Story of the week: Gordon Ramsay has saved one of his restaurants from potential liquidation by clearing its tax debt, it was reported this week, and the celebrity chef’s company, Gordon Ramsay Holdings, also announced that it is to close its Boxwood Café at London’s Berkeley hotel next April and relocate it to another site.
News of another closure came from the Corbin and King stable this week as the London restaurateurs confirmed that they are closing their West End restaurant, St Alban, on Christmas Eve.
On the competition front, entries are being sought for two very prestigious awards, Nestle Toque d’Or 2010 and the 2010 Roux Scholarship. The organisers of the scholarship also confirmed that this year’s winner, Hrishikesh Desai, will be spending his three-month prize in the kitchens of Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-starred French Laundry restaurant.
In other news, chefs were declared as the unhealthiest workers in Britain.
Travelodge has joined forces with Twenty10 Fund management to launch a £100m development fund to finance the development of up to 500 new hotels over the next 12 years.
Charlton House Hotel and Spa, the 26-bedroom, four-AA-red-star country house property in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, has been put on the market for £3.5m after its parent company went into administration in June.
A mix of British formality and irreverence is to provide the inspiration behind the newly unveiled design of W London – Leicester Square, the new 192 bedroom contemporary lifestyle property from Starwood Hotels & Resorts due to open in summer 2010.
In the pub sector, the Independent Pub Confederation (IPC) has criticised pub companies for doing little to reform the industry since a damning report from MPs was published in May. Chancellor Alistair Darling's Pre-Budget Report (PBR) came as little comfort to hospitality operators, after he ignored calls for a cut in beer duty yesterday, and research revealed that the Government makes five times as much money from the sale of beer in Britain as the nation’s brewing and pub companies.
Education health body the School Food Trust has welcomed the plans to extend eligibility among children for free school meals, announced in Wednesday's Pre-Budget Report.
In contract wins, Compass Group has won a double deal at Twickenham Rugby Stadium, with total annual revenue expected to be £350,000, and the Crown Group has scored a hat trick of new business winning two new London-based contracts as well as preferred caterer status at Indigo2, the secondary venue within the O2 Arena.
And finally, Sodexo has launched its ‘Better Tomorrow Plan’ which outlines the contract caterer and facilities management firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy.
Editor's Pick
Catch up with videos on Caterersearch.com this week – see our interview with Heinz Beck and discover top Christmas tips from leading chefs at Taste of Christmas.
Win an evening at Nigel Haworth's gastronomic celebration Obsession
Quote of the Week
“It’s been a very tough year. I’ve learnt a lot and got my head down to continue to do what I’m good at. I’m fighting the fire.”
Gordon Ramsay tells Jonathan Ross about his last 12 months