CLH Digital - Issue #216

THE LEADING PUBLICATION FOR THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR & LICENSED TRADE Issue 216

Support the Hospitality Sector in the General Election... www.CLHNews.co.uk

RETURN TO PROFIT! Let us help guide you to putting your Restaurant, Hotel or Pub business BACK into Profit.

We work "hands-on" with you and your Team, in your business, to make that happen.

Maximise your Profit Margins Minimise your Operating Costs Resolve any Operational Issues

To find out how David Hunter can use his 30 plus years of experience in the Hospitality sector to help you INCREASE THE PROFIT from YOUR business, call NOW for an informal chat on:

07831 407984 or

01628 487613

Hospitality Business Mentoring since 1989

• MICROWAVES • EXTRACTION CANOPIES •

• We can supply most of the markets leading names in New Equipment at competitive prices • Full Service & Installation facilities by fully qualified engineers • We can also supply modular fridge & freezer rooms

Telephone with enquiries:

Tel: 01273 492488

Email: kingedwards@btconnect.com Mobile: 07860 274243

COOKERS • ICE MACHINES • FRYERS • SLICERS

DISHWASHERS • GLASSWASHERS • REFRIGERATION

RECONDITIONED & SECOND USER CATERING EQUIPMENT

• We have a comprehensive range of Re-conditioned Catering Equipment in stock

CLHNews

CLHNews

If You Want Our Votes, Political Parties Warned

The Bowden Group

EKE EQUIPMENT LIMITED

CLHNews

• TOASTERS • STAINLESS STEEL SINKS & TABLING •

As the countdown to July 4 gets under way, politicians who want the public's votes in the General Election are being warned that they need to show significantly more support for the hospitality sector.

BHA Chair Raphael Herzog said: “Ever since the pandemic, we’ve been backing the trade body UKHospitality in its calls for a reduced rate of VAT for our businesses, which would bring many benefits.

After the Autumn Statement and Spring Budget left the sector feeling very let down, industry organisations and observers expressed dismay at the complete lack of support for the industry.

“When people cast their votes on 4 July, they want to elect people who will listen, and who will then want to act based on what they hear.

The Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA) is urging those hoping to form part of the next Government to back hospitality.

“For too long, the pleas from our sector have fallen on deaf ears. Over the coming weeks, we want to hear strong voices talk about how they would support our sector in the new Parliament."

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...)

2

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Editor's Viewpoint

Welcome to the latest issue of CLH Digital As we approach the July 4th General Election, the hospitality sector's call for support grows louder and more urgent.

PUBLISHED BY RBC Publishing Ltd 3 Carlton Mount 2 Cranborne Road Bournemouth Dorset BH2 5BR

Industry leaders are pressing for concrete commitments from political parties to include hospitality support in their manifestos. However, the silence from the major political parties on this issue is, as previously stated, deafening.

EDITOR

Peter Adams

Leading trade organizations, including UKHospitality, the British Beer & Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping, the Bristol Hoteliers Association, and the Nighttime Industries Association, have repeatedly appealed for government support.

TELEPHONE:

01202 552333 FAX: 01202 552666

Despite their efforts, political parties have yet to address the pressing needs of our sector, which is the third largest employer in the UK. With 3.5 million people working in hospitality, this sector is a cornerstone of our economy, directly contributing £93 billion annually. The importance of hospitality extends beyond economic contributions; it plays a crucial role in providing jobs and supporting livelihoods across the country. It is high time the sector receives not only the support it desperately needs but also the respect it deserves.

www.CLHNews.co.uk @CLHNews CLHNews CLHNews

The huge elephant in the room, of course, is hospitality VAT. Like most I have my opinions on taxation generally, but VAT on hospitality is a tax I despise immensely. It is a tax on people’s leisure. Other countries had the foresight to see this and took steps to reduce hospitality VAT years ago, whereas we are stuck with it.

could be sold during the 31-day tournament, totalling an astounding £1.4 billion in turnover. The last tournament, Euro 2020 (delayed to 2021 due to the pandemic), delivered a +9.4% uplift in Beer & Cider draught volume, worth an extra £4,970 per outlet— equivalent to +64 pints per game per outlet. With England being favourites, this record is poised to be broken.

Which is why I applaud Bristol Hoteliers Association for their clear and unequivocal demand for it to be lowered. There is a misconception which I have always believed needs wider publicity, and that is while VAT is applied to hospitality businesses it is the wider public who pays it!

This fantastic summer of sport means the sector is poised for a significant boost, and other than watching a live event I don’t think there is a better place than a pub to watch sport!

So it really is time the political parties to get off the fence and commit to supporting the country’s third largest employer, we need policies that provide financial support, ease regulatory burdens, and promote growth and sustainability within hospitality.

On a real positive note, we are just days away from the Euros, a fantastic opportunity for the pub sector.

According to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), an estimated 300 million pints

We are hoping to put together a “pub sport supplement” to be shared on our social media, so please do send us through any stories and photographs of events and sports days at your pub we would be delighted to publish them.

I can always be contacted at edit@catererlicensee.com Once more I would ask you to please follow us on X (Twitter), and encourage as many people you know in the trade to sign up to our digital issue, further details can be seen at www.catererlicensee.com

The Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News Group is published by RBC Publishing Ltd, 3 Carlton Mount, 2 Cranborne Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5BR. Contributions are welcome for consideration, however, no responsibility will be accepted for loss or damage. Views expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Whilst every care is taken when compiling this publication to ensure accuracy, the publisher will assume no responsibility for any effects, errors or omissions therefrom. All rights reserved, reproduction is forbidden unless written permission is obtained. All material is assumed copyright free unless otherwise advised.

EDITOR Peter Adams

SALES EXECUTIVES David Bartlett Guy Stephenson

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Matthew Noades

PRODUCTION & WEB ADMIN Charlene Fox

Published by Published by

Issue 216

CLH Digital

3

Support the Hospitality Sector in the General Election (...CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER)

lobby, including election guidance and social media assets. As well as this, CAMRA will be providing resources for parliamentary candidates to pledge their support for beer, pubs and CAMRA’s key campaigning asks.

REDUCE VAT Mr. Herzog continued, “If they won’t listen to us, perhaps they should listen to their peers; the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Hospitality and Tourism backed UKHospitality’s calls for VAT to be reduced to 12.5%.

“If they won’t listen to their peers, perhaps they will listen to the public! A YouGov study, commissioned by UKHospitality, found that 79% of the public favoured a reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism.”

He added: “The UK has one of the highest rates of VAT in Europe.

“During the pandemic, lower rates of VAT were introduced, and had a positive impact, stimulating demand and generating revenue.

“Lower VAT will enable us to make our services more affordable to the public, saving them when they eat or drink out, visit an attraction or book a break.

“The impact of the pandemic, a labour shortage caused, in no small part, by Brexit, soaring supply and energy prices and increases in the National Living Wage have all put tremendous pressure on our businesses.

“A lower rate of VAT would help the hospitality sector cope with all these costs and could provide the boost that could prevent even more businesses in our industry from closing down.

“The APPG concluded that a lower rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism could help ease the cost of living pressure, improve employment opportunities, support regional growth and even improve social wellbeing.

“If people haven’t made up their minds about who they are going to vote for next month, perhaps they might consider the issues we are facing, and listen to see which political parties are prepared to take positive steps to support us.

“That’s what we are waiting to hear, and that is what is likely to win our votes!”

PROTECT PUBS The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has announced its Manifesto and e-lobby campaign, and is calling on its members up and down the country to lobby candidates in every constituency to make sure MPs elected in this election are committed to protecting and promoting thriving community pubs and great beer and cider.

CAMRA’s Election Manifesto outlines six key campaigning priorities, these are: • Fair tax for beer and pubs.

• More rights for beer drinkers and pub goers.

• Access to market for small and independent breweries and cider producers.

• Recognising traditional cask ale under UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity • Better planning protections for pubs. [England-only] • Change the business rates system to make it fairer for pubs. [England-only] Election campaigns are a prime opportunity for politicians to be seen pulling a pint behind the bar of their local, but this doesn’t always translate into action that supports pubs, social clubs, brewers, cider makers, and consumers. CAMRA is asking for candidates to commit to the campaigning priorities outlined in its Manifesto, and back policy and legislation that can truly help the pub trade, brewers and consumers.

