Pubs and restaurants feel pressure on eating-out spend as sector like-for-likes edge up 0.5%: Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups saw like-for-like sales edge up 0.5% in November compared with last year, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker. Restaurant groups saw like-for-likes slip 0.1% year-on-year and, while managed pubs recorded overall like-for-like growth of 0.7%, that included an increase in drink sales of 1.1%. Like-for-like food sales in pubs were down 0.2% in November compared with last year. “School half-term holidays at the start of the month produced a healthy first week of trading and, without that, we would have been looking at negative sales across the board for the month,” said Karl Chessell, director of CGA, the business insight consultancy that produces the Coffer Peach Tracker in partnership with Coffer Group and RSM. Trevor Watson, executive director, valuations, at Davis Coffer Lyons, added: “The data suggests a lacklustre market in the run-up to the general election and Christmas. In London, operators are hoping and expecting there to be no significant impact on leisure spend as a result of the latest terror incident in the capital. Operators everywhere are hoping the general election will revive consumer confidence generally in the final run-up to Christmas the New Year festivities. This could lead to much-needed favourable December figures.” Total sales across the 58 companies in the Tracker, which include the effect of net new openings since this time last year, were ahead 3.0% compared with November 2018. Underlying like-for-like growth for the Tracker cohort, which represents both large and small operators, was running at 1.6% for the 12 months to the end of November, which is just below the 1.7% registered at the end of October.

 

Propel Premium subscribers to receive Michael Saunders video in latest of exclusive series from Multi Club Conference: Propel Premium subscribers will receive their latest video on Monday (9 December) featuring speakers at the final Multi Club Conference of 2019. The videos feature a spectrum of company leaders sharing insights into their strategies and plans, while industry experts look at some of the key trends shaping the sector. The latest video features Bibendum chief executive Michael Saunders, who talks about the key steps taken to return the company to health after being saved from the administration of Conviviality and how it has rebuilt trust with staff and suppliers. Videos will be sent out each day at 5pm, and 3pm on a Friday. Meanwhile, Propel Premium subscribers also receive their morning newsletter 11 hours early, at 7pm the evening before our 6am send-out, discounts to attend Propel conferences and events, and receive regular columns from Propel insights editor Mark Wingett. They also receive access to our database of multi-site companies, which has grown to 1,500 businesses. An annual premium subscription costs £345 plus VAT for operators and £445 plus VAT for suppliers – plus £50 each for additional team members. Email anne.steele@propelinfo.com

 

Restaurants drive rise in positive reviews in November: Hospitality businesses experienced a year-on-year uplift in positive reviews during November, according to the latest Feed It Back social tracker. Analysis of reviews across the sector showed the score increased to 4.3 from 4.1 in 2018 – with restaurants driving the spike as the percentage of positive reviews increased from 79% to 91%. Pubs and bars actually experienced a slight decline in their average score – from 93% to 90%. Google remains the most popular platform – with 64.3% of all reviews in November left on the channel – increasing from 59.3% in November 2018. TripAdvisor was second but has experienced a slight decrease year-on-year, with the percentage of reviews dipping from 29.5%, to 25.4%. The percentage of reviews left on Facebook has also declined, from 11.2% to 10.9% in the same period. It seems restaurant customers are most satisfied with the quality of food and drink, with words such as “tasty”, “meal” and “cocktail” dominating positive reviews. The criticism of pubs and bars in November was mainly driven by speed of service, with words such as “wait” and “time” featuring heavily in negative reviews. Feed It Back chief executive Carlo Platia said: “It is clear operators have been really listening to their guests and have worked hard to adapt their offering and enhance the guest experience. The statistics show restaurants in particular have been able to tackle the challenges of the past year and, as a result, have seen a tangible uplift in positivity. The numbers aren’t so positive for pubs and bars and this can be partly attributed to the operational challenges they face, with customers often visiting for drinks and a meal, adding an extra layer of service that can often lead to higher waiting times.”

