Proving you can’t have your American Pie and eat it, news this week that far from Cherish a new London boozer the Material Girl Madonna pretty much said Justify My Love and has denied that she has anything to do with Scottish & Newcastle’s Punch Bowl. Don’t preach; someone’s in trouble deep.

Maybe it's for the best as the British Beer & Pub Association published figures showing the failure rate of boozers jumped last year and conditions in 2008 remain at least as tough.

Still Frankie & Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group hasn’t any such worries and served a whopping 30 million meals to hungry punters last year and says demand in casual dining in 2008 is holding up well.

Bjorn van der Horst, chef patron at Gordon Ramsay Holdings, appears to have served his last meal at La Noisette in Knightsbridge though, after the restaurant closed.

Still, within the family dining market London at least got to welcome back the Chicago Rib Shack in a new incarnation with none less than Sly in the kitchen.

Few hoteliers welcomed the news that HM Revenue & Customs has failed to meet their own National Minimum Wage (NMW) inspection targets as the Government announced the NMW would rise to £5.73 an hour in October.

But Malmaison is probably chuffed that research firm BDRC has named it as first choice amongst UK business and leisure travellers.

Contract caterer Lexington added investment firm Schroders to its books and Travelodge adds five new hotels to its fast-growing business.

The Government signalled it would look to introduce new rules around alcohol promotions but said it would not be rolling back extended opening hours at pubs.

And contract caterers have been urged to sign up to a new code of conduct governing handovers to stop a range of school-boy pranks that often befall the incoming party when catering deals change hands.

By Chris Druce