Deltic boss – Halloween has turned into the busiest night of the year: Deltic Group chief executive Peter Marks has reported that Halloween has turned into the busiest night of the year for the bar and nightclub operator. Marks reports that the popularity of Halloween has been a trend that emerged around three decades ago, with the night, when falling near a weekend, becoming ever more popular. On Saturday, he told Propel: “I remember as a very young manager being caught out on Wednesday 31 October 1984, when I had nowhere near enough staff on and the admissions were treble the normal level. Since then it’s just got busier and busier. We think it was led by the provinces and the pure clubs and has seeped into late bars and London more recently. Obviously, when Halloween falls early week it reduces the impact a little. But if Halloween is on or near a weekend – Thursday to Saturday – you can pretty much expect to be at capacity pretty much everywhere. That coupled with the fact that about 90% plus of females and 60% of men are wearing fancy dress on the night – and not just Halloween fancy dress – it really is quite amazing night and great fun. Our capacity (across the estate) is around 81,000 and with customer churn we hope to be above that this evening. We also hope to have pre-sold over 50,000 tickets by 9pm tonight, which will be a record. The second biggest event as a single night is New Year’s Eve and last year we had around 61,000 admissions in total. Although spend and margins are better on New Year’s Eve, it isn’t anything like as big a night as Halloween on a weekend.”

ALMR National Restaurant Association Study Tour to Chicago open to bookings: The Propel and Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) 2016 Chicago Study Tour is now open for bookings. The trip, sponsored by CPL Training and Sky, takes place between Thursday 19 May and Monday 23 May 2016. The NRA draws 58,000-plus industry professionals from all 50 states and 100 countries, seeking the newest innovations and up-to-the-minute information about trends and issues. The ALMR trip provides: Insights from industry experts on the rise in fast-casual dining, social media, new and emerging brands, menu development, staff management and a host of other issues – with 70 free education sessions at the NRA show. It also involves two tours of Chicago’s hottest concepts and a market overview briefing sessions from US experts. Paul Charity, managing director of Propel Info, said: “The NRA show combined with our tour of Chicago is a fantastic opportunity to find fresh inspiration and understand the emerging trends shaping the fast-changing US market.” To get more information or to book, email jo.charity@propelinfo.com

McDonald’s UK – ‘we have no plans to follow Burger King’s lead and sell alcohol at UK sites’: McDonald’s UK has stressed it has no plans to follow Burger King’s lead, reported by Propel on Friday, and sell alcohol at UK sites. A statement from McDonald’s said: “We develop our menu based on what our customers tell us they like and want from a visit to McDonald’s. Although a number of European McDonald’s markets serve alcoholic beverages as part of their menu, this is not something that we have experienced customer demand for or something that fits with the family-friendly focus of our restaurants in the UK.” On Friday, Propel reported a Burger King franchisee has launched a bid to sell alcohol in its UK restaurants. The franchisee wants to sell plastic bottles of American beer to be drunk on the premises from this month. It has applied for drinks licences at four UK branches – Newcastle-under-Lyme, Blackpool, Hull and Bury St Edmunds – from 10am to 11pm seven days a week. If the licence is granted, Burger King could apply for more licences nationwide. A spokeswoman for the company in Britain said: “We’re just catching up with the rest of the world really.” 

BrewDog ends crowd-funding campaign with £3.25m raised: BrewDog completed its crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube at the weekend with a total of £3.25m raised. A total of 844 investors pledged £2,402,500 towards a 6.5% interest yielding mini-bond whilst 1,148 investors pledged £847,874 to buy equity in the business. Meanwhile, Chilango has raises £813,740 from 381 investors towards its target of £1m on Crowdcube – the campaign has 20 days to go. London Union has made a good start on Seedrs with its crowdfunding campaign which launched on Thursday – so far £125,015 has been pledged towards its target of £3.5m in return for 10% of its equity.