 

Hotel and hospitality group leaders write to Scottish government over ‘damaging’ tourist tax: Leaders of major hotel and hospitality groups have written to Scottish finance secretary Derek Mackay to voice strong opposition to plans for a tourist tax. The letter, co-ordinated by UKHospitality, warns of the damaging impact the levy will have on the visitor economy. The Scottish government is currently consulting on the principles of a Transient Visitor Levy, more commonly known as a tourist tax, which could be implemented by councils. Last week UKHospitality published analysis it said demonstrated the economic and employment cost of a tourist tax in Scotland, which would hit the Scottish economy to the tune of “more than £200m and the loss of almost 6,000 jobs”. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “The senior-level signatures on this letter demonstrates the level of concern about how this ill thought-through proposal will damage Scotland’s reputation as a world-class tourism destination, increase costs and put thousands of jobs at risk. The hospitality sector is already overtaxed, with sky-high business rates and one of the highest VAT rates in Europe. It’s time this proposal was shelved and the Scottish government talked to business about how we can secure a bright and sustainable future for Scottish businesses.”

 

US restaurants see like-for-likes up 1.6% in November but December growth set to be put on ice: US restaurants saw like-for-like sales grow 1.6% in November – but growth is set to be put on ice in December. According to data company TDn2K’s Restaurant Industry Snapshot, which is based on weekly sales from more than 31,000 restaurants and 170 brands that represent almost $72bn in annual revenue, the increase was largely due to a favourable shift in the Thanksgiving holiday. While visits saw double-digit growth in the last week of the month as a result of Thanksgiving, the industry continued losing guests at an accelerated pace. Like-for-like visits were down 3.1% in the first three weeks of the month, providing a clearer view of November’s performance. Victor Fernandez, vice-president of insights and knowledge at TDn2K, said: “Comparing a regular week to Thanksgiving week last year meant the fourth week of the month had positive like-for-like sales growth in the double digits, which was enough to elevate the month’s overall growth rate by almost 2%. At 2.1% sales growth, December 2018 was tied for the strongest month last year, which means a tough comparison as we wrap up the year. Tough year-on-year comparisons and a softening economy carry over into next year, which means a significant lift in restaurant spending is unlikely.”

 

More than 400 venues sign up for World’s Biggest Pub Quiz: More than 400 pubs and bars have signed up for the World’s Biggest Pub Quiz 2020. The event, organised by PubAid, will run from 8 to 12 March, although pubs can hold it at any time in 2020. Pubs will be encouraged to raise money for PubAid’s new official charity partner, Action Against Hunger, which provides life-saving food and nutrition to thousands of children around the world. A number of pubs elect to divide funds raised from the quiz between the official charity partner and local causes. All pubs taking part in the event will receive a free fund-raising pack containing question sheets, posters and social media assets. This year’s quiz involved 1,400 pubs and raised more than £230,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. Since its launch in 2016, the quiz has raised £750,000 for hundreds of charities. For more information and to sign up, click here.

 

Springboard Charity heads back to West End next month for pantomime: The Springboard Charity is heading back to the West End next month to stage its fourth pantomime – an industry revamp of Snow White. The pantomime will be performed at the Leicester Square Theatre from 29 to 31 January. The project, which follows previous productions Aladdin, Springderella and Dick Whittington, aims to raise funds to help young people achieve their potential and support people into employment within the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors. Springboard, which marks its 30th anniversary next year, said the pantomime would be about “celebrating what makes hospitality great”. For tickets and details of the cast, click here.

 

Turtle Bay reports turnover and profit drop amid ‘significant headwinds’: Caribbean restaurant brand Turtle Bay, backed by Piper, has reported turnover and profit dropped in the year to 2 March 2019 as the company battled with “significant headwinds”. Sales decreased 2.5% to £66.9m while pre-tax profit was £2.2m, compared with £5.9m the year before. The company stated: “As well as the continued over-supply in the sector and the general weakness of consumer demand, sales were also adversely affected by a number of one-off events such as the FIFA World Cup. In light of the environment we slowed site growth and only opened one site during the year. Our belief is there is still a large number of good potential sites around the UK – however, their cost is likely to fall over the next couple of years. In Germany, sales increased during the year by 31.5% due to the full year impact of the restaurant that opened part-way through the prior year. Adjusted Ebitda of £7.6m (2018: £12m) is down, but we are happy our adjusted Ebitda margin of 11.4% balances the needs of the company and its customers. The company continues to generate cash from operating activities in excess of capital expenditure and make payments to reduce external debt obligations by £3.25m.” Turnover in Germany for the year was £2.2m while £64.7m of turnover derived from the UK. 

