Olympic legacy produces record number of visitors to the UK: The UK has begun to reap the legacy of the London Olympics in 2012 with a record number of visits by overseas residents last year, with foreign tourist spending during their trips also reaching an all-time annual high. Overseas residents made 32.89 million visits to the UK in 2013 – a rise of 6% on the 2012 total and higher than the previous record of 32.78 million set in 2007. The amount foreign visitors spent last year rose 13% to a record £20.99 billion, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. The visits included 12.78 million for holiday purposes – a 7% rise on the 2012 figure – while the number of business trips rose 7% to 7.93 million. Sandie Dawe, chief executive at VisitBritain, said: “Not only have we managed to surpass the £20 billion barrier for the very first time (for annual overseas visitor spending), but we’ve broken records for holidaymakers and visitors from key growth markets such as China and South Korea. Holiday figures are up across the whole of Britain. Every pound invested in our tourism marketing results in visitors spending £19 in this country. The financial benefits from inbound tourism are clear for everyone to see.” On Tuesday, South Down MP Margaret Ritchie urged the government to provide an even greater stimulus for tourism by cutting VAT in the sector. She said: “As was pointed out in a report by Deloitte in 2011, the UK is the only country in the EU that does not apply a reduced rate of VAT to some part of its tourism sector. If we compare Ireland and the UK, we see a tale of two governments. The introduction of a 9% VAT rate for tourism-related business and services made 2013 the most successful year since the financial crisis for Irish tourism, with visitor numbers up 10% and more than 9,000 jobs created.”

Proposed licensing fee caps are too high: The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has criticised proposed licensing fee caps, contained with government plans for a new regime for fees, as too high. Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “While it is right that the Home Office has accepted the principle of a cap on fees, the proposed limits are far too high, and the removal of bands could hit smaller premises hard. A pub in Band B, the most typical band, would currently pay £180 per year for their licence, yet the new cap proposed is £740. With such high caps, there is still a real danger that cash-strapped councils will be tempted to hike up fees dramatically, damaging local pubs. Pubs do not enjoy any subsidy; they pay hugely into public coffers through the taxation system, through beer and other alcohol duties, business rates, and a host of other taxes. We will be making this very clear in our response.”

French law enshrines home-made restaurant dishes: A new French law will only let restaurants label a dish “fait maison” – homemade – when it’s made in-house from fresh ingredients. Supporters say the law could create jobs by encouraging a return to traditional restaurant cooking. Gastronomy is officially a national treasure: Unesco put French cuisine on its World Heritage List in 2010. However, a survey by the restaurant federation Synhorcat last year found 31% of French restaurants use at least some ready-made dishes.

Lynx Purchasing offers free market report at Casual Dining Show: Lynx Purchasing is launching a new report spotlighting the latest trends in the eating-out market. The Casual Dining Report will be available free from the Lynx Purchasing stand to all visitors to the Casual Dining Show, which is taking place at the Business Design Centre in London on 26 and 27 February. From menu styles and average spend to coffee trends and the cask beer boom, the report brings together data from a wide range of sources. It also includes information on issues such as food waste and consumers’ expectations of healthier choices on menus. John Pinder, managing director of Lynx Purchasing, said: “From official ONS and Treasury figures to specialist research by industry analysts, there is more data available to operators than ever before. However, the casual dining market is so dynamic, it can be a challenge to keep up.”

YO! Sushi founder in business mentoring initiative: Simon Woodroffe, founder of YO! Sushi, has signed up for an eight-month business mentoring initiative launched by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in association with The Times. The campaign will give businesses from across the UK the opportunity to win a month’s worth of priceless mentoring from Woodroffe, former Dragons’ Den investor. Businesses need to visit Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ website (www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/powerinpartnerships) and leave an overview of their current business challenges, the steps that they are already taking to overcome them and a compelling reason why Woodroffe should work with them. A selection event will then take place later in the year, where ten companies will get the chance to pitch to Woodroffe, and a panel of senior management from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and The Times, face to face before five winners are chosen. Each business will then receive a month of free mentoring by Woodroffe to help and advise them through their specific business challenge. Woodroffe said: “Business is about people, and I’m looking for individuals with drive and passion. The people I want to work with are ambitious, have vision, and want to make real change.”

