Horizons – US companies regard the UK market as ‘on fire’: Peter Backman, founder of the insights firm Horizons, has reported increased interest on expanding into the UK among American foodservice companies, with one supplier arguing that the UK market is "on fire". In his annual report on the market in the United States, after a visit to the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, Backman said: "In the words of a supplier of kitchen equipment around the world, ‘The US market is good but the UK is on fire.' However, and as always, the majority of US companies are not interested in the UK (or indeed any country other than the US). But one category of company that is very interested in the UK is the restaurant operator, because opportunities in the US are becoming more difficult to find. It’s not so much that the UK is the solution; rather it’s becoming international that is the solution. Operators need an expansion story based on growing overseas. Given that the growth model used by most US chains is based on franchising, this expansion should be easy. In fact, generally it’s difficult because effective and successful franchise partners that US chains want to find are too few outside the US. To be sure they are available, and owners of shopping malls in the Gulf are a useful example, but their footprint is too small, and the shape of the market in their area is too restricted, to create the opportunities for a noticeable number of outlets. Given the difficulties of finding suitable franchise partners, the UK at least appears to present an opportunity by virtue of its current growth and similar (but certainly not identical) eating-out culture as well as similarities in language, law and ways of working. But the UK is only one of other countries that fit into this mould which is why US chains are willing to consider growth opportunities in Russia (despite the current economic difficulties), Germany, and the Far East as a region."
 
French supermarkets to be banned from throwing or destroying unsold food: Supermarkets in France will be banned from throwing away or destroying unsold food and must instead donate it to charities or for animal feed, under a law intended to crack down on food waste. The French National Assembly voted unanimously to pass the legislation as France battles an epidemic of wasted food that has highlighted an apparent divide between giant food firms and people who are struggling to eat. As MPs united in a rare cross-party consensus, the centre-right deputy Yves Jego told parliament: “There’s an absolute urgency – charities are desperate for food. The most moving part of this law is that it opens us up to others who are suffering.” Supermarkets will be barred from deliberately spoiling unsold food so it cannot be eaten. Those with a footprint of 4,300 sq ft (400 sq m) or more will have to sign contracts with charities by July next year or face penalties including fines of up to €75,000 (£53,000) or two years in jail.
 
Top 100 nightclubs in the US gross $1.35bn: The top ten nightclubs in the United States by revenue, seven of which are in Las Vegas, gross a total of £550m, with the top 100 sites by revenue turning over a combined $1.35bn, according to nightclub.com. The clubs topping the ranking are XS and Hakkasan, both of which are in casinos in Las Vegas. Only New York and Miami also making an appearance in the top ten list. In 2014, XS brought in up to $105m in revenue.
 
Morgan Stanley survey shows waning interest in beer in the US: A survey by Morgan Stanley in the United States found that consumers intend to buy less beer in future. Just under a quarter – 24% –of consumers surveyed said that they plan to decrease their beer consumption in the next year, while only one in 12 – 8% – said they plan to increase it. The trend is especially marked among the young. Morgan Stanley found that Millennial consumers are less interested than their older peers in “macro-brews”, and that they increasingly prefer wine and spirits. In 2012, a third of  Millennials surveyed cited beer as their favourite beverage, but only two in seven – 27.4% – said so in 2015.
 
Pelican allergen tool wins innovation award: Pelican Procurement Services, the procurement and supply chain management specialist, has won the Business Innovation Award at the 2015 Catering in Scotland (CIS) Excellence Awards for the launch of its cloud-based food allergen, menu costing and nutritional analysis tool, Piranha. Pelican claims Piranha is the industry’s first automated system providing access to live-pricing data, allergen and nutritional information, in one central portal. It was developed to support foodservice operators accurately cost meals and supply the required allergen data, and Pelican claims Piranha delivers access to live-pricing data in a user-friendly environment with full detail of menu costing and portion costs, as well as comprehensive allergen and nutritional content data.
 