Reports suggesting Pho owners ‘mulling sale’ wide of the mark: Reports Gresham House Ventures is “considering a sale” of Vietnamese street food restaurant group Pho are understood to be wide of the mark. The Sunday Telegraph reported Gresham, which bought the fund and investment manager in charge of Pho from Livingbridge last year, was mulling a sale of the 29-strong business. However, Propel understands neither Gresham or Pho is currently investigating a sales process, especially in the current depressed sector mergers and acquisitions market, with all current focus on the continued expansion of the business. Propel revealed last week Pho will open its 30th restaurant early next year after securing a site in Sheffield. It has taken a site in the Leopold Square mixed-used development, which already houses Azzurri Group-owned Zizzi, New World Trading Company brand The Botanist and The Restaurant Group-owned Wagamama. It’s understood Pho is also working on securing sites in Edinburgh and the Midlands for its 2020 pipeline. The company, which Stephen and Juliette Wall founded in 2005, saw a 12.8% increase in turnover to £34.4m in the year to the end of February 2019, driven by a 5.4% increase in like-for-like sales. The company continued to generate a positive sales performance, with like-for-like sales in the nine months of its current financial year understood to be up 6.5%, driven by strong eat-in numbers and continued growth outside London.

Carluccio’s eyes franchise route, appoints new people director: Italian restaurant group Carluccio’s plans to seek strategic franchise partners for future travel hub openings and also for the Republic of Ireland, as it continues to see sales uplifts from sites refurbished with its “Fresca” design, Propel has learned. Mark Jones, Carluccio’s chief executive, told Propel: “We are seeking strategic partners in both the Republic of Ireland and also to assist us in growing our travel business at a faster rate. In Ireland we currently operate two successful restaurants in Dublin but we believe the market has room for up to ten sites across the country in key cities including Cork, Limerick and of course further sites in Dublin. We also have a successful travel business with scope to grow that faster. We believe that is best done with a partner who specialises in this environment.” Carluccio’s said it expects to choose its strategic franchise partners early in 2020. The company currently operates eight sites in the Middle East under a franchise agreement. New sites will feature the company’s new “Fresca” style design. The company now has seven Fresca refurbished sites – in Chester, Newcastle, Dawson Street Dublin, Heathrow Terminal 5, Canary Wharf, Bluewater and Richmond. Propel understands sales uplifts from these range from 15% to 35% and the business is “very pleased with sales”. Jones said: “The model requires enhancing to drive down the costs of the refurbishments. The original seven cost on average £300,000, including additional catch up maintenance required by some landlords. Our target is now sub £100,000, which we believe is possible with a focus on design and decoration rather than structural works seen in the original seven.” The refurbishment programme has been paused for Christmas, and will start again with the new lower capex version in the first quarter of next year at Waterloo station. At the same time, the company has appointed Claire Dickson, formerly of Tragus Group, who has most recently been consulting at Oakman Inns, as its permanent people director. Jones said: “Claire has been with us ten months, originally as maternity cover support and then when Leanne Murphy decided not to come back after maternity we appointed her permanently.”

City AM – Chilango set to launch CVA: Mexican brand Chilango is set to launch a company voluntary arrangement as soon as Monday (9 December), ahead of a meeting with shareholders next week. The restructuring agreement would allow Chilango to reopen rent negotiations with landlords to tackle its cash flow issues. The company is in talks to shore up its business with RSM, and is more than two months late posting its accounts. Chilango will propose exiting several restaurant leases as part of the restructuring, reports City AM. The plan will require the backing of company’s creditors, including about 1,500 small investors who bought its so-called burrito bonds. Chilango recently postponed its annual general meeting to Thursday, 19 December, telling shareholders the delay would allow it to offer a “full update” on its future. Launched by Eric Partaker and Dan Houghton in 2007, Chilango operates 12 restaurants in London, Manchester and Birmingham. However, it has never turned a profit, losing £1.4m in the year to March 2018, the most recent period for which it has filed accounts. In November, City AM revealed Chilango was in talks with RSM to secure its long-term future. Chilango has raised £5.8m through the sale of two tranches of burrito bonds. A form of mini-bond, the burrito bonds allowed investors to purchase some of the company’s debt for a set period of time, in exchange for fixed interest payments. Mini-bonds allow investors to essentially buy company debt for a set period in exchange for regular interest payments. More than 700 investors backed Chilango’s first bond, which was raised in 2014. Its most recent bond – promising an 8% return for four years – closed in April 2018. The offering was oversubscribed and exceeded its initial £1m target to raise £3.7m from almost 800 retail investors. The minimum investment for the bond was £500 but 194 backers invested more than £10,000, qualifying them for a “free weekly burrito for the duration of the loan”. The financial watchdog recently announced a temporary ban on the marketing of some mini-bonds to retail investors from January while it consults on more permanent rules for the sector. Bonds such as Chilango’s burrito bonds would not be covered by the temporary restriction.