BBPA welcomes streamlined process for business rates appeal process: The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has welcomed proposals from DCLG to streamline the appeals process for Business Rates, which should make it easier for pubs to secure rebates. Chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: “We very much agree that the system needs to be streamlined. The BBPA had called for modest fees, and specifically that they be refundable where the challenge is successful, which is what is now being proposed. We need to ensure that cases needing urgent attention are dealt with promptly and effectively, so that licensees get the rebates they deserve, for overvaluations, and pay the right level of rates in the future. It is in everyone’s interest that the system is not clogged up with more speculative appeals, while still providing pubs a more effective route to challenge unfair valuations than we have at present.”

Harewood fights closure of flagship Viper Rooms site in Kingston: Harewood, the nightclub company led by sector veteran Paul Kinsey, faces the closure of its flagship Viper Rooms site in Kingston’s regarded as the borough’s oldest nightclub and previously known as McCluskey’s. It re-opened as The Viper Rooms in August after a £500,000 investment. An attack so violent the borough commander described it as the worst he had seen “in 29 years of service” has temporarily closed the site. The Viper Rooms, in Thames Street, has its licence suspended pending a full review hearing on 12 November. Two French nationals were attacked by seven men in Clarence Street just past 2am on Monday, 19 October after they had been drinking at the Viper Rooms. Kinsey told local media: “We always liaise with police and other stakeholders on a weekly basis. The owners of The Viper Rooms accepted that a closure of the venue for this weekend was appropriate to allow further discussions to be held with police, and as always we will continue to cooperate fully with the police in our joint objective of minimising crime and disorder in the town.”

Foodservice entrepreneur Levi Roots back launch of National Mentoring Day: Foodservice entrepreneur Levi Roots, who is due to launch Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse at Stratford’s Westfield shopping centre this month in partnership with Las Iguanas co-founder Eren Ali, is among those who backed the launch of the first ever National Mentoring Day last week. Roots said: “To get ahead in work or business you have to have passion for what you do and to work hard. I had a good idea, a great recipe, worked hard and had passion by the bucket load. But it was meeting Peter Jones that changed my life for the better. Having Peter as my business mentor helped me to take my business to a new level, and without his guidance I might still be cooking my sauce in my Brixton kitchen and only selling it locally. I have no regrets, and consider myself incredibly lucky, but if I had guidance from a mentor as I was growing up or in early adulthood my life might have looked very different and I might have made better choices early on. For that reason I’m thrilled that campaigns such as National Mentoring Day are having an impact and are opening conversations about the importance of mentoring, as it can literally change the course of peoples’ lives.”

Calls increase for a crowdfunding minimum sum of £1,000 to be set: There are growing demands for the introduction of a £1,000 minimum investment into crowdfunding ventures to safeguard the public from losing money backing high-risk businesses. Crowdfunding sites currently offer access to early stage companies for as little as £10. However, a split is emerging in the £1.4bn crowdfunding industry between companies with a venture capital or private equity background who believe a £1,000 minimum would protect inexperienced investors and others who say this goes against their goals to democratise investing. “We found that £1,000 acted as a natural barrier to ensure that people who were investing understood the level of risk that they were taking,” said James Codling, the co-founder and managing director of equity investment platform VentureFounders. The UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, has raised concerns about how crowdfunding opportunities are sold. The regulator said in February that most companies using this method to sell equity stakes had given a “misleading or unrealistically optimistic impression of the investment”, while attracting retail customers with little experience of investing.

Chinese tourists flock to David Cameron’s local pub to try fish and chips plus a pint of IPA: Chinese tourists have been turning up at David Cameron’s local pub in their droves to eat fish and chips and drink real ale after their president visited for a pint. The Prime Minister took Xi Jinping down the road from Chequers to The Plough at Cadsden in Buckinghamshire for a drink during his four-day state visit last week. The Chinese ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, said Cameron’s favourite pub has become a ‘household name in China’ and the thirst for fish and chips and IPA is now insatiable. And the pub has seen ‘busloads’ of Chinese tourists arrive in the days after President Xi had a pint and fish and chips.

Chipotle closes north west sites after E. coli outbreak: A number of Chipotle restaurants across the north west of the US closed on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, the Oregon Health Authority said they were investigating a possible E. coli outbreak at Oregon and Washington Chipotles. Three cases in Oregon and 19 in Washington were reported, and one-third of those people were hospitalised, according to OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie. A Chipotle spokesman said: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is always our highest priority. After being notified by health department officials in the Seattle and Portland, Oregon areas that they were investigating approximately 20 cases of E. coli, including people who ate at six of our restaurants in those areas, we immediately closed all of our restaurants in the area out of an abundance of caution, even though the vast majority of these restaurants have no reported problems. We are working with health department officials to determine the cause of this issue. We offer our deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by this situation.”