Howard Schultz – we are approaching 20 million mobile payments a week: Starbucks' chief executive, Howard Schultz, has reported that the company is approaching 20 million mobile payments a week. He said: "Almost $2bn was loaded either on someone's phone or their Starbucks gift card in the Christmas quarter ending December 31 and then over $1bn in the quarter that followed." One in five of all tender at Starbucks is happening through mobile payment, he said, continuing: "I don't think there is a company in the world that’s doing a million mobile payments a week and we are approaching 20 million mobile payments a week. Those numbers don't mean anything unless you can really demonstrate that it is having an incremental effect on your business, and I can guarantee you that it is; and the reason it is, is that we cracked a code on integrating mobile payment, mobile transactions with a very interesting and relevant rewards programme within – which is embedded in everyone's phone, which internally we call Stars as Currency. Those stars and the rewards of those stars have created a level of relevancy and stickiness and incrementality that we can measure very distinctly that is driving our business. And if you just looked at last quarter, when we had 7% global comps and 3% traffic, those numbers on our base of stores is almost unparalleled. We believed that once we got to scale that Stars as Currency would have as much relevancy outside of the ecosystem of Starbucks that it has internally. We could demonstrate to a perspective partner that if you rewarded your respective customers with stars, that your business would probably go up, and if you were in the subscription business you would have less churn, and you would get more customers. So last week, we announced the first of what I believe will be many unique partnerships in which the ecosystem of Stars as Currency will be external to like-minded companies and brands whose customer base is analogous to us."
 

Company News:

Punch to invest £400,000 to open sixth Champs sports bar, first in the south: Punch Taverns is to invest £430,000 to create its first Champs sports bar and grill in the south of England. In a joint investment with partner Jat Bhardwa, Punch will transform the former Maguire’s site on Chapel Road in Ilford, Essex into a premium sports bar with an American theme, with 11 HD TV screens showing wall-to-wall sports matches, together with seating booths with individual TVs. The investment will also create 30 new jobs for the town. The bar will have a grill menu specialising in ribs and burgers and regular entertainment on Friday and Saturday night with a resident DJ. It will be the sixth Champs bar operated by Punch Taverns through a partnership, and will reopen on 25 June after a five-week refurbishment. Bhardwa said: “I’m a mad football fan, over the years, I’ve played for local teams and I’ve always owned or operated bars, so this is a perfect match for me. With Champs, I get to create a fantastic, premium sports bar whilst watching all my favourite matches. It’s great to be teaming up with Punch, who are offering me a raft of support to make sure that it’s a winning concept.” Champs was developed by Punch it bought the name of the Champs sports bar in Ecclesall Road, Sheffield from Thornbridge Brewery. The original Champs was turned into a real ale bar and restaurant by its new owner, BrewKitchen.
 
Third Champagne & Fromage site to open in Greenwich: The French artisanal bistro and deli Champagne & Fromage is set to open on Church Street Greenwich market, in South East London this June. It will be the third Champagne & Fromage from Stefano Frigerio, his wife Maud Fierobe and the cheese expert Franck Le Blais, after a pop-up turned permanent space in Covent Garden, Central London which opened in 2011 and a second venue  in Brixton Market, South London which opened in 2013. The site will have 20 indoor and 20 outdoor covers serving hot and cold rustic French food, including fresh tartines, and a variety of grower champagnes available by the glass or bottle. The fromagerie and shop will sell more than 50 soft and hard French cheeses, all sourced from Une Normandea Londres, along with a selection of terrine, rillettes, cassoulets, confits, soups and jams, saucisses and more and 25 champagnes available to take away from French Bubbles. Frigerio said: “We are extremely excited to be bringing our unique concept to a coveted corner of historic Greenwich market, which sees a footfall of in excess of 4.8 million visitors per year.”
 
