Articles by Date : December 01 2006 - December 31 2006

Little Chef in weekend crisis talks
Little Chef, once the nation’s favourite roadside diner, will be forced into administration next week if last-ditch talks to keep the company afloat.... more
(30 December 2006 09:55)

2006 - the year in review
In a year of mixed fortunes for UK hospitality most of the bad news has come from Government in the form of botched legislation and threats of new.... more
(29 December 2006 09:00)

Higher APD will deepen the tourism deficit
The Chancellor’s plans to increase Air Passenger Duty (APD) to lessen the impact of aviation emissions on the world’s climate will only worsen the.... more
(29 December 2006 08:00)

Key dates for the year ahead 2007
Dates to put in your diary for 2007... more
(29 December 2006 08:00)

Newcastle Thistle hotel guests struck by winter vomiting bug
Around 40 guests staying at the Newcastle Thistle hotel struck down by illness. more
(28 December 2006 18:22)

Wetherspoon's to open more pubs in 2007
UK pub operator JD Wetherspoon is to open 30 new pubs and create 1,200 jobs in 2007. more
(28 December 2006 13:24)

Little Chef faces bankruptcy - For more hospitality stories, see what the Christmas papers say
A round-up of the weekend's news affecting the hospitality industry. News includes: Little Chef; Simon Cowell and Principal Hotels; Burger King;.... more
(28 December 2006 10:07)

The Bench: London weekly hotel performance to 24 December, 2006
London hotels boosted revenue per available room (revpar) by 32.1% in the week ending 24 December, according to figures from hotel benchmarking.... more
(28 December 2006 09:05)

The Bench: London airport hotel performance in October 2006
Hotels at London airports boosted revenue per available room (revpar) by 6.8% during the month of October. more
(28 December 2006 09:00)

Les Routiers eating-out guide saved in the UK
The Les Routiers eating-out guide will be published once again in the UK after former business associates IPA stepped in to save it. more
(22 December 2006 17:04)

Debenhams finance director lined up for restaurant group Gondola Holdings
Pizza Express and ASK owner Gondola Holdings has lined up the finance director of Debenhams as a non-executive director, according to a report in The.... more
(22 December 2006 16:09)

Aramark shareholders back move to take company private
Aramark shareholders have overwhelmingly backed an $8.3b (£4.4b) move by group chief executive Joseph Neubauer to take the company private. more
(22 December 2006 12:25)

Blackstone deal shows the value of good management at Tragus
Blackstone's purchase of Café Rouge owner Tragus Holdings for £267m represents a huge endorsement of the restaurant group's management, analysts said.... more
(22 December 2006 11:00)

Kuwaiti healthy-eating cafés plan
A Kuwait-based food service group has earmarked £30m for a foray into the UK restaurant market. more
(22 December 2006 10:00)

Little cheer from smoking ban definition
The Government’s long-awaited definition of what sort of structures publicans can provide outside for smokers in the wake of next year’s smoking ban.... more
(22 December 2006 09:00)

Little Chef needs cash and a business rethink
Roadside restaurant chain Little Chef has denied reports that it is in financial trouble and seeking a rescue package from investors. more
(22 December 2006 09:00)

Apex Hotels adds two new properties to portfolio
Apex Hotels has made two new site acquisitions, boasting its portfolio to seven. more
(22 December 2006 08:00)

London Town group takeover of Petchy owned pubs approved
London Town group’s shareholders have approved the purchase of 167 pubs from entrepreneur Jack Petchy in a £94.57m deal. more
(22 December 2006 07:58)

EasyCruise boss quits role after less than nine months
Gwyn Jones has quit as chief executive of EasyCruise after the company announced plans to relocate its head office. more
(21 December 2006 16:45)

First-time buyers for Welsh market town hotel
First-time buyers Nick Evans and Carol Lincoln are the new owners of the Castle hotel, a three-star property in the centre of the market town of.... more
(21 December 2006 16:45)

Local buyer for Peterborough café-restaurant and tanning business
Local businessman Halil Kama has made his first foray into catering with the purchase of the Limon Café Bar and Restaurant in the heart of.... more
(21 December 2006 16:42)

Hotel in Cornish fishing village changes hands
Macdonald Macphee Developments has snapped up the Bay hotel in the medieval Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac. more
(21 December 2006 16:40)

Local hoteliers snap up Sidmouth restaurant
Local hoteliers have bought Brown’s restaurant in the coastal resort of Sidmouth in East Devon. more
(21 December 2006 16:37)

Staffordshire family buy former hunting lodge in Scotland
The Salisbury family from Staffordshire are the new owners of Suie Lodge hotel, a former hunting lodge in Luib, Perthshire. more
(21 December 2006 16:35)

Peach Pub Company buys Old Mill dining pub in Berkhamsted
The Midlands-based Peach Pub Company has bought a new Punch lease on the Old Mill, a canal-side dining pub in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. more
(21 December 2006 16:32)