US artisan pizza maker plans London openings: Bruno DiFabio, the operator of ten artisan pizzerias in the United States and six times world champion pizza maker, is planning to open five sites in London. He opened his first pizza location in the US in 1993. His San Francisco concept, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, turns over more than $5m a year and is only open five days a week. DiFabio, who is already operating in California, New York, Connecticut and Ohio, was approached by two American expatriates living in England. “They asked me if I would be interested in showcasing my New York Style pizza in London,” DiFabio said. The plan envisions five locations by the end of 2015, and areas under consideration for the initial rollout include Spitalfields Market in East London. “I’m going to turn the pizza world on its ear in London,” DiFabio said.

Heston Blumenthal company doubles profits: SL6, the company that operates Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck restaurant and Hinds Head pub in Bray, has reported pre-tax profits rose to £2.31m in the year to 2 June 2013, double the previous year’s figure of £1.6m. Sale rose to £12.75m from £11.2m the year before. The company paid out a £750,000 dividend in its latest financial year. Blumenthal sold his stake in the group to businessman Ronnie Lowenthal in 2008, while remaining as head chef, and SL6 now lists the Isle of Man-registered Lowenthal Corporation as its ultimate owner. The company employs 111 staff in its restaurant and pub and 24 administration staff. Lowenthal Corporation also owns Tapestry Management, the company that runs the Dinner restaurant in Knightsbridge, London, which was closed for a week earlier this month after an outbreak of the norovirus vomiting bug.

James Martin recruited by P&O to launch first on-board cookery school: P&O Cruises has recruited TV chef James Martin to set up the first cookery school on board a British cruise ship. Martin will develop The Cookery Club for Britannia, which makes its maiden voyage next March. He joins master patissier Eric Lanlard, in his first venture at sea, a patisserie range in the Market Cafe in the ship’s atrium. Fellow chefs Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith will also provide culinary expertise onboard. Passengers will be offered hands-on cookery tuition under the guidance of all five chefs. Guest chefs will also be invited to the cookery school, which can host classes for up to 24. Pre-registration for Britannia voyages opens today and cruises will go on sale on 27 March.

Japanese burrito bar to open in London’s Leadenhall Market: The latest Japanese-inspired food revolution sweeping the Californian coast will launch in London with the opening of the UK’s first “Japanese burrito” bar – Hai Street Kitchen & Co. The new fast casual dining concept opens this March in Leadenhall Market and will be followed by a US opening in Philadelphia this spring and two more sites in the UK later this year. 

BrewDog to hold Meet the Brewer event in Glasgow: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog is to hold a Meet the Brewer event on 1 March at SWG3, a non-profit arts space in Glasgow. The company said: “We have some of the best independent breweries in the UK joining us for an awesome day of beer, street food and music in one place. [There will be] Meet the Brewer talks with BrewDog, Tempest, Beavertown, Magic Rock and Brew by Numbers and there’ll be food from street food vendors Scoop and So La Ti Dough. There’ll be an American whiskey bar from Buffalo Trace serving Boilermakers paired to the best craft beer.” Customers can either buy an all-day ticket that gets them in to the Meet The Brewer events in the day as well as all the music at night, or separate tickets for each of the two parts of the day.

Drake & Morgan investor wins EIS award: The Imbiba Partnership has won an award for “Best EIS Exit of 2013” at the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA) annual awards for the sale of its investment in Drake & Morgan. Imbiba was recognised for its successful “buy, build and exit” business model, having exited Drake & Morgan, which is now controlled by Bowmark Capital and which aims to expand to up to 70 sites. Drake & Morgan investors saw a 5.7x return on the money they invested. John Connell of the Imbiba Partnership said: “We are delighted to have been recognised for the investment exit of Drake & Morgan by the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association. This transaction is consistent with our ‘buy, build and exit’ business model ,which we apply across our investments in the bar and bar/restaurant sector. Our approach is to nurture and build businesses through their start-up stage before handing over to new owners who then move the company to the next level. The Drake & Morgan exit is an exemplary example of our capability to deliver substantial shareholder value and our aim is to develop this successful model across our other businesses.” The Imbiba Partnership’s current investments include the West London bar/restaurant company Darwin & Wallace, which runs the recently opened No 11 in Chelsea, the City bar company Hawthorn and Hill and the London based events business Camm & Hooper, whose first site is Tanner & Co in Bermondsey, with the second opening being the Banking Hall in Cornhill in the City. In addition, Imbiba has invested in the Cedar Pub Company, which owns a group of tenanted pubs in the north of England.

Inventive Leisure freehold investment offered for £700,000 to £750,000: The freehold of a site in Sunderland’s Victoria Buildings tenanted by Revolution vodka bar operator Inventive Leisure is bring offered with a guide price of £700,000 to £750,000. The company pays a rent of £70,000 a year and has a lease that runs until February 2035 without break clauses. The site is offered through CBRE.

