Artisan Burger Co reveals rewards scheme for investors: The fledgling better burger concept Artisan Burger Co has unveiled a rewards scheme for investors. The company is looking to raise £240,000 in return for 15% of its equity through the crowd-funding website Crowdcube. Bronze investors making a £250 investment will receive a 15% discount off food and drink for 24 months. Silver investors making a £600 investment will receive a 22.5% discount off food and drink for 36 months. Gold investors making a £1,250 investment will receive a 35% discount off food and drink for 48 months. Platinum investors making a £2,500 investment will receive a 50% discount off food and drink for 72 months. Yesterday, Propel reported that Artisan had hired the PR agency Roche Communications to support its first opening. Rochelle Cohen, managing director of Roche Communications, said: “We only represent restaurants we believe in, and I think Artisan Burger Co is a scalable concept that can be successfully grown throughout the UK. We love working with start-up brands and helping them grow. I looking forward to supporting Artisan Burger Co with its rollout.”

Branding guru to present at first Propel conference of 2014: Richard Samarasinghe, managing director of the design agency Mystery, which has created branded identity for Giraffe, Freshies, Caffe Italia and Za Za Bazaar among many others, presents on the importance of branding, and how a brand identity is created and then brought to life, at the first Propel Multi Club Conference of 2014. The event will be held on Thursday 13 March at the Lancaster London Hotel, Lancaster Gate, central London. Multi-site pub, restaurant and foodservice companies can claim up to two free places each. E-mail jo.charity@propelinfo.com to reserve places.

Chicago vending machines offers fresh salad options: A new salad vending machine service has opened in Chicago. Meals from the Farmer’s Fridge kiosks come packaged in recyclable plastic jars and customers can choose from several salad options as well as breakfast and snack items. Salads start at $7.99, with a weekly special “Jar Du Jour” for $6.99. All can be teamed with a portion of chicken, tofu or tuna for $2 and salmon for $4. Snacks such as Greek yogurt parfait, sliced vegetables and hummus sell for $3. Each is designed to offer healthy diet, providing a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. All the food is made fresh each day by Farmer’s Fridge and delivered by 10am to the automated kiosks. The company currently has two locations in Chicago for the kiosks.

Nation’s Restaurants News debuts 50 most influential US restaurant players: Nation’s Restaurant News has unveiled its first Power List, listing the 50 most influential individuals driving development in the restaurant industry. Sarah Lockyer, editor-in-chief of Nation’s Restaurant News, said: “The restaurant industry, and business in general, is changing at a pace never before seen. With this Power List, NRN set out to create a definitive list of the 50 most powerful people who are leading and shaping this change.” The top five, in descending order, are: Howard Shultz, chief executive of Starbucks; Steve Ells, founder and co-chief executive of Chipotle Mexican Grill; Julia Stewart, chief executive of DineEquity; Neal Aronson, founder and managing partner of Roark Capital Group; and Dan Cathy, chief executive of Chick-fil-A.

College Hill rebrands as Instinctif Partners: The sector’s leading financial public relations business, College Hill Group, which included College Hill, The College, College Public Policy, Policy Action, Green Issues Communique, Stockheim Media and Instinctif, has rebranded and unified its business operations under one single brand, Instinctif Partners. All the group’s operations, 20 wholly owned offices across 12 countries, will now be covered by the single brand.

Prime Minister paves way for pubs to stay open for Italy World Cup game: David Cameron has paved the way for a rethink on pub opening hours during the World Cup after ministers appeared to rule out extending them for England matches. Licensees had asked for serving times to be extended on two weekends during the tournament in Brazil this summer. The Home Office rejected the bid, saying the World Cup was not a “one-off” event like the Queen’s Jubilee. However, Cameron Tweeted: “I have ordered a rethink on pub opening times for England’s World Cup games – will consult with pub trade, police and councils.” England play Italy at 11pm BST on Saturday June 14. A No 10 source told the BBC: “We’ll now consult with the pub industry, police and councils on the best way to make sure pubs can be open for the Italy game at 11pm.”

 

Lords complain about House of Commons dining facilities: Members of the House of Lords have lodged a series of extravagant complaints about their taxpayer-subsidised restaurants, expressing their anger about the size of menus, “chaotic” table layouts and “inferior cappuccinos”. A steady stream of complaints have been sent to Lord Sewel, the chairman of committees, which were released in redacted form to the Independent newspaper after a Freedom of Information request. One peer even appealed for the return of “menus printed on light card” for guests to take home as souvenirs, while another said he had been left “scarred” after his dinner booking was cancelled suddenly. He complained that his wife was “unable to lunch elsewhere” because she was wearing a tiara. The installation of a controversial new coffee machine also attracted a series of complaints, the Lords saying it was “inferior” and left them “nowhere to go” for a decent cappuccino in the House.

