Articles by Date : October 01 2004 - October 31 2004

Liverpool votes for a city-wide ban on smoking
Liverpool could become the first city council to ban smoking in enclosed public areas and workplaces, including pubs and restaurants. more
(21 October 2004 15:56)

People moves
All the latest appointments and promotions... more
(21 October 2004 15:37)

Travelodge clinches £400m sale-and-leaseback deal
Budget hotel operator Travelodge has clinched a £400m sale-and-leaseback deal it has been seeking since July that will help fund its expansion plans. more
(21 October 2004 14:41)

How I got here
Simon Goggin, managing director of Cooks & Partners more
(21 October 2004 12:53)

Downpour fails to dampen pub profits at Jennings
Unseasonally heavy rainfall dampened sales but not profits at northern pub operator and brewer Jennings. more
(21 October 2004 12:38)

Finding a property
For first-time entrepreneurs, now is a good a time to look for property, as rents are becoming more reasonable and property supplies are up. Karl.... more
(21 October 2004 12:25)

How to...
Deal with guests who speak little or no English more
(21 October 2004 12:12)

On the move
Contract caterer Brookwood Partnership has made Louise Foster and Anna Melville operations managers... more
(21 October 2004 11:32)

Contract Wins
A good game for Bite... more
(21 October 2004 11:25)

British Land buys 65 pubs from Spirit
British Land has re-entered the pub arena with the £173m acquisition of 65 freehold pubs from the Spirit Group. more
(21 October 2004 11:13)

Food File
ingredients in season... more
(20 October 2004 18:03)

Our back pages stories from the caterer vaults
1907, 1925, 1997 and Reader's Letter 1960 more
(20 October 2004 17:59)

Gray launches charity to train school cooksCompass problems started at school
The charity Cooks in Schools, launched to give extra training to school cooks and to lobby for larger budgets, is facing a "huge challenge",.... more
(20 October 2004 17:56)

Trophée Gosset Celebris judges hit out at Champagne mark-ups
Restaurants are charging exorbitant mark-ups on Champagne, with wine experts branding prices "an insult to the customer". more
(20 October 2004 17:51)

Calling all you entrepreneurs
Ever thought about being your own boss? Of course you have. We all do at some point in our careers. more
(20 October 2004 17:50)

Wake-up with Caterer to tackle drugs and alcohol
Drug and alcohol abuse is everywhere, particularly the hospitality industry. more
(20 October 2004 17:49)

BaxterSmith scoops Euro challenge
BaxterSmith won this year's European Catering Association's Ready, Steady, Cook challenge to find the best fast-cook chef team in contract catering. more
(20 October 2004 17:42)

M&B to curb promotions to combat binge drinking
Pub group Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) is to scrap two-for-one drinks promotions and "happy hours" in a bid to head off public disquiet over binge.... more
(20 October 2004 17:39)

Rivals applaud Yates's minimum price policy
Pub industry bosses have given a cautious thumbs-up to Yates Group's decision last week to introduce a minimum price policy in its bars, but the.... more
(20 October 2004 17:37)

Ford looks for site for Japanese launch
Ex-Harvey Nichols food and retail director Dominic Ford is launching his first independent restaurant concept since leaving the upmarket department.... more
(20 October 2004 17:35)

Cendant aims for 150 hotels in UK by 2006
US hotel giant Cendant is on track to secure 150 hotels in the UK by the end of 2005, according to the firm's vice-president of international.... more
(20 October 2004 17:35)

Dawson buys out Blumenthal at the Riverside Brasserie
Garrey Dawson has bought Heston Blumenthal's share of the Riverside Brasserie in Bray, Berkshire, for an undisclosed sum. more
(20 October 2004 17:19)

Restaurateurs defend Aikens over missing spoon incident
Stealing from restaurants is rife in the UK and costs businesses thousands of pounds every year, prompting restaurateurs to call for customers caught.... more
(20 October 2004 17:11)

The Springboard Awards For Excellence
Now in their second year, the Springboard Awards for Excellence pay homage to individuals and organisations that help attract and keep people in the.... more
(20 October 2004 17:02)

Worldwide briefing
Essential news from around the world... more
(20 October 2004 11:38)

Urban Dining buys Tootsies for £31m
Urban Dining, the company set up earlier this year by two former directors of PizzaExpress, has bought burger chain Tootsies for more than £31m. more
(20 October 2004 10:47)