Tokyo Industries sets out expansion plan and moves to broaden offer: Tokyo Industries, the operator of 32 bars, nightclubs and festivals led by Aaron Mellor, has set out its expansion plans. Mellor, speaking at the ALMR and Propel Bar and Nightclub Conference, stated that a Tup Tup Palace would open in Manchester in Christmas 2015 followed by the company’s fifth BrewHaus in the same city in Spring 2016. The company’s City Vaults site in Manchester will undergo a full refurbishment and concept change in Spring 2016. Halo in Leeds will be subject to a full refurbishment and concept change in September 2016. Mellor also revealed the company has moved to broaden its offer with the introduction of artisan pizzas and pies, a much larger range of draft and craft products and the development of an improved cocktail list and training by Liquorists of Manchester. The company has also opened Louie’s Liquor Store in the basement of its Huddersfield venue. It offers 100 specialist bourbons and whiskeys and is an “indie dive bar trading between 5pm and 5am nightly with no cover charge”. Mellor said the operating costs are low as the main venue was already covering the site’s fixed costs. Tokyo Industries has also launched “night markets”, encouraging community groups to use its BrewHaus spaces. “These were really designed to drive footfall in slow trading periods,” said Mellor. “Instead, they’ve proved massively influential opening up our business to demographics that would just not have previously visited a club.” The company will also develop its Waterside Hotel in Newcastle, acquired as part of a package in 2013, by adding six bedrooms to take the total to 30 and “re-imaging the hotel with a more boutique look”. Finally, Tokyo Industries is expanding it’s The Joint by Get Baked dirty burger and craft beer offer with sites under development in Headingley, Fallowfield and Jesmond. The first site located within one half of the Halo premises in Leeds is achieving turnover of £35,000 a week.

Barburrito buys five-strong Pinto Mexican Kitchen brand: Barburrito, chaired by Graham Turner and led by Morgan Davies, the former Tragus Group chief executive, has bought a Scottish rival as it aims to become a nationwide group. The brand, backed by Business Growth Fund, is acquiring five Pinto Mexican Kitchen eateries in Edinburgh and Glasgow, lifting its total to 17 outlets and putting it on target to reach 25 within the next 18 months. The deal for an undisclosed price will take Barburrito turnover to circa £3.5m. Around £300,000 will be spent converting sites to the Barburrito brand.

Pizza Pilgrims to open third site in London: Pizza Pilgrims, the company chaired by Geronimo Inns founder Rupert Clevely, is to open its third site in London. The company, which opened its first permanent restaurant in Dean Street, Soho, last year, is opening in Exmouth Market next month, reports The Handbook. It will be serving up authentic Neapolitan pizzas but new to Exmouth Market will be a lunchtime zuppa menu – pizza in the form of a soup – that will be served from a market stall. The 40-cover restaurant will be spread across two floors and will include retro arcade machines and a 1990s music playlist. It will also feature the world’s first pizza box art gallery with diners asked to draw pictures and create pieces on their pizza boxes. The best designs will win free pizzas while some will go on sale for charity. Pizza Pilgrims was started by Thom and James Elliot as a pop-up venue in Berwick Street market, Soho. As well as the Dean Street site, it also has a restaurant in Kingly Street, Carnaby.

Amber Taverns to open its first Hogarths gin palace in Wales next week: Community pub operator Amber Taverns will open its first Hogarths gin palace in Wales, located in Swansea, on Tuesday 10 November. Operations director Gary Roberts said: “We will have an extensive range of wines, spirits and cask ales – sourced both locally and nationally. The style of the building will be based on a Victorian gin palace with rich decorative timber, cut glass mirrors and traditional stained glass windows. We will strive to deliver value for money across the whole range of products – no big discounting or price slashes.” The two-storey site at St Mary Street, off Wind Street closed as Retro in 2012 and before that traded as a Chicago Rock.