Orderella on target for 1,500 sites by June: Orderella, the leading app that allows customers to order and pay for drinks and food with their smartphone, is on target to achieve its aim of having 1,500 sites signed up and using the app by this June. This month will see the app going live in Gordon’s Wine Bar, the oldest of its kind in London, located in the cellars by Embankment Tube Station, and roll-out starts this week with the McManus Pub Group. Orderella will also shortly go live with the Ignite Group, starting with the Loft bar in Bumpkin at Westfield, Stratford City, before being rolled out across Eclipse bars. The Orderella app will soon be launching at Porterhouse Group sites, both in Covent Garden, London and in Ireland, as well as Yager Bar, near St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The Port House tapas bar chain, which has sites in London and Dublin, will also soon have the app available for customers to use. Dennis Collet, Orderella’s chief executive said: “February is going to be a hugely important month for Orderella, as we dramatically increase the number of sites live and using the app. This is all in line with our aim of having 1,500 sites signed up to Orderella by the World Cup in June, as we believe the app will help operators to maximise sales opportunities during the sporting season.”

Norfolk steakhouse chain expands to Milton Keynes: Middletons Steakhouse & Grill, which operates outlets in Norwich and King’s Lynn, is to open a third site in Milton Keynes on March 21. The restaurant will be on Midsummer Boulevard, between the central shopping area and The Hub district, and is expected to create up to 60 new jobs. Over the coming months the site is undergoing renovation costing £1m as the premises are transformed into a 150-seater restaurant which the chain says will be the only dedicated steakhouse in the town. Stephen Hutton, director at Middletons Steakhouse & Grill, said: “Diners expect great variety and quality from Milton Keynes’s culinary offering, which is why we’ve chosen to bring our signature steaks to the area.”

Intertain signs Jongleurs licensing deal: Walkabout operator Intertain has signed a ten-year licensing deal with Jongleurs that will allow the company to convert its five Highlights comedy clubs to the Jongleurs name from 1 May. The five sites – in Camden, Birmingham, Leeds, Reading and Watford – were operated under the Jongleurs brand name when they were owned by Intertain’s predecessor Regent Inns. When Regent Inns went into administration in 2009 the rights to the name reverted to Jongleurs founder Maria Kempinska. Intertain was forced to re-brand its remaining comedy clubs under the Highlights banner. At the peak of the brand, Regent Inns claimed to be the largest employer of comedians outside of the BBC. In October last year, Momo Leisure, which ran five Jongleurs comedy clubs, collapsed into administration after losing two sites that it sub-leased from operators that have gone under. Momo Leisure ran sites in Birmingham, London and Bristol independently, as well as nights in Nottingham and Cardiff alongside the nightclub owner Luminar. By going into voluntary liquidation, the firm becomes the third company linked to Jongleurs to go under in four years. Momo Leisure left a creditor deficiency of £598,017 when it was placed in voluntary liquidation. Trade creditors were owed £170,445, including a debt of £32,000 to Marston’s, while directors are owed around £300,000 of the sum. The Jongleurs comedy club nights at Luminar’s Nottingham and Cardiff sites continued after the Momo collapse. 

Pret A Manger may be asked to stop giving food to the homeless: Sandwich chain Pret A Manger may face calls to curtail its food handouts to homeless people under a plan being considered by the London mayor. The company promised to keep providing free food to rough sleepers after minutes of meetings by mayor Boris Johnson’s rough sleeping group, obtained by the magazine Inside Housing under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that the Greater London Authority is considering launching a campaign that would flag to businesses the “unintended consequences” of giving food to homeless people. The practice of handing out food to rough sleepers has drawn criticism from councils because they believe it encourages homeless people to stay out on the street and attracts antisocial behaviour. A spokesperson for Pret A Manger said: “We believe it is better that our unsold food goes to people who really need it at the end of the day, and not in the bin. Providing food and support to those who are [homeless] is something we believe is the right thing to do.” The company, which gives 12,000 meals a day to homeless people in London, says it donates food to charities and hostels.

Whitbread staff earn share pay-out: Staff at Whitbread are sharing a £6m pay-out. The company reported that 895 members of a three-year share-save scheme would collect an average of £3,000 and that 160 staff in a five-year scheme would get an average of £21,000. The option price was set at £14.14 for the three-year scheme and £7.28 for the five-year scheme – Whitbread’s closing share price yesterday was £37.14. Those who saved the maximum of £250 a month stand to earn £69,000 on the five-year scheme.

