Monday 10/10/16
Propelinfonews.com – Steak & Honour burger concept to launch first permanent restaurant, in Cambridge city centre: Steak & Honour, known for operating vintage burger vans around Cambridge, is set to launch its first permanent site, in the city centre. The new restaurant in Wheeler Street will open next to the Corn Exchange in early December, with space for about 40 diners and featuring a semi-open kitchen – just like the vans. Former chefs Leo Riethoff and David Underwood, who have Michelin-starred backgrounds, founded Steak & Honour in 2014. After success on the streets, they have now decided to put down roots in Cambridge. However, the company will continue operating from its Citroen wagons. A Steak & Honour spokesman told Cambridge News: “They wanted to put some roots down and offer Cambridge something a bit different. The guys are local, the producers are local. It’s all local to the area and that’s really important to them.”
Hotelsmag.com – Hilton expands soap recycling program: All 750 Hilton Worldwide properties across its All Suites brands will recycle discarded soap and amenity bottles and donate them to reduce hygiene-related illnesses for communities in need. Marking the first time in the industry this is required as a brand standard, it is a major expansion of what is already a large soap recycling program that will now include 1,370 hotels participating across Hilton’s portfolio, compromising nearly 15% of the current portfolio and 29% of its pipeline. The new brand standard will nearly double the number of hotels participating in the soap-recycling program. Through its partnerships with Clean the World and other organizations, Hilton’s hotels have already collected more than one million pounds of partially-used soap, which have been recycled into more than four million new bars of soap. This process has also prevented more than 570 tons of waste going to landfills. In addition to supplying the soap, these organizations educate people about the importance of hygiene and handwashing. The All Suites brands will also invite their followers on social media to spotlight the positive impact handwashing can have on global health. Surrounding Global Handwashing Day on October 15, photos, videos and posts can be shared with the hashtags #SuiteSuds and #GlobalHandwashingDay.
Tuesday 11/10/16
Boutiquehotelier.com – New head chef joins family-owned Washingborough Hall: Washingborough Hall has announced the appointment of new head chef Mark Cheseldine, who joins the family-owned hotel from The Reform Restaurant at The Castle Hotel in Lincoln. Cheseldine has built up a solid reputation in the East Midlands, after being at his previous position for six years and winning a string of awards including Lincolnshire Life’s Taste of Excellence ‘Best Restaurant’ Award on two occasions, in 2011/12, and again in 2015. He started his culinary career at The Wig & Mitre, Lincoln where he worked for ten years rising through the kitchen ranks to become head chef. He then moved to Café Bleu in Newark in 2001, as sous chef, until being promoted to head chef during his time there, again securing a number of awards for the restaurant. Washingborough Hall is owned by Edward and Lucy Herring and Cheseldine’s style of cooking will suit the couple’s passion for local produce. Lucy Herring is heavily involved in the menus at the hotel’s 2 AA Rosette restaurant and she will work closely together with Cheseldine to plan the hotel’s new dishes. Edward Herring, co-owner of the hotel commented: “Being a local chef, Lucy and I have admired as well as enjoyed Mark’s cooking over the years, and so it is with genuine delight that we invite him to join our tight-knit team here at Washingborough Hall. We know that he is a great asset to the team and will complement our dining style.” Mark Cheseldine added: “I am looking forward to this new challenge immensely – I thrive on a new project and feel that here I can really focus on my creativity and attention to detail to delight the hotel’s guests. I also enjoy working as part of a team and passing on my experience and knowledge to younger upcoming chefs in the team; it’s an essential part of the role in my eyes.”
Propelinfonews.com – JD Wetherspoon begins work on £2.6m Essex pub and hotel: JD Wetherspoon has started its £2.6m redevelopment of a former Co-op site in the seaside town of Dovercourt (population 9,600) in Essex to transform it into a pub and ten-bedroom hotel. The venue, as yet unnamed, is set to open in Kingsway in March next year, creating 45 jobs. Photos and information relating to the local history and characters of the area, as well as commissioned artwork, will be on display throughout the venue. Tendring District Council gave planning permission for the development earlier this year. The plans were welcomed when they were first revealed by then town mayor Dave Macleod, who said he hoped it would revitalise the area and attract other businesses. JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson told the East Anglian Times: “We are looking forward to opening our new pub in Dovercourt. We are confident people in the town will welcome the new pub and hopefully it will act as a catalyst for other businesses to invest in the area. We believe the new pub will be popular with a wide range of people.”
