Financial

Do you know where your produce comes from?

Food safety

Pubs should push meat origin after monkey meat find

By Nicholas Robinson

Food-serving pubs should push assured meat and produce on their menus, following the recently revealed record global haul of illegal food and drink by the European police agency Europol last month.

Zonal launches Acquire

Zonal launches Acquire

By Emily Sutherland

Zonal has launched Acquire, a new web based product that offers operators ‘an easy to use order to invoice solution.’

Sales up: Booker has put in a strong Q4 performance

Wholesalers

Booker’s total group sales up by more than 10%

By Nicholas Robinson

Booker's group sales for the fourth quarter (Q4) rose by 10.6% for the 12 weeks to 25 March 2016, with its foodservice arms putting in a strong performance, resulting in high praise from City analysts.

Boost pub food profits with chips

Chips: sure fry way to boost gross profit

By Nicholas Robinson

There’s more to chips than you might expect and, if potatoes can boost your profits, it’s definitely worth taking note. Nicholas Robinson reports

Miller will step down at the end of this month

city news

Miller to step down as Meantime CEO

By Nicholas Robinson

SABMiller has appointed Laura Edwards from Miller Brands as general manager for Meantime Brewing Company, who will continue to run the firm as a stand-alone business, following outgoing CEO Nick Miller's move to step down later this month.

Paramount 21: 'Our sprat are 100% British'

Supplier profile

Flexitarians push Paramount 21 to boost veggie offer

By Nicholas Robinson

Frozen fish and vegetarian foodservice supplier Paramount 21 is preparing to boost its veggie and gluten-free offering following rising demand, the firm's chairman and director Ali Hannaford has said.

Bidvest Foodservice chief executive officer Andrew Selley

Bidvest Foodservice snaps up Caterfood

By Nicholas Robinson

Bidvest Foodservice has acquired the south-west-based distributor Caterfood in a bid to strengthen its reach, after the Publican’s Morning Advertiser (PMA) revealed the company's plans to continue its expansion.

Exciting new trade show - The Bar & Pub Show - launches

Events

Exciting new trade show - The Bar & Pub Show - launches

By Mike Berry

A new event dedicated to the bar and pub sector will run alongside this year's Restaurant Show at Olympia bringing together the best suppliers in the business with top operators that are transforming the UK’s on-trade.

Scam: Beware of the bogus surveyor

Crime

Scam: Beware of the bogus surveyor

By Emily Sutherland

Licensees have been warned to be on their guard against a convincing phone scam by a man claiming to be a business rates surveyor.

Casual Dining show, some of the best bits

New Products

What’s new in casual dining?

By Nicholas Robinson

Boosting kitchen profitability was a major theme at this year's Casual Dining show and many suppliers aimed to please with a vast line-up of interesting new products. Here we've selected a few of the ones that stood out for us.

Closures have slowed but they need to stop

Editorial

Closures have slowed but they need to stop

By Ed Bedington

It’s a positive piece of news to hear that the rate of pub closures has slowed, although, more positive, would be that there was no rate of closure at all, and the sector was actually growing.

How to make pizza

Sponsored: Pizza Report

Sponsored - VIDEO: A masterclass in pizza making

By Nicholas Robinson

Pizza is quickly becoming a popular dish in pubs as more operators turn to the quick, easy and tasty food to entice new customers into their businesses. Watch this video to see how the masters create delicious pizzas.

10 ways to start your own pizza offer

Sponsored: Pizza Report

Sponsored - 10 tips to a successful pizza offer in your pub

By Nicholas Robinson

Italian classics have been a big part of the UK’s food scene for decades, but now more pubs are beginning to cash in on pizzas with rising success. Here are 10 things you should consider before launching your offer.

How to avoid food fraud in pubs

Food Safety

PODCAST: How to avoid food fraud in your pub

By Nicholas Robinson

Paying closer attention to your staff’s working history, especially before hiring them, could help prevent a catastrophic incident of food fraud in your pub, a leading food safety advisor has advised.