Hammerson signs TGI Friday’s and Cosmo for Glasgow shopping centre: Hammerson has signed TGI Friday’s and Cosmo as the latest restaurants to join its £20m leisure extension at Silverburn, its flagship regional out-of-town shopping centre in Glasgow. TGI Friday’s is to open a 6,800 sq ft restaurant alongside Cosmo’s 9,900 sq ft pan-Asian restaurant and a 14-screen Cineworld cinema. They will open in late autumn. Chris Daly, catering leasing executive at Hammerson, said: “These two signings are another key milestone in the creation of Silverburn’s leisure extension. Along with the Cineworld cinema, the other new restaurants, and the existing offer, they will create a critical mass of offer that will establish Silverburn as the destination of choice for consumers in the catchment, not just for shopping, but for dining and leisure.” David Carroll, property director at TGI Friday’s UK, said: “Scotland is an important market for us and Silverburn’s already strong retail and leisure offer makes it a great option for a new TGI Friday’s. We are planning a full open kitchen, exciting dining area and a standalone bar.” TGI Friday’s and Cosmo will join Zizzi and PizzaExpress in the 100,000 sq ft leisure development, which is currently under construction.

Punch Taverns to open third Champs site: Punch Taverns is to open its third Champs sports bar in Hillsborough, Sheffield in the middle of this month. It will be the second Champs site opened in partnership with Danny Grayson, the multi-site operator who opened the first site on Ecclesall Road in Sheffield in 2012. The opening of the third Champs site comes a week after Punch revealed a second Champs Sports bar would be opening in Washington, Tyne and Wear.

Itsu founder Julian Metcalfe defends employment of foreign staff: Itsu founder Julian Metcalfe has defended the employment of overwhelmingly foreign staff at his London sites. He told The London Evening Standard: “You need staff who are really motivated. It’s tough. Out of every 100 applications, I think only three are English in London. The world wants to work in London. They speak English. It’s fun. If you’re 21, you want to get away from your village in Italy or Spain or Poland. Many are extremely determined, with really good degrees and a great work ethic. They don’t turn up 20 minutes late and then refuse to take their ear-piercings out.” Metcalfe described the style of food at Itsu as “something beautiful”. He said: “I want 300 or 400 calories to be delicious. I don’t want celery sticks dipped in hummus. If you’re healthy, you don’t want brown sludge with withered carrots. It’s got to be light, and completely beautiful.” Metcalfe reported that the recent Itsu opening in the Cornmarket in Oxford is out-selling the two nearby Pret A Mangers: “We sell to more customers and make more money than both put together.”

New World Trading Company to add five sites in 2014: The New World Trading Company (NWTC), the Living Ventures subsidiary backed by Hill Capital, has firmed up its plans to accelerate its roll-out and more than double the number of operating units this year. NWTC, created in 2011, currently has four sites: two Botanists in Alderley Edge and Leeds, an Oast House in Manchester and the most recent opening, the Smugglers Cove in Albert Dock, Liverpool. NWTC runs pub-style restaurants that serve local ales as well as champagnes and “creative cocktails”. The food offer is described as “a rustic deli menu with offerings from the BBQ, rotisserie and a selection of classic home comforts”. NWTC has been a “phenomenal” success, Living Ventures says, growing annual revenues to in excess of £4.5m to March 2013. A further five outlets will be opened in the current year, with sites located in London, Birmingham, Glasgow and two more in Manchester. The expansion will be funded through a new bank facility of £2.2m from Lloyds Banking Group. Tim Bacon, the non-executive chairman of NWTC, said: “This is an exciting moment for NWTC and its ambitious management team as the business moves from the experimental to proper roll-out phase. It has worked really well in the north and now we are confident to expand it further afield – London, Glasgow, and Birmingham – as well as consolidation in the north west.”

Wetherspoon lines up coaching inn in Biggleswade: JD Wetherspoon is in negotiations to open a new outlet in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire (population: 15,383). The company is believed to have bought the former Crown Hotel in Biggleswade High Street, an historic coaching inn. The premises, which are currently boarded up, were formerly owned by Greene King, which sold the inn late last year. The current owner is listed by the Land Registry as Marlborough House Real Estate Limited. Madeline Russell, chairman of 

Biggleswade Town Council’s town centre management committee, said: “Wetherspoon would be welcome in Biggleswade but I would hope that any refurbishment would be sympathetic to the building and to its historical significance to the town.” The Crown is the last remaining coaching inn in Biggleswade.