To ensure that prospective MPs are pledging their support, CAMRA is enlisting its thousands of members to contact their local candidates to ask for their support for beer and pubs if elected.

CAMRA is also providing a campaign pack for members and pub goers to promote the manifesto and e-

OUR MACHINES ARE AS INDIVIDUAL AS YOU ARE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT MACHINE FOR YOU! BEAN TO CUP...

BARISTA STYLE...

...OR EVEN AWARD WINNING STYLE

CHOOSE THE MACHINE THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU FROM OUR VAST RANGE!!

Got a machine that you cant get repaired? Give us a call, we can try sort it for you!

FORWARD VENDING AND CATERING LIMITED

0800 44 44 43 Sales@forwardvendors.co.uk

INVITATION TO VISIT UKHospitality has stepped up its campaign and is offering all hospitality businesses the opportunity to invite parliamentary candidates in their constituency to their venue, to impress upon them the importance of the sector.

In addition, UKHospitality members are able to access an exclusive webinar that lays out its election strategy and key asks during the campaign.

Over the past 18 months, UKHospitality’s engagement with politicians has been pivotal in securing key policy pledges from the main political parties. Most notably, these include commitments from the Labour Party to replace the broken business rates system and reform the apprenticeship levy.

UKHospitality has itself written to all parliamentary candidates outlining the strategic importance of hospitality and sharing our key asks, as well as securing meetings with candidates in crucial constituencies.

Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “General election campaigns are all about making your voice heard, and hospitality has one of the best stories to tell.

“We’ve already been meeting candidates up and down the country, telling them about the critical work the sector does serving Britain and creating places where people want to live, work and invest.

“Now, we’re making sure that businesses have the tools to tell their story to local candidates. Inviting prospective MPs to your venue allows you to show them first-hand just how important hospitality is in creating jobs, driving economic growth and fostering a sense of community in our cities, towns and villages.

“Our work over the past year and a half has already been hugely successful in securing critical pledges from political parties and the general election campaign is yet another step in our strategy to ensure the next Parliament is filled with MPs who will champion our sector.

“I urge all businesses to dive into our election toolkit and get stuck into the campaign – making sure hospitality’s voice is at the heart of the debate.”

REVIVAL AND SUSTAINABILITY Michael Kill CEO of the Night Time Industries Association said, “I recognise the importance of stability and effective governance in addressing the challenges faced by our sectors. The past years have been marked by uncertainty and instability, which have taken a toll on businesses and communities across the country.”

“It is now imperative that we navigate through the election period with a sense of responsibility and purpose. The outcome of this election will determine the direction our nation takes in the coming years. We urge all stakeholders to engage in a constructive and informed dialogue, focusing on the long-term interests of our country and its citizens.”

“Our sector has been particularly hard hit by the challenges of the past years, from the impact of the pandemic to regulatory uncertainties. It is crucial that the elected government works towards a comprehensive and inclusive long-term plan that addresses these challenges and supports the recovery and growth of our industries.”

“We call upon all political parties to prioritise the needs of the night-time economy in their election manifestos and commit to policies that will support its revival and sustainability. This includes measures to ensure the safety and security of our venues, support for cultural initiatives, and investment in skills and training for our workforce.”

TheAcademic‘Karaoke Room Effect’: Research into UK Hospitality Venues Reveals 4

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Financial Benefits of Giving Customers the Opportunity to Sing

British bars and restaurants installing karaoke systems experience a 12.2% increase in ROA, according to research by Finland’s Aalto University

The Aalto University insights support the findings of European research conducted by Singa. In spring 2018, Singa analysed 37 European venues, finding that karaoke resulted in a 31% increase in the number of customers, alongside a 35% increase in average customer spend. In those venues that hosted occasional karaoke nights, a 42% increase in average customer spend during these special events (2-4 times a month) was observed.

Finland’s Aalto University (www.aalto.fi/en) has undertaken the first ever research project into the financial impact of karaoke rooms within UK bars, restaurants, and other hospitality venues. At a time when the UK hospitality industry is under increasing pressure (over 6,000 hospitality venues closing their doors between December 2022 - December 2023, according to data from CGA by NIQ and AlixPartners), the findings present a potential silver bullet for the sector: the study of 53 UK venues during 2018-2022 revealing venues with karaoke experienced a 12.2% increase in return on assets (ROA) when compared to a control group without.

THE KARAOKE ROOM EFFECT - KEY FINDINGS FROM AALTO UNIVERSITY STUDY, AND ADDITIONAL RESEARCH The research was commissioned by Singa (www.singa.com/business), the Finnish startup revolutionising the karaoke industry by providing innovative, professional karaoke software that gives venues access to a fully licensed song catalogue (frequently updated to add new hits), and customisable display and room management capabilities. Singa currently provides professional karaoke tech and business consultancy to well-known UK hospitality venues such as Boom Battle Bar and Roxy Leisure (both of which featured in the analysis).

Singa asked Aalto University researcher Ngoc Anh Pham to explore the impact of karaoke rooms on financial performance in UK hospitality venues. Aalto University is the leading university in Finland and, created through the merger of Helsinki University of Technology, Helsinki School of Economics, and the University of Art and Design Helsinki in 2010, is in the top universities for business and economics worldwide. The study reveals a 12.2% increase in ROA for venues with karaoke compared to those with no such facilities (ROA measures how effectively a business uses its assets to create profit). In addition to booking fees, additional revenue is shown to be created through attracting a new customer base and a corresponding uptick on beverage, snack, and other purchases.

The benefit to the business is not only financial, but has a positive experiential impact on patrons and customers who are able to enjoy an engaging and fun social activity with friends, increasing likelihood of return.

The business benefits of a karaoke room can also be viewed in light of the current trend towards experiences, including ‘competitive socialising’.

According to research from Savills published in November 2023, the competitive socialising sector has grown at “unparalleled levels” over the past five years (with a 38% increase in competitive socialising venues since 2015). This reflects a growing trend amongst Gen Z and Millennials for favouring defined experiences over ‘things’, and with sobriety or drinking less becoming more popular for Gen Z (the ‘sober curious generation’), venues which offer alternative entertainment options are increasingly appealing to previously underserved customer groups. Competitive socialising is not a new concept - darts or pool being a mainstay of UK venues for centuries - but new options are increasingly sophisticated and often tech-enhanced.

To further demonstrate the interest in competitive socialising - and karaoke in particular - UK Google Trends data shows a marked volume increase in searches for ‘karaoke room’, with interest (measured by Google searches) more than doubling over the last five years (analysed up to February 2024).

Atte Hujanen, Co-Founder and CEO at Singa, comments: “Our research confirms that Britons want escapism through song. Anecdotally, I have always known that karaoke brings a huge benefit to hospitality businesses through the joy it brings, but for the first time the positive business impact to British venues can be quantified. Hospitality as an industry has faced serious challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic and more recently the cost of living crisis in the UK, and it’s clear that karaoke can help venues adapt and continue to thrive by offering local communities additional fun, social experiences.”

E. coli Outbreak Most Likely Linked To Food Item An urgent health warning has been issued in the UK after an E.coli outbreak was linked to 'nationally distributed food item'.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has stated that 113 cases have been reported which are "part of a single outbreak".

However, they did not give more details about the "food item" that was thought to be responsible.

The UKHSA said in a statement, “Based on the wide geographic spread of cases, it is most likely that this outbreak is linked to a nationally distributed food item or multiple food items.”

So far there has been 81 cases in England, 18 in Wales, 13 in Scotland and one person in Northern Ireland, all cases recorded involve the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli 0145 (Stec).

Out of the 81 of people identified in England 61 has given information to the UKHSA which relates to travel, food and potentially have been exposed. Darren Whitby, head of incidents and resilience at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), said, “The FSA is working with UKHSA and relevant public health bodies to identify the source of the illness, which

is likely to be linked to one or more food items.

