Articles by Date : January 01 2003 - January 31 2003

The drinking man's minister
The new Licensing Bill will sweep away an archaic system when it becomes become law in 2004, says Licensing and Tourism minister Kim Howells. Here,.... more
(31 January 2003 17:09)

A sad farewell
Takings at the Epicurus pub-restaurant in Essex have disappointed Gary Witchalls, who has decided to call it a day. David Harris finds out what went.... more
(31 January 2003 17:09)

Who's who - Hanover International
Caterer turns the spotlight on Hanover International, a hotel chain specialising in the corporate and conferences market, in the first of a series of.... more
(31 January 2003 16:44)

Rooms for self-improvement
Red Carnation Hotels took on its first property in South Africa at the end of 2002 against the background of a weak currency and rumours that.... more
(31 January 2003 16:38)

Why London loves Elena Salvoni
The doyenne of London's restaurant scene celebrated her 83rd birthday this year, but she's showing no signs of slowing down and is still packing them.... more
(31 January 2003 16:31)

Worldwide briefing
Essential news from around the world... more
(31 January 2003 12:04)

Foodservice briefing
A round-up of the latest news from the contract catering sector… more
(31 January 2003 11:53)

Economy forces Hartford to shelve expansion plans
Restaurant and bar group Hartford has cancelled its plans for two new sites because of the continuing economic uncertainty. more
(31 January 2003 10:22)

Terry to step down at the Walnut Tree
Stephen Terry has confirmed he will leave renowned Welsh restaurant The Walnut Tree next month. more
(31 January 2003 10:20)

Hotels news in brief
Plans to double the size of a family-run hotel near Preston, Lancashire, hinge on whether the owners can get planning permission to relocate their.... more
(31 January 2003 10:19)

Caterers throw down challenge to Oliver after school meals jibe
School caterers have challenged celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to get involved with school meals after he blasted schools catering for being "outsourced.... more
(31 January 2003 10:16)

Global report
Radisson SAS has taken over two properties in Saudi Arabia, increasing its portfolio in the country to three. more
(31 January 2003 10:13)

Stephenson takes on chief executive role at Hospitality Action
Hospitality Action has appointed Jim Stephenson as its new chief executive, replacing Tony Allen, who left the charity last November to take up a.... more
(31 January 2003 10:08)

Midlands Association names its Chef of the Year finalists
The Midlands Association of Chefs has announced the line-up for the semi-final round of its Midlands Chef of the Year title. more
(31 January 2003 10:07)

Living Room branches out into cocktail bars
Living Ventures, the company that owns six-strong bar chain The Living Room, is expanding with a new brand. more
(31 January 2003 10:04)

Done deals
Contract caterer Sodexho is to sell meal kits supplied by Rocket in staff restaurants, following a deal between the two companies. more
(31 January 2003 10:03)

Wales looks towards public smoking ban
Wales took the first legislative step last week to ban smoking in public buildings, including pubs and restaurants. more
(31 January 2003 10:01)

Hotels suffer revenue drop
A testing year ahead is predicted after a fragile 2002 and a disappointing December for the UK hotel industry, according to two reports published.... more
(31 January 2003 10:00)

McDonald's £209m loss hits expansion
McDonald's last week recorded its first quarterly loss since going public in 1965, an announcement which looks certain to mark the end of one of the.... more
(31 January 2003 09:59)

Lallemand's Grand plans
Marie-Béatrice Lallemand, general manager of the world's largest Hilton and one of London's few high-profile female hotel managers, is to leave the.... more
(31 January 2003 09:56)

Harry Ramsden's aims to add more branches
Fish-and-chip shop chain Harry Ramsden's is to launch an initiative in a bid to add up to 30 franchise outlets during 2003. more
(31 January 2003 09:55)

We need to lead from the front
We hear it time and time again, but no one can argue - hospitality is a people business. more
(31 January 2003 09:54)

What's hot
For a more contemporary look for hotel rooms and bathrooms, check out the new Jazz range of stainless steel radiators and heated towel rails from.... more
(31 January 2003 09:51)

Indian sandwich
Inspired by the Indian city of Pune (formerly Poona), Poonah Foods has introduced its hot sandwich called the poonah. more
(31 January 2003 09:48)

Best of British
Regional British cheeses including Lanark Blue, Swaledale, Chatel, Ardrahan, Worcester Gold, Quickes Cheddar Truckle and Mrs Bell’s Blue are now.... more
(31 January 2003 09:43)

Cracking china
As an alternative to plain white china for coffee, have a look at Dudson’s Fireworks range. more
(31 January 2003 09:40)