McDonald’s creates retail marketing director role to boost in-store experience: McDonald’s has promoted marketer Nathalie Pomroy to the newly created role of retail marketing director to spearhead its renewed focus on enhancing customers’ in-store experience. McDonald’s is looking to improve the in-store experiences across the UK in 2014. The promotion sees Pomroy continue to lead the fast food chain’s marketing function alongside additional responsibilities for field marketing and merchandising. She reports to UK managing director Mark Hawthorne, who took over from Jill McDonald last month. The new role aims to localise the company’s global efforts to increase investments in its restaurants, people and menu this year as it looks to generate more in-store traffic at peak times.

Tenant takes on second closed Enterprise pub: A pub tenant who took on an Enterprise Inns pub in Southampton in 2011 to stop it from closing has now done the same with another of the company’s tied houses. Kevin Guerrier became landlord of The Obelisk Pub in Woolston, a south-eastern suburb of Southampton, in June 2011 after the pub had been closed for three months. He has now taken on The Bitterne Park Hotel a mile to the north as well. Guerrier told his local newspaper: “I have a big issue with pubs closing down and as soon as I heard The Bitterne Park Hotel ceased trading I called Enterprise to try and take it over. I have been in there once before and found it quite dilapidated, but it was a lively pub and it will be again.” Enterprise Inns said: “We are very pleased to welcome Kevin Guerrier as the new publican of The Bitterne Park Hotel. Kevin is an experienced and successful local pub operator and we are confident the site has a great future in his hands.”

Restaurant plan lodged for former Leeds nightclub: A formerly troubled Leeds nightspot could be re-opened as a restaurant. The owners of Bar Noir, based in the Clock Buildings in Roundhay Road, Harehills, want to give it a new lease of life as a restaurant called Mexi Khana Halal. The venue was closed to the public in 2010 after an application from West Yorkshire Police for a full closure order. The police have lodged no objection to the latest application subject to various conditions. Businessman Antonio Chana, who also ran the previous establishment, told a panel of licensing officials that the new facility will operate as a health-focused family-friendly cafe during the day, and a Caribbean restaurant in the evening. He also wants permission to serve alcohol until 2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, and to play recorded music until 3am on those days.

Marston’s opens £7.4 bottling plant: Marston’s has opened a £7.4m bottling plant at its brewery in Burton-upon-Trent capable of processing more than 18,000 bottles an hour. The German packaging specialist KHS supplied the turnkey operation for the new bottling line. There are also four new 480-barrel conditioning tanks made by the local engineering firm Briggs of Burton to increase capacity for holding beer before bottling. Marston’s managing director, Richard Westwood, said: “At a time when Marston’s beers feature in one in four premium bottled beers in the UK, this investment was a move to future-proof our business. The new line requires less energy, allows us greater flexibility for our bottled beer portfolio and contract services, as well as bringing employment to the town with 17 new jobs.”

UK’s first pay-per-minute cafe faces closure: Ziferblat, the country’s first pay-per-minute cafe, is facing closure less than three months after opening, because of a lease dispute. The cafe has been issued with an eviction notice by its landlord, warning that it must leave its premises in Old Street, central London within 28 days because of the disputed use of the building. Ziferblat’s role as a cafe where customers make their own coffee and food, but pay by the minute, means it falls into a legal grey area between being classed as a “shared workspace” and a venue “selling food and drink”. Owner Ivan Mitin said: “I came from Russia, where sometimes you can rent a space in two hours, but then you know they can kick you away at any moment because law doesn’t mean that much. Here, the process of signing all the papers took us about two months. I thought, ‘OK, it is slow but then I will know for sure that we have five years here.’ Now it seems like it’s enforced like in Russia. This landlord just called us a restaurant and thinks we should leave within days.” Ziferblat’s building has a category B1 lease, for offices and shared workspaces, but the landlord says the tenant is breaching agreed conditions by operating a cafe.

Nando’s and Real China set for Redditch: Nando’s and the Real China buffet chain are to open sites at the Kingfisher Shopping Centre in Redditch later this year. Nando’s, which will be based in the Hub area of the centre, will open its doors on April 4. It has signed a 15-year lease to take on a 4,000 sq ft space for a 120-seat restaurant, originally used by TJ Hughes. The oriental buffet operator Real China is due to open the centre in May. Real China has a further two restaurants in the pipeline with one expected to open in June, while a fourth is still in talks. The Redditch openings are part of an £8m project to transform the centre. The Hub, which adjoins the Pure Gym and a Vue cinema, will be open from 11.30am until 11.30pm to boost the town’s evening economy and create up to 100 new jobs.