We always advise consumers and those looking after vulnerable people to ensure good hygiene practices are followed when handling and preparing food, regularly washing hands with soap and warm water and ensuring equipment, utensils and surfaces foods come into contact with are cleaned thoroughly to prevent cross contamination.

“You should not prepare food for others if you have had symptoms, or for 48 hours after symptoms stop.”

In light of the outbreak the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has underscored the essential role environmental health plays in protecting public health, urging parliamentary candidates to recognise the importance of environmental health in preventing such outbreaks.

The steady rise of food borne illness in 2024, now manifesting into a UK wide outbreak linked to a nationally distributed food item, highlights the urgent need to address workforce shortages and capacity challenges within the environmental health profession.

CIEH are calling upon parliamentary candidates to engage with CIEH during this campaign and commit to raising awareness of this issue in parliament if elected.

Louise Hosking, Executive Director of Environmental Health at CIEH, said: “Environmental health professionals are the unsung heroes of public health – they are our first line of defence against foodborne illnesses.”

“The recent E.coli outbreak underscores the critical role our members play in ensuring food safety and protecting the public. Without sufficient staffing and resources, our ability to prevent such outbreaks is severely compromised.”

“We need urgent action to address the workforce shortages and capacity challenges facing our profession. I urge parliamentary candidates to engage with us and commit to raising awareness of this issue in parliament if elected. Supporting and strengthening the environmental health workforce is essential to safeguarding our communities and preventing future public health crises.”

Winterhalter Gets Ready for the Top Ten Countdown to the 2024 KP of the Year 2024 sees Winterhalter celebrate the 10th Kitchen Porter of the Year competition, which aims to recognise the amazing work so many kitchen porters do to keep the UK’s foodservice industry in peak condition.

£1000 in vouchers and a celebratory meal for friends and family in a casual dining restaurant of their choice. Furthermore, the winning KP’s employer will get a piece of Winterhalter equipment worth up to £10,000.

Since it was first held in 2013 KPOTY has become one of the biggest and most prestigious awards in the industry, and has been praised for its focus on the vital role kitchen porters play in catering and foodservice. In many businesses KPs are the secret weapons of the kitchen, going above and beyond their standard duties to keep them running smoothly. For many of the biggest names in the industry the experience they gained during their time as KPs served as the foundation to their future career.

Along with this, three highly commended KPs will receive vouchers to hospitality experiences, and every nominee will get a bespoke KP of the Year apron designed by Oliver Hardy.

Over seven hundred nominations have been made over the previous nine competitions, representing all sectors of foodservice, including the UK’s best hotels and restaurants, pubs bars and clubs, and institutional and contract caterers, demonstrating the importance of KPs throughout the industry.

“When we first came up with the idea for KP of the Year we had no idea that it would get the response it did,” says Stephen Kinkead, Winterhalter UK’s managing director. “It’s all about putting KPs and the work they do in the spotlight. It’s humbling to read the nominations – learning about the dedication and effort so many of them bring to their jobs is always inspiring.”

The KP of the Year 2024 will be awarded the prestigious KPOTY trophy, as well as

“Over the years we’ve received nominations from a hugely diverse range of businesses,” says Stephen. “For our tenth competition we’re looking forward to discovering more of the industry’s exceptional kitchen heroes!”

Nominations are open until the 30th of August. More information about the competition and previous winners, along with a link to the nomination form, can be found at www.kpoftheyear.com.

Winterhalter provides a total solution for dishwashing and glasswashing, from pre-sales advice to after-sales service, training and maintenance, with sustainability fitted as standard. Alongside its market-leading dish washers and glass washers, the company’s range includes utensil washers, advanced water treatment machines, and cleaning detergents and rinse aids. For further details, call Winterhalter on 01908 359000, visit www.winterhalter.com/uk-en/ or email info@winterhalter.co.uk.

Card Spending Slows To Three-Year Low But Pubs & Bars Still Showing Growth Issue 216

Consumer card spending grew just 1.0 per cent year-on-year in May, the smallest rise since February 2021 and significantly lower than the latest CPIH inflation rate of 3.0 per cent, however spending in pubs and bars and clubs grew from 1.4% to 2.9%.

Resilient categories such as airlines and takeaways were knocked by rising household bills, while wet weather continued to cast a cloud over the high street. However, consumers are feeling optimistic about the latest inflation figures, with three in 10 (28 per cent) planning to spend more when the weather improves.

Brits reined in spending on takeaways and fast food in May, with the category recording its first decline (-0.2 per cent) since May 2020. This comes as 44 per cent say they are reducing their discretionary spending, citing ordering takeaways (54 per cent) as their number one cutback.

Over half (53 per cent) of these consumers are also cutting back on eating out at restaurants, with spending in this category seeing an even greater decline in May (-15.7 per cent) than in April (-13.1 per cent).

Travel, another of the UK’s typically more resilient sectors, also had a challenging month. Airlines saw their smallest uplift (5.6 per cent) since July 2021, while spend growth at travel agents was as its lowest level (4.3 per cent) since August 2023.

On a more positive note, almost three in 10 (28 per cent) Brits say they will spend more when the weather improves this summer – a figure which rises to 39 per cent for 18- to 34-year-olds. Two fifths (39 per cent) of this group plan to spend more on food and drink for picnics, a third (34 per cent) say they’ll fork out on drinking and dining al fresco at pubs and restaurants, and 29 per cent intend to buy barbeque supplies to host friends and family in the coming months.

In addition, news that UK inflation has fallen to its lowest level in almost three years has eased consumer concerns. Despite some household bills rising in recent months, six in 10 Brits (62 per cent) say the inflation announcement has made them confident in their ability to live within their means each month, and a similar proportion (56 per cent) say it has made them confident in their household finances.

Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, said: “Retailers faced a challenging May, yet the few sunnier days in the month did bring a welcome uptick in footfall. As consumers gear up to spend more with better weather, and with the Euros, Wimbledon, and Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ on the horizon, there’s a brighter outlook for the

CLH Digital

5

coming months.”

Jack Meaning, Chief UK Economist at Barclays, said: ”The economic strength we saw in the first three months of the year was always expected to ease as we moved into the second quarter, with GDP having seen the extra bounce needed to recover the ground lost in last year’s recession. The underlying direction of travel remains though, with falling inflation, real income growth and low unemployment all pointing to a gradual acceleration in consumer spending over the next 12 months, especially as we begin to see the Bank of England reduce interest rates in H2.”

6

CLH Digital

Issue 216

How the Hospitality Sector Has Responded to its Recruitment and Retention Challenges

By Isabelle Shepherd, Director, haysmacintyre (www.haysmacintyre.com) There has been no shortage of recent headlines about the hospitality sector’s recruitment woes.

However, a glance at the headlines might not reveal that the hospitality sector is actually an increasingly popular choice for workers. Indeed, hospitality is the third largest employer in the UK, with over 3.5mn workers employed across the sector. Further, despite a conception that the industry is struggling and a difficult place to work, in The Sunday Times’ recently published list of the Best Places to Work, almost a quarter of the businesses recognised in the Big Companies category were in the hospitality industry.

A CHALLENGING BACKGROUND The hospitality sector has faced a number of challenges in recent years, which have arguably had an outsized impact on recruitment. In particular, the pandemic saw many staff across the sector change careers with businesses in the industry forced to shutter for months at a time. This followed hot on the heels of Brexit which saw immigration restrictions tightened, which had an impact on the hospitality industry’s recruitment pool.

The hospitality industry has also had to contend with systemic challenges, including high inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, as well as being hit by short-term problems such as the disruption caused by train strikes which have cost the sector hundreds of millions of pounds in lost sales. This may well have had an impact on perceptions about the viability of a career in hospitality, discouraging potential applicants with the corresponding headlines in national newspapers not helping either.

The current economic climate has also made it more difficult for hospitality businesses to attract and retain staff just by offering higher wages, particularly because the expansion of the National Living Wage is increasing wages across the board. That includes in industries that compete with the hospitality sector for talent. This is creating further financial pressure the hospitality sector, with wages being raised across entire businesses in response rather than just at the level where the National Living Wage applies.

