Exclusive – Deliveroo to open high street restaurant for staff training: Listed delivery firm Deliveroo is to launch its first high street restaurant, which it states will be used to train staff and help it “find better ways to serve … view

Sector again calls for further support as restaurants, pubs and bars ‘lose average of £10,000 in week before Christmas’: Pubs, bars and restaurants lost £10,335 on average in the week leading up to Christmas, according to new data f … view

A classic trope in horror, sci-fi or gangster films, is the scene when the beast/baddie appears to have been killed off, and as the main protagonist relaxes, they come back to life for one last … view

Enforced closures ‘could back nightclubs into corner with no chance of survival’: Nightclub bosses have warned imposing further restrictions on the sector would back firms “into a corner with no chance of survival” as they urged t … view

Hospitality bosses plead for clarity over possible post-Christmas restrictions as studies show Omicron is milder: Prime minister Boris Johnson will wait until after Christmas Day to announce any post-festive covid changes, after studies s … view

Boxpark planning to quadruple in size over next five years: Boxpark plans to grow its estate from three to 12 sites over the next five years, founder Roger Wade has told Propel. Boxpark – which operates sites in Shoreditch, Croydon and … view

Wales to return to tighter hospitality restrictions from Boxing Day: The Welsh government has announced a return to tighter hospitality restrictions from 6am on Boxing Day following a surge in Omicron cases. The new measures will see the … view

Two-week circuit breaker ‘to be imposed within days’: Prime minister Boris Johnson has declared that Christmas can definitely go ahead “cautiously” – but new restrictions could be unveiled in as little as 48 hours, throwing new … view

Hospitality’s £1bn aid package ‘too little too late’, new Scottish restrictions ‘the final straw’: The UK Treasury’s £1bn support package for the hospitality and leisure industries have been blasted as “too little too late … view

Hospitality bosses facing £1.5bn rent bill within days as fears grow over fresh lockdown in January: Pub and restaurant chiefs are braced for a wave of bankruptcies as a £1.5bn rent bill is due on Christmas Eve after covid restrictions … view

Weekend hospitality sales plummet over Omicron fears, third of nightclubs fear permanent closure: More than half (54%) of venues were down more than 40% in revenue last weekend, with one in five businesses reporting a crushing sales drop … view

Rishi Sunak has ‘just 24 hours to save 10,000 pubs and restaurants from permanent closure’: Chancellor Rishi Sunak has just 24 hours to commit to a package of support for businesses or risk the permanent closure of 10,000 pubs and res … view

More than 100,000 businesses write to government demanding urgent sector support: More than 100,000 hospitality, leisure and retail businesses have written to the prime minister and chancellor of the exchequer calling for urgent assurance … view

Emeny – we are closing 20 of what would have been our busiest sites indefinitely: Simon Emeny, chief executive of Fuller’s, has said that the company is closing 20 of what would have been its busiest sites in London indefinitely, as s … view

Wales to close its nightclubs after Boxing Day: Wales is set to see a return to tougher covid restrictions after Christmas following a surge in Omicron cases in the UK. The first minister has announced a mixture of advice for over the Chr … view

Sector shutting sites early and planning redundancies as businesses hit by ‘double whammy’ amid record covid cases: Industry bosses are shutting sites early and planning redundancies as the impact of the Omicron variant and “Plan B� … view

Domino’s UK ends dispute with its franchisees and maps way ahead: Domino’s Pizza Group has announced it has reached an agreement with its UK franchisees to resolve long-standing grievances. The company stated: “Despite a long histor … view

Sector bosses accuse government of shutting industry by back door as calls for financial support continue to be rejected: Sector bosses have accused the government of closing the industry by the back door as calls for financial support fo … view

NTIA – these additional restrictions will jeopardise the survival of businesses in 2022: Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), has said covid passports for nightclubs, which were voted into law l … view

Health chief warns pubs and restaurants could close by January even without restrictions: Fears have been raised that UK pubs and restaurants could be forced to close by January – but due to a spike in covid cases sparking staff shortag … view

Businesses to get more funding and possible furlough support if further lockdown is imposed: Businesses will be supported with new state funding, including a potential return to furlough, if prime minister Boris Johnson orders further loc … view

Sector sales down by 9% following Plan B announcement: Hospitality sales dropped by 9% following the government’s Plan B announcement last week, according to the latest data from S4labour, the online labour-scheduling management system … view

Tim Martin says country ‘appears to be heading towards lockdown by stealth’ as JD Wetherspoon warns new restrictions will hit sales: JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has said the country “appears to be heading towards a lockdown b … view