TLC Inns plans March opening for second Grand Central: TLC Inns, the award-winning pub and restaurant company led by Steve and Jo Haslam, is planning a March opening for its second Grand Central US diner site, occupying the former Boathouse premises in Ely that was traded by Cambcuisine for eight years. The company reported 30% like-for-like sales growth at its original Grand Central site in Basildon in January. Meanwhile, TLC is understood to be in negotiations on an eighth site, located in East Anglia.

Edinburgh’s premier gay venue comes on the market: Edinburgh’s premier gay venue, The New Town Bar, a free-of-tie lease, has come on the market through agent Christie + Co. The New Town Bar, which celebrated its 21st birthday recently, is on the corner of Abercromby Place and Dublin Street and is a gay institution in Edinburgh. The business, which was recently refurbished in 2011, has a well presented main bar as well as a basement bar/club which is popular at weekends. The basement bar has also been used as a licensed fringe festival venue. The total capacity of the unit is 253. Barry McNeil, of Christie + Co’s Edinburgh office, said: “This is a unique opportunity to acquire a free-of-tie lease in the heart of Edinburgh’s city centre. The business has traded very successfully for the last 21 years and a new opportunity exists for a motivated purchaser to take over an attractive lease.” Christie + Co is seeking offers over £60,000 for the premium with a rent of £35,000 a year.

Savills – UK pub operators likely to become key players in Ireland: UK pub chains are likely to become a key player in the Irish retail property market as they continue to expand into Ireland, the property consultancy company Savills says. The firm made the prediction as JD Wetherspoon acquired its second premises in Dublin and prepares to open its first pubs in Ireland this April. The British pub chain says that it could open between 30 and 50 additional pubs in Ireland over the next ten years. Greene King and Mitchells & Butlers are also believed to be considering opportunities in Ireland. Bernadine Hogan, retail divisional director at Savills Ireland, said: “We’re now seeing increased demand from food and drink retailers for prime city-centre space, with requirements currently outstripping the available stock. We expect this to continue in 2014, as a number of UK pub chains further expand in Ireland.”

Birmingham nightclub plans £2m move across town: The Birmingham nightclub Snobs has unveiled its new design ahead of a £2m move across the city. The new Snobs nightclub will include a sci-fi decor designed to mirror Doctor Who’s Tardis and a recreation of the old club’s famous wall of faces. The club will swap Paradise Circus for the old Vudu Club in Smallbrook Queensway this summer as its old home is redeveloped. The move will double capacity. Club owner Wayne Tracey said while he wanted the new larger venue to look more futuristic, the layout would still be reminiscent of its old base of 41 years. He said: “It was very important to us that we kept the same feel to the place. The Tardis effect, inspired by Dr Who, and the faces on the wall were an absolute necessity to take with us. They gave Snobs a certain feel that is crucial to transfer. We want people to come here and still feel like they’re in Snobs, but at the same time know a real effort has been made to bring the venue into the modern era. We’ve even kept the layout of the dancefloor the same as in the current venue. You can still walk all around the dancefloor at an elevated height before going down to join in the dancing. It was crucial that we recreated that feeling.” Snobs had been expected to move in April, but will now relocate later in the summer.

Landmark Edinburgh restaurant gets planning consent: Plans for a landmark new restaurant on the roof of a new Halifax Building Society on Princes Street in Edinburgh have been approved. The site will have views of Edinburgh Castle. Princes Street is being allowed to evolve from its traditional retail originals into a leisure and dining hub in a bid to boost its appeal. Planning officials had urged councillors to reject the application through fears it would weaken the shopping ambience of the city centre. But councillors voted through the proposal, bringing the first dedicated restaurant to Princes Street in decades. Dougie Peters, finance director of BAM Properties, the firm behind the planning bid, said: “This is great news for Princes Street, as we believe our proposals will help increase footfall to the west end of the street and, with the restaurant, also drive the council’s ambition to extend the Princes Street economy beyond retail trade hours. We’re speaking to a number of potential operators about the restaurant space. We are delighted to see this landmark building finally begin to come to life again.”

Burger King’s quarterly profits jump 37%: Burger King Worldwide reported a better-than-expected 37% rise in fourth-quarter profits as new products, including the Big King sandwich and Satisfries french fries, drew in customers in North America. The company reported a 1.7% rise in system-wide comparable sales for the quarter ended December 31, beating the average analyst’s prediction of a 1.3% rise. Sales at established restaurants in the United States and Canada rose 0.2%, much better than the average analysts’ estimate of a 0.4% fall. The company also saw strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region, with comparable sales growth of 6.2%, driven by Australia and South Korea. Net income rose to $66.8m from $48.6m a year earlier. However, Total revenue fell 34% to $265.2m, primarily due to the net re-franchising of 360 company-owned restaurants in 2013.