A NEW APPROACH Attitudes and aspirations are changing across the workforce and businesses are having to change what they offer employees to reflect that. In particular, research has repeatedly revealed that for the young adults now entering the workforce finding an employer that treats its employers, customers, and the planet well, is a top priority. The hospitality sector has responded in a number of ways, with restaurants, for instance, partnering with charities to ensure that unused food is donated rather than wasted, whilst businesses all across the industry have created community-engagement or volunteering programmes.

A good work-life balance is also a key consideration for a growing number. This has posed a particular challenge to the hospitality industry. After all, where other industries have adopted hybrid working and flexible hours, the majority of hospitality roles still require work to be done in-person and following shift-patterns which may require less sociable hours.

To compensate for this, a growing percentage of hospitality businesses have prioritised rewarding staff in other ways, by offering benefits such as free hotel stays and dinners, personal life experience vouchers, and hosting annual festivals or events where the whole workforce get together to celebrate with food and drinks provided.

The hospitality sector has also demonstrated its willingness to invest in its employees. For example, 92% of businesses surveyed by UKHospitality are planning to invest in staff training, an increase of 16%. 72% of businesses are also planning to invest in employee engagement, which has increased by 19% compared with 2023.

It is a reflection of the success of these initiatives that, despite the difficult economic environment, job vacancy levels have fallen across the industry. Whilst they have not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels, this is still unquestionably an encouraging sign – not least because there is scope for further progress to be made, particularly if more targeted government support was available.

All businesses have to find ways of appealing to prospective employees and the hospitality sector is no exception. But as The Sunday Times recognised, the hospitality sector appears to have been particularly successful in accomplishing this adaptation. It is still too soon to say that the hospitality industry has conquered all of its recruitment and retention challenges, but the industry has responded and we can say with growing confidence that the future looks bright.

Ultimately, the hospitality industry has a lot to offer for prospective employees which is increasingly being recognised. If this trend continues, don’t be surprised to see hospitality businesses claiming an even bigger share of The Sunday Times’ list of Best Places to Work in 2025.

Semi-Finalists Unveiled for Young National Chef of the Year Competition Over the next few weeks, some of the rising stars of the culinary world will be putting their creative skills to the test as they design innovative menus in a bid to become Young National Chef of the Year.

Today, the Craft Guild of Chefs has revealed the names of the chefs in the running as well as a thought-provoking criteria for entries.

Competitors will be allowed two hours to create a three-course meal. To give the judges a first taste of their cooking, chefs will serve up a filled vegetarian agnolotti pasta dish suitably garnished. They are asked to use an ingredient which has been foraged or sourced locally within this starter. For the main course, the chefs need to create a dish using fresh Norwegian halibut served with a Douceur de France butter-based sauce which is suitable for a pescatarian guest.

To finish the menu, candidates are required to create their own interpretation of a filled choux dessert.

Entries from the invited young chefs will be reviewed by the judging team to determine ten candidates to join two seeded finalists Nathan Cooper who was the Highest Achiever from the Graduate Awards and the winner of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Annual Awards for Excellence.

Chair of judges, Russell Bateman who is head chef at the Falcon Hotel in Castle Ashby said: “This is my first year heading up the competition and when setting the brief, I wanted to take the young chefs back to basics so we can really assess their skills and creativity. They will need to think about ingredient choices, seasonality, flavours, balance, and showcasing strong techniques. This is their opportunity to show the judges who they are as a chef when they step away from their workplace and we can’t wait to see their individual culinary style, personality and talent laid out on the plate.”

Competition director and food innovation & sustainability director at Sodexo UK and Ireland, David Mulcahy added: “Young National Chef of the Year continues to grow from strength to strength with this year’s list of invited competitors proving that the culinary talent pool across the UK is in great shape. Under Russell’s guidance we are guaranteed an incredible final and I wish all chefs the very best of luck.”

All twelve finalists will be invited to cook their menus at the live cook-off which will be held on Tuesday 8th October at the University of West London. This year’s winner will be unveiled at a VIP Awards evening at the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square.

UK Hospitality Sector To Enjoy £78.4 Million Boost From Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Photo by Ronald Woan licenced under CC BY 4.0 via Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rwoan/) Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is forecast to give the UK hospitality sector a generous £78.4 million boost.

the tour cities will also benefit with fans set to purchase £15.9 million worth of food and £21 million of drinks outside the venues. This accounts for 61.8% and 38.9% of all food and drink sales respectively.

On the other hand, £31.7 million of drinks (60.2%) and £9.8 million of food (38.2%) will be bought by hungry fans inside the venues.

The Eras Tour Spending Report by discount site, VoucherCodes.co.uk, reveals Swifties are expected to spend £52.7 million on drinks either before or during the concerts. Another £25.7 million will be spent on food and other snacks as fans fuel up for the big event.

With almost six million drinks forecast to be purchased over the tour and each Swiftie ordering an average of five beverages each, hospitality venues are in for a lucrative night when Taylor Swift comes to town.

Breaking these figures down, this means each fan is set to spend £73.09 on average on food and drink either before or during their show. That’s £44.45 on drink and £28.24 on food.

Michael Brandy, Senior Commercial Director at VoucherCodes.co.uk, comments: “As Taylor-mania sweeps the UK, hospitality venues can expect a healthy boost in sales over the concert dates.

With London hosting eight tour dates, hospitality venues in the capital are set for the biggest sales boost at £55.7 million. Following behind is Edinburgh which can expect sales of £11.5 million, and Liverpool at £7.4 million. Hosting just one tour date, Cardiff will see the smallest bump in hospitality sales at £4 million, but that’s still a pretty healthy amount.

Whilst hospitality businesses inside the stadiums themselves will see the bulk of sales, other businesses in

“It’s almost as if The Eras Tour is Taylor-made for businesses, drawing fans to the host cities and enticing them to spend. Cashing in on the craze, Liverpool’s been renamed ‘Taylor Town’ in Swift’s honour keeping locals entertained and encouraging them to get out and about, visiting cafes, bars and restaurants. Savvy hospitality businesses should hop on the hype while it lasts, keeping fans fuelled and ready to dance the night away.

National Minimum Wage Increase Hits Bottom Line Of UK Hotels Issue 216

Cost pressures, including the recent national minimum wage increase, are hitting the bottom line of UK hotels despite charging higher room rates, according to the RSM Hotels Tracker.

The data, which is compiled and produced by Hotstats and analysed by RSM UK, shows labour costs per available room were up from £15.32 (March) to £16.62 (April) in the UK and from £20.65 to £22.16 in London, due to the rise in national minimum wage (NMW). However, gross operating profits (GOP) of UK hotels have remained flat at 31.4% in April and 36.8% in London, largely in line with the same month last year and are lagging behind pre-pandemic levels – highlighting a NMW hit to the bottom line.

Occupancy was flat year-on-year in the UK at 74.5% in April, but reached 78.4% in London, up from 77% the previous year. Occupancy rates continue to creep back up to pre-pandemic levels of 77.6% (UK) and 79.7% (London).

Average daily rates (ADR) of occupied rooms were flat year-on-year in the UK at £139.51 in April, but down from £207.86 (April 2023) to £203.81 (April 2024) in London. However, room rates are significantly exceeding pre-pandemic levels at £110.24 (UK) and £169.76 (London).

CLH Digital

7

RevPAR of UK and London hotels were static last month when compared to the previous year, at £103.90 and £159.72 respectively.

shops and putting them off house viewings. It seems a similar picture for the hotel sector as well.

Chris Tate, head of hotels and accommodation at RSM UK, said:“While UK hotels have been able to charge higher room rates when compared to pre-pandemic levels, they’re seeing little of this making its way through to the bottom line. Ongoing cost pressures, the latest being the increase in national minimum wage, are chipping away at their operating profits. For some hoteliers, the fierce competition for hotel staff over the last couple of years has meant they are already paying above minimum wage. However, a rise in NMW has a knock-on impact as it ripples through the rest of the workforce as higher paid staff demand similar percentage increases.

“However, there are good reasons to expect spending on hospitality services to grow from here. First, households’ real disposable incomes are set to rise rapidly from April as inflation drops back to near 2% and tax cuts kick in, which will boost overall consumer spending. What’s more, consumer confidence should continue to rise ensuring that households spend most of their new income.

