pub campaign plans mass tweet to two million people: It’s Better Down the Pub, the national campaign that celebrates all that is good about the British pub, is looking to unite its supporters by sending out a mass tweet to over two mill … view

Good Pub Guide 2014 – it’s good that bad pubs are closing; awards for Salisbury Pubs, Brunning & Price, ETM Group and Fuller’s: The Good Pub Guide 2014, the most highly rated guide to the UK’s pubs, has argued the closure of pubs … view

James Horler becomes non-executive at Red Hot World Buffet: Industry veteran James Horler is to become a non-executive director at Red Hot World Buffet in the wake of the acquisition of a majority stake by Luke Johnson’s Risk Capital Pa … view

Cheshire Cat Pubs boss attacks Camra’s £1.5m support for Wetherspoon: Tim Bird, founder of Cheshire Cat Pubs and Bars, has written to Camra chairman Colin Valentine to criticise the consumer body’s £1.5m indirect support of JD Weth … view

Risk Capital takes majority stake in Red Hot World Buffet: Risk Capital, the private equity firm headed by Luke Johnson, has acquired a majority stake in Red Hot World Buffet, the restaurant company headed by Paramjit and Helen Dhaliwal. … view

Subjects: The micro-pub movement, defining craft beer, pre-loading and Groceries Code clues on pubcos regulation 

Administrator – Wabi London owes £3 million and there’s been one offer of £50,000 so far: The administrator of Wabi London, the sushi restaurant headed by former Nobu chef Scott Hallsworth, has reported that the business owes unsecu … view

Brakspear invests £7.4 million in five pubs and reports 20% profit lift: Henley-based pub operator Brakspear has reported that it invested £7.4 million in buying five new pubs last year and pre-tax profits before tax and exceptionals ju … view

Antic Limited unsecured creditors likely to receive 36p in each pound owed: Chantrey Vellacott, the administrator of 12-strong London pub operator Antic Limited, has estimated unsecured creditors of the company will receive around 36p … view

Gatecrasher fined over 656 litres of fake vodka at Leeds site, which will not re-open: Gatecrasher Clubs and Bars, the four-strong nightclub company that went through a pre-pack administration at the start of August, has been fined £5,00 … view

Hot dogs lead Americanisation of UK menus: Hot dogs have nudged scampi and chips from their top 20 ranking of the most popular dishes in eating out establishments, as the nation’s love of all-things-American continues to influence Briti … view

Alan Yau to open Chinese gastro-pub: Wagamama founder Alan Yau has bought The Endurance Pub on Berwick Street to open a new pub concept. Agent Davis Coffer Lyons was appointed by Hope & Glory to manage the sale of the venue. The 4,500 sq … view

YO! Sushi reports turnover up and profit down: YO! Sushi UK, the sushi chain led by Robin Rowland and owned by private equity firm Quilvest, has reported turnover rose 9% to £62,628,343 in the year to 25 November 2012 up from £57,672,80 … view

VisitBritain reports record numbers of UK visitors in June: There are further signs that the UK is reaping an Olympics legacy as record numbers of visitors came to the UK in June, the second successive month of record visits and spend. A … view

Kout spends £3.15m to enter UK coffee market: Expanding Kuwait-based Kout Food Group has completed it second deal in August by buying the share capital of South West Coffee, which operates eight Costa Coffee franchises, for 1.4m Kuwaiti … view

Gastro-operator lines up eighth site – first Punch pub: Whiting & Hammond, the gastro-operator led by Brian Whiting, is set to acquire its eighth pub, a Punch Taverns site in Kent that will see an estimated £700,000 co-investment. The … view

Coffer Peach Tracker reports July sales up 5.7% in drinks-led pubs; restaurant chains down 2.5%: London pubs had plenty to shout about in July, benefiting not just from the prolonged sunny weather but also from a revival in trade in the c … view

Papa John’s set for 20 new openings after incentive scheme attracts seven new franchisees: Papa John’s, which is the world’s third largest pizza company, has signed up seven new UK franchisees for multi-site development plans as a r … view

Morrisons – we aim to be a cheaper alternative to Starbucks and Pret A Manger; Waitrose opens farm shop: Two major supermarket chains, Morrisons and Waitrose, have moved to increase their food credentials. Morrisons is positioning itsel … view

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Orchid Pub Company – Pizza Kitchen & Bar could be scaled to 200 sites: Orchid Pub Company has forecast that its Pizza Kitchen & Bar format could be scaled to 200 sites. Commercial director Simon Dodd said: “We’ve now done 26 convers … view

Star Pubs & Bars achieve 45% success rate on business rates appeals: Over a quarter of the total number of Star Pubs & Bars lessees have now benefited from successful business rates appeals. Working with commercial property specialists, G … view

McDonald’s, Burger King and Domino’s all using zero hours contracts: McDonald’s, Burger King and Domino’s have all been drawn in the row over zero hours contracts. McDonald’s has admitted 90% of its UK employees are on zero hour … view

Roger Whiteside unveils new strategy for Greggs: Greggs chief executive Roger Whiteside has unveiled his new strategy for the business. Whiteside, who was previously chief executive of Punch, will place a new emphasis on food on the go, a … view

Tesco unveils details of Decks family carvery offer: Supermarket chain Tesco has opened its new Decks family carvery restaurant with salad bar at the Tesco Extra at Coventry Arena. The restaurant, which is open for breakfast at 7am and se … view

Fuller’s plans innovative openings in response to changing consumer demand: London brewer and retailer Fuller’s is planning a series of innovative new pub projects as a response to changing consumer demand. The first, The Swift, opens … view

Domino’s Pizza to launch new concept: Domino’s Pizza is to launch a new dining and takeaway concept in the UK after agreeing a package deal with Extra Motorway Service Area Group to initially open six outlets on the UK motorway networ … view

Kuwaiti foodservice firm buys Little Chef: Kuwaiti-based foodservice firm Kout Food Group has expanded its UK presence by buying 78 of the 80-strong Little Chef restaurant estate from private equity firm R Capital in a deal estimated to b … view

ALMR – multi-site operators report like-for-likes up across the board in the past year: Evidence of market stabilisation, with a return to growth across the board for the first time since the recession, has emerged in the seventh annual … view

Greene King introduces executive pay changes: Greene King has moved to change the way it pays and incentivises its executive directors. Changes include a re-weighting in favour of long-term performance incentives and clawback provisions. … view

The ‘Staycation’ trend accelerates to provide £12bn UK economic boost: The Staycation trend will deliver a £12bn boost to the UK’s top 20 favourite holiday locations this year as 41 million Britons – 65% of the population – op … view