 

Greene King reports sales boost from Amazon Premier League fixtures, takes space at Liverpool development: Brewer and retailer Greene King has reported a boost in drinks sales during Amazon’s first round of Premier League fixtures last week, selling almost one million pints at its 900 sports pubs that screened the matches. With a further full round of fixtures being broadcast by Amazon on Boxing Day, Greene King said it anticipated another “significant” increase in sales. Greene King chief commercial officer Phil Thomas said: “We are delighted to report positive sales growth from the first three sets of Premier League matches on Amazon, which were screened across all our sports pubs. Football is the most popular sport to watch at a pub, while our investment in the Amazon Premier League Pass also demonstrates our commitment to broadcasting all major sporting occasions.” Meanwhile, Greene King is set to open a pub at the Lime Street development in Liverpool. The company has agreed a deal with property developer Ion to lease part of the street-level space to open a Greene King Locals pub. Ion managing director Steve Parry said: “It has always been important to us to reflect the roots of Lime Street through this development. The panelled façade tells the story of the history of the street – from the penny bazaar to the cinemas and milk bars. We hope to mirror that offering when allocating the street-level units.”

Wahlburgers debut UK site set to come to market: Wahlburgers, the US chain run by chef Paul Wahlberg in partnership with his brothers Mark and Donnie, is set to place its UK debut site in London’s Covent Garden on the market, just over six months after its launch, Propel has learned. It is understood Restaurant Property has been lined up to market the site at 8-9 James Street, with a premium of £2m thought to have been placed on it. The site is believed to have a current rent per annum of £1.2m. Speculation has been growing the brand, which operates more than 20 sites in the US, was struggling to reach break-even levels at the site. The business was understood to be in talks with its landlord Capital & Counties (Capco) about its rent levels, on the back of trade tailing off since its launch. At the time of its opening, the business spoke of planning to open 15 restaurants in five years in London and the wider UK. A second UK opening for the concept was also mooted for Tottenham Court Road.

Maray bans bookings for fewer than six at Bold Street site to prevent no-shows: Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar concept Maray has banned bookings for groups of fewer than six at its Bold Street site in a bid to prevent no-shows. Maray owners James Bates, Dominic Jones and Thomas White said “something had to be done” after the issue hit daily covers by between 10% and 20%. The ban doesn’t affect its larger restaurants at Albert Dock and Allerton. Bates, Jones and White wrote on Facebook: “We want Maray to be a casual, fun experience and felt taking credit card details for every booking would formalise and sanitise this.” Earlier this year Propel revealed Rosa’s Thai Cafe founders Alex and Saiphin Moore had invested in Maray as it targeted further expansion. The company has ambitions to open in Manchester in early 2020, with potential for a fifth site in London.

