JKS to pay first apprentices £18,000 per annum: JKS Restaurants, led by Karam, Jyotin and Sunaina Sethi, is to launch a new Apprenticeship Academy, in September, in which apprentices will receive £18,000 per annum. The company said The Academy will be a “unique chance for successful applicants to work the full breadth of the JKS portfolio from Michelin stars to more casual venues.” Designed to “develop, nurture and inspire”, the apprentices will spend their time working across 13 different brands at JKS, learning an array of skills, cuisines and dining styles. The company said: “This unique offering of diversity and opportunity is at the core of the Apprenticeship Academy with JKS capitalising on its in-house talent and restaurants including Trishna, Gymkhana, Brigadiers, Hoppers, Sabor, Kitchen Table, Lyle’s, Berenjak, BiBi, Bao, The Cadogan Arms, The George & Arcade Food Hall. The programme is made up of a mix of on and off the job training. The final two to three months are an end point assessment, where apprentices will have the opportunity to present their newly learnt skills. Once a month apprentices will meet with a training manager, who will mentor and guide them through the whole apprenticeship and end of year assessment. Successful apprentices will be offered full time roles in various restaurants at the end of the scheme.” There are two programmes available: the front of house scheme will last 12 months, allowing apprentices to work two months at six venues across the business, and the back of house scheme will last 16 months, allowing apprentices to work to months at eight venues across the business. Along with the educational experience, JKS said it has developed an extensive benefits program for the apprentices, including but not limited to: apprentices will receive £18,000 per annum – an increase on the £6.83 per hour/£14,206 per annum minimum wage for 18 to 20-year-olds; career progression with a “fast-growing, critically acclaimed restaurant group”; quarterly dine outs for both front of house and back of house; an opportunity for all apprentices to dine, taste and experience a variety of brands across the group; talks, workshops and demonstrations with JKS suppliers; trips and tours with JKS suppliers to farms, vineyards, distilleries, and breweries; access to the Discovery Series, a set of exclusive events for JKS staff; access to the learning and development training calendar; up to 50% off dining across JKS Restaurants; retail and takeaway discounts; and discounted gym membership. Spaces will be limited to 11 apprentices per each programme.

Shepherd Neame acquires first site in Bournemouth: Kent brewer and retailer Shepherd Neame has expanded its estate with the acquisition of contemporary Bournemouth seaside bar and restaurant Urban Reef. Located next to the beach on Boscombe Promenade, Urban Reef opened in 2009 and is a two-storey venue comprising a bar, cafe, deli and restaurant. Urban Reef is Shepherd Neame’s first site in Bournemouth, and takes its total of pubs and hotels to 300, across Kent, London and the south east. Jonathon Swaine, Shepherd Neame’s newly appointed managing director of pubs, said: “This acquisition follows the strong company performance revealed in our latest trading update at the end of June. We are now actively looking for opportunities to grow and develop our high-quality estate and are delighted to have acquired Urban Reef, a unique offering in a unique beachfront location. Our coastal pubs and hotels have seen particularly encouraging sales during the past year, and we are confident that with its fantastic reputation and loyal customer base, the addition of Urban Reef to our portfolio will allow us to accelerate that growth.” Renowned for offering locally sourced food and drink, Urban Reef is being sold by founder Mark Cribb, who also owns the Urban Guild, the Urban Beach hotel and Urban Garden bar and restaurant in Bournemouth. He said: “I love Urban Reef – it is such a fantastic location, with such a wonderful community around it. The vibe, energy, passion and impact on the seafront with DJs, and salsa nights, and bands, and wonderful drinks, food and service still get me excited. I feel I've done my bit to get it to where it is, and now it is time for someone else. I was lucky enough to receive a lot of interest in this business, and I chose Shepherd Neame as it has been operating for more than 300 years and remain family owned, and I wanted to hand over to someone who would take a considered, long-term approach. Our values are aligned, and having worked with it for the past couple of years as a supplier I have been impressed with its commitment and creativity during very turbulent covid times. I'm confident it will be a wonderful custodian for the business.” Shepherd Neame will continue Urban Reef’s current food and drinks offer, and has also committed to retaining all its team members. Swaine said: “Urban Reef has a wonderful team, many of whom have worked there for many years, and we have been really impressed by their passion, expertise and commitment to fantastic customer service, which is something we really value, so we are pleased to welcome them into the Shepherd Neame family.”

PizzaExpress reaches one million club members just seven months after launching loyalty app: PizzaExpress has reached one million Club members just seven months after launching its new loyalty app. The company is marking the moment by thanking every member with an additional free soft drink, on top of their usual rewards. All members, including those who hit download and join the club before Sunday, 7 August, will automatically have the reward added to their club app. Released as part of the business’ digital transformation, the PizzaExpress Club sees customers progressing through bronze, silver and gold tiers unlocking more exclusive free rewards from the menu every time they dine. Customers can also use multiple offers at the same time. Arslan Sharif, digital and loyalty director at PizzaExpress, said: “The PizzaExpress Club was designed to reward our loyal customers and offer them great instant value – with free food or drink items every time they dine with us. To celebrate reaching one million customers joining our generous digital rewards programme, we're giving everyone a free drink to say thanks for being part of – or welcome to, the PizzaExpress Club. By downloading the app and joining the PizzaExpress Club customers can enjoy the very best of PizzaExpress and our iconic menu – from free dough balls to the ability to split the bill and pay online."