SLTA survey reports pubs’ performance a mixed bag over festive period, rural locations perform badly: The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) has released its third quarterly overview of the key retail trends in the Scottish on-trade, covering the important Christmas period. The survey revealed a major factor worrying respondents is government drink-driving and living wage legislation, with 67% naming this as the biggest macro-economic challenge their businesses face. Paul Waterson, SLTA chief executive, said he was worried about the effect of legislation on remote venues. He said: “SLTA research indicates these outlets are being hit hardest by new legislation, with over 40% showing a decline in Christmas business and, worryingly, only 16% of these outlets expect to show any growth in 2016.” Waterson added many village pubs were integral to the communities they serve and a key driver for Scottish tourism. He said: “The declines shown in our survey will inevitably lead to further closures and a negative impact on jobs and amenities in rural areas.” However, the report revealed 77% of outlets with accommodation either grew room occupancy or remained stable over the festive period, while outlets serving food also performed significantly better, with 53% in growth for the period compared with the calendar year. The report also highlighted a growing number of retailers were tailoring their offers to suit emerging trends. Waterson said the majority of retailers had “recognised the importance in the growth of craft beer and this is still an opportunity for the 30%-plus of retailers who don’t stock these products”. The survey is based on quantitative research from 600 retailers in Scotland, more than 10% of the country’s on-trade, ranging from outlets in remote tourist locations to multi-site gastro-pubs and city centre bars.

 

Carluccio’s to launch Via Carluccio’s grab-and-go format: Carluccio’s is to launch a grab-and-go format called Via Carluccio’s on Tottenham Court Road in London at the end of next month – three or four more openings will follow. It is described as “quick-service variation of the brand, offering restaurant-quality food for people on the move”. Chief executive Neil Wickers told The Times the new format is a natural extension for the company – it has successfully trialed grab-and-go counters at two London sites, Canary Wharf and Marylebone Place. The average site cost is about 40% of the full format. “We are entering the grab-and-go market with one of the strongest casual dining brands. It will be differentiated by offering restaurant-quality food using Italian products to Antonio Carluccio’s recipe,” Wickers added.

US antitrust officials table second request for information on AB InBev deal: US antitrust officials have begun an in-depth investigation of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (AB InBev) planned takeover of SABMiller, seeking additional information related to the deal. The Justice Department’s antitrust division recently issued a so-called second request to the beer maker, according to the company. The inquiry, a move by the Justice Department that was expected by the companies, lengthens the review of how the combination will affect competition and prices for beer. “As expected with a transaction of this nature, we received a second request for information from the Department Of Justice,” said Marianne Amssoms, a spokeswoman for AB InBev. “We continue to work closely with the Department Of Justice to provide them additional information.” The Justice Department is among competition authorities across the world that must sign off on the $110bn takeover that combines the world’s biggest brewers. The enlarged company would account for about half the industry’s profit and almost a third of all beer sold worldwide.

 

Aloft Liverpool hotel to launch world’s first emoji-only room service: Liverpool’s Aloft hotel is launching the world’s first emoji-only room service, encouraging guests to order food using text images. Guests at Aloft’s North John Street hotel will be able to use the new TiGi service – Text it, Get it. Guests simply have to text the symbols for what they would like delivered from an Aloft TiGi emoji room service menu, reports the Liverpool Echo. There will be tailored packages including a breakfast “hangover special” and “the sightseer”, which includes a city map. The new service is being debuted in Liverpool by the Aloft chain to celebrate the hotel’s staging of a three-day EmojiFest, which started yesterday (Monday, 18 January). Events will include an emoji-inspired afternoon tea, created by head chef Rob Scott. Andrew Kendrick, general manager, said: “Aloft Liverpool is in a unique position where we can really interact with Generation Y, using initiatives like TiGi Emoji Room Service whilst supporting emerging talent and providing a platform for upcoming artists.”

