Monday 27/3/17
Bighospitality.co.uk – Trawling for seafood leaders: Restaurants should lead on fish sustainability
By Tony Naylor, 27-Mar-2017
Consumer education could take a generation. It is high time that restaurants led with real vigour on seafood sustainability, writes Tony Naylor Read More
Tuesday 28/3/17
Boutiquehotelier.com – Hotel du Vin Cambridge welcomes new general manager from sister brand Malmaison: Boutique brand Hotel du Vin has announced the appointment of Wesley Ridgeway as general manager of Hotel du Vin Cambridge. He joins from Hotel du Vin’s sister brand Malmaison, where he has been since 2013, most recently as operations manager at Malmaison London. Now as part of his new role, Ridgeway will be responsible for driving forward, overseeing the operations of the hotel and managing the team to ensure they deliver the best customer experience possible. Situated in the Grade-II listed buildings in Trumpington Street, Hotel du Vin Cambridge has been converted from old university buildings and is home to 41 bedrooms and the brand’s signature Bistro.Speaking about his appointment, Ridgeway commented: “I am thrilled to be joining the team at Cambridge. It’s such a beautiful, fascinating city, steeped in culture and history. I can’t wait to get to know it, and the community, better, and I look forward to welcoming them to the hotel.” Nick Halliday, chief operations officer at Hotel du Vin, added: “Wesley has a proven track record for delivering at Malmaison and a growing reputation within the group. I think he has real potential to develop even further within the business and I am certain that he will be a valuable asset to the team. I’m incredibly pleased to be able to welcome him to the Hotel du Vin team.”
Wednesday 29/3/17
Bighospitality.co.uk – Social media for restaurants is not just for young people, says poll
By Hannah Thompson, 29-Mar-2017
Social media should be a priority for all restaurants, not just those aiming at a younger demographic, new research has suggested. Read More
Thursday 30/3/17
Propelinfo.com – Two-thirds of consumers check restaurant’s social media pages before dining decision – HGEM report: Almost two-thirds of consumers (66%) visit a restaurant’s social media pages before making their dining decision, according to a new report by guest experience management experts HGEM. Its research found more than half (58%) of millennials visited a restaurant’s social media pages before the majority of their visits, with 53% of 56 to 65-year-olds following the same pattern, reinforcing that social media audiences extend beyond Generation Y. Regarding social channel visits, almost one-third (30%) of respondents said they were seeking menu information, while almost a quarter (22%) were looking for customer reviews. Although on-site conversations with staff were deemed more important than social media for 62% of consumers, more than one-third (34%) believed social media interactions to be equally important, with the figure rising to 43% among millennials. Offers and promotions proved the most popular type of social media content, followed by photos, events and competitions. Facebook (64%) was the most widely used platform. HGEM managing director Steven Pike said: “Ensuring your restaurant’s channels are updated regularly with pertinent and engaging information is crucial to meet guest expectation of what content is available – and shareable – on social networking sites.”
Friday 31/3/17
Morningadvertiser.co.uk – Star Pubs & Bars licensees back Punch takeover
By Liam Coleman, 31-Mar-2017
Heineken’s proposal to take over 1,900 Punch pubs received a morale boost as licensees from its tenanted-arm Star Pubs & Bars voiced support for the deal. Read More
Bha.org.uk – Hospitality and Tourism industry announces first post-Brexit sector skills strategy: Hospitality today becomes the first major UK industry to present a plan to reduce its dependence on EU workers. At the same time the British Hospitality Association, the leading industry body, has published a report which says that without future EU migration the hospitality sector faces a recruitment crisis, with upwards of 60,000 workers per year needed in addition to the ongoing recruitment of 200,000 workers required to replace churn and to power growth. The KPMG report says that hospitality and tourism will be affected by restrictions to EU migration more than any other sector. The BHA has sent the Government an outline 10 year strategy for recruiting a substantially higher proportion of its workforce from the UK but it stresses that it will need continued, but declining, access to the EU workforce over that time. The strategy focuses on three main sections of the populations – the unemployed, returners to the labour market such as older people, and the next generation. This includes using Premier League clubs as centres for running job fairs under the name The Big Hospitality Conversation. These have already been held successfully at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium, Tottenham’s White Hart Lane and elsewhere. Read More
Propelinfo.com – Plans revealed for Beer Day Britain 2017, including four-day festival: Plans have been revealed for Beer Day Britain 2017, which will include a four-day festival in June. The festival will start with a “cheers to beer” toast across the country at 7pm on Thursday, 15 June and run through to include Father’s Day on Sunday, 18 June. Beer sommelier Jane Peyton, who initiated Beer Day Britain, has teamed up with industry campaign There’s A Beer For That to develop the programme, with retailers being encouraged to follow the Beer Day Britain celebrations on the Thursday with events such as beer and food pairing events on the Friday, family fun days and barbecues on the Saturday, and a focus on dad for Father’s Day. A number of pub groups, including Punch, Fuller’s, Ei Group and Shepherd Neame have already committed to getting behind Beer Day Britain by running events in their pubs. Peyton said: “This is the third year the industry will come together to mark Beer Day Britain and, by extending the occasion over the weekend, we hope more people will be able to get involved and enjoy the diversity British beer provides. Celebrating Beer Day Britain with the option to dip into a four-day festival provides a reason for people to visit their local pub and we want as many operators as possible to join in with the celebrations.”