Punch tenant takes on second, independent pub: The tenant at a Punch pub in central London is opening a second, independent outlet in West London at the end of the month. Jeff Bell has been running The Gunmakers Arms in Clerkenwell, a Punch tenancy free of tie for ales, since 2009. He has now taken over and refurbished The Finborough Arms in Earl’s Court, including a green-tiled back bar and a cellar open to drinkers, with the stillage visible behind a glass wall. The pub will have 14 beer taps and feature beers from, among others, Portobello Brewery, Windsor & Eton Brewery and Birrifico Italiano from Italy, maker of Tipopils. The pub, built in 1868, was run as the Finborough Brasserie from 2006 until last year. It is also home to the Finborough Theatre, an experimental 50-seater theatre that occupies space on an upper floor.

Ping Pong to open in Westfield Stratford: Ping Pong is set to open at the Westfield Stratford shopping centre in East London on 3 March after a £500,000 spend to create a new look that includes a cocktail bar. The decoration is “urban Shanghai chic, both modern and 1930s”, the chain says, with the dim sum counter brought forward and a tea bar dressed with copper tea pots stacked high on timber shelves, in the tradition of Chinese tea houses. The cocktail bar will use ingredients such as yuzu, tapioca pearls, lychee and passion fruit. Art Sagiryan, chief executive of Ping Pong, said: “As a buzzing fashion and style hub, Westfield Stratford is an ideal place for Ping Pong to open, and the new location marks our growth outside of central London as we look to further expand our estate.” Ping Pong is looking for an average spend at the restaurant of £16 a head, and hopes to serve 2,000 covers a week. The new outlet, which was signed for in early December, will create 20 new jobs.

Cheltenham nightclub gets permission to convert to lap-dancing club: The Voodoo nightclub in Cheltenham has won planning consent to convert into a gentleman’s club called Diamond, despite fierce opposition. Close to 200 residents wrote to the authority to express their disgust at the plan. The club will be allowed to open between 10pm and 4am seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. The club expects to host between 75 and 100 customers a night, while Voodoo currently attracts between 300 and 400 people. Nigel Blair, commercial director of Bath Road Property which proposed the plan, said: “We would like to thank the committee for granting the application. We will continue to work with local residents to allay any fears they may have about the granting of this application.”

Whitbread wins consent for Hub in Kings Cross: Whitbread has won planning consent to open a six-storey Hub hotel in York Way, Kings Cross, North London on a site currently occupied by a carwash. Officers had raised concerns that more than 12% of the 408 rooms would not have windows, but Whitbread said these would be advertised as “pod-style” accommodation and would be priced accordingly. Derek Griffin, from Whitbread, said: “Our York Way hotel will be one of the first of its type in the country. Hub by Premier Inn is a new generation of compact, city centre hotel with contemporary room design and excellent connectivity, specifically designed to appeal to customers who value price, location and design over space.” He said the “pod” rooms would be more like small hotel rooms than Japanese capsules and also promised the new hotel would create 70 jobs, half of which will go to people in the area. The development includes two basement floors, along with landscaping in the surrounding area and retail units on the ground floor. As part of the deal, Whitbread has promised it will build no fewer than four bird and bat nesting boxes to help foster a habitat for biodiversity.

Chester’s The Exchange sold for £8.875m: Opus North, backed by the Palmer Capital Development Fund I, has sold The Exchange, the substantial mixed-use complex in Chester city centre, for £8.875m. The 70,000 sq ft building has been bought by Knight Frank Investment Management on behalf of the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group. The Exchange, which was previously occupied by British Telecom, is in St John’s Street, opposite the Roman ampitheatre. Tenants include Travelodge, Marston’s and PizzaExpress. The Grade A, three-storey office building, which is fully let apart from a 600 sq ft office suite, has been comprehensively refurbished by Opus North.

Las Iguanas to open in Glasgow in March: Las Iguanas, headed by former Wagamama chief executive Steve Hill, will open in Glasgow in early March. The brand is converting a former clothes shop on West Nile Street. Las Iguanas won the CGA Peach Icon award for Coolest Brand last year.