Help us to Stub out Smoking
Caterer's campaign to Stub out Smoking is receiving great support from readers with signed petition forms flooding in. more
(20 October 2004 09:37)

Pharmacy fittings sell for £11m
Fixtures from the former Pharmacy restaurant in London's Notting Hill have sold at auction for more than double their pre-sale estimate. more
(19 October 2004 17:46)

Just Opened
All the latest openings! more
(19 October 2004 16:47)

Sandefeldt moves to Imperial Wharf
Swedish chef Christian Sandefeldt is on the move again, with a new fine-dining fish restaurant called Deep in Imperial Wharf, London. more
(19 October 2004 16:40)

Wentworth bid
Irish billionaire Sean Quinn is likely to become the new owner of the Wentworth golf club and hotel in Virginia Water, Surrey. more
(19 October 2004 16:38)

Compass signs cash machine deal with Moneybox
Contract caterer Compass has signed a five-year agreement with Moneybox to install cash machines at sites across the UK and Ireland. more
(19 October 2004 16:33)

SFI claws its way out of the financial mire
Serious financial surgery has helped pull SFI, the group behind the Slug & Lettuce chain, back from the brink, with the company reporting a.... more
(19 October 2004 16:28)

Old Course hotel calls news of sale 'inaccurate'
Newspaper reports that Scotland's Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa in St Andrews, Fife, has been sold to a consortium for an estimated £35m have.... more
(19 October 2004 16:25)

Workers crave better work-life balance
Caterers could release unknown potential in their employees if they were more flexible over working times, according to a survey from the Department.... more
(19 October 2004 16:21)

Finalists line up for Food & Farming Awards 2004
Dinner ladies and a pub company are among the finalists in BBC Radio 4's Food & Farming Awards 2004. more
(19 October 2004 14:47)

Deadline looms for MCA awards
The Academy of Culinary Arts is inviting senior chefs and restaurant managers aged 26 or over to register for its fifth Master of Culinary Arts.... more
(19 October 2004 14:25)

Diet up to individuals, says survey
The hospitality industry should not be held accountable for the nation's poor diet, according to a survey carried out at an Arena debate at the.... more
(18 October 2004 17:46)

VisitBritain to support only assessed hotels
VisitBritain has announced that from 2006 it will promote only hotels assessed either by itself, VisitScotland, the Wales Tourist Board, the RAC or.... more
(18 October 2004 17:42)

Labour keeps smoking plans under wraps
The smoking issue was surprisingly left off the agenda at the annual Labour Party Conference last week. more
(18 October 2004 17:39)

Hotel directors snap up Meriski
The directors of Luxury Family Hotels (LFH) and Alias Hotels have moved into the holiday tour operator market with the purchase of Cirencester-based.... more
(18 October 2004 17:39)

Health minister is 'abdicating responsibility'
Enduring smoky workplaces is an "unacceptable burden" on employees, John Britton, professor of epidemiology at the University of Nottingham told.... more
(18 October 2004 17:28)

Ronay's back with restaurant guide
Egon Ronay's legendary restaurant guide will be back on the shelves next February after a seven-year absence. more
(18 October 2004 17:27)

Family firms will face taxing times
Family-run restaurants and hotels could be clobbered with larger tax bills, after the Inland Revenue won a landmark case last week. more
(18 October 2004 17:19)

Review of the reviews
Rod Liddle on slow service and the wrong sushi at Umu... more
(18 October 2004 17:08)

Regional Spotlight: Durham
With its castle, respected university, and lovely old buildings, the picturesque north-eastern city of Durham is very much in demand among operators. more
(18 October 2004 16:59)

Whitbread close to sale of Courtyard by Marriott hotels
Whitbread is believed to be in advanced talks to sell its 11 Courtyard by Marriott hotels to privately owned Kew Green Hotels for an estimated £80m. more
(18 October 2004 16:50)

Your Shout: Julian Troup, FPDSavills
Preparing for a hotel sale more
(18 October 2004 16:30)

Done deals
Landmark Eastbourne hotel changes hands... more
(18 October 2004 16:16)

Martinborough Hotel, Martinborough Wine Village, New Zealand
With the nights drawing in and the summer sun - what there was of it - having given way to grey, autumnal skies, the prospect of selling up and.... more
(18 October 2004 16:05)