Propelinfonews.com – Coaching Inn Group promotes Jill Matthews to operations director, joins board: The Coaching Inn Group has promoted head of operations Jill Matthews to operations director and invited her to join the board as the company ramps up its expansion plans. Matthews, who has more than 20 years’ food and beverage experience, joined the group last year from regional brewer SA Brain, and has been an integral part of the company’s expansion programme, which has already seen it acquire three new properties this year. She said: “I’m honoured to be asked to join the board of The Coaching Inn Group. Over the past year my role has grown as the company continues to expand its estate and with a target of three further acquisitions later this year, joining the board gives me a great opportunity to work with the team to deliver on their ambitious growth plans and use my experience to ensure we continue to deliver a consistently high-quality customer experience.” The Coaching Inn Group has 12 historic venues across the UK and has built a reputation in the industry for transforming coaching inns through the introduction of its premium casual dining brand, the eatery and coffee house. As part of its £20m expansion programme, the group remains on track to reach 15 sites before the end of the year.
Propelinfonews.com – Red Dog Saloon opens first restaurant outside London, in Nottingham: Red Dog Saloon has opened a restaurant in Nottingham– the company’s first outside London as part of a regional expansion programme. The company has opened the site in an empty building in Victoria Street. The restaurant offers the brand’s traditional smoked meat dishes as well as its “Devastator Challenge” – an 18-ounce minced chuck steak burger served with 200g of pulled pork, Applewood smoked bacon rashers and cheese. Red Dog Saloon owner Tom Brooke told the West Bridgford Wire: “We’re well known for our authentic American food and we’re excited about bringing this to Nottingham. We’ve imported wood and smokers from America to create a truly authentic flavour, we’re passionate about the food we serve and look forward to welcoming the people from the city to our new restaurant. Having already developed a loyal following, we can’t wait to prove to Nottingham and other cities why Red Dog Saloon is the go-to place for diners who love authentic American burgers and ribs.” Red Dog Saloon, which was launched in 2011, has three London restaurants – in Soho, Clapham and Hoxton Square – and has secured sites in Liverpool and Southampton. Brooke previously said the company planned to open five venues a year.
Bighospitality.co.uk – Restaurant fined £5k for blocking sewers with fat
By Emma Eversham+, 11-Oct-2016
Restaurants are being reminded to dispose of fats carefully after a restaurant in Codsall, near Wolverhampton, was fined more than £5k for blocking nearby sewers with fat, oil and grease. Read More
Wednesday 12/10/16
Morningadvertiser.co.uk – ‘Proper’ training could lift spirits sales by more than £7,300
By Nicholas Robinson+, 12-Oct-2016
Giving staff diverse training to sell spirits could increase bar profits by £7,346, reveals research by a major international training organisation. Read More
Bighospitality.co.uk – The battle of the bookings: How hotels can work with, not against OTAs
By Hannah Thompson & Emma Eversham, 12-Oct-2016
Online travel agents (OTAs) may not be the ‘necessary evil’ they are made out to be, industry experts have agreed ahead of two major hotel events, with many boasting a number of features designed to help, rather than hinder hoteliers. Read More
Boutiquehotelier.com – The Coaching Inn Group snaps up iconic Hungerford hotel and ploughs on with £1m expansion: The Coaching Inn Group has made the latest move as part of its ambitious expansion plans, acquiring the Three Swans Hotel in Hungerford. The group, which currently operates 11 hotels and is aiming to double this by 2017, purchased the 26-bed Three Swans Hotel from brothers John and Steve Hodges, who have owned the property for the past 12 years. The Coaching Inn Group will now invest £1m into transforming the listed building and bringing it back to life. It dates back to the 18th century and still retains many of its original features including the original archway to the courtyard for coaches. The next six months will see the bedrooms and public areas updated, as well as a new F&B experience introduced with the Coaching Inn Group’s Eatery and Coffee House brand. A new outside area will also be created. The property will continue to be run by existing management team. Founder and chief executive of the Coaching Inn Group, Kevin Charity, said: “We’re delighted to have acquired the Three Swans as it has a great reputation locally and attracts visitors from across the UK. “We look forward to working with the team there to further grow its reputation and attract even more visitors and guests.”
