Coffer Peach Tracker – like-for-like sales up 7% over Easter; restaurants see biggest benefit: The Easter weekend provided a boost for Britain’s leading restaurant and pub groups. Collective like-for-like sales were up 7% on the four-day Easter holiday last year. Total sales, which include the impact of new site openings, were ahead 10.4%, according to Coffer Peach Business Tracker figures. Restaurant chains performed best, with collective like-for-likes up 9% and total sales ahead 14.6%. Even so, pub groups still saw collective like-for-likes 6.2% ahead of Easter 2012, with total sales up 8.8%. A combination of drier, if colder, weather and the start of school holidays appear to have been the main drivers. “The weather again played a big part,” said Peter Martin of Peach Factory, the business intelligence specialist that produces the sector Tracker, the sector’s biggest and most comprehensive performance barometer, in partnership with Coffer Group, Baker Tilly and UBS. “Although this Easter was bitterly cold, it was sunnier and drier than the Easter weekend last year, which was generally wet and miserable. People seemed much happier, if not relieved after last month’s snow, to get out and about,” Martin said. “Last year, Easter was also a week later, from April 6 to 9, and came at the end of, and even in some parts of the country after, the school break. For most families, this year it kicked off the holidays.” Mark Sheehan, managing director of Coffer Corporate Leisure, said: “Easter 2013 was a good weekend for both restaurants and pubs, and the hospitality sector now awaits the beginning of Spring, which, when it arrives, will benefit many operators with outside space, with weak comparables against the wettest Spring on record in 2012.” Paul Newman, co-head of leisure & hospitality at Baker Tilly, added: “The impact of the gale force winds and snow storms in 2012 cannot be understated and we see these strong like-for-likes as more of a return to the long run average. Having one fewer bank holiday to look forward to this year may have also spurred consumers to make the most of their free time during a continuing poor macroeconomic, and meteorological, outlook.”

The Mail on Sunday – Chancellor George Osborne has vetoed consultation on pubco regulation: The Mail on Sunday has claimed that Chancellor George Osborne has vetoed plans by Business Secretary Vince Cable to start a public consultation this week on statutory tenanted pubco regulation. The newspaper claims that the Chancellor has stepped in amid Treasury claims that the changes could strangle the industry with red tape and put up the price of a pint.

Fine dining district planned for Edgbaston: Owners of the Calthorpe Estate in Edgbaston plan to piggyback on the city’s growing foodie reputation by developing a fine dining quarter near the Michelin-starred Simpsons Restaurant. A six-bedroom boutique hotel and cocktail lounge called The Edgbaston is to open at 18 Highfield Road later this year, as part of property investment company Calthorpe Estates’ plans. The new venue from Stuart and Darren Insall, owners of Warwickshire cocktail lounge and boutique hotel The Kenilworth, is in a Georgian building most recently used as offices. Julia Willoughby, spokeswoman for Calthorpe, said plans for a food hub were a ‘diversity strategy for the portfolio and about having the right mix on the estate’. “People living and working in the area don’t always want to go into Birmingham,” she said. “If you look at London there’s different suburbs and Edgbaston is a place in its own right and there’s not enough retail and leisure at the moment.”

Cask Marque releases upgraded app: Beer quality kite-mark body Cask Marque has launched an upgraded app. Much of the upgrade is based around aspects of the ‘World’s Biggest Ale Trail’ - drinkers can organise their ale trail visits by differentiating on the map between those pubs which they have visited (red icon) and those still on the wish list (blue icon). The CaskFinder app is used over 50,000 times a month to discover Cask Marque pubs. The app now allows users to keep track of favourite pubs visited and beers sampled - and provide feedback on beer quality and service. Paul Nunny, of Cask Marque, said: “We have a target of 100,000 uses a month by the year end. This upgrade will further engage cask ale drinkers and deliver more footfall to Cask Marque accredited pubs. A recent NOP survey showed that 64% of 21-44 year old cask ale drinkers recognise the Cask Marque plaque. This is a higher percentage than other age groups in part due to the CaskFinder app.”

Technomic – UK operators are introducing pies with a twist: Insights firm Technomic has reported that UK foodservice operators are ramping up the number of speciality pies with a twist on their menus. Technomic’s Patrick Noone said: “Few foods are as quintessentially British and comforting as savoury pies, and judging by UK menus, interest in this nostalgic classic is growing.” The number of speciality pies on UK menus increased 89% in the third quarter of 2012 over the same period a year earlier, according to Technomic’s MenuMonitor database. Four in ten UK consumers ages 18-44, in a poll conducted for Technomic’s 2012 UK Ethnic Food & Beverage Consumer Trend Report, said they enjoy dishes that integrate ethnic flavours and ingredients into traditional cuisines and items. Noone added: “Whether taking their influence from elsewhere in Europe, Mexico or the Middle East, classic and comforting savoury pies and pasties offer an accessible platform for doing just this.”