 

Five-day inquiry to begin today into McDonald’s bid to open restaurant and drive-thru near Newcastle school: A five-day hearing, led by the Planning Inspectorate, is due to start today (Tuesday, 19 January) in Newcastle Civic Centre over McDonald’s plans to open a restaurant and drive-thru 500m from the gates of the city’s largest secondary school. The plans for the restaurant in Kenton Lane, Kenton, were rejected by Newcastle City Council in September 2014. The hearing follows McDonald’s appeal against the decision. Stephanie Downey, a member of No McDonald’s Kenton, said: “We are as determined as ever to work tirelessly to stop this proposed restaurant being built in the heart of our residential neighbourhood.” McDonald’s said the drive-thru, on the site of the former Crofters Lodge pub, would create 75 full and part-time jobs and generate £1.9m for the local economy. McDonald’s stated: “We pride ourselves on being an active member of over 1,250 communities in the UK, including Newcastle, and believe opening a restaurant here will see positive investment in the area.”

 

Gourmet Burger Kitchen pulls adverts from London Underground after vegetarian backlash: Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) has pulled adverts from the London Underground network following complaints by vegetarians. GBK was inundated with complaints after launching a campaign urging people to give up on vegetarianism. One of the adverts featured a cow with the caption: “They eat grass so you don’t have to.” After the adverts were shared on a vegan Facebook page, many took to Twitter to complain to GBK, with the adverts branded as “vile” and “disgusting”. Complaints were also made to the Advertising Standards Authority. Via a series of tweets, GBK stated: “The last thing we ever intended to do was offend or alienate vegetarians. The same vegetarians we’ve looked after since our first GBK. Our intentions were light-hearted and not meant to cause any offence, but clearly we have, and for that we apologise. While we’ve served beef at the core of our menu since 2001, we’ve always catered well to the veggies out there, and always will. So, having read all your comments and messages, we’ve made the decision to take down some of the adverts.”

 

Red’s True Barbecue to open seventh site in Sheffield: Red’s True Barbecue has chosen Sheffield to open its seventh site this coming spring. The smokehouse group has taken over the former Café Rouge site on 383-385 Ecclesall Road. Set out over two floors, the 5,400 sq ft building will undergo a £900,000 transformation, creating 130 split-level covers, along with a bar and stage area to host regular live music. The news comes just weeks after the business announced £9m in new funding, securing its expansion for a further eight to ten smokehouses. James Douglas, co-founder of Red’s True Barbecue, said: “Brand awareness in Yorkshire is extremely strong. We’re regularly asked on social to open in Sheffield, so it was just a matter of finding the right location. Ecclesall Road is perfect; a great mix of local and national operators as neighbours, some fantastic bars and pubs and a thriving local community made up of young professionals, families and students. This is a great start to 2016 and reinforces the strength of the brand in the north. The rest of the year will see Red’s spread the gospel far and wide across the UK, establishing us a true national brand.” Sheffield is planned to launch April 2016 and is the first of at least four sites to open this year.

 

M&B to open two brands in Worcester’s Cathedral Square: Mitchells & Butlers is to open an All Bar One and Miller & Carter in Worcester’s £20m Cathedral Square. The venue is one of the latest names announced by Salmon Harvester Opportunity Fund (SHOF) to open at the refurbished shopping centre, which is set to be completed by spring 2017. Mitchells & Butlers has signed a 25-year lease with tenant break at 15 years and are paying £37.50 per square foot or £169,500 per annum. They are one of eight new restaurants overlooking a new public square in front of the city’s cathedral. Also opening will be Byron, ASK Italian, Loungers’ Cosy Club brand, and PizzaExpress. A reconfigured Travelodge hotel, additional retail space and gym will also be opened at Cathedral Plaza. Nick Webb, SHOF asset manager, said: “Operators such as All Bar One are attracted to Worcester by our development plans, financial commitment and local council support in creating a new square and investing in the road layout in this part of the city. We are attracting some fantastic new brands and creating a brand new leisure quarter for Worcester with the jobs, extra visitors and further benefits this brings.” Speller Metcalfe began work on the scheme in November 2015. SHOF was advised by DMR, Hartnell Taylor Cook and Johnson Fellows.

