JD Wetherspoon facing first strike by staff in company’s history: JD Wetherspoon is facing its first strike action by pub staff in the company’s history. The company has revealed the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) has gi … view

Whitbread to sell Costa to Coca-Cola for £3.9bn: Whitbread has entered into an agreement for the sale of Costa to The Coca-Cola Company for an enterprise value of £3.9 billion. The sale of Costa for an enterprise value of £3.9 billion, … view

Starbucks franchisee targets 150-strong estate following further £3.6m investment from Connection Capital: Following an initial £5.6m growth capital investment in 2015, Connection Capital has invested a further £3.6m into Starbucks UK … view

Australian virtual reality gaming centre to open debut UK site: Australian free-roam virtual reality gaming centre Zero Latency is bringing its experience to the UK. The company has agreed a deal to open MeetspaceVR at the Intu Victoria s … view

Richoux Group reports plans to raise £1.1m as it reports cost headwinds: Richoux Group, the owner and operator of 18 restaurants under the Richoux, Villagio, Friendly Phil’s, Zintino and The Broadwick brands, has provided a trading upd … view

Nestle and Starbucks sign marketing deal: Nestlé and Starbucks have signed a deal granting Nestlé the perpetual rights to market Starbucks consumer packaged goods and foodservice products globally, outside of the company’s coffee shop … view

McDonald’s under fire over chicken welfare: McDonald’s is under fire from animal welfare activists who have said the chickens it uses for food suffer heart failure and lameness because they are forced to grow fat too quickly. Menu ite … view

Greene King launches industry's first compostable straw solution: Brewer and retailer Greene King will introduce compostable PLA straws across its entire UK estate of 1,750 pubs as part of its pledge to send zero waste to landfill by 2020 … view

Fulham Shore – encouraging revenue increases, more properties coming on the market: Franco Manca operator Fulham Shore has reported an “increased revenue” trend ahead of its AGM today. David Page, chairman of the company, stated: � … view

Jamie Oliver – 'I don't know anyone in the restaurant industry that's doing high fives at the moment': Jamie Oliver has said he does not know "anyone in the industry that's doing high fives at the moment" as he described the struggle fo … view

Flour Pot Bakery reveals 'numerous' investment approaches, launches cafe/restaurant model for sixth site: Brighton and Hove-based artisan bakehouse Flour Pot Bakery has revealed it has received "numerous" investment approaches and is cons … view

Like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, the cyborg assassin, fictional scare stories about food price rises post-Brexit refuse to die. For example, the Sund … view

Luke Johnson part of consortium that acquires Hereford hotel: A consortium of predominantly Herefordshire-based investors, including sector investor Luke Johnson, has acquired The Green Dragon Hotel in Hereford. Johnson, who lives near Ma … view

Managed pub like-for-likes up 2.7% in July but restaurant sales plummet 4.8%: The heatwave in July was good news for Britain’s pubs but heaped more pressure on the country’s restaurant chains, the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker … view

Managed pub like-for-likes up 2.7% in July but restaurant sales plummet 4.8%: The heatwave in July was good news for Britain’s pubs but heaped more pressure on the country’s restaurant chains, the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker … view

Hakkasan streamlines portfolio to focus on ‘core performing assets’ as pre-tax losses jump to $145.5m, UK revenue down 11%: UK-based restaurant and nightclub company Hakkasan Group has revealed it has been streamlining its portfolio t … view

Brakspear to focus on opening bigger managed sites as Frogmill development gives company ‘new dimension’: Tom Davies, chief executive of Henley-based pub operator and brewer Brakspear, has told Propel the opening of its largest site t … view

Gavin Adair – Rosa’s Thai Cafe ‘consistently trading well above Coffer Peach Tracker, super property deals all over the place’: Rosa’s Thai Cafe managing director Gavin Adair has told Propel the company is consistently trading w … view

Vegan expectations rise as negative reviews increase 5%: Vegan expectations are rising highlighted by an increase in the number of negative reviews, according to new research by guest feedback, recovery and social reviews service Feed It … view

