Fulham Shore reports turnover growth: Real Greek and Franco Manca operator Fulham Shore has reported sales of £8,310,000 for the nine months ended 29 March (12 months ended 29 June 2014: £8,646,000). The company reported headline operat … view

Intu reports 39 restaurant lettings out of 96 in total in first six months: Shopping centre business Intu has reported that 39 of the 96 new long-term leases it completed in the six months to 30 June were with restaurant operators. The 96 … view

Loungers on track to hit 100 sites by end of 2016 with 66th opening: Loungers, the Piper Private Equity-backed cafe/bar group expects to open 34 more sites in the next 17 months to hit 100 by the end of 2016. It has reached 66 sites with … view

M&B reports 0.8% like-for-like growth in subdued market: Mitchells & Butlers has reported like-for-like sales grew 0.8% in the 11 weeks to 25 July, with food like-for-likes up 2.5% but drink sales down 1%. Total sales growth in its third … view

Greene King Leisure Tracker finds 25% of customers want to log on at the pub: Over a quarter of Brits would like to be able to log on from the pub as they look for alternative places to work, according to the latest Greene King Leisure Sp … view

Heartstone Inns secures £8m refinancing to fund expansion: South and south west managed pub operator Heartstone Inns has secured a new £8m refinancing deal with HSBC which provides the company with £5m of development finance to invest … view

Cabana accelerates expansion plans outside London with Southampton and Watford sites: Cabana, the award-winning Brazilian barbecue group led by Jamie Barber and David Ponte, is accelerating its expansion outside London with its tenth and … view

Merlin – Alton Towers accident has had an adverse impact: Merlin Entertainments has reported that, whilst first half results, which will be published on 30 July 2015, are expected to be in line with analyst estimates, the serious accide … view

McDonald’s – ‘self-serve kiosks could be our answer’: McDonald’s chief executive Steve Easterbrook has hailed the success of self-serve kiosks in France, which is the company’s second most profitable market after the US. The s … view

Wagamama reports Ebitda of £30.3m, turnover nears £200m: Wagamama has reported underlying Ebitda up 19.8%, resulting in an adjusted Ebitda of £30.3m for the brand for the 52 weeks, ending 26 April 2015. The results saw a 10% sales grow … view

Fuller’s reports LfLs up 5.7% in managed: Fuller’s has reported a strong start to the new financial year, with like-for-like sales in managed pubs and hotels rising by 5.7% for the period and like-for like profits in the tenanted divi … view

Marston’s – government should prioritise taxation and business rate reductions: Brewer and retailer Marston’s has argued that the government should prioritise taxation and business rate reductions in an official response to news of … view

TGI Friday’s UK launches biggest menu update in eight years: TGI Friday’s UK has today (21 July) launched its biggest menu update since 2007. The Meet Your Match menu aims to serve smoky, tender meats and gooey, sweet treats, bringing … view

Douglas Jack – we expect another strong trading update from Domino’s: Numis Securities leisure analyst Douglas Jack has forecast “a strong update” at Domino’s Pizza when it reports interim results next Tuesday (28 July). Issuing … view

Technomic research reveals six key trends in US in first half of 2015: Research by insights firm Technomic has revealed six key trends in the US in the first half of 2015. The fast casual segment is continuing to outpace the rest of the … view

Benchmarking survey shows sector turnover up 4.2%: The UK’s licensed hospitality sector continues to make a consolidated recovery and grow in confidence, but rising legislative costs mean increased volatility and risk undermining a frag … view

Starbucks plans exclusive concept shop in Covent Garden, £30m technology investment: Starbucks is planning to open a concept shop in Covent Garden under a new brand called Starbucks Reserve that will not bear its green mermaid logo and w … view

New report reveals ‘deregulated’ lifestyles set to shape future of foodservice in the UK: A new report has revealed “deregulated” lifestyles are set to shape the future of food service in the UK as Britain becomes a nation of “p … view

Mitchells & Butlers could be hardest hit by the NLW, with Wetherspoon also vulnerable: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) could the business hardest hit by the introduction of the National Living Wage, delaying reinstatement of the dividend until … view

Analyst – National Living Wage to put pressure on forecasts over medium term: Deutsche Bank analyst Geof Collyer has argued that the introduction of the National Living Wage (NLW) will affect ‘some significantly more than others’. H … view

Flypay to accelerate expansion after securing £7m funding from Time Out: Flypay, the award-winning pay-at-table technology company, is to accelerate its expansion after securing £7m ($10.7m) Series A funding from global multimedia disco … view