 

Novus provides more details of partnership with Red Ant to develop industry-first live customer feedback and business insight app: London bar operator Novus Leisure has provided more details of its ground-breaking partnership with retail technology specialist Red Ant to build a unique real-time customer feedback app, which will help to measure social sentiment, deliver live business insight and improve service. Developed using Red Ant’s enterprise development platform RedConnect, the app is designed to give Novus’ customer experience, bar and club managers unprecedented visibility of customer sentiment and social activity in their venues. The app provides a dashboard via smartphone and tablet, which draws customer feedback and data from a broad range of sources. The social media dashboard is currently being used by five venues, with full rollout to all 46 in quarter one 2016. Customer Relationships Management and e-commerce are due to be implemented over the next 12 months. Simon Gaske, Novus’ customer experience director, said: “The people who come to Novus venues communicate with us and each other through social media. In a fast-moving, busy bar environment it’s incredibly difficult for front-of-house staff to keep track of what’s going on – having a real-time platform which taps into the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to capture how our customers feel is an invaluable tool for customer experience management. Working with Red Ant has enabled us to truly innovate in this area – something which makes Novus stand out from a very lively crowd.” Dan Hartveld, Red Ant’s chief technology officer, added: “Businesses which rely on the quality of their customers’ experience, whether they’re in hospitality, retail or services, need to be able to understand how their customers feel in real time if they’re going to deliver a first-class service. Novus has taken a market-leading step in working with us to develop a fully-connected customer feedback platform, which provides cross-business data at the right time, in the right place, to the right person.”

 

Gary Rhodes cuts ties with zero-rated Plymouth restaurant: Chef Gary Rhodes has cut ties with his Plymouth restaurant, months after it was given a zero hygiene rating. The Rhodes @The Dome restaurant, his last UK-owned eatery, is dropping his name having been plagued with problems since it opened exactly three years ago. It was one of only five places in Plymouth to receive no marks – and rated worse than all but one kebab shop and takeaway in the city. The Dome’s managers said a new head chef was being trained at the time of inspection, meaning no one was available to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the food hygiene act. While it did get a four-star rating when it was re-inspected later that month, it was not the first time the restaurant had come under fire. In August 2013, less than a year after its grand opening, it failed a hygiene inspection because some of its “high-tech specialist equipment” did not meet safety standards. But Rhodes @The Dome will now be rebranded with the restaurateur “moving on to other projects”. In a statement, Rhodes said: “Plymouth will always have a special place in my heart – it is such a great and vibrant city, blessed with an absolute wealth of the finest ingredients, from the local scallops, shellfish and seafood to the amazing produce straight from the local farms. Plymouth really is establishing itself as the gourmet capital of the south west and I would very much like to thank all the staff at the Dome and my friends on the city council who have helped to make so much possible.” The restaurant will be rebranded as The Dome, with a new logo, revamped “bistro-style” menu, cocktail bar and live piano music. Rhodes, who has fronted MasterChef and Rhodes Around Britain, is now concentrating on his four venues in Dubai, where he lives, having closed his four London restaurants. 

Le Bistrot Pierre to open 15th restaurant in Birmingham: Independent French restaurant group Le Bistrot Pierre will open its 15th venue in the spring – in the heart of Birmingham’s historic canals. It is the group’s third restaurant to open in only 12 months. A £9.8m investment from private equity firm Livingbridge, announced at the end of last year, will now accelerate the group’s expansion plans across the UK. The Birmingham restaurant will open in a grade II-listed building in Gas Street. Rob Beacham, co-owner of Le Bistrot Pierre, said: “This opening is particularly exciting as it’s been a long process to secure planning approval and it’s such a unique premises to be developing. We have been working closely with our architects to make best use of the stunning building, which will have original features throughout and give diners a real sense of its heritage, which is all part of the experience we want to create.” Beacham said the restaurant would be independently furnished, with an outside seating area next to the canal. The privately owned group has 14 UK restaurants and hopes to open another in Swansea later in the year.