Friends of Ham saved from administration: Leeds-based bar and charcuterie brand Friends of Ham has been saved from administration by an independent buyer. The business, which has sites in Leeds and Ilkley, published a notice on The Gazett … view

Greene King reports 141% surge in apprenticeship applications: Brewer and retailer Greene King has reported applications for its apprenticeship programme have surged 141% following its 2016 pledge to take on 10,000 apprentices. This year … view

Gaucho boss – we’re discussing expansion opportunities with potential buyers, ‘business as usual’ despite administration: Gaucho chief executive Oliver Meakin has said the company is discussing expansion opportunities with potenti … view

Corks and Kegs to open 18 more UK sites for desi brand Burger Singh: London-based Corks and Kegs is set to open 18 further UK sites for Indian desi brand Burger Singh in the next three years. Burger Singh already has two UK sites – in C … view

Adnams reports First Half loss despite increased turnover: Suffolk brewer and retailer has reported a First Half loss as it beds in investments in its brewery and retail estate. Chairman Jonathan Adnams said: “After an exceptional year … view

Greene King executives opt to freeze salaries as company looks to control costs: Executive directors of brewer and retailer Greene King have had their salaries frozen this year – by themselves. Chief executive Rooney Anand and chief fin … view

BigDish sets out plan to bring dynamic pricing to UK restaurant sector: BigDish, the food tech company that operates a yield management platform for restaurants, has provided an update on its UK growth strategy. BigDish completed the 100% … view

Rockfish reports like-for-likes up 15% as it closes on three new sites: Rockfish, the seafood restaurant group founded by Mitch Tonks, has reported like-for-like growth of 15% in the quarter to July ahead of three planned openings in the … view

Domino’s reports like-for-like sales up 5.9% in First Half: Domino’s Pizza has reported group system sales up 12.8% to £616.6m in the 26 weeks to 1 July. UK system sales were up 8.3% with 22 new stores and 5.9% like-for-like growth ( … view

Benito’s Hat aims to double company estate following £1m investment, opportunity to add ‘significant numbers’ through franchising: Michael Pearson, managing director of Mexican restaurant brand Benito’s Hat, has told Propel he ex … view

Douglas Jack – restaurants are worst-placed going forward: Peel Hunt leisure analyst Douglas Jack has argued that restaurants are the worst-placed leisure sector segment going forward in terms of performance. In a note, he stated: “Th … view

German Doner Kebab looks to launch 800 to 1,000 restaurants in North America in next ten years: German Doner Kebab (GDK), which is owned by the Glasgow-based Sarwar family, has told Propel it is looking to launch between 800 and 1,000 res … view

Nominations for 2018 Dusk ‘til Dawn, the bar and nightclub sector awards, now open: Nominations for the 2018 UKHospitality Dusk ‘til Dawn Late Night Awards, the annual celebration of the UK’s late night hospitality sector, are now o … view

McDonald’s finds listeria in salads at 350 branches in France: McDonald’s has detected the presence of listeria in a batch of chicken caesar salad sold between 9 July and 14 July at 350 branches in France. The company has made a publi … view

Applegreen buys majority stake in Welcome Break: Applegreen, the petrol forecourt retailer with operations in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, has entered into contracts to acquire a majority holding in W … view

Arc Inspirations agrees new £7m senior debt deal with Santander to fund expansion: Arc Inspirations, the Leeds-based operator of a number of fast-growing brands including Manahatta, Banyan Bar & Kitchen and The Box, has announced a new s … view

Charles Wells to invest €3m in France estate: Bedford-based brewer and retailer Charles Wells has announced it will invest €3m a year during the next three years into growing its French estate of managed pubs. The news follows a hugel … view

Deliveroo urges government to give restaurants a break and simplify business rates: The government needs to simplify the business rates system to help operators, Deliveroo has said, after its research revealed tens of thousands of restaur … view