Restaurant Group takes stake in Living Ventures
The Restaurant Group has tied up its deal with Living Ventures, initially acquiring a 40 per cent stake in the upmarket bar business.In a complex...
Archives for March 30, 2005
Doorstaff crisis reaches breaking point
Questions about the looming crisis facing pubs and clubs employing doorstaff are to be raised in the House of Commons next week - just six days...
Drink Talking: Lucy Craig
It's the theatre of the pub industry that gives Lucy Craig, Ha! Ha! Bar & Canteen, Brighton, and BII Licensee of the Year, 2005 such a buzz.Great...
Yes
What is a gastro pub? It can't just be a pub that serves food, because many, if not most, pubs do that. But if it's something more than a food pub,...
G4's Ben pays thanks to Salisbury Arms
G4 have gone a long way since finishing as runners up in The X Factor talent show. Their operatic rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody has helped their...
Magistrate clears sleepwalking landlord of drink-driving
A Basingstoke host escaped a drink-driving conviction after he crashed his BMW into a lamppost because he was sleepwalking. Matthew Sadler of the...
Going gastro
Influential, inspirational and now completely indispensable the gastro pub has transformed the British boozer. Rosie Davenport leads off a special...
Day in the life of a gastro pub
With its wine evenings, healthy turnover and a place in the guidebooks, the Bear & Swan in Somerset is a pub to be reckoned with. Mark Taylor...
Incidents of BDM bullying are rare occasions
I wish to respond to last week's letter in the MA ("Payne should stand down for supporting BDMs"). It is the membership of the Federation of Licensed...
Caborn steps in to defuse the row over licensees' historic r
Grandfather rights saved... by Ewan Turney Licensing minister Richard Caborn has called a halt to the legal row over grandfather rights that was...
Two arrested following pub stabbing
Two people have been arrested in connection with a fatal stabbing at a Leicester pub. Gareth Symons, 24, was stabbed at the Crow's Nest pub on...
It's all on a platter
Pubs that blend with restaurant-style catering are onto a perfect combo. Be quick to snap up likely sites as demand is high, reveals TONY HALSTEAD...
Are gastro pubs no more than trendy restaurants in disguise?
No What I want today is different from what I wanted yesterday. How I spend my leisure time now has changed markedly from my youthful prime when I...
Under the spotlight: the King William, Bath
Charlie Digney of Bath gastro pub the King William is a prime example of a chef in touch with the seasons and sourcing local produce. One of his...
Mill House set to grow to 100 sites
by The PMA Team Mill House Inns chief executive Ted Kennedy has set a target of expanding the company from 60 to around 100 sites after completing a...
Use temporary event notice as last resort
The temporary event notice (TEN) is another aspect of the new law that does not seem to have been thought through sufficiently, but got passed...
Seven steps to running a successful gastro pub
Keeping the food simple both in presentation and description is what it's all about. Gone are the teeteringtowers and garnishes of the 1980s...
Ireland LVA: smoke ban has caused pubs decline
by Ewan Turney One year on from its introduction, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) of Ireland has claimed that the smoking ban has been the...
Pubco's name on licence
QWe are lessees with a leading pub operating company, which is now telling us that it wishes to hold the premises licence in its own name in future,...
The Anchor & Hope
Southwark, London, 020 7928 9898 Ownership: Business partners Mike Belben, Jonathan Jones, Harry Lester and Rob Shaw have run the pub on a lease...
Pressure builds over full pint campaign
Pressure for legislation to force licensees to serve 100 per cent full pints is growing, with close to 300 MPs now pledging their support for a House...
Beware cowboys' business rate pledges, surveyors warn
Licensees have received a stark warning from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to steer clear of "cowboy" consultants who claim they...
Wall of fame' tribute as pub celebrates facelift
The Wellington Inn in Leek, Staffordshire, is rolling out red-carpet treatment for long-lost customers whose faces feature on its pool room mural....
Outlets face licence loss for serving minors
by John Harrington Police in Nottingham where licensees are being tested on adherence to under-age drinking rules more thoroughly than anywhere...
NoFibs hires CGA-Centro for beer study
The National Organisation for Imported Beers NoFibs has commissioned CGA-Centro to carry out research into consumer perceptions of genuine...
letter from McKerracher
Last week, as I was collecting my younger son from playschool, one of the mums started to speak quite disparagingly about her local pub. She had...
Pubs escape EU noise ruling
New EU rules on noise due to come in next February are unlikely to hit pubs hosting live music.Government ministers are set to approve new...
We need BII seal of approval
If you were a complete newcomer to the trade, looking to take on a leased or tenanted pub, what's the first thing you'd look for as you pore over...
BHA aims for better chefs
by Max Gosney The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has launched a new skills academy to counter the declining quality of NVQ trained chefs....
Safety
Brewers are taking their responsibilities to consumers increasingly seriously, it would appear. The latest company to join Scottish Courage, Coors...
Fresh inspiration
You've got the pub, the staff, the food and the drink: what else can you do to create a gastro goldmine? Jo Bruce, Max Gosney and John Harrington...
Prepare well to avoid missing Formula fun
It is clear that nothing about the new law is certain at this stage. But the greatest uncertaintystill hangs over the question of special events and...
The Angel
Hetton, North Yorkshire, 01756 730 263 Ownership: Juliet Watkins bought the pub freehold with husband Denis, who died last July, in 1983. Head chef...
Steer old Mackeson into a cash cow
Have you had a Mackeson recently? The answer is probably no, as it's a beer that is hard to find these days. A trawl of my local supermarkets failed...
Future gazing with more people in the know
Xanthe Clay, Daily Telegraph cookery writer "Gastro pubs are here to stay as long as they remember their roots, which is serving well-kept beer...
Blears is blasted by security firms
by John Harrington Security companies that have experienced major delays in receiving their new Security Industry Authority (SIA) licences have...
Manchester seeks duty cut on plastic
Licensees in Manchester are to lobby drinks firms to supply plastic bottles at the same price as glass equivalents. Members of the 600-strong...
Gastro pubs face planning limbo
by Tony Halstead New planning regulations are threatening to place thousands of gastro pubs into a virtual planners' "no man's land," property...
Fiona Sims visits three thriving gastro pubs where wine plays a major role
The Goose at Britwell Salome in Oxfordshire became the sixth pub to win a Michelin star this year. And pubs scooped 12 of the 27 new Bib Gourmands...
How was trade over the Easter weekend holiday?
Adrian Clay Litten Tree, Blackpool "We had a good weekend overall even though Easter was quite a bit earlier this year. This is traditionally the...
A taste of things to come
Pub food is in the hands of innovative operators but what makes a good gastro pub? We ask the top industry experts The operator Nigel Haworth and...
Pubs urged to join PPL protest
Licensees are being urged to join the protest against a massive hike in the cost of playing background music in pubs. Mitchells & Butlers...