Beds and Bars win four awards at the 2016 Hoscars: At the 2016 Hoscar Awards (the Oscar awards of the hostel industry), Beds and Bars brand St Christopher’s Inns and its franchise partner Copenhagen Downtown Hostel, took home four of the hardest fought for accolades. In the category of Most Popular Hostels, combining the numbers of bookings made at each hostel and the average customer rating, the St Christopher’s Inns in Paris Gare du Nord and Barcelona were named the best hostels in their respective cities. The company’s latest franchise – Copenhagen Downtown Hostel – was awarded the same title. St Christopher’s Inns was also named the Best Large Hostel Chain. Robert Savage, press and PR manager for St Christopher’s Inns, said: “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the results at the 2016 Hoscars organised by Hostelworld. These accolades recognise the tireless hard work of our teams at each site, and the customer satisfaction through the chain. We’re absolutely thrilled to bits.” Beds and Bars operates 20 backpacker hostels under the brand St Christopher’s Inns, plus bars and pubs, in ten cities and seven countries. Key locations include London, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam. St Christopher’s Inns is the largest independent chain of backpacker hostels in the world, without private equity backing. 

 

Bolton pub operators launch £600,000 crowdfunding campaign to open witch-themed cafe and music venue with accommodation in Pendle: Bolton-based pub operators Jon Hanson and Hilary Howard have launched a £600,000 crowdfunding campaign to open a witch-themed cafe and music venue with accommodation in Pendle. The couple, who currently run The Railway pub, have started a campaign on Kickstarter in a bid to open Spiderwood Farm, which would be a “venue like no other”. So far, 46 investors have pledged £5,267 with 42 days remaining. The pitch states: “Our vision is for an all-in-one venue in an idyllic setting, away from neighbours, with overnight parking and overnight stay facilities, possibly even expanding to include a B&B in time. The witch-themed cafe would be perfect for walkers, tourists, locals and regulars alike. With home-cooked food, made using locally sourced produce, all at reasonable prices and amidst an atmosphere of open fires and magical discoveries, we can honestly say this would be no ordinary place to stop for coffee. As for barn concerts at Spiderwood Farm, they’d most definitely have the wow factor! Boasting an intimate, warm and friendly environment but with a combined standing and seated capacity of 300-400 (whereas The Railway is only 200), we’d use top quality sound and lights for a fully immersive experience of both ‘big name’ bands and bands you may not have heard of yet, as we continue our ethos from The Railway by offering regular support spots, meaning we can look after artists as well as our patrons. But how do the two halves, a cafe and a concert venue, work together all in one place, you ask? That’s an easy one: From a delicious dinner to an excellent night out, through to a comfortable overnight stay and all the way to coffee and breakfast the next day, Spiderwood Farm’s got it covered!”

 

Christie Group reports 2015 sales in line with expectations: Christie Group, which includes property agent Christie + Co, has confirmed 2015 revenue was in line with expectations. It stated: “Revenue for the year to 31 December 2015 will be in line with market expectations, while operating profits are expected to be marginally stronger than previously indicated. Whilst the UK retail stocktaking division has continued to experience market disruption and pricing pressure attributable in part to increases in the statutory minimum wage and related costs, this has been more than offset by a strong leading performance across our transactional, advisory and financial businesses and our other stocktaking operations. Preliminary full year results for the year ended 31 December 2015 are due to be released on Monday, 4 April 2016.”

 

Fat Cat entrepreneur to give Norwich pub a new lease of life: Colin Keatley, the man behind The Fat Cat Brewery and multi-award-winning The Fat Cat pub in West End Street, Norwich, has purchased the Perseverance in Adelaide Street and is set to turn it into a multi-purpose function venue. The Perseverance, set to open in July, is the third Norwich venue Keatley has bought in recent years. In 2005, he salvaged The Wherry, now The Fat Cat Brewery Tap, and in 2012 The Mustard Pot became The Fat Cat And Canary. Rather than turn the pub into the city’s fourth Fat Cat, Keatley has decided to give the venue a new purpose by including a function room. He told the Norwich Evening News: “In the Perseverance we will be able to offer something we haven’t previously been able to offer; private functions, with the Fat Cat flavour. Each new pub I have bought has been on the verge of being turned into something else, and the Perseverance was a beautiful pub that I didn’t want to see knocked down.” The Fat Cat was awarded Beer Pub of the Year 2016 by The Good Pub Guide.

