Other operators

ACVs

PMA to host pub ACV roundtable debate

05-Oct-2015 By Mike Berry

The PMA has teamed up with the Parliamentary Save the Pub Group to co-host a roundtable debate on the value of ACV listings to the trade.

Brewdog

BrewDog 'smash crowdfunding world record with a monster truck'

01-Oct-2015 By Emily Sutherland

BrewDog have broken the world record for the most amount of money made through crowdfunding, raising £10m in the latest round of fundraising for Equity for Punks.

Stonegate buys 53 pubs from Tattershall Castle Group

29-Sep-2015 By M&C Allegra

Stonegate Pub Company, the TDR Capital-backed, managed pub operator, has agreed to acquire the majority of Tattershall Castle Group (TCG), for an undisclosed sum.

Hampshire pub goes completely gluten-free

29-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

The Compass Inn, Winsor, has made the transition to an entirely gluten-free menu.

Authentic Pub Co launches Thai delivery service

29-Sep-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Authentic Pub Co has started a delivery service as part of the rollout of Thai cuisine across its estate, M&C understands.

Community Pubs

Pubs minister checks out a book with his pint

28-Sep-2015 By Mike Berry

Pubs minister Marcus Jones popped into the Star Inn at Vogue near Redruth to look at the pub’s library on a recent trip to Cornwall.

Apprenticeship levy could cost sector £100m

28-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Failure by the hospitality industry to have its say on proposals to introduce a levy on apprenticeships could lead to a “complex and unmanageable system”, according to charity People 1st.

Guv'nor: We can't afford to lose convivial appeal

23-Sep-2015 By Peter Tiley

Research earlier this year found that fewer than one in 10 pub visits are solely for the purpose of having a drink.

Rugby World Cup

Rugby legends get behind the bar

22-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Rugby legends including Phil Vickery, Lee Mears, Andy Gomarsall and Tim Stimpson have got behind the bar at Young’s pubs to help celebrate the Rugby World Cup.

Pub operators in list of 1,000 most influential Londoners

22-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Pub operators have been included in the Evening Standard’s ‘Progress 1,000’ list of the most influential people in the capital.

New Opening

"We want to leave our mark on London" - the Hour Glass opens for business

21-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

The operators behind a successful London deli have opened their first pub, the Hour Glass in South Kensington, to the public.

Pub focus

What's next for the Staith House?

21-Sep-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

When the Staith House was unveiled two years ago, it took just £500 in its first week. Nicholas Robinson discovers how this pub is now an award-winning phenomenon

Stonegate launches new street food menus for Common Room pubs

21-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Stonegate has updated the food offer at its student-focused ‘Common Room’ concept pubs.

Food pub openings up by 9%

21-Sep-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

Branded food pubs bucked the wet-led pubs closure trend over the past 12 months with a 9% growth in openings.

Luke Skywalker pulls pints in Irish pub

18-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Actor Mark Hamill, best known for his role as rebel hero Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, was seen pulling pints in a pub in Country Kerry, Ireland.

Beer and Food

Bath Ales launches craft beer & pizza concept in Oxford

18-Sep-2015 By James Evison

Brewer and operator Bath Ales is refurbishing its Grapes pub in Oxford into a craft beer and pizza venue called Beerd.

Publicans amongst least likely to have jobs taken by robots, claims research

18-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Publicans and licensed premises managers are amongst the jobs least likely to be automated – given to robots – in the next 20 years, according to data from Oxford University.

Top 50 Gastropubs Awards 2016

Top 50 Gastropubs Awards launched

18-Sep-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

The opportunity to enter the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs Awards 2016 has arrived. Nicholas Robinson tells you what you need to know

City news

Pug pubs funding to grow to ten sites

17-Sep-2015 By MC Allegra FS

Pug Pubs, the Midlands pub company set up by former M&B director Nigel Pinegar and former openings manager Matthew Crowther, is exploring funding options for expansion from 2016, M&C has learnt.

Top tips for serving Rugby World Cup food

16-Sep-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

Food-serving pubs will make a bigger play of Rugby World Cup-themed dishes this year, after Deloittes reported the event would bring £2.1bn to the British economy, the majority of which would be spent in the hospitality sector.

Christmas

Pub should embrace restaurant status to steal back Christmas party bookings

16-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Pubs need to embrace marketing themselves as restaurants to steal Christmas party bookings back from the traditional restaurant sector, according to Steven Pike, managing director of HospitalityGEM.

Legend star Tom Hardy to build pub in his back garden

15-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Movie star Tom Hardy plans to build a pub in his back garden.

Craft Beer Co founder says claims chain underpaid bar staff are 'entirely wrong'

15-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Craft Beer Co founder and managing director Martin Hayes has rubbished online rumours that the bar chain failed to pay a member of staff the minimum wage.

Oakman Inns & Restaurants launches Christmas portfolio

14-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Oakman Inns & Restaurants has launched its Christmas party portfolio, featuring menus devised by ex-British Larder chef owner Ross Pike.

Great British Pub Awards 2015: Winners crowned

10-Sep-2015 By Mike Berry

The Shibden Mill Inn in Halifax, West Yorkshire has been crowned the Sky Great British Pub of the Year 2015.

UK's oldest gay pub becomes a listed building after destroying it labelled 'unthinkable'

09-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

The UK’s oldest gay pub has become a listed building just months after the country’s leading architects said destroying it would be ‘unthinkable.’