New Bristol site for 35-year-old Indian restaurant
The Bristol branch of the award-winning Rajdoot Tandoori chain of Indian restaurants is moving to Frogmore Street after trading for 35 years from.... more
(21 December 2006 16:30)

Hotel worker buys Hastings guesthouse
Birmingham-based Seng Loy, who has gained experience working in hotels in London, is the new owner of the Windsor hotel in the historic seaside.... more
(21 December 2006 16:27)

Catering lecturer and hotelier buys Wiltshire country inn
The King’s Head, a 16th century Grade II-listed country inn on the northern edge of the New Forest in Wiltshire, has changed hands. more
(21 December 2006 16:24)

London’s Imli named as best Indian restaurant in the country
The UK’s best Indian restaurant has been named as London’s Imli, sister site to Michelin-starred Tamarind. more
(21 December 2006 16:17)

Little Chef in talks with US investors to avert bankcruptcy
Little Chef is in talks with a consortium of American investors over a refinancing package, according to The Times. more
(21 December 2006 15:47)

Cross Oak Inns to buy Gourmet Holdings’ Bel and The Dragon pubs
Leisure Cross Oak Inns, the gastropub group, is reportedly in talks to acquire the Bel and The Dragon pub-restaurant chain. more
(21 December 2006 14:39)

Toptable adds Amsterdam and Brussels to its service
Toptable.co.uk, the online restaurant booking service, is expanding its service to Amsterdam and Brussels. more
(21 December 2006 13:55)

Roman Emperor Diocletian inspires new Starwood hotel in Split
Five-star Le Meridien Lav hotel in Croatia’s Split, opened this week with a spa inspired by Roman Emperor Diocletian, who owned a spa in the city.... more
(21 December 2006 11:26)

London hotels boost revpar by more than 22%
London hotels boosted revenue per available room (revpar) by 22.3% in the week ending 17 December, according to figures from hotel benchmarking.... more
(21 December 2006 11:26)

Neil Morrissey puts Browns Hotel up for sale
Browns Hotel, in Laugharne, south Wales – hard-drinking poet Dylan Thomas' favourite pub – is on the market for £1.5m. more
(21 December 2006 10:52)

Coffee Republic signs first international master franchise
Coffee Republic has signed its first international master franchise in Bulgaria, as the company’s new management team realign the business. more
(21 December 2006 10:32)

The Bench: London weekly hotel performance to 17 December, 2006
London hotels boosted revenue per available room (revpar) by 22.3% in the week ending 17 December, according to figures from hotel benchmarking.... more
(21 December 2006 10:31)

The Bench: South-western hotel performance in October 2006
Hotels in the South West of England boosted revenue per available room (revpar) by 5.8% during the month of October. more
(21 December 2006 10:28)

Independent pub numbers set to dip
Independent pubs will feel the pinch over the next five years as the market shrinks because of competition, the supermarket alcohol sales boom and.... more
(21 December 2006 10:00)

British guests have mastered the art of making complaints
Nearly eight in 10 hospitality professionals in the UK believe their customers are complaining more than they did 10 years ago, exclusive Caterer.... more
(21 December 2006 09:30)

BP's Graham Sims takes over at Compass
Compass Group has replaced UK managing director of business and industry Chris Copner with another high-level appointment from outside the catering.... more
(21 December 2006 09:00)

Von Essen loses 'Cotswold four' verdict in the High Court
Von Essen has lost a High Court battle for £165,000 in damages that arose during the £13m purchase of four Cotswold hotels. more
(21 December 2006 08:30)

New 'super union' gets go-ahead
A new ‘super-union’, which will have two million members from industries including hospitality, looks set for go-ahead next year after delegates at a.... more
(21 December 2006 08:00)

2007 Acorn Scholrship winner Julie Lardie
Nutritionist Julie Lardie (above) has won the 2007 Acorn Scholarship, which comes with unrivalled training, mentoring and networking opportunities as.... more
(21 December 2006 00:00)

Religious dress
Religious molehills can turn into legal mountains when they involve what people wear and the perceived offence this can cause. Guy Guinan examines.... more
(21 December 2006 00:00)

Give your business a Christmas present
Ho, ho, ho, and what do you want for Christmas? Among the angst and expenseof buying personal presents, spare a thought for your business: it also.... more
(21 December 2006 00:00)

Complaints: The whine list
The British are notoriously slow in airing their grievances but, according to a Caterer survey, complaining is on the up. Simon Wright takesa look at more
(21 December 2006 00:00)

You're a scholar!
Last month eight young chefs sharpened their knives to do battle for the Gordon Ramsay Scholar title - under the scrutiny of some very high powered.... more
(21 December 2006 00:00)

Top names to star at big industry show
Hospitality 2007, which expects 14,000 visitors at the UK's largest exhibition for food service and hospitality, is gearing up for one of the most.... more
(21 December 2006 00:00)

Arbutus: Off to a flying start
It's been a dream seven months for Anthony Demetre and Will Smith. Arbutus has picked up a host of awards and it's so full they're having to turn.... more
(21 December 2006 00:00)