KFC introduces boneless chicken pieces – forecasts the disappearance of bones: KFC is introducing deep-fried boneless chicken pieces at 4,500 US locations on 14 April. It’s planned as an alternative to its traditional breast, thigh and drumstick pieces. KFC reports nearly four out of five servings of chicken sold in the US are now boneless. Based on customer trends, the chain says bones could eventually disappear from its menu. “Younger people don’t tend to be fans of bones — they’ve grown up with nuggets,” said KFC spokesman Rick Maynard.

Price of vegetables likely to rise: The price of potatoes has risen by 50% because of low yields linked to cold and wet weather in the UK. The price of carrots, peas, tomatoes and onions is also likely to rise. The cost of seasonal British fruit is expected to be 6% higher this year. Graeme Beattie, of Branston Potatoes, told The Sunday Telegraph: “Customers are likely to notice the hike but unfortunately it has become unavoidable. Nothing grows in these temperatures – it’s the beginning of April and I can’t find a single leaf, which is incredibly rare.”

AA Gill – Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs a triumph of form over hospitality: Sunday Times critic AA Gill has described London restaurant Bubbledogs, which serves just champagne and hotdogs, as a perfect example of form over function. “I’ve reviewed it before - it’s dreadful. It (also) has a back room. Now, ten years ago, this would have been another dining room or a bar because the little restaurant is terribly cramped and there’s a queue waiting to get in. But no, they put a completely different restaurant in, both in intent and aspiration.” He adds: “It’s a triumph of form over hospitality.” 

Marston’s opens first Scottish new-build pub with lots of local touches: Midlands-based brewer and retailer Marston’s has opened its first new-build Scottish pub. The 180-cover Pine Marten has been opened as part of the East Lothian Gateway development in Dunbar. It has a Scottish-themed rotisserie menu. Manager Julie Foster said: “The menu will have a choice of local favourites. There’ll be cullen skink, neeps and tatties, pie with chips and beans, and mince and tatties, too - not to mention macaroni cheese, which seems very popular.” Nigel Whitfield, area operations manager, said: “We’ll be opening three more pubs this year around Scotland. We’re hoping to open at least five a year for the next few years so this is a very exciting time for us.”

David Bruce set to become chairman of West Berkshire Brewery: City Pub Company chairman and Capital Pub Company founder David Bruce is to become chairman of West Berkshire Brewery, according to The Times. The company, founded in 1995, is looking to raise £5m through an Enterprise Investment Scheme so it can build a pub estate. Bruce has invested £50,000 for a small stake but it could rise to a 10% holding based on the amount of EIS funds he helps to raise, The Times reports.

Davy’s launches Reward Card: Davy’s, the London wine bar, restaurant and wine merchants group, has launched a unique “Rewards Scheme” that offers customers the opportunity to collect points for pounds spent in their wine bars and restaurants, exchangeable for home delivery wines. Davy’s Premier Cru Cards can be collected from any of their 25 participating sites across London. Chairman James Davy said: “We have waited a long time for the technology capable of competently delivering this scheme, and now we are delighted to be up and running. It is a great opportunity to reward our customers and cross-market different elements of our business. With over 1,500 registered cardholders in the first few weeks, we are on track to achieve over 10,000 registrations in the first year of launch.”

Cinnamon founder hatches plan for street food entrepreneurs: Iqbal Wahhab, who runs Cinnamon Club and Roast, has revealed that he is working on a plan to finance street food entrepreneurs. He said: “Street food stands and trucks are a great way for young businesses to start up at low cost, but who is around to scale them up? The banks won’t touch them at this early stage and private investors invariably speak a different language to these budding entrepreneurs so they find themselves at an impasse on how to grow. There’s big money looking for homes in acquiring big restaurant chains like we saw recently with Giraffe. To make the London dining scene more vibrant and varied, we need to find ways of scaling up the enthusiasm that street food has given us and fund the new wave of food entrepreneur. Watch this space – a cunning plan is being hatched.”

Orchid free house dining segment will offer George’s a free drink on St George’s Day: Orchid Group’s Free House Dining pubs are to offer customers called George or Georgina a free drink on St George’s Day, Tuesday 23 April. “St George is an incredibly important person in British history and we want to celebrate him in style,” said Wayne Penfold, marketing manager. St George’s Day also sees the release of the new spring/summer Free House Dining menu. New dishes include: two new summer salads, a ‘fully loaded chilli dog’, a ‘mega chip shop platter’ and Mediterranean-themed Italian summer sharer. To claim their free drink, Georges and Georginas must show proof of ID, such as a driving licence, passport or birth certificate. 