McDonald’s trials sweet potato fries in the US: McDonald’s, led by British chief executive Steve Easterbrook, has begun a trial of sweet potato fries alongside its regular fries in select US locations. A McDonald’s spokesperson told Eater: “Sweet potato fries are being tested in some Create Your Taste test restaurants in Amarillo, Texas and we’re gathering valuable customer feedback on them.” Last month, McDonald’s rolled out its all-day breakfast idea across the US following a successful test run in San Diego stores.

Greene King reopens Basingstoke pub offering enhanced craft beer range: Greene King has reopened its Bakers Arms pub in Basingstoke, Hampshire, with an enhanced craft beer range. The company closed the Winchester Street for nearly two weeks for a refurbishment. The top bar will now remain open at all times, increasing the pub’s capacity and an outdoor space at the back of the pub has also been revamped. As well as new furniture, paintwork and lighting, the pub has added ultra-HD screens to bolster its live sport coverage for customers. Anthony Hemmerdinger, managing director of Greene King’s locals division, told the Basingstoke Gazette: “It is always exciting when the doors to a newly transformed pub are once again opened to our customers. It is pleasing that Bakers has been able to create new jobs through the changes made and the range of craft beers is a new exciting option for its regulars.”

Whitbread submits licensing applications for two new Hub by Premier Inn sites in Westminster: Whitbread has submitted licensing applications for two new Hub by Premier Inn sites in Westminster. The company is planning to open an 137-bedroom hotel in Dacre Street and a 316-bedroom site in Tothill Street – about 150m apart as the crow flies. It has now lodged joint applications with Westminster Council to licence the two developments. Whitbread is planning to open 13 of its cheaper Hub by Premier Inn sites by 2020 with ten in London and three in Edinburgh. The first site opened in St Martin’s Lane, London, last November and has a 95.6% occupancy rate with average room rate of £100, a 16% discount to Premier Inn. Three more will be launching before April 2016, including one in Edinburgh, and another three to follow in the following year. Whitbread has already earmarked seven locations across London for the format.

Mitchells & Butlers open Harvester site in Weston-super-Mare thanks to Orchid acquisition: Mitchells & Butlers is opening a Harvester site in Weston-super-Mare today after converting a site from its 2014 Orchid Pub Company acquisition. The Bucket and Spade pub, off West Wick roundabout in Locking Castle, has been closed for five weeks while Mitchells & Butlers has made the brand conversion. Mitchells & Butlers acquired the site when it bought 173 pubs out of the Orchid estate. M&B has been targeting Weston for a Harvester opening for some time, having initially signed up to the Dolphin Square development, though it later withdrew from the delayed scheme.

BrewDog produces company charter, stresses importance of managing company’s cash: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog has stressed the importance of managing the company’s money and produced a company charter. Co-founder James Watt has encouraged staff to use leverage in every single deal – just as finance director Neil Simpson and co-founder Martin Dickie did to save the company £2.5m on its new brewery. Watt has put together a five-point BrewDog Charter to help staff make decisions “in the BrewDog way”. He has also added another section – not officially in the charter – about the importance of managing the company’s cash and how it is “king”. Watt wrote: “Let’s nail the confusion with both barrels – profit is not king. It isn’t even Prince Regent. But cash is the oxygen or the lifeblood. Or, for today’s purposes, king. We need cash to invest in our growth, in our people and in our beers. The smarter we spend our limited supply of cash, the more we can invest in what really matters to us – beer and people. Buying is the new selling. In every purchase we make we should leverage everything at our disposal. We need to put our imagination, willpower and inner thrift into overdrive. Sell to the people who are selling to us on our company’s growth potential, on the brand association, our ability to pay quickly, and send them some free beer. We all have to be great sales people to get great deals. By using leverage, Neil Simpson and Martin Dickie saved us £2.5 million on our new brewery. As impressive as that is, if we all leverage every single deal we can save much, much more than that each year, every year. Every person (has) to spend each and every single penny as if it were their own money because, in reality, it is. We should not pay for anything unless perfect. And we should try and drive down every single quote every time we spend anything. Anyone can sell on price. We need to sell on quality.” The charter points are: we bleed craft beer; we are uncompromising; we are ambitious and take risks; we learn obsessively; and without us, we are nothing. Watt wrote: “A lot is going to change in our company over the next few years. The key thing is to take every single change as an opportunity to be even more BrewDog. If we make average decisions we will end up just as average as every company out there.”