Franco Manca owner set to put payouts back on menu: The operator of the Franco Manca and Real Greek restaurant chains is expected to start paying dividends at its full-year results after strong trading. The Times reports Fulham Shore’s … view

Oakman reports 16.3% like-for-like sales growth, best ever openings pipeline: Oakman Group, the Dermot King-led pub-restaurant operator, has reported like-for-like sales growth of 16.3% for the 21 weeks to 5 December, versus the same peri … view

More than 130 sector operators call on ministers to provide financial support in wake of new restrictions: The hospitality sector has pleaded with the government to provide more support in the wake of the Plan B announcement, as it warned … view

Pint could rise by 10p as pubs suffer Christmas cancellations: The cost of a pint is expected to rise by 10p as pubs experience widespread cancellations of Christmas bookings because of concern about the Omicron variant and new coronaviru … view

Adam Breeden planning new racing simulation concept: Adam Breeden, the co-founder of All Star Lanes, Hijingo, Bounce, Flight Club and Puttshack, is planning to launch a racing simulation concept in central London under his new Kindred Con … view

Hospitality sector calls for urgent financial review to survive: UKHospitality, Croydon BID, Boxpark and Mayor of London have joined a call for an urgent review into financial support for the UK’s hospitality sector following the govern … view

Kitchen Ventures plans £5m funding round, makes regional debut: Kitchen Ventures, the cloud kitchen and virtual dining start-up, is to launch a £5m funding round next year, Propel has learned. Kitchen Ventures is the brainchild of Jonny … view

Sector blasts government for introducing Plan B covid measures, including vaccine passports for nightclubs: Hospitality operators have blasted Downing Street’s new “Plan B” covid restrictions, saying vaccine passports and work from … view

It has been a rollercoaster of a year for hospitality, full of challenges and uncertainty, but also one of adaptation and recuperation. As we reach the end of 2021, we remind you o … view

Fridays operator reports Ebitda ahead of comparable 2019 figure: Hostmore – the hospitality business that operates American-themed casual dining brand, Fridays, and the cocktail-led bar and restaurant brand, 63rd+1st – has reported th … view

Harrods restaurant workers call off strike after landing 25% pay rise dubbed a ‘benchmark for the hospitality sector’: Restaurant staff Harrod’s have called off a threatened strike during Christmas week after securing a 25% pay incr … view

Notable positive shift in operators now trading as normal, but staff recruitment and supply issues significant challenges: There has been a notable positive shift in those operators who have returned to a normalised level of trading, but … view

Fulham Shore – we have 21 sites in legals: Franco Manca operator Fulham Shore has reported strong revenue growth in the six months to 26 September and continued buoyant current trading ahead of management's expectations – it has 21 si … view

Rise in distressed hospitality venues predicted in new year, but not at levels previously feared: Christie & Co has warned of an “uptick” in distressed properties in the hospitality industry in the new year, but not at the kind of lev … view

Richard Caring takes day-to-day control of restaurant business, as CEO Berisha departs: Serial sector investor Richard Caring has taken day-to-day control of his restaurant empire, which includes Bill’s and the Ivy Collection, after the … view

Propel celebrates tenth birthday – Part Two: This week, Propel is celebrating its tenth birthday. All week readers and customers have been sharing their feedback on the first decade. Steve Richards, chief executive of Parkdean Reso … view

Asda and Lean Kitchen Network launch new Food Lab concept: Lean Kitchen Network (LKN), the digital brand creation and food delivery business backed by Edition Capital, has partnered with Asda on a new food counter concept called Food Labs … view

Anand – we’re taking a half billion bet on the pub industry: Ex-Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand has said his new vehicle RedCat is taking “a half billion bet on the pub industry”, as it moves toward owning 100 pubs since … view

Pho – we are looking at 2022 with confidence, lfls up 23%: Patrick Marrinan, managing director of the TriSpan-backed Pho, has said the Vietnamese street food restaurant group is looking toward 2022 with confidence after seeing like-for- … view

Loungers reports like-for-likes up 23.4%, sales outperform pre-pandemic levels: Cafe bar operator Loungers has reported it had “continued to consistently outperform the sector”, with like-for-like sales growth of 23.4% across the 28 w … view

Andrea – we plan to reposition 290 food-led pubs to meet changing consumer dynamics, drops breakfast and delivery: Andrew Andrea, chief executive of Marston’s, has said the company plans to reposition 290 food-led pubs to meet changin … view