'Food safety must now become more of a priority for pubs,' experts have urged

News Analysis: Food Safety

‘Multimillion-pound fines’ for unsafe food operators

By Nicholas Robinson

Diners need to know the food they are eating at your site is safe but some experts fear budget cuts could see a reduction in safety measures. Nicholas Robinson investigates

Heineken continues support of flood-hit pubs

Flooding

Heineken continues support of flood-hit pubs

By Mike Berry

Heineken has continued its support for pubs and other on-trade customers in the north-west following the extensive flooding in the area over the festive period.

Demand for meat-free food is on the up and is going to continue to rise

What’s next for vegetarian food in pubs?

By Nicholas Robinson

More people are considering meat-free dishes when they eat out and want to see more choice on the menu. Michelle Perrett unearths a potential new order

Pubs must prepare for plastic fivers

Tender

Pubs must prepare for plastic fivers

By Oli Gross

Pubs will need to accept new plastic five and ten pound notes from customers later this year, and licensees will need to prepare for their introduction.

Steak and stout pie part of Bidvest's premium ready-prepared offer

Food

Bidvest relaunches own brand after name change

By Nicholas Robinson

Foodservice giant Bidvest has relaunched its own brand portfolio of food, drink and non-food products, less than a year after the hospitality supplier changed its name.

Wet-led pubs lead growth over Christmas

Beer

Wet-led pubs lead growth over Christmas

By MC Allegra FS

Wet-led pubs and bars drove growth over the Christmas and New Year period with like-for-like sales up 1.8%, across the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Lack of discourse over units is hard to swallow

Alcohol guidelines

Lack of discourse over units is hard to swallow

By Ed Bedington

Life is all about risk. Some things are riskier than others — paragliding naked over a tank of ravenous sharks while juggling a set of sharp knives, for example.

Implementing National Living Wage 'toughest in low-paying northern cities'

city news

Implementing National Living Wage 'toughest in low-paying northern cities'

By MC Allegra FS

Implementing the new National Living Wage (NLW) will be toughest in lower-paying city regions such as Sheffield, Nottingham and Birmingham, where over a quarter of all employees will be affected by 2020, according to new analysis published by the Resolution...

The nightmare before Christmas ruins business

Utilities

The nightmare before Christmas ruins business

By Oli Gross

Christmas trade has been devastated for one licensee after his pub’s phone line and broadband were unexpectedly cut off leaving him unable to take any bookings or card payments for more than a month.

'Buyers who rely on the CPI may be acting in an ill-informed manner when negotiating with suppliers'

Food prices

Foodservice Price Index launched

By Nicholas Robinson

A Foodservice Price Index (FPI) has been launched to give operators access to more accurate data about commodity costs specific to the hospitality sector.

Pubs aren't up to scratch on allergen labelling, experts claim

Food Safety

‘Pubs not up to scratch on allergen labelling’

By Nicholas Robinson

Pubs are lagging behind the rest of the food industry on food allergen labelling, experts have warned, following the release of the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) latest local authority food law report.

Are we moving towards the end of tipping?

Analysis

Are we moving towards the end of tipping?

By James Evison

The government consultation on tipping is ending – and the responses from industry bodies such as the ALMR has come in. James Evison looks at the UK’s tipping situation.

A stock pot is not a rubbish bin'

Menu focus

Focus on stocks and sauces: it's all gravy...

By Alison Baker

Warming winter dishes are often made better with good stocks and sauces. Alison Baker discovers how you can improve your menu and maintain consistency whether you make your own or buy in

The equivalent of 1.3bn meals are thrown away by the sector each year

Pub chefs must do more to tackle food waste: SRA

By Nicholas Robinson

Tackling food waste must be given more focus by pub chefs to help save their businesses money and benefit the environment, a spokesman from the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) has urged.

Soil Association calls for traffic light labelling on menus

Obesity debate

Mandatory nutrition labelling on pub menus

By Nicholas Robinson

Government should make nutritional information on pub menus mandatory to help combat the UK’s growing obesity crisis, a senior Soil Association policy advisor has urged.

Boost sales with winter warming hot drinks

Hot drinks

Hotting up: winter alternatives to coffee

By Noli Dinkovski

The temperature is dipping, collars are being turned up and customers are looking for something to warm the cockles of the hearts. The answer, says Noli Dinkovski, is a diverse coffee offer that is adaptable to the seasons.

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