“The weather continues to dampen demand. But there’s hope this will change as we enter into the summer months. With better weather on the horizon, inflation set to fall back to the Bank of England’s 2% target in June and real wages rising, consumer confidence should continue improving, which will bring some summer cheer to the hotel industry.”

Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM UK, added:“April was a tough month for consumer businesses with miserable weather keeping them out of

“Admittedly, spending on hospitality services has been relatively strong recently when compared to spending on goods. There may be some catch up spending on retail goods over the next year, especially as goods prices look set to fall. However, the increase in consumer incomes means that even if consumers restock on retail goods, they should also increase spending on hotels and accommodation.

“What’s more, a strong dollar and rapid growth in consumer incomes will make the UK a more attractive destination for visitors from America. Similarly, as the European economies rebound, demand for travel from the continent will increase.”

The King Supports Pub Is The Hub With Donation To Support Pubs

Pub is The Hub has welcomed a donation from His Majesty The King to help independent publicans support local services and activities for communities in rural areas.

The donation will help the Community Services Fund which advises publicans to diversify their services. This can be anything from supporting a rural pub to opening a local community café, an allotment, a play area, library or village store.

Pub is The Hub was founded by His Majesty The King, when he was The Prince of Wales in 2001. Over the past 23 years Pub is The Hub has been able to help hundreds of pubs to diversify, with many receiving both advisory and financial support through its Community Services Fund.

Pub is The Hub’s future vision is to help 1,000 more pubs diversify over the next three years.

Pub is The Hub chief executive John Longden said: “We would like to thank The King for this donation and all the support for Pub is The Hub since its formation. The King has always been a supporter of the local role of the British pub.”

He added: “We know there are still many more pubs, publicans and rural communities that would benefit from the help and support from Pub is The Hub. Pubs and publicans are vital to rural communities adding real social value and being part of the glue that binds local areas together.”

Issue 216

CLH Digital

9

Deal Not Sealed For Small Business Votes, As Poll Reveals More Than Half Could Still Be Swayed In Election Campaign Millions of voters who run their own businesses are still to make a final decision on who they will back on polling day, according to a snap general election survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

It reveals that 96 per cent of small business owners intend to vote, but onein-five (20%) have yet to decide which party they will choose, while a further one-in-three (33%) have a good idea who they will vote for but could still change their mind.

FSB’s research found 90 per cent of small business owners are concerned business taxes could rise under the next Government, while 92 per cent of small employers said they were concerned a future Government could increase the costs and risks associated with employing people.

More than half (53%) say they are concerned about small business energy costs over the next five years; more than six-in-ten (61%) are concerned about the level of inflation over the next five years.

The findings come as FSB publishes a manifesto for small businesses and the self-employed - a blueprint for whoever forms the next Government aimed at driving economic growth and increasing the small business

community from 5.5 million back to its pre-pandemic size of six million within the next Parliament.

FSB’s Policy Chair, Tina McKenzie, said: “Small business owners and the selfemployed are a shrewd and motivated part of the electorate.

“They’re used to weighing up competing offers when running their businesses, and it’s clear from our research that when it comes to the election they’re looking for which of the parties has the most compelling pro-small business offer.

“Small businesses are the key to securing economic recovery, driving innovation, and creating jobs in all parts of the UK. “Our small business manifesto sets out the measures needed to create the conditions for that to happen, many of which do not involve additional spending.

“We’re looking to all of those seeking to form the next Government to show their commitment to the millions of hard-working voters who run their own businesses, including through a Small Business Act so we have new legislation to protect small businesses on crucial issues such as late payment.”

Pubs Demonstrate Inclusivity As Part Of Pride Month With a growing number of pubs wanting to show their support for Pride Month and events, Star Pubs has produced free point-of-sale kits for licensees.

Over 100 packs have been created at a cost of £7,500. Each includes flags, A3 window vinyls and bunting. 10 flagship pubs in cities with major Pride Festivals, such as Brighton, Edinburgh and Manchester, will also receive café barriers and T- shirts.

Licensees’ desire to highlight that their pubs are welcoming to all aligns with research1 revealing the importance customers attach to inclusivity. Around six out of ten people are more likely to visit pubs that are inclusive, with this increasing to three quarters of those identifying as LGBTQIA+, 82% of people with accessibility needs and 73% of ethnic minorities.

Says Cathy Olver, Head of Retail for Star Pubs: “Good pubs are all about providing a warm, friendly environment where everyone in the communities they serve feels welcome and at home. As more places round the country start holding their own Pride events, licensees are keen to demonstrate their backing and highlight their pub’s inclusiveness. We expect this celebration of Pride to increase in pubs going forward.”

CASE STUDY: The Church on Canal Street in Manchester has a long history as an LGBTQIA+ venue and is a much-loved fixture of the city’s gay village. It is one of the pubs to be receiving a Pride point-of-sale kit from Star Pubs.

As well as being known for a great night out, The Church prides itself on providing a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community and hosts meetings for a wide range of social groups. Licensee John Hamilton, a former community worker, trains the team to support customers in need of help or guidance and the pub also raises thousands of pounds every year for LGBTQIA+ charities such as The George House Trust, The LGBT Foundation and Sparkle.

Says John: “The Pride promotional materials are a great way for pubs of all kinds to demonstrate their inclusivity and for licensees to educate their teams on the importance of being welcoming to all. Marking Pride isn’t just about customers though. In my experience it can make a real difference to staff, too, giving those in the LGBTQIA+ community who lack confidence the strength to come out and be themselves.”

Blending Security and Friendly Hospitality 10

CLH Digital

Issue 216

By Oliver Hiner, operations director, Portico Guest Services (www.portico.co.uk) Everyone within the hospitality industry knows that making guests and employees feel safe is a critical aspect of managing an establishment. It goes beyond safeguarding assets and people; it’s important for other reasons, such as reducing the risk of accidents and injury, and creating a welcoming environment.

However, achieving this delicate balance is often easier said than done. People need to feel comfortable – it’s unrealistic to expect your employees to follow people with lock and key; a friendly reception also bolsters business.

A FRESH APPROACH Prevention stands as the most effective line of defence, avoiding potential threats before they escalate. Inspired by this ethos, Portico, a leading guest services provider, has introduced a unique security-focused service. Here, front-of-house staff act as the vigilant 'eyes and ears' of the building, preserving the essential human touch and warm, friendly service amidst security protocols.

This innovative concept is gaining traction, with facility managers increasingly using well-trained staff to provide an extra layer of safety and security. However, it’s not about intimidating scare tactics; first impressions matter, after all. The aim is to efficiently manage security risks while cultivating an inviting, pleasant atmosphere. Achieving this delicate equilibrium require rigorous training, leading to the inception of Portico Safe, seamlessly blending front-of-house warmth with security expertise.

EXPERTISE AT WORK Success in the security area requires a heightened sense of awareness and a wide range of skills. This might involve teams being SIA-licensed and possessing expertise in areas such as threat prevention and detection,

conflict resolution, first aid, fire marshal support, proactive hazard management, and building health and safety.

This comprehensive skill set ensures that guests receive a warm, personalised welcome upon entering the premises, while simultaneously upholding situational awareness.

UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENCE OF SERVICE It's crucial to understand that effective services require a deep comprehension of the business, its workforce, and its clientele. It’s no secret that service providers within the hospitality industry must delve beneath the surface to deliver a tailored, purposeful experience. This calls for a nuanced approach, favouring individualised solutions over a one-size-fits-all mentality. Recognising that each business operates uniquely, success lies in customising services to address specific challenges and requirements.

Having highly skilled team members can alleviate security concerns and time constraints within daily operations. The building management tcan trust that their teams are taking a proactive stance. While vigilance remains paramount in security matters, it should never overshadow the importance of exceptional interpersonal skills – a hallmark of this exemplary security model.

SECURITY AS A STRATEGIC INVESTMENT Choosing such services transcends mere risk mitigation; it's a strategic investment in a business's long-term success. The repercussions of crime extend far beyond financial loss, impacting morale and performance within the organisation. Those who prioritise security send a clear message to employees and patrons alike: "We have your best interest at heart" and “We prioritise your safety and wellbeing”. By integrating real people into guest service delivery, businesses create a comprehensive security team that is deeply connected to visitors and their safety. Feeling safe shouldn't be an aspiration; it should be the norm.