Wasabi reports Ebitda of £8m: London-based sushi and bento business Wasabi has reported turnover grew 21% to £63,593,000 in the year to 27 December 2014, ‘driven by strong like-for-like growth and the continuation of our branch openin … view

MatchPint secures £1m investment: MatchPint, the mobile technology company connecting sports fans, pubs and drinks brands, has secured a £1m Series A investment in order to drive growth and innovation over the next 18 months. Since laun … view

Benugo reports strong turnover and like-for-like growth: Benugo, which operates high-street cafes and restaurants within corporate organisations and renowned public spaces, has reported 16% growth in turnover (£81.1m from £70.1m in 2013 … view

Punch Taverns set to launch new coffee-led concept Brewed and Baked: Punch Taverns is set to launch a new bakery cafe concept called Brewed and Baked. The company, which operates more than 4,000 pubs across the United Kingdom, is to open … view

Doctors call for 20% tax on sugary drinks: Adding 20% tax on sugary drinks would be a “useful first step” towards the long-term goal of taxing a wide range of products in the fight to reduce obesity, doctors’ leaders have said. With … view

Rupert Clevely recruits Dawn Donohue as chief operating officer for joint venture with Enterprise: Industry veteran Rupert Clevely, who founded Geronimo Inns, has recruited Dawn Donohue as chief operating officer for his new “managed ex … view

Authors: Chris Edger and Tony Hughes, Glynn Davis and Paul Chase 

Sticks ‘n’ Sushi to open first UK site outside London and expand into Germany: The Danish-owned Japanese restaurant brand Sticks ‘n’ Sushi is to open its first UK site outside the M25 in Cambridge in March next year. The company, … view

Luke Johnson – food and drink retail sector ‘still a wonderful business to be involved in’, but the ‘fight is on’ for pubs: Sector investor Luke Johnson has argued that the food and drink retail sec … view

YO! Sushi reports early success at directly managed US locations: YO! Sushi has reported success at its first two directly managed locations in the US, located in Paramus, New Jersey, and Sarasota, Florida. “Both places have had an exce … view

Trade body urges caution over £9-an-hour Living Wage plan: The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has urged the government to be mindful of overall employment costs in the wake of news that a National Living Wage will be i … view

Crowdcube raises more in first half of 2015 than whole of 2014, high female engagement: Crowdfunding platform Crowdcube has raised £38,889,297 for funded businesses in the first half of 2015, more than the £35m raised in the whole of 20 … view

Young’s reports like-for-likes up 5.6%: Pub retailer Young’s has reported like-for-like sales growth of 5.6% in the first quarter of its financial year. At today’s Annual General Meeting, Nick Bryan, chairman of Young’s, will make … view

Casual Dining Group acquires Las Iguanas for circa £85m: The Casual Dining Group, led by Steve Richards and backed by Apollo Global Management has acquired 41-strong South American-themed restaurant group Las Iguanas in a deal valued at … view

The UK’s foodservice market is in “much better shape” than the rest of Europe: There has been 0.6% growth in the number of visits made to foodservice outlets in the most recent year and the UK is outgrowing other countries, NPD Grou … view

Analyst – Greene King’s Spirit acquisition opens up host of options: Deutsche Bank Geof Collyer has issued a ‘Buy’ note on Greene King and set a share price target of 1,175p after the completion of its Spirit Pub Company acquisiti … view

Taking a trip to the Cham … view

Beds and Bars targets £100m annual turnover after adding £9m of sales in two years: Beds and Bars chief executive Keith Knowles has reported that he aims to more than double company annual turnover from the current £39.06m a year to £ … view

Heineken to invest record £30m in leased estate, 60% of pubs leased to multiple operators in first half of year: Heineken is set to invest up to £30m in upgrading its Star Pubs & Bars estate by the end of 2015, a 60% increase on 2014. I … view

Drake & Morgan unveils 14,500 square foot deli, bar and grill details: Drake & Morgan is to open a new bar and grill concept in King’s Cross in late September, its ninth site. To be called Drake & Morgan at King’s Cross, the site will … view

Greene King reports managed like-for-likes up 0.4%: Greene King has reported like-for-like sales in its managed division rose 0.4% in the 52 weeks to 3 May. Sales within its manage pubs hot £1bn for the first time. Its tenanted division, … view

Casual Dining Group to create 2,000 jobs thanks to 40 Bella Italian openings in three years: Casual Dining Group’s Bella Italia brand has unveiled plans to create over 2,000 new jobs nationwide thanks to a growth plan which will see 40 … view