Red Dog to open fourth site at Intu Lakeside: The American barbecue and classic sandwich company Red Dog is to open its fourth outlet, and first outside London, at Intu Lakeside, West Thurrock in Essex. The firm is planning an 80-cover restaurant and has taken a 2,025 sq ft unit on a ten-year lease for an undisclosed rent. Nick Garston of Restaurant Property, who advised Red Dog, said: “This deal is a great example of how landlords and shopping centres have embraced destination restaurants. They now have realised that interesting fresh concepts are a draw in themselves but have also been proven to increase dwell time and spend. Red Dog has a great fun offer that we expect will trade really well from this site.” Red Dog's gimmick is the Devastator Burger challenge. An eight-inch burger, consisting of six bacon rashers, three, 6oz beef burger patties, six slices of cheese, 200g of pulled pork, along with a side of coleslaw, fries and a milkshake has to be devoured in under 10 minutes for the diner to earn a place on The Wall Of Fame. The company, which is seeking further sites in the South East, began with the Red Dog Saloon and added Red Dog Sandwiches, both in Hoxton Square, and also has Red Dog South in Clapham.
 
Hummus Bros hits 97% funding level with 36 days to go: Hummus Bros, the London-based hummus restaurant chain, has hit the 97% mark in its campaign to raise £250,007 in return for 4.35% of its equity through the Seedrs crowdfunding platform, with 36 days of the campaign still to go. It currently has £241,707 pledged from 174 investors. The company, founded by Christian Mouysset and Ronen Givon in 2005, intends to use the money to open two new high street outlets and continue the expansion of its network of pop-ups, which it has introduced in corporate restaurants in London, including at the offices of Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs. Among details released to investors, the company said that on average its stores make £485,000 a year, and it takes nine to 12 months to get to that level. It makes close to 20% restaurant Ebitda before central costs, and its revenue projections, just assuming high street stores and corporate pop-ups, excluding franchising and supermarket revenue, are 2015: £3.2m, 2016: £6.6m, 2017: £8.2m with Ebitda projections of 2015: £180.000, 2016: £770,000, 2017: £1.09m. Mouysset also explained to investors the reason for the odd £7 in its fundraising target: "Apart from being Bond fans, the explanation for the 007 is that each of our shares are worth £9.48 each, so we had the choice between £250,006.56 (rounded up to £250,007) or £249,997.08."
 
Fuller's opens its first Brighton managed pub with specialist gin bar: The London brewer and retailer Fuller Smith & Turner has opened its first managed pub in Brighton, the Grand Central, near the main railway station. Upstairs at the pub is the Nightingale Room, a venue in its own right, with a gin bar and a theatre that will host plays, music and comedy events. Tom Tucker, the pub's general manager, said: “The Grand Central is an iconic space in Brighton not just for dining, but also for enjoying a relaxing drink with friends and family. Not only do we have our main bar downstairs, but upstairs the Nightingale Room boasts one of Brighton’s most vibrant and top quality entertainment calendars."
 
G1 Group buys two nightclubs out of administration: G1 Group, Scotland's largest independent managed operator, which is led by Stefan King, has acquired two Scottish nightclubs out of administration. The company has bought Espionage sites in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Both clubs had been run by administrators at KPMG since July last year. Blair Nimmo, head of restructuring for KPMG in Scotland and the clubs' joint administrator, said the buyout saved 45 jobs across both locations. “We held discussions with a number of interested parties and we are extremely pleased to have completed a sale of both nightclubs, safeguarding 45 jobs,” he said. “We would like to thank all employees and suppliers for their continued co-operation throughout the process and wish the new owners every success in the months ahead.” G1 Group owns bars, hotels, restaurants and nightclubs in Scotland's central belt, including several outlets in Merchant City and on Ashton Lane in Glasgow, and Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh. KPMG said that although both nightclubs hold prominent city-centre locations – the other in Edinburgh is on Victoria Street – the venues had been particularly affected by “challenging trading conditions” in the nightclub market last year.
 