Fuller's hosts Chef's Guild graduation for rising kitchen stars

09-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Fuller’s has marked the achievements of chefs across its 189-site managed estate with the first graduation ceremony for Chef’s Guild scholars.

Woman drinks at more than 600 Red Lion pubs

07-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

A Lancashire woman has completed her quest to drink in every pub named the Red Lion in the UK.

Campaign group stops pub becoming McDonalds

07-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

A Southampton community group has taken on fast food giant McDonalds in a bit to save their local- and won.

Crowdfunding

BrewDog promises bars for towns with 200 investors

07-Sep-2015 By Oli Gross

BrewDog is promising to build a bar in all towns and cities with 200 “Equity for Punks” investors as its Crowdfunding bond scheme gathers momentum.

DIGITAL FEATURE

Hail to the chef

03-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Whether you’re an established restaurateur looking for the next step or a dedicated upstart wanting to make a name for yourself, taking on a pub is no minor feat. In this exclusive feature, Daniel Woolfson looks at the particular challenges faced by chef-patrons...

VAT campaign

VAT Club proposes staggered tax reduction

02-Sep-2015 By Mark Wingett, M&C Allegra Foodservice

The hospitality VAT cut campaign has put forward a plan to the Government for a staggered reduction in the level of the tax for hospitality businesses.

City news

Red Oak Taverns acquires 146 GRS pubs

01-Sep-2015 By MC Allegra FS

Red Oak Taverns, the Mark Grunnell-led pub operator has acquired the 146-strong GRS tenanted pub portfolio, in a deal thought to be worth c£35m.

Sports bra scandal

Women wearing sports bras and leggings to get free drink at Oakman Inns

28-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Pub group Oakman Inns has taken on coffee chain Costa Coffee by offering any woman who visits its pubs wearing just leggings and a sports bra a free coffee.

Abandoned south London pub wins £3.8 million lottery windfall

28-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

A semi-derelict south London pub will go from abandoned shell to thriving community hub after landing a multi-million pound grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

BrewDog

In pictures: BrewDog's dead donkey stunt

27-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

BrewDog has aimed to cement its reputation as a ‘maverick’ brewer by inviting guests attending the launch of its much-anticipated Brighton bar to arrive on a dead donkey.

Shepherd Neame blamed for sewage-like stench upsetting Faversham locals

24-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Brewery Shepherd Neame is trying to get to the bottom of a persistent smell that is getting up the noses of Faversham locals.

Chef recruitment crisis

“Fancy chefs don’t want to drop down to our level” - top London pub chef talks chef shortage

21-Aug-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

The current shortage of skilled chefs and the problems caused by it are “never ending”, according to Jesse Dunford-Wood, chef patron of Parlour, in Kensal Green, London.

Award-winning Bristol chef to open third site

20-Aug-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Award-winning Bristol chef Toby Gritten, owner of the Pump House, Hotwells and the Bird in Hand, Long Ashton, is set to open third site the Redan Inn, Chilcompton, later this autumn.

Campaigners refuse to let pub’s £350,000 price tag stand in their way

19-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Campaigners fighting to save Somersham’s the Duke of Marlborough say they are ‘determined’ to reopen the pub as they prepare to raise the £350,000 needed to buy it.

MA300

Hundreds of operators competing as London sites change hands for 'crazy money'

18-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Operators looking for sites in the booming central London market will be competing with up to 100 rivals according to Inception Group co-founder Charlie Gilkes.

London

London licensee forced out of pub by sky high London rents

17-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

A Shoreditch licensee has spoken of her sadness after spiralling London rents forced her to sell the lease on ‘beloved’ pub the George and Dragon.

Charity

Prostate Cancer UK hails pub trade support - and the PMA

17-Aug-2015 By Mike Berry

The PMA has been praised for its role in getting the trade to support Prostate Cancer UK’s new campaign which sees pubs converted into ‘Men United Arms’.

Amber Taverns to grow 'gin palace' sites to seven

14-Aug-2015 By M&C Allegra Foodservice

Amber Taverns is set to grow its Hogarths ‘gin palace’ brand to seven sites by the end of the year.

Charity

Charity pub wheelie bin race proves a hit

14-Aug-2015 By Mike Berry

The annual Wheelie Bin Race at the Three Horseshoes pub in Hernhill, near Faversham, has this year raised £3,128 for charity.

SMALL TALK

Daniel Clifford on new pub The Flitch of Bacon and Great British Menu

14-Aug-2015 By Emma Eversham

Daniel Clifford, chef-patron of the two Michelin-starred Midsummer House, speaks exclusively to Big Hospitality about returning to Great British Menu and opening his own pub, the Flitch of Bacon, in Essex.

Champion Beer of Britain

Champion brewer Tiny Rebel plans new pub and brewery

13-Aug-2015 By Oli Gross

Two self-confessed “beer geeks” who met at university as engineers and started brewing together for fun are expanding their brewery and opening a second pub after winning the Champion Beer of Britain.

Pub sales flat as public 'benefit from greater choice'

13-Aug-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Allegra Foodservice

Restaurants recorded like-for-like growth of 4.3% in July but pubs remained essentially flat, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

GBM

Great British Menu 2015: Kingham Plough chef makes surprise appearance

11-Aug-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Emily Watkins, chef patron of the Kingham Plough, Oxfordshire, made a surprise appearance on this week’s episode of BBC2’s Great British Menu as a veteran judge.