 

Harry Potter star closes boutique hotel: Harry Potter star Rupert Grint has closed his boutique hotel after it made a profit of just £2,014 in four years. The actor opened £150-a-night Rigsby’s Guest House in Hertford in April 2011. It won an episode of Channel 4’s Four In A Bed in 2013 – but the £2,014 at the end of 2014 was the first black ink in its accounts. A message confirming the closure was posted on the hotel’s Facebook page by manager Morris Cockman. An insider said the hotel was “not making enough money” and the Grint family is considering converting the property into flats. The grade II-listed property was bought outright by Rupert’s parents Nigel and Joanne for £975,000 in 2003. Nigel is the director of Rigsby Guest House but Rupert, 27, is its only shareholder. Rigsby’s Piano Bar, a restaurant still open behind the hotel, is set up the same way. Accounts for Rigsby’s Piano Cafe put it £28,047 in profit at the end of 2014.

 

Whitbread lodges two Premier Inn applications in Leeds: Whitbread has applied to license two new development sites in Leeds. The first on Whitehall Road near the city centre is for a new-build 136-bed hotel. The second is for the conversion of existing office premises at Arndale House, adjacent to the Arndale Centre shopping centre in Headingley, and will have some 96 rooms.

 

Music producer Stephen Lironi opens second London restaurant: The husband of former pop singer Clare Grogan has opened the doors to his second London restaurant. Stephen Lironi, a successful music producer, said the Escocesa in Stoke Newington would serve the best of Scottish produce and champion his country’s finest seafood. The ethos of the restaurant is to combine the best of Scottish and Spanish produce, reports the Daily Record. Lironi said: “I have been able to source lots of Scottish food and drink for the menu. Celtic Fisheries deliver our langoustines, which mostly come from Wester Ross. We have Scottish beer from Mor Brewery in Dundee. We have a few malts and we also have Rock Rose gin from Caithness.” Lironi, a record producer for 20 years, said his background helped with his latest venture. He said: “I always found similarities between the music business and restaurants. Certainly you are in a studio, in a confined space, working under pressure, working long hours. I also like working with groups of people and creative people.” Lironi’s other restaurant is Bar Esteban in Crouch End.

Second branch of Italian-inspired restaurant Porro to open in Cardiff: The team behind Cardiff’s Potted Pig restaurant is set to open another branch of its popular Porro spin-off. Porro, which offers relaxed Italian/British cuisine, opened in High Street, Llandaff, last year. There are now plans to add a second branch – this time at Wellfield Road in the Roath area of the city. The first Porro seats about 60 diners and has an exclusive room for private dining and larger parties. An application has been submitted to the City of Cardiff Council’s licensing department for alcohol to be sold and entertainment to be allowed seven days a week at the new venture. It is not clear whether the application for Porro includes an outdoor garden area for customers.

 

Chef Jason Atherton launches tableware collection in John Lewis: Chef Jason Atherton has launched a tableware collection, Social by Jason Atherton, in John Lewis. Atherton said: “I’ve always loved choosing the tableware for each of my restaurants, so being able to develop my own range for John Lewis and bring the ‘Social’ experience to the home was really exciting. I’m very proud of the collection – so much so I’ll even be using it in one of my next restaurants.”

 

Easyhotel confirms Manchester acquisition: Easyhotel, the owner, developer, operator and franchisor of “super budget” branded hotels, has reported it has now been granted planning permission for a 116-room Easyhotel at Bradley House in Manchester and the acquisition of the building has completed. The hotel is expected to open in the 2016/2017 financial year.

