Orchid Pub Company reports rise in turnover per pub: Orchid Pub Company, which currently operates 232 pubs, has reported EBITDA of £29.3m on turnover of £178.8m in 2012. The company saw average weekly sales rise to £14,100 per pub from … view

Mitchells & Butlers reports like-for-likes down 1% in nine weeks to 21 September: Mitchells & Butlers has reported like-for-like sales dropped 1% in the nine weeks to 21 September, with food like-for-likes down 0.1% and drink like-for-lik … view

Downing looks to invest in vertically integrated brewer and pub operators: The active sector investor Downing is looking to spread its pub sector investments by backing a vertically integrated brewer and pub operator. Downing has more th … view

Geof Collyer – Mitchells & Butlers Crown Carveries’ estate could be down in like-for-like terms by double digits: Deutsche Bank analyst Geof Collyer has claimed that the performance of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) could be getting dragge … view

Third Clink restaurant is unveiled: HMP Brixton and The Clink Charity have been granted planning permission to convert the old Governor’s house at the south London prison, used recently as administration offices within the grounds of th … view

On-trade beer volumes slip as off-trade prices fall: On-trade beer volumes overall fell 4.3% year-on-year in August, the latest figures show, despite good weather during the month, as pubs and bars struggled against falling off-trade pric … view

Julian Metcalfe – Itsu has more potential than Pret A Manger: Julian Metcalfe has claimed that Itsu could grow to be a bigger business than Pret A Manger, which he previously co-founded. Itsu, which has annual sales of £55m including r … view

Tim Martin – VAT campaign is building huge momentum and will gain more publicity for the sector than any other event in 30 years: JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin has argued that momentum is increasing around the campaign to reduce VAT … view

Research finds more customers ordering tap water in pubs and restaurants: The market research company HIM! has found an increase in the number of customers ordering tap water with their meals in pubs and restaurants in the past year. The … view

Rupert and Jo Clevely launch new pub venture: The founders of Geronimo Inns, Rupert and Jo Clevely are to open a new project in the heart of Brighton. They have formed Greenwell & Tipple, which will be built on the foundations of their 18 … view

Fleurets rent survey reveals majority of rent reviews agreed at zero uplift: The annual Fleurets rental survey has found that a large proportion of reviews, particularly those with upward only review clauses, are being agreed at zero upli … view

Tim Martin – corporate governance rules don’t always serve shareholders well; bonuses linked to targets are a bad thing: JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin has outlined the dangers of strictly observing corporate governance guidelines. … view

McMullen pledges support for Tax Parity Day: Hertford-based brewer and pub operator McMullen has joined Tax Parity Day on Wednesday 25 September. The campaign focuses on the damage caused by the inequality of the VAT burden on pubs (20% o … view

ALMR – Home Office plan on personal licences could prove more onerous: The Association of Licensed Multiple Operators has warned that Home Office plans to abolish the national system of personal licences in favour of beefed-up local aut … view

JD Wetherspoon reports like-for-like slowdown: JD Wetherspoon has reported like-for-like sales grew 5.8% in the 52 weeks to 28 July. Like-for-like sales growth reduced to 3.6% in the six weeks to 8 September and were 2.5% up in the most r … view

Travelodge criticised over misleading £39 London bedrooms advert: The budget hotel chain Travelodge has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority for a spring promotion in which it claimed to offer rooms in central London fr … view

Indian restaurants in crisis over immigration rules: As the government announced changes to UK immigration rules to make them more business-friendly, entrepreneurs running Indian restaurants say the existing rules are preventing them from … view

Pubs and restaurants see sales up 1.9% in August; pubs do better with 2.5% sales growth: Britain’s pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales grow 1.9% in August compared to the same month last year, according to lates … view

Steve Hill to become chief executive of Las Iguanas: Former Wagamama chief executive Steve Hill has become chief executive designate and non-executive director of Latin American restaurant chain Las Iguanas. Hill is expected to take over … view

Quick-service outlets see customer satisfaction rise as full-service restaurants slip: Customer satisfaction with quick-service restaurants in the UK is as high as it is for full-service restaurants for the first time since surveys began … view

Mitchells & Butlers offers Toby Carvery as a case study of how it understands the market: Mitchells & Butlers has hosted City analysts to a briefing on how it understands the market through research - using Toby Carvery as a case study. T … view

British Property Foundation - we’re paying far too much in business rates: The British Property Federation (BPF) has backed veteran retailer Bill Grimsey’s call for a “root and branch” review of business rates, as analysis of Euro … view

Prezzo to open 30 restaurants this year; July heat moderated growth rate: Prezzo, the restaurant company led by Jonathan Kaye, will open 30 restaurants in 2013, with 23 of these coming in the second half of this year. The company reported … view

DHP Family to open major East London food and music venue: Music venue operator and promoter DHP Family is to launch its first London venue, Oslo, at a 7,000 square feet site next to Hackney Central train station – a new 15 year lease h … view

Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume named by Good Food Guide as UK’s top restaurant: Chef Simon Rogan’s Cumbrian restaurant, L’Enclume, has achieved the top spot in Waitrose Good Food Guide 2014 for the very first time. Restaurants in the G … view

Heineken reports UK market share gain and doubled operating profit: Heineken, the UK’s largest brewer, has reported that it gained 60 basis points of market share in the UK in 2012. Operating profit for the year increased from £33.3m t … view