Simon French – we are raising our price target on Prezzo shares: Panmure Gordon leisure analyst Simon French has raised is price target on Prezzo shares from 70p to 86p. The company will report results for the 52 weeks to 30 December this Wednesday (10 April). He said: “We forecast £17.5m profit before tax (5.6p EPS) broadly in line with consensus expectations of £17.4m profit before tax (5.5p EPS). We do not anticipate much detail on current trading but expect the group to reiterate its guidance of circa 25 new restaurant openings per annum. We expect continued cost inflation in food and utilities, which we anticipate the group will look to offset through lower levels of discounting.”

Snug Bar set sites on two new openings in 2013; starts Hertford refurbishment: Snug Bar, the five-strong chain led by Giles Fry, has set its sites on two new openings in 2013. Meanwhile, the company has closed its Enterprise Inns site in Hertford for a refurbishment after six years of trading at the site that have seen like-for-like increase each year – it is due to re-open on Saturday 14 April. Fry told Propel: “The bar is changing to fit in with our new look Snug design similar to our newest site in High Wycombe. There will also be a new music system being installed and the guests will get to try our new menus, which we are launching at the same time. Food is all homemade and focuses on quality burgers and sharing appetisers. We also have a great rack of “cola ribs”. There is a new “Little Red Book” of cocktails, which sees us introduce 20 new cocktails including a Tiki range and sharing bottle rack of cocktails.”

Starbucks becomes first UK coffee operator to sign up for suspended coffee campaign: Starbucks has become the first British chain to sign up to a goodwill initiative allowing customers to buy a beverage and reserve one for the homeless. The idea was pioneered in Naples and subsequently spread to Bulgaria, where 150 cafés have established the idea that allows customers to reserve a beverage for others unable to afford them and be rewarded with the “warm feeling” of a charitable donation. Starbucks will match the value of each suspended coffee bought in a cash donation to Oasis – a charity operating in more than 35 communities worldwide. Vice-President of marketing at Starbucks UK Ian Cranna the company wanted to play its part in contributing to a “structured and long-term” initiative that gets “help straight to those who want and need it the most”.

Maclay Inns reports pre-tax loss after impairment charge: Scottish pub operator Maclay Inns has filed full accounts at Companies House that show operating profits down 3.7% to £718,302 on turnover of £10,435,249 (2011: £9,922,554). The company reported a pre-tax loss of £722,369 after a property impairment charge of £679,654. Sales performance was down by 0.1% while average profit per pub dropped 0.4%.

St Austell reopens Cornish pub after £388,000 refurbishment: Cornish brewer and retailer St Austell has re-opened the eight-bedroom Port William Inn at Trebar with Strand with new al fresco dining and increased restaurant capacity after a £388,000 refurbishment. Adam Luck, estate director for St Austell Brewery said: “The Port William Inn is one of North Cornwall’s hidden gems and boasts some of the best views of any pub or hotel in the county. The increased dining capacity will be a big boost for the restaurant, which is regularly fully booked in advance for dinner service, and the new dining area and outdoor terrace will make a great spot to sit back, taking in the dramatic coastal views.”

Costa Coffee franchisee promises one of the most beautiful Costas in the UK: A Costa Coffee franchisee will open a site in the village of Datchet, near Windsor, Berkshire today (population: 4,646) that will be one of the ‘most beautiful’ in the country. The new store will be on The Green, Datchet, at the former site of The Morning Star pub. Franchise owners Emilio Aleo and Kerry Morgan operate five other Costa across the south east. Aleo said: “It’s not a standard set-up here, and the extra work on it has taken up about a year. It’s been worth it, though, because it will be enchanting, quirky and stunning. It will certainly be one of the most beautiful Costas in the country.”

Spirit converts Blackpool pub to Fayre and Square brand: Managed operator Spirit is investing £175,000 converting The Outside Inn, in Whitehills Business Park, Blackpool to its Fayre and Square brand. General manager Richard Johnson said: “Our pub is unique and I think it’s important that we are retaining the personality of our pub while bringing in a national brand.” The pub is set to re-open on 26 April.

Enterprise Inns holds seven roadshows for licensees: Enterprise Inns is to host seven roadshow events for licensees, called Empowerlive. Taking place from 16 April to 9 May, the events are designed for licensees to extend their professional network, meet with preferred suppliers and get invaluable insight from leading industry experts, all under one roof and at a venue convenient to their pub. Enterprise head of pub marketing Robert Dale said: “We’re holding Empowerlive! events across the country because we want publicans everywhere to have the chance to get even more face to face support and advice from Enterprise, suppliers and on-trade experts alike. We are very aware of the busy lifestyles licensee lead. Therefore each event is packed with networking, information and business opportunities to make sure that attending the shows is well worth their time.” More than 80 suppliers will attend each show. 