 

GVC Holdings hires Peel Hunt leisure analyst Nick Batram as head of investor relations: GVC Holdings, the online gaming operator has hired Peel Hunt leisure analyst Nick Batram to the newly created role of head of investor relations and corporate strategy. The strategic non-board appointment is the latest high profile recruitment to be announced ahead of the completion of the proposed recommended acquisition of bwin.party on 1 February 2016 and follows the recruitment of Shay Segev, previously with Playtech and Gala Coral, as GVC’s chief operating officer. Batram has spent more than 30 years working in City-related finance with experience from both the buy-side and sell-side of capital markets. For the last 21 years of his career in the City, Batram has specialised in analysis of the leisure and gaming sector. Batram joins from Peel Hunt where he was head of the leisure and gaming team. He joined Peel Hunt in 2008 and under his leadership the leisure and gaming team was rated in the top three in leisure in the Extel analyst rankings. Batram was voted the number one leisure and gaming analyst by corporates in the 2014 Extel Survey. Kenny Alexander, chief executive of GVC Holdings, said: “Nick’s appointment is another strategic building block ahead of the completion of the GVC and bwin.party merger. Nick is renowned in the gaming sector for having in-depth knowledge of the industry and I am delighted to welcome him to the GVC team. Nick’s gravitas in the sector means shareholders will have a respected, knowledgeable and transparent first point of contact. Internally we will benefit from Nick’s immense knowledge and contact base as well as his strong analytical skills.”

 

Simon French – Mitchells & Butlers dragged down sector like-for-likes in December: Cenkos Securities leisure analyst Simon French has argued Mitchells & Butlers may well have dragged down sector like-for-likes in the Coffer Peach Tracker, which reported like-for-likes ahead by 1.8% in December. He said: “Pubs and restaurants: Like-for-like sales for the sector increased 1.8% (comparative 2.8%) for the six weeks to 3 January according to the Coffer Peach Business Tracker, with most of the uplift coming in the last two weeks (4.5%); total sales increased 5.2%. Drink-led managed pubs performed best with a 3.1% increase in like-for-likes whilst restaurants enjoyed a smaller uplift with the best trading outside of London. The biggest constituent of the tracker is Mitchells & Butlers (‘Buy’), which we think dragged the sector performance down, which is well short of our own survey, which indicated 4.1% like-for-like sales growth over a broadly similar period.”

Busaba Eathai looking for more regional sites after Manchester debut: Busaba Eathai is looking for more site in the regions after opening its £2m site in the former Cafe Rouge unit in Manchester Printworks and lining up a £1.3m venue in Liverpool, the 14th and 15th sites for the brand. Chief executive Jason Myers told Insider Media: “We’ve been wanting to come to the north west for a while. We’ve been in London for 15 years and it’s time to make the move. We’re looking to do more in the north west. This is a really important place for us. We’re considering launching further sites in Manchester and Liverpool as well as sites outside both cities. We’ve signed deals for several other sites across the UK but unfortunately we can’t talk about them yet.” Phoenix Equity Partners, which has offices in Manchester and London, bought a majority stake in Busaba for £21.5m in 2008. Myers took over as chief executive of Busaba in the summer of 2014 and also acquired shares in the business. He joined from global luxury hotel operator Jumeirah International, where he was managing director of Jumeirah Restaurants and general manager of Jumeirah’s restaurants and bars division, having previously held director posts at Scottish & Newcastle, Barracuda, Spirit Group, Greene King, Gondola Group and Ignite Group.

 

Twisted Burger Company launches new residency in Ilkley: Twisted Burger Company, which has operated out of The Harley kitchen in Sheffield since 2011, is launching a residency in The Yard, Ilkley, on Monday, February 1. Twisted’s menu consists of burgers such as the Pig Daddy Kane (double beef patty, pulled pork, American cheese, Dead Twisted barbecue sauce, chorizo and apple jam). It also offers two meat-free burgers, including the vegan Drop Dead Double Stuffed Falaf-Hell Burger (double falafel patty, grilled aubergine, sweet chilli and lime sauce, red onion and vegan minted sour cream). To launch the menu, half-price burgers will be available at The Yard, just off Brook Street, from February 1 to 14. Twisted only franchises into music-led venues and The Yard will offer craft beers, wine and cocktails, with guest DJs and musicians. Twisted’s operations manager Lauren Dyke said: “Twisted has gone from strength to strength, with two well-established franchises in Sheffield and one newly launched in Doncaster. As a true Yorkshire independent, it’s great to be expanding northwards.” 