The integration of security measures within hospitality settings reflects a broader trend towards prioritising safety without compromising on customer experience. This involves not only implementing robust security protocols but also fostering a culture of safety and inclusivity. By staying abreast of emerging threats and embracing innovative solutions, businesses can create environments that are both welcoming and secure.

Through ongoing collaboration and knowledge sharing, we can collectively raise the bar for safety standards while maintaining the warmth and hospitality that guests expect.

Pragmatic Migration Plans Needed To Reflect Business Need With migration plans being announced by political parties this week, UKHospitality has stressed the need for an employment plan to meet the needs of the economy.

Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “With more than three-quarters of hospitality’s workforce recruited from within the UK, our commitment to recruiting, training and developing our own is unwavering.

“While we recognise the need to control migration, this debate cannot be

arbitrary and divorced from economic reality.

“There needs to be a serious debate about a pragmatic and stable employment plan that balances investment in skills and training, including reform of the apprenticeship levy, with sensible access to work visas.

“Additional reform of the Migration Advisory Committee to provide a link between skills development and industrial strategy would also be positive in meeting the labour needs of hospitality businesses and the wider economy.”

The AVLA Licence – A Legal Requirement When travellers check in at a property, they expect a certain level of comfort and entertainment. Television is indispensable.

While some may argue that TV is dying in the age of streaming and ondemand content, in reality it remains essential, especially in the UK. Television still holds great value for the hospitality industry.

However, with the convenience and benefits of offering television come certain responsibilities, particularly respecting copyright laws. Hoteliers must ensure they have the necessary licences to broadcast content legally.

The AVLA licence enables hotels, aparthotels, B&Bs and similar establishments to legally display in public TV channels containing audiovisual works (films, series, documentaries, cartoons and other TV shows) from AVLA’s extensive repertoire. It covers TVs in bedrooms and in communal areas of the premises (e.g. in a hotel’s restaurant, bar, etc.).

Operating without a licence constitutes a legal infringement of the rights of AVLA’s creatives.

AVLA represents the UK largest and most varied community of audiovisual creators, comprising various categories of rightsholders: producers, authors, performers, directors, and visual artists. The AVLA licence covers an immense catalogue of works and rights not covered by other licensors.

For clarity, the AVLA licence does not replace the licences of other entities, and vice-versa.

Respecting copyright law is crucial not only to avoid legal or reputational risks, but also to support the UK’s world-class creative industries. So, by taking an AVLA licence, hotels are securing legal compliance and demonstrating their commitment to ethical business practices, while also helping to sustain and support the creative individuals and businesses working hard to produce the TV and film content that is so valued by their customers.

To learn more about AVLA and get the licence, visit www.avla.uk AVLA offers a special 10% discount until 30 June.

Men’s UEFA Euro 2024 Set To Inject £2.75bn Into Retail And Hospitality Sectors Issue 216

Retailers and hospitality venues are set to make £2.75bn during the Men’s UEFA Euro 2024 campaign, kicking off on Friday 14th June - a new report reveals.

The Men’s UEFA Euro 2024 Spending Report by VoucherCodes.co.uk, the UK’s most trusted savings site, reveals that 35.4m supporters are expected to tune into tournament at home, bars, pubs, and restaurants.

CLH Digital

11

increase spending on entertainment and enjoyment. That’s a £172m, or 39% increase on the 2022 World Cup. Breaking this down further, UK hospitality venues are predicted to make £217.3m from food sales and £396.5m from drinks sales, equating to the sale of 110.3m pints of beer and cider, 36.1m glasses of wine, and 10.9m Aperol Spritz’.

Of the total viewers, 30.7m consumers will be watching at least one match from the comfort of their own home. UK retailers can expect to welcome 23.6m shoppers through their doors, resulting in sales of £2.1bn.

This marks a £0.5bn, or 31% increase on the 2022 World Cup. Spending on food and drink for celebrations is expected to account for £1.4bn of total sales, with many fans opting to watch at least one match at home, or at someone else’s home.

As fans look to make the most of the favourable kick-off times and summer weather, retailers can expect 4.2m people to spend a whopping £70.8m on garden cooking products such as pizza ovens, BBQs, and BBQ accessories and utensils.

As the stage with the most matches, retail spend is set to peak during the Group Stages (June 14th – June 26th), with fans set to spend £1.14bn.

The Group Stages will provide hospitality venues with the greatest boost in sales, with spending predicted to reach £270.2m as 10m supporters head to their local to watch the games.

As the tournament is held in Germany with plenty of favourable kick off times, 14.4m fans will head to hospitality venues such as their local pub, bar, or restaurant to watch at least one game during the competition.

This is a 115% increase from the men’s last major international tournament, the 2022 World Cup, which saw hospitality venues welcome just 6.7m people.

Michael Brandy, Senior Commercial Director at VoucherCodes.co.uk commented: “A summer tournament coupled with high expectations for the England team means consumers are set to increase their spending on entertainment this summer. As a result, hospitality venues are set to welcome 14.4m people, making for an exciting period for businesses and owners of pubs, bars, and restaurants throughout the tournament.

High expectations for the Three Lions coupled with the tournament being held in the warmer summer months means that the hospitality sector is set to see sales of £613.7m from 12.9m spenders, as fans look to

“Hospitality venues can take advantage of this busy time and entice customers in by ensuring they have food and drink offers available throughout the tournament.”

Acclaimed Hospitality Podcast From the Other Side of the Pass Shares Best Practice and Top Tips for Small Business Owners Following on from a successful first season, hosts Lucy Branson and Ruth Baker embark on Season Two with their conversational chat covering hot topics in the industry.

As the hospitality sector continues to navigate challenges, From the Other Side of The Pass fosters a sense of community among industry professionals. Season Two delves into a myriad of topics essential for success in the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of hospitality, including the world of allergens and compliance, people management and culture, and nitty gritty topics, like handling customer complaints.

Dubbed “the relatable EHO”, Ruth, founder of Food Safety Consultancy, Simply Safer, offers bitesize episodes giving insight into the real dangers surrounding rice, and the wonderful world of Listeria.

Lucy, “the lover of the people”, is co-owner of restaurant group The Coastal Kitchen Family, shining a light

on employee wellbeing; inspiring listeners to lead with confidence, by building positive workplace cultures.

Special Guests so far include All Star Marketing Club’s Victoria Vickery; Qudos Management Coach, Margaret Faulkner, and Employment Law advise from Solicitor Emma Jewell, alongside a number of restaurant owners who have shared their own challenges and successes.

In a world where everything comes at a cost, this FREE podcast is available on all platforms, and offers actionable tips for you and your teams to take away and put into practice immediately.

Keep an eye out for new episodes from social media gurus Delivered Social and hospitality training experts Purple Story.

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/simply_safer Contact theothersideofthepass@gmail.com if you have any questions you’d like the team to answer live on air, or if you’d like to feature as a future guest.

Take payments with confidence

Multiple ways for your customers to pay. One simple solution for you.

With Lloyds Bank Cardnet®, you can give your customers a fast and secure way to pay in person, online or over the phone through a range of payment methods.

Plus, it’s trusted by tens of thousands of Britain’s businesses and lets you sell to customers from anywhere.

So, whatever your needs, Cardnet is here to help you take payments with confidence.

To find out more, visit lloydsbank.com/cardnet or call 0330 134 7976.

Cardnet® is a registered trademark of Lloyds Bank plc. Calls may be monitored or recorded in case we need to check we have carried out your instructions correctly and to help improve our quality of service.

Lloyds Bank plc. Registered office: 25 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7HN. Registered in England & Wales, no. 2065. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under Registration Number 119278.

14

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Pushing the Envelope - Why It Pays To Have a Holistic View of Card Payments

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

By Phil Edwards, Head of Merchant Services Portfolio, Lloyds Bank Cardnet® SIZE DOESN’T MATTER Many businesses want an omni-channel payments approach, and this supports our motivation to be able to offer a holistic view of payments, which can really help serve as a commercial advantage.

