Carluccio’s goes into administration: Carluccio’s, the Mark Jones-led company, has gone into administration. Geoff Rowley and Phil Reynolds, partners at FRP Advisory, have been appointed joint administrators. Carluccio’s directors decided to place the company into administration after a sustained period of challenging trading conditions, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic and “broader issues currently facing the UK’s retail and hospitality sector”. This meant the company faced significant cash flow pressures and, as a result, was ultimately unable to meet its financial obligations as they were due. The joint administrators are now urgently addressing all options for the future of Carluccio’s, which includes exploring the opportunity to mothball the business using government support and speaking to interested parties regarding the sale of all or part of the business. The joint administrators will access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to furlough the majority of the company’s 2,000 employees while they assess all available options. Rowley said: “In the absence of being able to continue to trade Carluccio’s, in the short term, we are urgently focused on the options available to preserve the future of the business and protect its employees. We welcome the latest update on the CJRS and look forward to working with HMRC to access the support it provides for companies in administration and their employees. As this fast-moving situation progresses, we will remain in regular communication with all employees and key stakeholders.” At the weekend Propel reported Carluccio’s and better burger brand Byron held emergency talks regarding a merger but they came to nothing. Last week, 51-strong Byron appointed adviser KPMG to explores ways to shore up its own balance sheet and it is thought it could follow Carluccio’s into administration. In a letter to staff last week, Carluccio’s said it was looking at all avenues to give the business a “fighting chance of survival”. Alongside staff only receiving 50% of their wages for March, Jones is set to receive no pay for the month. In 2018, Carluccio’s undertook a company voluntary arrangement, which resulted in the closure of about 35 restaurants. The company was founded in 1999 by the late chef Antonio Carluccio.

More than half of Brits plan to eat out when restaurants reopen: More than half (53%) of Brits have said they will return to eating out once the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic subsides and British foodservice outlets are allowed to open in a conventional manner, new research by The NPD Group has shown. In addition, almost one-quarter (24%) of respondents said they would eat out more often than before, according to the company’s covid-19 British Foodservice Sentiment Tracker. It also revealed nine out of ten respondents agreed temporary closure of out-of-home or eat-out establishments was a “sensible precaution”. The survey, which was carried out on Friday, 20 March before the lock-down was announced, indicated there was scope for the delivery channel to extend its reach. Almost two-fifths (39%) of respondents were already using delivery services, while a further 42% said delivery services were either unavailable where they lived or they didn’t use delivery. However, 10% said they would now try using delivery for the first time because of the pandemic. A further 8% of those who regularly order from a delivery service said they would do so more often during the crisis.

Compass redeploys staff and resources to help national effort: Contract caterer Compass Group UK and Ireland has redeployed thousands of staff into front-line services. Employees are now helping in supermarkets, schools, care homes and supporting the NHS. Compass is awarding a bonus in the range of 8% to 17% of additional pay to all 7,800 colleagues supporting the NHS as ward hosts, hospital porters or cleaners. Compass has also redirected its supply chain. Its procurement business, Foodbuy, is providing 10,000 free food boxes to front-line employees and donating £500,000 of food to Fareshare. It is also giving surplus produce to food banks and community providers such as Plan Zheroes, Too Good To Go, Olio, The Salvation Army and City Harvest. Compass Group UK and Ireland managing director Robin Mills said: “Compass employees are playing an invaluable role in the country’s battle against coronavirus, ensuring NHS patients and staff are fed and their wards kept clean, while supporting key workers in the education, defence and infrastructure sectors. I’m enormously proud of them and want to thank them for the incredible dedication they are showing. As a business, we are doing everything we can to support the national effort.”

Just Eat and Uber offer discounts and free meals to NHS staff: Food delivery companies Just Eat and UberEats are offering discounts and free meals to NHS workers. Just Eat is offering NHS workers 25% off all orders, while Uber has said it will provide 200,000 free trips and 100,000 meals to staff working on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic. Uber will give £10 UberEats vouchers as well as trips up to the value of £15 to anyone with an NHS email address.  Andrew Kenny, UK managing director of Just Eat, said: “We are all in this together. In a time that will continue to put a huge strain on our front-line healthcare workers and their families, we hope this gesture helps many to enjoy a hot meal and provides a small sense of normality.” Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said: “The incredible nurses, doctors and support staff in the NHS are carrying out heroic work at the forefront of this crisis and everyone at Uber thanks them for their extraordinary efforts. We hope we can help in a small way with meals and transportation as they work tirelessly night and day.”