 

Former BrewDog director of operations opens UK’s first exclusively vegetarian and vegan pub: Bruce Grey, a former director of operations at Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog who operates craft-ale pub Small Bar in Bristol, has opened the first pub in the UK to exclusively serve vegetarian food and drink. From bar snacks and beer, to mains and wine, everything at Adam & Eve in the Hotwells area of Bristol is meat-free and up to 80% of the menu is suitable for vegans, the Bristol Post has reported. Grey said: “During our research, we couldn’t find any other vegetarian and vegan pub in the UK – there are cafes and restaurants, but no pubs.” Grey has created a combination of traditional and world dishes, from roast dinners to Moroccan tagines and Japanese udon soup. He said: “Everything we pour at the bar is vegetarian. Ultimately, we want locals to come in for a drink and people who are intrigued by our menu to travel to us.” Grey was director of operations from 2009 to 2012 and helped open its first bar in Aberdeen. 

 

M&B to convert Orchid carvery site to Toby Carvery brand: Mitchells & Butlers is to convert The Moby Dick in Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex, which operated as part of Orchid Pub Company’s Great British Carvery brand, to a Toby Carvery. The site in Whalebone Lane North, which is currently undergoing renovation and remodelling work, will be known as Toby Carvery Moby Dick when it opens to the public on Monday, 15 February. The move is part of the acquisition of 173 Orchid sites in 2014 by Toby Carvery’s owner Mitchells & Butlers. The change is set to create 20 additional jobs. Rob Goodier, regional business manager for Toby Carvery, said: “We are extremely pleased to be opening one of our famous carveries in Chadwell Heath and the team are gearing up to welcoming lots of guests over the coming months.”

 

Entrepreneur plans first Peterborough city centre micro-pub: Entrepreneur Tom Beran, who runs the Coalheavers Arms in Park Street, Peterborough, has earmarked a former pharmacy in the city as the site for its first micro-pub. Beran said The Bimble Inn would serve four to five real ales, British wines, real cider, craft keg and a range of premium bottles and cans. Beran has submitted an application to the city council for change of use of the empty shop premises in Westgate. He said: “Micro-pubs are the new boom in hospitality and leisure. They harken back to a simpler time, when pubs were just about good beer and good conversation – no television, no music, work-friendly hours. Between us (with wife Michelle) we have over 18 years’ experience in running award-winning pubs and believe The Bimble Inn will be a successful go-to venue in Peterborough. We have good relationships with all the local micro-breweries, the local Campaign for Real Ale branch, and know what the real-ale drinker likes to buy.”

 

Itinerary unveiled for second Propel and Thinking Drinkers Craft Beer Retail Study Tour: The itinerary has been unveiled for the second Propel and Thinking Drinkers Craft Beer Retail Study Tour. The event, which this year focuses on south London, takes place on Thursday, 28 January and will visit seven of the capital’s leading craft beer retailers in an eight-hour period. It starts at the Four Thieves brewpub in Battersea, owned by Laine Pub Company. The tour will then visit hybrid craft beer and bottle shop We Brought Beer in Clapham Junction, which was founded by former BrewDog employee James Hickson, followed by the Craft Beer Co site in Clapham Manor Street. The next stop will be the Crown & Anchor in Brixton run by London Village Inns before heading to independently operated Stormbird in Camberwell Church Street, which was runner-up in the Timeout Love London Awards in 2015. The tour then continues to Late Knights Brewery’s micro-pub Beer Rebellion in Gypsy Hill and ends at Utobeer’s The Rake in Borough Market. The tour will again be led by Thinking Drinkers, award-winning beer writers Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham, who will provide the latest craft beer facts and figures, market segmentation, analysis and spot up-and-coming trends. The day includes lunch and breakfast and travel between venues by coach. Places have now sold out but to be added to the waiting list, email adam.dickinson@propelinfo.com

ALMR National Restaurant Association Study Tour to Chicago opens for 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 National Restaurant Association (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