Cardnet can evolve with an individual business; comfortable with operating as effectively for small independents, as it can for large corporates.

It means that any changes to payment needs can be met seamlessly – whether that’s switching from in-person to online payments, looking at multi-currency payments, or buying into a complete omni-channel solution.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DATA

In a world where businesses are increasingly facing pressure on resources and margins, having the right payment systems partner becomes crucial.

Payment services are one of the most fundamental parts of a business’ finances, but they’re also an area that’s rapidly changing. Artificial Intelligence, digitisation, and predictive analytics are already starting to make a difference to how businesses operate and how they plan.

Business owners in the hospitality sector are calling out the emerging trends. From the rise of online and remote payments, to increases in travel and tourism, the use of cards as a payment mechanism, the need for payment software that supports exceptional customer service and card payments which integrate with other financial products and services.

One of those needs is understanding how digital transformation can create opportunities for your business. Being able to use and optimise your data is a great example. While data is fast becoming one of the most valuable assets you have, being able to access it easily, and analyse and understand what it means for your business can still be a challenge.

Cardnet have the tools to deliver a business management solution that is expressly designed to make running your business easier because they have data sitting at the top table.

You may know your customer by name, or what they look like, but our systems can help you better understand their actual behaviour, creating a more robust customer profile, and help you take a deeper dive into what they’re actually spending their money on.

The insight from your own customer data is great, but it can be backed up by broader data from our wider group. We touch more than 25% of the UK card market, which creates access to some strong trend information about where customers are spending, which in turn might be the extra push you need to get ahead of those trends everyone is talking about. We can share that insight with the businesses we support.

A 360 DEGREE VIEW

new technology emerges, and payment habits start to evolve, finding efficiencies when margins are tight and customers are watching every penny can really make a difference to growth and how successful your business becomes.

With an increasing 360degree view of real-time payment activity across every point-of-sale channel, and a full range of payment solutions to choose from, security is also important. No business can afford to lose money, or reputation, which is why secure data processing and fully PCI compliant payment devices is a must, regardless of who you work with. The Cardnet platform has a 99.9999% uptime* providing reassurance for you, your business, and your customers.

Taking the worry out of payment acceptance means you can focus on delivering great service, secure repeat custom, and support your ambitions to grow and hopefully thrive in even the most challenging of environments.

Some 35 years of experience in supporting hospitality businesses of all shapes and sizes with card payments has gone into developing Cardnet so that it continues to meet business’ requirements now and in the future.

We’re proud to support UK hospitality businesses be a part of that future.

Lloydsbank.com/cardnet *Based on the Cardnet platform maintaining 99.9999% uptime covering the 12 month period from January 2023 to January 2024.

Cardnet® is a registered trademark of Lloyds Bank plc.

Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation

It’s clear that the card is still king when it comes to payments, but as

Theatre In Your Local Fuller’s Garden

Authority under Registration Number 119278.

Fuller’s has announced the return of its popular pub garden productions this year – Opera in the Garden and Shakespeare in the Garden.

are performed by casts of four and six actors respectively so expect plenty of costume changes – as well as laughter, music and some audience participation.

Produced and performed by Rogue Opera, this year’s Opera in the Garden production is Carmen [11 June-14 August]. Carmen – fiery, daring and uncompromising – meets José, a soldier with a past in a tale of love, death and bull fighting. Rogue Opera brings Carmen to life for a modern audience, sung in French with a new English script. Four singers and a pianist deliver a show with all of the well-known music and drama in an engaging and original format.

Shakespeare in the Garden and Opera in the Garden follow a successful tour of Vanity Fair – which took place in a number of Fuller’s gardens this spring.

Shakespeare in the Garden, now in its thirteenth year, is a favourite in the Fuller’s calendar – produced and performed by Open Bar. This year, there will be two productions – The Tempest [2 July-31 August] and Much Ado About Nothing [22 July-13 September]. Shakespeare in the Garden is perfect for Shakespeare aficionados and novices alike. The plays

Sam Bourke, Fuller’s Marketing Director, said: “I’m delighted to be holding so many productions in our beautiful pub gardens this year.

Fuller’s is very proud to support the arts. The ongoing popularity of Shakespeare in the Garden led us to host more shows throughout the year and these have been well-received too. Last year, we hosted productions of Sense and Sensibility which were a great success – and Vanity Fair was popular this year. This is the fourth year of hosting Opera in the Garden – proving our customers enjoy a range of live productions.

“We hope you can join us for one of these brilliant performances. I know you’ll have a great time.”

London Bartender Wins Diageo World Class GB Danilo Frigulti from Viajante87 bar in London’s Notting Hill has won the World Class GB Grand Final, and now goes forward to Shanghai in September to represent Great Britain at the World Class Global Finals, where the ‘world’s best bartender’ will be crowned.

The two-day competition saw Frigulti fend off competition from 22 other finalists in a series of challenges, finishing in a ceremony at Koko in London on 4 June.

The challenges included ‘Don Julio: Outside the Box’, where bartenders were tasked with creating any style of cocktail with unknown ingredients presented to them in a mystery box. There was also ‘Walker of the World’, where finalists created countryinspired cocktails using Johnnie Walker Blue and Black Label.

The final 10 contestants then took part in a speed round where

they created four cocktails in four minutes.

Danilo is originally from the south of Italy where he started his career in hospitality as a barista. He then moved to London in 2018 where he started his journey in the bar industry as a barback at The London Edition.

On his triumph he said: “Wow, this is incredible. I’ve worked in this amazing industry for five years now and I’m so proud to be recognised like this for a career and industry I feel so lucky to be part of.

“Thank you so much to my team and mentors for being so generous with their time and wisdom – you’ve all helped me get to this point and I can’t wait to represent Great Britain in Shanghai.”

Asked what sets World Class apart as a bartending competition, Danilo said: “The World Class family, without any doubt. It might sound easy now because I got the trophy, but it’s not just about the trophy – it’s the incredible relationship and connection among every single participant.”

Rain Washes Drinks Sales Back Into The Red Issue 216

After two weeks of year-on-year growth, drinks sales in Britain’s On Premise slipped back last week, according to CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker Average sales in managed venues for the seven days to last Saturday (25 May) were 3% lower than in the same period in May 2023—a disappointing drop after solid growth in the first two weeks of this month.

Trading was weakened by several days of wet weather over the course of the week. Year-on-year sales plunged 22% after heavy rain on Wednesday (22 May), and they were down by between 8% and 12% on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (21, 23 and 24 May). Things were much better on Sunday (19 May), when the final round of Premier League fixtures helped to lift sales by 24%. There was also growth of

CLH Digital

15

4% on Saturday (25 May), the first week of the Bank Holiday weekend.

Interest in Sunday’s football meant beer sales were 1% ahead yearon-year. However, cider (down 7%), soft drinks (down 5%), wine (down 1%) and spirits (down 10%) were all behind the equivalent week last year.

“After a solid start to May it’s frustrating to see drinks sales slip back into the red year-on-year,” says Jonathan Jones, CGA by NIQ’s managing director, UK and Ireland. “The weather has been far from ideal for pubs and bars, and operators and suppliers will be pinning hopes on some prolonged sunshine as we move into the key summer months. In the meantime, with consumer confidence still patchy businesses face fierce competition for sales and share.”

Stonegate Group Kicks Off ‘Serving With Pride’ Campaign To Celebrate The LGBTQIA+ Community

Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest operator of LGBTQIA+ venues, is launching its ‘Serving With Pride’ campaign to coincide with Pride Month on June 1 2024.

The campaign highlights Stonegate’s commitment to inclusivity, transforming its venues into vibrant hubs of celebration and unity throughout Pride Month and beyond.

‘Serving with Pride’ builds on last year’s success, uniting all venues under a banner of allyship and celebration. The goal is clear: to ensure its spaces are safe and welcoming for everyone, allowing guests and teams to express their true selves without fear of prejudice.

To celebrate, Stonegate venues will offer a range of Pride-themed drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Featured drinks include HUK and HUK Zero, plus the new cocktail in a can, the Dirty Shirley, and its virgin version, the Shirley Bassey, in partnership with The Drinks Bureau.