Puma Investments reports repayment of BrewHouse & Kitchen investment: Puma Investments has reported the repayment of two investments in brewpub chain Brewhouse & Kitchen. Of the larger investment, chairman David Buschler said: “The company’s £1,250,000 investment in Brewhouse & Kitchen Limited has continued to perform well. Brewhouse & Kitchen is managed by two highly experienced pub sector professionals and our funding has facilitated both the acquisition of freehold pubs and the roll-out of the brand. The investment was largely in the form of senior debt, secured with a first charge over both the business and each site acquired. Funds could be utilised to a maximum 65% loan-to-value ratio, and have produced an attractive return to the company. Brewhouse & Kitchen now operates nine units across locations in London, Bristol and the south east of England and the portfolio continues to trade well. The investment was fully repaid on 27 October 2015 after the end of the six months period being reporting upon. In total, the company received £1,446,220.”

Home Sweet Home opens “bigger, bolder” second site: Comfort food and cake concept Home Sweet Home has opened its second site in Manchester, a “bigger, bolder” version of the original with an extended menu. Catering for 160 diners, the new venue, is located in the former Lucha Libre site. An extended food menu featuring enchiladas and gigantic ‘cake shakes’ – whole pieces of homemade cakes blended with milk. The original venue is in the Northern Quarter. Home Sweet Home offers diners bric-a-brac interiors and a menu featuring ‘home comforts’ including toasties, milkshakes, burgers, fried chicken and platters as well as American-style breakfasts and brunches. The brand is owned by independent companies Delicious Treats and Beautiful Drinks who are also behind Luck Lust Liquor and Burn, Almost Famous and the tiki-inspired bar Keko Moku. Owner Beau Myers said: “We’re so excited to be serving up these super awesome new dishes – think indulgent fresh as funk saucy tacos, think Mummas sauce with meatballs. I’ve pretty much picked out some of my favourite food fantasies and put them into an indulgent comfort menu. (The new site has) got that totally Home Sweet Home comfort feel going on with a big sprinkle of magic and excitement. We got breakfasts and comfort food nailed. We’re so happy and proud to present a bigger bolder even more beautiful new Home Sweet Home – a bigger, tastier menu with new tricks and treats.”

Business duo to open second site in £450,000 co-investment with Enterprise Inns: Two contrasting Enterprise pubs in Bristol and North Somerset are set to reopen this month culminating in more than £1.5 million worth of investment from the company and its publicans in the region over the last year. The White Hart in Weston-in-Gordano will re-open following a £450,000 joint investment by Enterprise Inns and new publicans Mike and Chris Yeatman, who already operate a successful tapas bar and restaurant in nearby Portishead. Having been closed for two years, The White Hart is set to benefit from what Enterprise regional manager Mike Pearce describes as ‘massive transformation combined with creative innovation’. With Enterprise carrying out a complete refurbishment of the main bar area, kitchen and toilets, the new publicans have come up with a contemporary community pub formula to win over locals and attract customers from surrounding areas. As part of their ambitious plans to put the pub back at the heart of the local community, the couple are introducing a gastro food and pizza offer, separate garden bar, village shop and first-floor dining room and snug lounge. The White Hart’s extensive gardens have been laid with artificial turf, whilst a tepee with seating for up to 50 people is expected to be a popular draw for private parties and events. “We’ve looked to maximise every part of the site so no space is wasted, and regardless of where customers are in the pub or the garden, they will be able to relax in a fantastic environment,” said Mike Yeatman. Elsewhere, Enterprise has also earmarked a further £85,000 on improvements at the Poacher, Portishead. These are two of the latest openings follows an ongoing capital investment programme in the region during 2015 with Enterprise and its publicans spending around £1.5m on a number of sites including The King’s Arms in Bristol. Husband and wife team Wozz and Tina Oliphant took on their first pub at the 17th century site following a £180,000 joint investment with the UK’s largest leased and tenanted pub company. Since then the couple have won over locals with an offer centred on real ale, cider, home-cooked food and live music.