 

Whitbread shareholders approve revised remuneration policy despite opposition: Whitbread shareholders have approved the company's revised remuneration policy for executives to reflect its focus as an international hotel company. A total of 70.46% voted in favour of the new policy at a general meeting on Friday (6 December). The primary change in the policy is replacing the performance-based long-term incentive plan with a restricted share plan, which must have a combined vesting and holding period of at least five years. The company is also lowering the pension contribution for the current executive directors by 10% to 15% of salary over the policy period and will lower the pension provision for new executive directors to 10% of salary. The first reduction will take effect in May 2020. Whitbread stated: “The board recognises arriving at a position on remuneration that can meet the approval of all shareholders is very hard to do. The board believes this proposal is the best structure to provide strong alignment with shareholders' interests and the delivery of the company's ambitious long-term plan to create value by investing in the UK and expanding internationally. The board appreciates restricted stock plans are, as yet, relatively uncommon and practice is evolving. However, as a result of the introduction of this new policy, including a reduction in pension contributions, there will be a substantial reduction in the pay opportunity for the senior executive team. In the circumstances, the board believes a vote of 70% in favour is an acceptable outcome and is committed to continuing its constructive discussions and engagement with all of Whitbread's shareholders.”

 

Roxy Leisure gets go-ahead for second Nottingham site: Roxy Leisure, operator of the Roxy Ball Room concept, has been given the go-ahead to open a second site in Nottingham. The company, which is in advanced talks with Foresight Group regarding new investment, has been granted permission by the city council to open in the former Red Hot World Buffet unit in the Cornerhouse development, reports The Business Desk. The venue will feature a bar, restaurant, bowling alley, pool tables, table tennis and shuffleboard and have capacity for 450 people. Roxy Leisure already runs a Roxy Ball Room in Thurland Street. In October, Propel reported Roxy Leisure, which is led by Matthew Jones, was lining up a second Manchester site. It operates two Roxy Ball Rooms in Liverpool and three in Leeds. Propel revealed earlier this year the company was working with advisory firm Sedulo to assess its options, which include attracting new investment in the business.

 

M&B lines up former post office in York for Miller & Carter steakhouse: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) is lining up a site in York for its Miller & Carter brand. The company has submitted plans to the city council to convert the ground floor and basement of the former post office in Lendal into a steakhouse. It has also applied for a premises licence, reports York Mix. M&B plans to preserve the war memorial inside the building that honours York post office workers who died while serving their country. The upper floors of the property are used as offices and won’t be affected by the scheme. The post office was built in 1884 but the branch closed in April when services moved into WHSmith in Coney Street.

 

Lane7 to open Sheffield site this week: Lane7, the bowling alley, ping pong and karaoke concept, will open a site in Sheffield this week. The company will launch the 20,000 square foot venue in Matilda Street on Saturday (14 December), creating 30 jobs. The site will feature nine bowling lanes as well as baseball-style batting cages, dartboards, table tennis, pool and beer pong tables. Street food company Fat Hippo has developed the menu. Owner Tim Wilks told Insider Media: “We have been desperate to bring Lane7 to Sheffield for so long – now we can finally open. Our site in Sheffield is definitely one of the most exciting we’ve created.” Lane7 launched its first site in Newcastle in late 2013 and has gone on to open venues in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Liverpool and Middlesbrough. It will launch a “super-site” in Leicester early next year that will feature a container-style food and beverage village. Sites have also been secured in Bristol and Cardiff and are scheduled to open before the end of 2020.

 

BrewDog opens Swansea site for its second bar in Wales: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog has opened its second Welsh site, in Swansea. The company has launched the venue in Wind Street in premises previously occupied by The Bucket List bar. BrewDog Swansea offers 28 taps of craft beer alongside coffee, wine, spirits and its burgers and wings menu. BrewDog made its debut in Wales five years ago with an opening in Cardiff. The Swansea site marks the company’s 95th bar globally. Meanwhile, BrewDog has submitted plans for a bar and visitors’ centre next to its Aberdeenshire headquarters. The company wants to create the development inside a building at Balmacassie Industrial Estate in Ellon. BrewDog has applied to Aberdeenshire Council to change part of the unit from office accommodation and production space so it can relocate its DogTap pub and visitors’ centre, reports STV. The brewer took ownership of the building in 2018. It initially proposed to turn the building into The DogHouse Hotel but the plan never came to fruition.

 

Team behind Glasgow-based Ox and Finch to open second site: The team behind Glasgow restaurant Ox and Finch is to open a second site. Jonathan MacDonald and Daniel Spurr will launch Ka Pao in January within the Category A-listed Botanic Gardens Garage in Vinicombe Street. Housed in the basement Ka Pao, which derives its name from the Thai word for Holy Basil, will offer a menu influenced by south east Asian cuisine. MacDonald told Herald Scotland: “Some of my most memorable cooking and eating experiences have been in Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand; sometimes in impressive restaurants but more often on plastic stools by the side of the road.” Spurr said: “Ka Pao is not about trying to be authentic or replicating the food of any particular region or country. The guiding principle will be more about taking inspiration from dishes, ingredients and flavour combinations that have influenced us and combining them with local produce.”

