01/10/2024 10:54:00
Mitchells & Butlers has reported like-for-like food and drink sales growth of 5.2%, with the easing of inflation in recent months boosting its numbers, says The Caterer. In a pre-close trading update for the 51 weeks to 21 September 2024, the operator said that total sales had risen by 5.9%. On a like-for-like basis, sales slowed during the period, with food and drink up 7.7% in October to December 2023, but dropping to 2.5% in the past three months. Mitchells & Butlers said this reflected an unseasonably cool and wet summer along with disruption caused by riots in city centres. It added that it had completed 185 conversion and refurbishments in the period and opened six new sites.
Dakota Hotels has been given the green light to build a new £60 million hotel next to Manchester Airport, advises Boutique Hotelier. The 154-bed property will be the second Manchester site for Dakota, following its city centre hotel on Ducie Street, and will be located off Enterprise Way on a three-acre plot at Mix Manchester. The Dakota Hotels site will join other new amenities at Mix Manchester, including additional hotel and leisure facilities and extensive public realm, all of which is designed to complement the development's wider masterplan which comprises 2m sq ft of high-quality science, innovation, and advanced manufacturing space.
September sunshine has boosted drinks sales for the on-trade after two weeks of negative numbers, reports the Morning Advertiser. The latest Daily Drinks Tracker from CGA by NIQ revealed average drinks sales by value across managed venues during the seven days to Saturday 21 September were 3% ahead of the same week in 2023. It followed two weeks of negative numbers, with sales down 5% the previous week and 12% during the seven days before that.
The group behind Plume in Covent Garden and Finch in Brixton has chosen the Borough Yards development for its third London wine bar. Set for early November, Quill will be Fables & Company's largest location to date, says Restaurant Online. The interior will emulate 'an eccentric wine cellar, filled with artworks, exquisite wines and objects from inspiring globetrotting adventures' whilst the exterior is billed as an ode to an English garden. Overseen by fonder Andrew Gray, the wine programme at Quill will build on the two wine lists at Plume and Finch steering them 'in a more exotic direction.'
Some 65 nightclubs have closed their doors so far this year as the "unprecedented crisis" intensifies, reports the Morning Advertiser. New research from the Night-Time Industries Associations (NTIA), revealed 480 nightclubs were lost between June 2020 and June 2024, an average of 10 closures per month. However, the pace of closures has "intensified" this year with 65 venues having shut down between December 2023 and June 2024, equating to 11 closures per. According to the research, the impact on northern regions has been "particularly severe", with Yorkshire, the hardest hit area, having seen a 45% reduction in the number of venues while Lancashire saw a 42% decline. In contrast, London, while also affected showed a smaller reduction of 29%, reflecting the capital's "stronger economic base", the NTIA said.
Chick-fil-A has announced its first UK locations set to debut next year as the US fast food chain looks to invest tens of millions of pounds into local communities over the next decade. London, Leeds, Liverpool and Belfast will be the first UK cities to get a taste of the chicken shop's menu, with the first restaurant set to open in early 2025, advises City AM. Chick-fil-A, has ambitious plans to invest over $100m (£75m) into the UK over the next decade. With community efforts at the core of its mission, this includes a £25,000 donation to a local hunger-fighting charity in celebration of its first opening.
New rules coming into force today will ban restaurants from withholding tips from staff. These rules will apply across the hospitality industry and to any business that allows tipping, reports Sky News. This change means that over two million workers will be able to retain an estimated £200 million a year in tips, gratuities, and service charges paid by customers.