Costa offers first vegetarian gluten-free option: Costa Coffee has launched a free-range egg and slow-roasted tomato gluten-free wrap as part of its new summer food and drink range. The wrap, which has been created for customers who are coeliac and gluten-intolerant, is the first vegetarian option in Costa’s growing gluten-free range. The wrap is baked in a dedicated gluten-free bakery with linseed, sunflower and millet seed. Jane Treasure, head of food and beverage development for Costa UK & Ireland, said: “We are always listening to what our customers want to see on our menu so when our social media followers told us they wanted a vegetarian gluten-free option we listened.” The wrap, which is fully certified by Coeliac UK, joins a British chicken and basil salad gluten-free wrap, a gluten-free cherry Bakewell and a gluten-free chocolate brownie in Costa’s range of gluten-free menu options.
 
Turtle Bay to open in Derby in August: The Caribbean restaurant chain Turtle Bay is to open in the old Jobcentre Plus building at the Wardwick in Derby's Cathedral Quarter in August, creating 60 jobs. The four-storey 8,500 sq ft property was let to Turtle Bay by the commercial property agent Telereal Trillium. The chain is now up to 17 outlets, with its nearest venue to Derby currently Nottingham. Martin Langsdale, chairman of the Cathedral Quarter Management Group, said: "The Cathedral Quarter is renowned as the city's high quality leisure destination. We are delighted that Turtle Bay has chosen the Cathedral Quarter to open its latest Caribbean restaurant. It will be an excellent and high quality addition to the international cuisine on offer in this area and will add to the vibrancy of this part of the city centre. It has further strengthened the leisure offer here and join a wide range of well-established venues which make the Cathedral Quarter a destination of choice for local people and visitors to Derby."
 
KFC to install digital menu boards in 400 more UK stores: KFC is to switch from printed to digital menu boards in 400 more stores in the UK over the next five months. The company will install five LG displays ranging from 32 inches to 47 inches in size above the counter of each branch. Pioneer Group will be doing the installation at a rate of eight stores a night. The project will bring the total number of outlets with digital screens in the UK to more than 800. The ultra-wide viewing angle of 178 degrees ensures there should be clarity and colour reproduction of each display for easy-to-read menus from any position,  KFC UK and Ireland’s head of IT, Brad Scheiner, told AV Magazine. He said: “These installations will see KFC become one of the first QSR companies to be fully digital across the entire estate in the UK and Ireland. This will allow more flexibility to display the menu choices, which span breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as allow us to refresh content in line with real-time market information and to run new promotions instantly. The longer-term plan is to eliminate all print costs and take digital communications to the next level.”
 
Pineapple Bar & Grill to open modern Asian restaurant: The Hull-based brand Pineapple Bar & Grill is to open a bar and modern Asian restaurant in the former NatWest bank in Silver Street, Hull, which has been standing empty since 2007. The £1m facelift of the Victorian bank, which dates from 1873, is being masterminded by the Hull-based Soper Group. Karl Jeffrey, owner of the Pineapple Bar & Grill, will operate the bar and restaurant, with his son Alex acting as manager. The new venue is expected to open in September, and will create 30 new full and part-time jobs. Karl Jeffrey said: "We are planning a very lush-looking cocktail bar with a full waitress service and a seven-day restaurant specialising in modern Asian food. There will be nothing like it in Hull. I believe this area is going to see some dramatic changes over the next 18 months."