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Tim Hortons to open Cumbernauld drive-thru for 25th UK site: Canadian cafe and bake shop Tim Hortons is to open a site in the Scottish town of Cumbernauld on Tuesday (10 December) for its 25th site. SK Group, which is leading the UK roll-out of the brand, will launch the drive-thru at Cumbernauld Retail Park. Kevin Hydes, chief finance and commercial officer of the Tim Hortons franchise in the UK, told The Scotsman: “We are delighted to secure a fantastic location in Cumbernauld for our new drive-thru. We’re looking forward to becoming part of the community.” SK Group opened the debut UK Tim Hortons in Argyle Street, Glasgow, in June 2017. Professional ice hockey player Tim Horton founded the brand in 1964 to create a space where “everyone feels at home”. The brand currently has more than 4,700 restaurants globally.

  

Jamaica Blue opens in Eastbourne for eighth UK site: Foodco-owned international cafe restaurant brand Jamaica Blue has opened its eighth UK site, in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The company has opened the 120-cover outlet in The Beacon shopping centre for its final launch of 2019. Last month, Jamaica Blue opened in the Telford Centre in Telford, Shropshire. Jamaica Blue was founded in Australia in 1992 and operates more than 160 cafes worldwide. Foodco opened the first Jamaica Blue cafe in the UK in Cambridge in December 2014.

 

John Fowler Holidays acquires debut Welsh site: West Country holiday park operator John Fowler Holidays has acquired its debut site in Wales, on the Gower Peninsula. The company has bought Llanrhidian Holiday Park, which was previously owned by the Richards family for more than 27 years. John Fowler Holidays managing director Martyn Fowler told Insider Media: “We are delighted to have been able to add Llanrhidian to our business – it forms an important part of our planned expansion. It has been a pleasure to work with a family with a similar ethos to ours during this process and we look forward to continuing their excellent work as we take the park forward.” John Fowler Holidays now operates 12 sites throughout Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Wales.

 

Team behind Cardiff-based Dusty Knuckle to launch new concept: The team behind Cardiff-based pop-up turned permanent pizza restaurant Dusty Knuckle is to open a new concept in the city. Phill and Debs Lewis are launching Dark in the Castle Arcade on Wednesday (11 December). It will mark a new direction for the Lewis’, who launched Dusty Knuckle in 2014. Having started selling pizza from a homemade oven at local markets, they have gone on to open permanent sites in Cardiff and Pembrokeshire. A second Cardiff site is set to open in the former park warden’s house on the edge of Sophia Gardens early next year. Dark will be a compact 30-cover restaurant with a nod to Dusty Knuckle’s roots by including a few new pizzas on the menu, but the focus will be on “bolder choices and experimental flavours”. Dishes will range from flatbreads and kebabs, to pizzas and small plates. A pared-down “on the go” menu of kebabs will also be served from the hatch at the side of the premises, continuing a tradition that was brought in by the former owner, Café Minuet, more than 40 years ago. The Lewis' are also co-owners of high-end burger pop-up Hoof and small-plates and natural wine restaurant Nook.

  

Scottish whisky distillery launches £1m fund-raise: Scottish whisky distillery Nc’nean has launched a £1m fund-raise on crowdfunding platform Seedrs to accelerate its growth plans. The investment will be used to launch its first whisky next year, buy bottling equipment and support further portfolio expansion. Founded by Annabel Thomas and Derek Lewis in 2013, Nc’nean is offering 5.68% equity in return for the investment, giving the company a pre-money valuation of £16.6m. Nc’nean has launched two products in the past two years – the Botanical Spirit and Aged Botanical Spirit, which the company describes as a “mix between whisky and gin”. Thomas said: “We have seen real consumer demand for authentic and sustainable brands and believe the scotch category has yet to tap into a new audience base by attracting them with innovative products, which is where we’re looking to build further on our success to date.”