Lucky Voice signs Irish deal: Karaoke chain Lucky Voice has signed a deal to partner Donegal entertainment complex Arena 7 to turn a private room into a karaoke venue. It’s the second overseas deal for the company, which signed a deal in Australia last November. 

Darwin & Wallace opens first site: New bar and restaurant company Darwin & Wallace, backed by the Imbiba Partnership Bar and Restaurant EIS fund, has re-opened The Ebury in Pimlico, an Enterprise Inns pub, as No 11 Pimlico Road. The site offers an all-day, casual bar dining experience with an emphasis on “interior aesthetics, fresh, scratch-cooked food and first rate service” as well as a wide-ranging drinks offer. It describes itself as ‘not quite bar, not quite restaurant’ – an all-day venue with a relaxed, eclectic style that is ’more home than high street’. The menu focuses on user-friendly, brasserie-style food with a European accent – from various ‘tossed and sandwiched’ options to Sunday roasts. The intention is to provide “superb value-for-money in a great setting at whatever time of day, or moment of the week”. Darwin & Wallace forecasts a targeted spend between £25 and £30 per head with food accounting for around 40% of sales. Darwin & Wallace aims to grow the business with further sites between 5,000 square foot to 7,000 square foot predominantly in affluent London ‘villages’ including Chiswick, Chelsea, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Notting Hill, Soho, Fitzrovia, West End, Hampstead/Haverstock Hill, Camden, Islington and Shoreditch. Darwin & Wallace is led by managing director Melanie Marriott, who has considerable experience in the creation of female-friendly and food led bars on the UK high street, most notably as brand manager of Mitchells & Butlers’ All Bar One.

Mitchell’s of Lancaster opens Star Pubs & Bars Horns Country Inn: Mitchell’s Of Lancaster has re-opened The Horns Inn, Churchtown, as a destination pub with a focus on locally sourced food and cask ale. It has created 20 jobs - the pub had previously been closed for two year. Mitchell’s of Lancaster has taken on the lease of the pub on a substantive agreement and invested £70,000 on fixtures and fittings alongside a £300,000 investment from Star Pubs & Bars. Chef John Noon said he was committed to making sure the venue was a ‘showcase’ for local producers. Jonathan Barker, managing director of Mitchell’s of Lancaster, said: “The Horns Inn is the latest pub we’ve taken on from Star Pubs & Bars. The pubs have in common good locations (and) co-investment to ensure the long-term future.” It’s the fourth Star Pubs & Bars site operated by Mitchell’s.

Christie report profit and turnover up: Christie Group has reported revenue increased by 5.4% to £56.1m (2011: £53.3m) in the 12 months ended 31 December 2012. Profit before tax before exceptional items was £1.3m (2011: £0.6m). There was exceptional loss of £800,000 (2011: £0.4m) incurred by its Dubai office which ceased trading on 31 January 2013, David Rugg, chief executive of Christie Group, said: “Group performance was solid in a UK economy struggling for growth, but from a strategic perspective 2012 was an eventful year. We are developing our business models and we entered 2013 as a more flexible, productive business.”

Meantime Brewery plans ‘ultimate’ London beer: Greenwich-based Meantime Brewery is planning the ultimate London beer. The company has planted hundreds of hop plants around the capital - including 14 in east London - to create a beer known as Meantime’s True Brew of London. Canary Wharf’s Waitrose and Canteen are joining the initiative, while, south of the Thames, the Old Brewery, the Union and Cutty Sark are also cultivating the hops. In Stratford The View Tube, next to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, is also taking part in the urban hop farm scheme. The beer should be available by the end of the year. Chief executive Nick Miller said he hopes the scheme will encourage people to drink locally brewed beer. “While brewing was an industry that declined to an almost terminal point in London during the 1990s, a new generation of modern craft businesses has got it back on its feet and there are some fantastic beers that are bold, full of flavour and character - just like the city itself. The True Brew of London is about championing our Capital’s rich brewing heritage.”

Punch Taverns warns of covenant default if bondholder don’t accept restructure plan: Punch Taverns has warned it senior bondholders that it might be forced to withdraw support for one or both of its two debt securitisations if they are unable to support restructuring proposals by the end of June. Executive chairman Stephen Billingham, whose proposals were rejected by senior bondholder last week, said that a lack of agreement “would result in a covenant default in the relevant securitisation”. The ABI committee of senior bondholders has stated that Punch’s plan unfairly favours a group of five US hedge funds speaking for 50% of the shares at the expense of the Punch A senior bondholders. “If the debt restructuring proceeds, we estimate that Punch’s share price would be 26p,” Douglas Jack, Numis Securities analyst, said – 26p is twice the current stock level.