Marston’s to convert Street pub to its Milestone format: Marston’s Inns is to convert the Bear Inn in Street, Somerset to its Milestone rotisserie format. The Bear Inn will be closed from the evening of February 16, until April 7. A spokeswoman for Marston’s said: “The Bear Inn will close the evening of February 16 for refurbishment. The pub and kitchen will be extensively renovated, but when it opens again on April 7, it will have a rotisserie, offering spit-roasted chickens, as well as all the usual pub favourites and food menu. We think people will really like the new-look Bear, when it re-opens.”

£1m destination Italian restaurant to open at Albert Hall: A new destination Italian restaurant, Verdi, is to open at the Albert Hall in London on April 15 after a £1m refurbishment. It will replace the former Cafe Consort and will be the iconic venue’s sixth dining venue. The restaurant will be operated by Rhubarb, and provide 224 covers. Verdi Italian Kitchen will be open to the public for lunch and dinner, from Tuesday to Sunday, as well as for customers attending events at the Albert Hall. Jasper Hope, chief operating officer at the Albert Hall, said: “We have long wanted a restaurant dining experience that matched our ambition and was genuinely open to both ticketholders and those looking for something different in SW7. To see that now delivered in Verdi Italian Kitchen, along with great live music every week, is very exciting, and I’m sure will be a great addition to London’s ever more sophisticated food scene.”

Multi-lease Portsmouth landlord adds number four: A landlord who already runs three pubs around the Portsmouth area has now added his fourth. Steve Lant has taken on the tenancy of The Eastfield Hotel, in Prince Albert Road, Eastney, Portsmouth, an Enterprise Inns pub, after the previous tenant retired last month because of ill-health. Lant also runs The Nell Gwynne, in Jessie Road, Southsea, The Old House at Home, in Locksway Road, Milton and The Alma Arms, in Highland Road, Eastney. He has ordered three new beer engines so more cask ale can be provided and is seeking to increase the pub’s live entertainment. The pub is popular with local football fans, and Lant told The Portsmouth News newspaper: “It’s nice to take over a pub with a clientele that is already established. I want to move it forward and see if it can be taken to another level. I am training a team of staff through an apprenticeship scheme to ensure they are all up to standards.”

Domino’s expands NME Awards sponsorship: Domino’s Pizza has expanded its three-year relationship with the NME Awards to become an official brand sponsor of NME Awards 2014. Domino’s will deliver 500 large pizzas to more than 730 VIP table guests, 50 media and photographers and 150 backstage production crew at the event, at the O2 Academy Brixton in South London on February 26. This year Domino’s will have exclusive access at the Awards and will be reporting live via the official Domino’s Pizza UK Facebook and Twitter page with the latest news, views, nominations, pictures, videos and gossip throughout the night. As part of the sponsorship deal, Domino’s branding will feature on all NME Awards 2014 promotional materials and supported by a series of MPUs and banners on NME.com. The campaign will also feature on the official Domino’s UK blog. Nick Dutch, head of digital at Domino’s said: “We’re chuffed to become an official brand partner as it opens up a host of exciting opportunities. The greatest rockers and the greatest pizza – it’s a no-brainer.”

Three Tuns Brewery looks to pass £1m sales barrier: A brewery that was once one of the last four home-brew pubs left in England is looking to pass the £1m-a-year sales barrier, ten years after it was saved from closure. The Three Tuns brewery in Bishops Castle, Shropshire is now in separate ownership from the pub next door that gave it its name, and its cask ales are now stocked by more than 500 other pubs, including its first tied house, the Bridges at Ratlinghope, Shropshire. John Russell and Bill Bainbridge, who stepped in when the brewery was due to be sold and turned into a block of flats, are now looking to add three or four more tied houses to the estate. The brewery is currently producing 100 barrels of beer a week, after nearly £900,000 was spent on new water tanks, fermenting vessels and a state-of-the-art brewery kettle in the Victorian tower brewery building alongside The Three Tuns pub.

Chick-fil-A promises chickens raised without antibiotics in five years: The American fast-food chain Chick-fil-A has made a promise to serve chicken raised without antibiotics in its restaurants across the United States within the next five years. It has become the norm in the United States for farmers to feed healthy animals with antibiotics to force weight gain, although the EU banned the non-medicinal use of antibiotics in livestock production in 2006 as concern grew over the increasing level of drug-resistant bacteria. However, in the US no fast food chains are antibiotics free, and there are only three national antibiotics-free fast-casual chains, Chipotle, Panera and Jason’s Deli. In December, Chick-fil-A announced that it had removed yellow dye from its chicken soup recipe and was working to remove high fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients from products.