Replacement national chain sought for ex-Chiquito site in Hull: Property agents are searching for another national chain to take over a site in Hull occupied until the weekend by Restaurant Group’s Chiquito brand. The outlet, in Kingston Retail Park, shut its doors on Sunday after Restaurant Group decided not to renew the lease. The site is now back on the market and is being promoted by the Hull property agent PPH Commercial, whose investment and retail director, Tom Penrose, told the Hull Daily Mail: “We’ve just started marketing it and we’re hoping to find a similar type of occupier. It’s a very busy spot and you get a lot of passing traffic. It’s very early days but we’re hopeful of bringing in another chain.” Penrose said the store’s close proximity to the Odeon cinema and Nuffield Health gym, as well as the shops making up the retail park, was likely to ensure a steady stream of passers-by. Interest from national brands was growing as Hull’s year as UK City of Culture 2017 approached, he said, and prime city centre sites were increasingly popular.
 
Accor undertakes £23m sale and leaseback deal: The hotel operator Accor has agreed a sale and leaseback for seven hotels as part of a £23m deal. Starboard Hotels has bought five Ibis-branded hotels in Birmingham (Bordesley Circus), Leicester (City), London Gatwick Airport, Plymouth and Sheffield (City) totalling 469 bedrooms. The joint venture partners Cannock Investments and Hetherley Capital Partners have also acquired the Ibis Coventry Centre and the Ibis Dublin West in Ireland. The buyers have agreed to carry out renovations totalling €5.2m to the properties. Accor said the deals were part of its work to restructure the assets of HotelInvest. John Ozinga, chief operating officer of HotelInvest, said: "Through these two deals, HotelInvest is pursuing its strategy in the United Kingdom – a key market for the group. These are important destinations served well by the Ibis and Ibis Budget brands and we are delighted to be working with such high-quality, long-term partners."
 
Pop-up rooftop bar opens four storeys above Oxford Street: A pop-up bar has opened on the roof of the Marriot Hotel Park Lane in Central London, with access via a discreet door between 533 and 535 Oxford Street. The concept, called Roofnik, was thought up and is being run by the hotel's restaurant general manager, Ashley Dawes, who has also worked with the Soho bar Milk & Honey and the Cocktail Factory, led by Tony Conigliaro of 69 Colebrooke Row. The space, four storeys up, has been fitted with AstroTurf and pots of herbs, flowers and trees, with rustic wooden benches and a weatherproof marquee. It has a bar serving juices, cocktails (including one named Lady Garden, made of gin, botanicals, strawberry and ginger) and beers from Camden Town Brewery, along with picnic food including pulled pork tacos, beef rendang sliders, toasted sandwiches and a "manwich" – a super-size sandwich filled with pulled pork and cheese. Desserts include peanut butter and jelly cookies, cookie dough cheesecake and the pudding cup, which consists of salted caramel, smashed Oreos and chocolate crumble honeycomb. The rooftop is open from 10am to 10pm daily, and access is free, with no bookings taken.
 
Independent coffee shop Coffee Corner opens second store just around the corner: The independent coffee shop Coffee Corner is to open its second outlet, just around the corner from its first outlet, in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire. The second cafe is opening in mid-June in larger premises at the former Lloyd’s Pharmacy in South Street. Nosheen Malik, who set up the business with sisters Farah Khan and Sara Khan six years ago, said the new site would allow for more community events. The original shop, which is just a few doors along on the corner of South Street and Station Road, would remain as an "express" version of Coffee Corner. She told the Herts & Essex Observer: "It's Coffee Corner, just around the corner. It's all about the community for us. We need to do a lot more events and this new site will mean we can get more families in. We want to get a lot more people involved. Baby Coffee Corner will stay where it is, as we just can't let go of it. It's where our journey started. Over the years we've expanded into the shops on either side of us, but now there are no more shops to expand into so we decided to move into the high street."
 