Dry and mighty
The new Hyppocampus cutlery drier will dry, sanitise and polish silver or stainless steel cutlery in 40 seconds, according to the manufacturer. more
(31 January 2003 09:31)

Loxtons line-up
Several new main-course meals have been added to Loxtons' product list, including Venison Sausages in Cumberland Sauce; Thai Chicken Paneng; Seafood.... more
(31 January 2003 09:30)

Health on the roof
Spring Fine Foods has extended its range of Eat Natural cereal bars with three new varieties - yogurt-coated almond and apricot; fruit, nut and.... more
(31 January 2003 09:29)

Osia offers a taste of Oz
Antipodean staff have long been an important part of London's restaurant scene, but April will see the opening of the capital's only restaurant to.... more
(30 January 2003 16:23)

Anything over five-star is... well, five-star
Five, six, even seven stars... how much higher can the star-rating system go? But anything over five stars is technically incorrect, so are hotels.... more
(30 January 2003 16:20)

Shane Goodway to leave Box Tree
The Box Tree restaurant in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, which lost its Michelin star in the recently published 2003 edition of the Red Guide, is now.... more
(30 January 2003 16:12)

Top hotel groups take the plunge in cruise market
Major hotel groups are becoming active in the cruise market, whether it's branding certain rooms on ships or investing in boats of their own..... more
(30 January 2003 16:09)

Samy Gicqueau
In 2001, Matthew Forte voted La Terrasse, at Samy and Zara Gicqueau's Sandgate Hotel in Folkestone, his Guardian Restaurant of the Year. more
(30 January 2003 10:43)

Breakfast newcomer
Extend your breakfast menu with the new pre-filled, pre-grilled addition to the Provencette range from Délifrance, filled with egg mayonnaise,.... more
(30 January 2003 09:23)

Chocolate Heaven
Beaulieu Chocolates is a small company making handmade chocolates in Beaulieu, Hampshire. more
(29 January 2003 17:29)

FSA launches its new salmonella campaign
Caterers are being warned about the dangers posed by eggs, in a fresh bid to reduce the number of cases of salmonella food poisoning. more
(29 January 2003 17:25)

School courses throw out lifeline to skills shortage
Senior figures in hospitality are lending their support to the Government's proposals for secondary education reform in the hope that it will open.... more
(29 January 2003 17:24)

Hospitality industry urged to ban swearing - updated
Swearing and bad behaviour in restaurants and hotels must be stamped out, says a leading industry figure. more
(28 January 2003 16:58)

Hearn quits Hilton for Little Chef
Hilton UK & Ireland's president, Grant Hearn, is leaving the company to become chief executive of Travelodge and Little Chef under venture capital.... more
(27 January 2003 10:03)

Done deals
The Loch Fyne Restaurant Group has opened its first hotel. more
(27 January 2003 10:02)

Row breaks out over Kent hotel bought for asylum seekers
The Coniston hotel in Sittingbourne, Kent, has been sold to London-based Accomodata, a company contracted by the Home Office to run the property as.... more
(27 January 2003 09:59)

Second Swiss opening for Kempinski
Germany-based five-star hotel operator Kempinski Hotels and Resorts today announced its second hotel in Switzerland in two months. more
(27 January 2003 09:58)

In brief
More than half the ice cubes in pubs, hotels and restaurants in Northamptonshire are contaminated with dirt or bacteria, a report has revealed..... more
(27 January 2003 09:56)

Done deals
Staffordshire-based Wilson Vale has won a one-year contract with lubricating oil company Lubrizol to provide catering services at two of its sites. more
(27 January 2003 09:53)

Michelin praises UK restaurants
British restaurants are doing well in extremely difficult trading conditions, according to the British boss of French guide Michelin. more
(27 January 2003 09:50)

Signature to go private
Luke Johnson's management-buyout bid for Signature Restaurants, which owns the Ivy, Le Caprice and J Skeekey restaurants as well as the Belgo,.... more
(27 January 2003 09:48)

Paramount's bid for Chez Gérard could go ahead, says Abraham
Neville Abraham, executive chairman of Groupe Chez Gérard, said this week that he believed the bid for the company by Paramount was "serious" and.... more
(27 January 2003 09:47)

You! Stop blaming other people
At the Master Innholders General Managers Conference dinner last week, CBI director general Digby Jones made a plea to end the "blame culture" that.... more
(27 January 2003 09:45)

Nuggets revisited
A variation on the chicken nugget has been developed by Padley’s. more
(23 January 2003 15:48)