Thursday 13/10/16
Propelinfonews.com – Steamin’ Billy boss – ‘new rateable values are another nail in the coffin for British pubs’, set for £200,000 rise across its 11 sites: Billy Allingham, managing director of Leicestershire-based Steamin’ Billy Brewing, has told Propel he fears the new business rates will be “another nail in the coffin” for British pubs after seeing the value increase by more than £200,000 across its 11 sites. Allingham said the proposed rates would take £100,000 off the company’s bottom line next year. Nine of the sites face increased rates under the new valuation, including the Dog & Gun in Syston, which would rise from £11,250 to £27,300, and the Cow & Plough in Oadby, which would go up to £98,000 from £47,000. Allingham said the Dog & Gun had a turnover of £3,000 a week when the company took it over and it had now increased that figure to about £8,000. He added: “We buy troubled boozers and dilapidated sites, put £150,000 to £200,000 into them, and we are getting penalised for doing well. I thought this revaluation was about giving rural pubs some rate relief! I think it will put some pub companies in jeopardy. People are trying to run efficient businesses but this is another nail in the coffin for the British pub. We make these pubs a great asset for the community, employ local people and now we are being penalised an extra £200 to £300 a week. We pay £1m a year to HMRC on a turnover of £5m and employ 170 people. I’m happy to pay my way but this is yet another cost and I think some pubs will struggle, particularly tenanted sites, which publicans go to and improve and get the revenue up. There has been a lot of red tape we have had to deal with in the past ten years just to be compliant. Again, I’m not against that because it means we are running more efficient and safer businesses but this is a real kick in the guts.” Allingham also believes the new ratable levels could put pub companies off expanding. He added: “It’s yet another cost after the National Living Wage and not helpful to the British pub. We are already up against it with supermarkets offering cheap beer.”
Friday 14/10/16
Propelinfonews.com – Cambscuisine to launch ‘modern brasserie’ concept Millworks this month, seventh site in total: Pub and restaurant operator Cambscuisine, led by Oliver Thain and Max Freeman, will launch an “eclectic modern brasserie” concept in Cambridge on Tuesday, 25 October. Millworks will open at a former watermill in Mill Pond, which was previously home to Casual Dining Group brand Bella Italia. The 130-cover restaurant will feature an indoor barbecue and offer brunch-style food and meat-based dishes. There will also be an extensive cocktail and wine list. Cambscuisine brand developer Jessica Donnithorne said: “In many ways, Cambridge is poised between preserving memories and adapting to fit modern lifestyles. Millworks will reflect this too – an eclectic modern brasserie with the occasional nod to the building’s fascinating past. We want customers to enjoy the restaurant as much for what it is today as for the memories it evokes. And the food? Think vibrant punchy flavours with elements of smoke from our charcoal grill ‘Mortimer’ – named after the family who owned the mill from the 12th to the 16th century.” The new restaurant will be the seventh in the Cambscuisine portfolio, which also includes The Cambridge Chop House and Smokeworks.
Saturday 15/10/16
Boutiquehotelier.com – Popular café reopens to kick start boutique hotel plan in Stevenage: A popular café in Stevenage’s Old Town has reopened following a major renovation and kickstarted plans for a boutique hotel to be created on the site next year. Cinnabar café, a club, cocktail bar and café on the high street in Stevenage, has relaunched with a new interior look to complement its new menus and dining experience, which now includes brunch, lunch, dinner and cocktails. The reopening comes as plans to turn an adjoining empty office building into a 19-bed hotel have been approved by councillors. Diane Gordon, general manager for Cinnabar, said that the project marks the start of a new chapter for the property, with continued investment planned for next year also. A new gin bar is also soon to be launched, which will be home to 20 varieties of gins available alongside the already-extensive cocktail list. Gordon said: “We’ve invested in creating a fresh, elegant space where our customers can relax and enjoy brunch, lunch, dinner and cocktails. “We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to the new look Cinnabar and can’t wait to open our doors to the public.”