Members’ club for ‘creative types’ launches in London: Lights of Soho, a members’ club for artists, designers and "fashionistas", has launched in Brewer Street in Soho, Central London. The club, founded by Dudley Nevill-Spencer, Hamish Jenkinson and Jonny Grant, is pitching itself as a “cultural hub of London’s creative community”. Upstairs, there is a gallery for pop-up exhibitions and space to work while downstairs is a private bar for members. The food and drink has been developed in conjunction with the Michelin-starred chef Mark Hix. Membership, which costs £150 a year, is restricted to 2,000 people and applicants must fill out an online form explaining how they are contributing to the London creative scene, which is then reviewed by the founders. Jenkinson, the former artistic director of the Old Vic Tunnels and curator at Lights of Soho, told the Evening Standard: “There are so many drinking and meeting establishments in Soho but they are so busy. Even at clubs like Blacks and Soho House there’s no space. Lights of Soho will give the creative community a place to come, a hub that is accessible to anyone. We want it to be the Soho House for creative types.”
 
Village Urban Resorts opening third Scottish hotel in Glasgow: Village Urban Resorts will open its third Scottish hotel in the Finnieston area of Glasgow on Monday 13 July. The £26m development, which includes the 120-bedroom hotel and leisure hub, will create about 150 jobs. The hotel, which is in Pacific Drive across from the BBC Scotland Pacific Quay building, near the Clyde waterfront, includes a 20m pool, a spa with four treatment rooms and a Starbucks coffee house in the lobby. According to the hotel's management, the venue's Urban Bar and Grill restaurant will provide travellers with "the best of local produce". Gym memberships will be available for non-residents. General manager Jamie Stevens told the Evening Times: “Finnieston has been up and coming for several years, seeing major media businesses setting up home on the River Clyde. Since the SSE Hydro opened in October 2013, it has put Finnieston and Glasgow on the world’s stage. This has allowed Finnieston to flourish with a multitude of trendy bars and restaurants, making it one of the must-go areas in Glasgow for a night out. The continued success of Glasgow and more particular the businesses in Finnieston gives a perfect platform to launch a new hotel." The company has 27 other hotels, including in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, while five more sites are planned for south of the border.
 
D'Urberville Hotels plans signature restaurant after buying Royal Clifton in Southport: D’Urberville Hotels has bought the Royal Clifton Hotel and Spa, Southport, and plans to transform it into what it called "one of the UK’s most prestigious seaside venues for family staycations”, as well as attracting UK and international golfers. The hotel is to have a new "signature" restaurant, backed by a world-famous but as-yet unnamed sportsman, and a champagne, gin and oyster bar. D’Urberville Hotels, led by founder and chairman Paul Clark, the former chief executive of Virgin Hotels and De Vere Hotels, along with partner Steve Grant, bought the Royal Clifton for an undisclosed sum from its previous owner, Tim Timmerman, who owned and operated the hotel for the past 30 years. Timmerman's other interests include Mellors Catering, one of the largest contract caterers in the UK. The funding package for the acquisition was put together with the assistance of Coutts Bank and a consortium of UK investors, including David Murray and the Premier League footballer Ryan Taylor, who plays for Newcastle United and whose family is from the Southport area.

ETM Group hires new head chef for The Gun: ETM Group has hired Robert Hunter as head chef of The Gun, Docklands. He was junior sous chef at London’s private members’ club, The Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, where he worked in the Great Gallery Kitchen brushing up on his fine-dining skills and attention to detail as well as having the opportunity to create a vast repertoire of dishes. Hunter has worked for a number of well-established hotels and restaurants across the world, following tours of duty at two-star Michelin restaurant, Eleven Madison Park in New York and Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort in Brisbane, Australia. His work closer to home includes a successful eight-year position as demi chef and chef de partie at London’s historic luxury hotel, The Goring in Belgravia. Hunter said: “I’ve always been a big fan of ETM as owners of some of my favourite London gastropubs and restaurants, admiring them especially for their commitment to sourcing the very best British ingredients. It’s great to now be working with the group and I’m really excited about what’s in store!” Operations director for ETM Group, James Lyon-Shaw added: “We are thrilled to have Robert on board. He brings with him a huge amount of industry expertise and experience to help us take the food at The Gun to new and exciting heights.”