Travelodge to open 15 new sites this year: The budget hotel brand Travelodge is to open 15 new hotels across the UK this year as part of a £100m investment in expansion. Five new hotels will open in London, with other launches in Glasgow, Manchester, Southampton, Harrogate, Southport, Egham and Chertsey in Surrey, Christchurch, Llandudno and Ryde, Isle of Wight, which will take the Travelodge estate to 514 hotels and more than 39,000 rooms. Each new hotel will include the group’s new-look rooms, which feature the Travelodge Dreamer bed produced by Sleepeezee. Meanwhile, the company will continue its modernisation programme for existing hotels with the renovation of a further 11,800 bedrooms this year, at a cost of £37m.

Three restaurant brands line up for Bracknell scheme: Coast to Coast, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and PizzaExpress are taking sites in Bracknell town centre as part of the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership (BRP), a 50:50 joint venture between Legal & General Property and Schroder Property. Coast to Coast has taken a 6,405 sq ft unit on a 25-year lease, Gourmet Burger Kitchen has taken a 3,066 sq ft unit on a 20-year lease and PizzaExpress has taken a 3,170 sq ft unit on a 15-year lease. The news follows the announcements that Zizzi will be taking a 3,300 sq ft building on a 15-year lease and that Nando’s is taking a 6,000 sq ft unit on a 20-year lease. Neil Crawford, retail development manager at Legal & General Property, said: “These three latest pre-lets make a welcome addition to the excellent portfolio of quality restaurants that are already signed to come to the new town centre.”

Burger King trials chicken and waffle sandwich in US: Burger King is testing a chicken and waffle sandwich in the north-eastern United States. Burger King said the sandwich was one of a variety of items being tested regionally, and that no plans beyond the test had been solidified. Chicken and waffles, an American “soul food” dish when made with fried chicken and a Pennsylvania Dutch speciality when made with stewed chicken and gravy, has appeared in various iterations on several chain restaurant menus in recent years and is increasingly popular at independent restaurants.

Andy Maddock to become Caledonian MD: The Caledonian Brewing Company has announced that Andy Maddock will join the business in March, taking up the role of managing director, after the departure of Stephen Crawley at the end of December last year. Maddock is currently trade marketing controller for Heineken’s UK business and has undertaken a number of senior commercial roles in both Heineken and the former Scottish & Newcastle, both headquartered in Edinburgh. Andy will report to Keith Hogg, chairman of Caledonian, which is a subsidiary of Heineken, and best known for Deuchars IPA. Hogg said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome Andy on board at the Caley and he joins us at a very exciting time as we are poised to further benefit from the increased interest in cask beers. Working with our expert brewing team and leading the commercial strategy for the business, Andy will be working hard to expand the market for our great beers, and to carry on the strong tradition of independent operation for the brewery.”

Paveley steps down at Admiral Taverns: Jonathan Paveley is stepping down as executive chairman of Admiral Taverns after leading the business for four years. The group has appointed John Sands as non-executive chairman and Kevin Georgel as chief executive, effective immediately. Paveley oversaw the successful turnaround of Admiral, which culminated in the sale of the business to an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management at the end of 2012. To ensure an effective handover of the business, he chose to stay on for a year after the sale to Cerberus, during which time the company was named tenanted and leased pub company of the year at the 2013 Publican Awards. With the handover successfully completed, he will now pursue other opportunities. Paveley said: “I leave Admiral in splendid health, with an excellent management team, strong licensee relationships and great financial backers. I am proud of what has been achieved in four busy years, and wish the business well for the future.” Georgel, who has been managing director of Admiral Taverns since 2010, spent several years at Punch Taverns, rising to be operations director. Before that he was at Molson Coors, and he started his career in the industry at Bass in 1997. Georgel said: “It has been a pleasure working closely with Jonathan over the past four years. He has set the bar high, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue building on our achievements. Thanks to Jonathan’s leadership, Admiral has earned a tremendous reputation for operational excellence, one that we intend to develop further.” Sands, who has been a non-executive director of Admiral Taverns since September 2013, is one of the most experienced executives in the brewing and licensed retailing industry. In 1996, he led the management buy-out from Brent Walker of Pubmaster, which he built into one of the UK’s biggest pub companies. As executive chairman, he subsequently sold Pubmaster to Punch Taverns for £1.3bn. He has held a number of other leading positions in the industry and is currently chairman of the north east of England-based pub company Wear Inns. Sands said: “We are very grateful to Jonathan for the significant contribution he has made to Admiral Taverns and wish him well for the future. Our strategy remains unchanged – to become the UK’s best operator of tenanted, freehold community pubs by investing in our pubs and providing industry-leading support to our licensees. Kevin Georgel is an excellent choice for CEO, and I look forward to working with him and all of Admiral Taverns’ strong management team to drive the continued development of the group.”