The Restaurant Group to open Joe’s Kitchen in Stoke: The Restaurant Group is to open a Joe’s Kitchen site in Stoke’s Trentham Estate before Christmas. Joe’s Kitchen takes inspiration from London’s Borough Market, serving a menu of fresh food British classics. Jonny Buckle, head of acquisitions (leisure) for The Restaurant Group, said: “The bustling Trentham Estate provides the perfect location for us to open Joe’s Kitchen and to extend our services following the success of our Frankie & Benny’s restaurant. Our fit-out is underway and we look forward to opening Joe’s Kitchen and adding to the attraction of Trentham in the lead up to the Christmas season.” There are existing sites in Derby, Bromley, Borough and Manchester airport.

Enterprise Inns renews pub lease after MP speaks to chief executive: A couple have had the lease of their Enterprise Inns pub extended after the local MP contacted the company’s chief executive Simon Townsend. Bob and Maz Forster were preparing to leave the Queen’s Head in Titchfield after running it for eight years because they had problems renewing their lease. But when regulars heard about the problem, they started an online campaign and petition, even involving the Fareham MP Suella Fernandes. Enterprise Inns was originally proposing to convert the site to direct management. Fernandes told local media: “I spoke directly to the chief executive of Enterprise to see if we could find a better way forward, and I know that they also came under pressure from the many local residents who signed a petition to the company. Thankfully they were receptive to the points we put to them, and I am grateful for their reasonableness in agreeing to this new settlement. It’s a huge relief for Bob and Maz, and for all their loyal customers.”

Speaker programme for Propel Multi Club Conference: The full speaker programme for the Propel Multi Club Conference on Thursday, 5 November at the Lancaster, London, the best-attended conference series in the sector: Ian King, presenter of the Sky News show, Ian King Live, and former Business and City editor of The Times, looks at the key economic trends over the past 12 months and the 12 months ahead and gives his views on their impact on the hospitality sector. Peter Hansen, founder of leading mergers and acquisitions advisory Sapient Corporate Finance, which has advised on sector transactions worth more than £2bn in the past five years, looks at the key sector trends in 2015 for those buying and selling businesses. Andrew Ball, of accountancy firm haysmacintyre, offers his top tips on tax minimisation for multi-site operators. Paul Harbottle, commercial director of Enterprise Inns, talks about building an 800-strong managed pub estate and investment and progress in the leased and tenanted part of the business. Toby Smith, chief executive of Novus Leisure, explains how the company is evolving its food, drink and entertainment offer, along with digital capability, to stay at the forefront of the late-night market in London and the regions. Martin Wolstencroft, founder of Arc Inspirations, arguably Yorkshire’s most successful independent bar and restaurant operator, talks about running multiple concepts, overcoming challenges, best-in-class profit conversion, innovation and expanding over the Pennines in the company’s 15th year. Scott Shaw, founder and chairman of marketing and information analysis business Fishbowl, explains how US restaurant businesses are using guest information to drive marketing and sales. He is joined by data expert Mike Lukianoff, founder of Czar Metrics, now owned by Fishbowl, who will talk about the ground-breaking work his company is doing in the US with a host of well-known restaurant brands, using data to shape menu and price engineering, media efficiency and trade area analytics. Nick Collins, managing director of Loungers, talks about evolving the brand, maintaining company culture, fulfilling growth ambitions, new trading locations and stepping into the shoes of founder Alex Reilley. Kris Gumbrell and Simon Bunn, co-founders of Brewhouse & Kitchen, talk about how they have developed the UK’s largest brewpub chain, food quality, recruiting brewers, brewing experiences, EIS funding and the market potential for the company. Ann Elliott, chief executive of leading sector public relations and marketing firm Elliotts, presents the findings of a survey of senior industry executives on the subject of “outstanding leadership”. Elliotts strategy director James Hacon talks to former Spirit chief executive Mike Tye, Thorley Taverns operations director Phil Thorley, Ego Restaurants chief executive James Horler and Ann Elliott about the principles of high quality leadership.