This year, Stonegate is partnering with Stonewall Housing, a leading national charity supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals facing homelessness or unsafe living conditions. For every sponsored drink sold during the campaign, 10p will be donated to Stonewall Housing, funding their essential services like housing advice, advoca-

cy and specialised support.

David McDowall, Stonegate Group CEO, said: “Here at Stonegate Group, our mission is to bring people together. We are truly proud to support the LGBTQIA+ community and to be able to bring them together in our venues during Pride and beyond. Our monthlong Serving with Pride campaign reflects our ongoing commitment to inclusivity and our dedication to providing safe, welcoming venues for everyone to enjoy.”

All Managed Stonegate sites will receive a ‘Pride in a Box’ kit, packed with window stickers, flags, bunting, badges, garnish flags, posters and menu table talkers to create a festive and welcoming atmosphere. A permanent ‘Serving with Pride’ window sticker will also be displayed at all Stonegate venues, symbolising its lasting commitment to inclusivity.

Stonegate kicked off Pride celebrations with a vibrant float at the Birmingham Pride Parade on May 25, featuring fabulous drag queen Karla Bear, winner of Drag Idol 2019. The celebrations will continue throughout June and the summer, culminating in a special event in September to highlight the campaign’s achievements and thank our teams and guests for their support.

The Future of Cash and What It Means to Hospitality Businesses 16

CLH Digital

Issue 216

By Simon James, CEO of PayComplete (www.paycomplete.com) Despite what you may have been led to believe, cash isn’t going anywhere. While electronic payment providers have pushed the narrative of the death of cash, consumers and businesses remain resolute in their affection for coins and notes.

The signs of this are clear, too, with 68% of all hospitality businesses expecting to never become entirely cashless, according to the latest PayComplete research. Soon, too, access to cash will be enshrined in UK law by the FCA. For hospitality businesses, cash’s resilience presents a unique opportunity to rethink payment methods, reduce operational expenses, and improve customer experience.

UNNECESSARY EXPENSE Currently the state of cash management in the hospitality sector leaves plenty of room for improvement. As part of PayComplete’s Cash Chasm Report, it was found that nearly half (48%) of hospitality businesses still handle cash manually. Unfortunately for these businesses, manually handling cash creates significant and unnecessary costs. In fact, the research found that, on average, hospitality businesses spend over £231,000 alone on cash security measures!

Yet, despite this they are still losing £17,000 a year to cash handling errors. This is an astonishing amount of money that could be better spent on critical areas like staff training and improving facilities.

Nonetheless, hospitality businesses are trying to reduce these losses. For a start more than a third (35%) of businesses are encouraging customers to pay with electronic payment methods. However, this is not a longterm solution. Not only do electronic payments come with increased costs due to processing and transaction fees, but steering customers away from their preferred payment method risks damaging customer experience and expectations.

Alternatively, hospitality businesses are turning towards regular staff training (35%), conducting audits to identify weaknesses in cash handling (32%), and implementing strict cash handling protocols (30%). While these

measures are a good initial step in reducing cash handling losses, they don’t go far enough and fail to deliver a long-term solution to the problem.

Put simply, cash handling for many hospitality businesses is stuck in the Stone Age, at a time when every other process has moved to the digital age. This difference has created a chasm between cash and how modern businesses operate. Closing this chasm will not only save businesses money, but also enhance customer experience and expectations, and create new opportunities for growth.

THE RISE OF CASHTECH Enter CashTech. Sitting alongside existing FinTech systems that hospitality businesses already use, like account software and electronic payment methods, CashTech empowers businesses to completely reimagine their cash handling processes. Just as FinTech solutions revolutionised finance, CashTech systems digitise and transform cash handling, creating operational savings and new opportunities for growth.

Innovations in software and hardware have created platforms that enable hospitality businesses to connect their entire cash estate into one system – regardless of a device’s make or model – for the first time. Creating a single system with a holistic view of the entire cash estate allows businesses to seamlessly integrate CashTech with other business processes and systems like accounting and customer experience.

For hospitality businesses this is a complete game changer. Digitising cash transactions and management with CashTech systems reduces cash handling operating costs and prevents cash leakages. What’s more, creating a platform that can connect to accounting and customer experience software, hospitality businesses will enjoy efficiency gains and improvements in critical business processes.

Cash is here to stay. Not only is its use set to be enshrined in law, but it remains a preferred payment method for many customers. For hospitality businesses, cash’s resilience is an opportunity to rethink processes stuck in the Stone Age and bring them into the digital age. Adopting CashTech solutions enables significant savings when it comes to cash handling and transforms accounting and customer experience processes, unlocking further funds and improving service. Despite many talking up cash’s demise, hospitality businesses must consider the potential opportunities that come from providing customers with all the payment options they want, inclusive of cash. To do so they must ensure they can handle cash in the most sophisticated and efficient way possible to maximise the value it can bring.

Cumbrian Success At VisitEngland Awards For Excellence for a Guardian article highlighting the accessible Miles without Stiles route up Orrest Head – following a press trip supported by Cumbria Tourism.

Cumbria Tourism is congratulating two trailblazing tourism businesses after they triumphed at last night’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in Liverpool.

Gill Haigh, Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, says:

The VIP awards ceremony, hosted by hotelier and TV presenter Alex Polizzi, saw Allium at Askham Hall scoop the prestigious Gold Award in the ‘Taste of England’ category.

Yet again, Cumbria has performed strongly in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, which champion the very best quality, innovation and best practice across England.

The Michelin-starred restaurant overseen by Head Chef Richard Swale specialises in home-grown, home-reared produce and was shortlisted after winning the ‘Taste of Cumbria’ in the 2023 Cumbria Tourism Awards.

“Winning any award at this level is an exceptional achievement and reflects the sheer quality and diversity of Cumbria’s tourism offering. Well done to The Yan for their Bronze award, and huge congratulations to Allium at Askham Hall who were honoured with a Gold Award against fierce national competition. Everyone involved should be very proud!”

Meanwhile, The Yan at Broadrayne is coming home with the Bronze Award in the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism category after last night’s ceremony.

The announcement comes just a month before the Cumbria Tourism Awards 2024, taking place at the Castle Green Hotel in Kendal on Tuesday 2 July. Many of this July’s winners will themselves have the chance of representing the county nationally at next year’s VisitEngland Awards

The bistro with beds is based in a 17th-century converted sheep farm in Grasmere and also took the regional crown at last year’s Cumbria Tourism Awards.

There was further success in Liverpool for journalist Ben Aitken who secured the Travel Content Award

for Excellence.

Economic Improvements Drive Growth In Coffee Shop Market, Lumina Intelligence Reveals Recent data from the Lumina Intelligence Eating and Drinking Out Panel indicates that economic improvements are positively impacting the coffee shop sector. The report highlights key market trends driven by eased cost of living pressures and increased consumer confidence.

Coffee and sandwich shops have benefitted the most, with their share

The latest market insights reveal a significant uptick in market penetration for coffee shops, increasing by 4.6% to 59.0% for the total market. This growth is attributed to a year-on-year decline in inflation and rising consumer confidence. High interest rates have kept the frequency of visits stable at 1.4, as consumers continue to be selective with their spending.

In contrast, pubs and bars have experienced a decline, with their

The increase in market penetration has led to a notable rise in drink-only occasions, which have grown by 1.3%. This trend reflects the growing number of consumers seeking necessity-driven visits.

increasing by 2.2%, indicating a preference for drink-only occasions within this channel.

share dropping by 1.0%. This downturn is linked to a reduction in dinner occasions (-0.5%) and adverse weather conditions, which have deterred consumers from visiting beer gardens and terraces.

Traditional pub fare such as chips, wedges, fries, burgers, and pizza has lost share, while cake has gained 2.0% in popularity, driven by the coffee shop trend.

Bureau Service Technology: A Path To Financial Precision For Hospitality Businesses 18

CLH Digital

Issue 216

By Nicoleta Sandu, Bureau Manager at Advantage Utilities (www.advantageutilities.com) In moments of financial difficulty, hospitality businesses would certainly benefit from greater precision within their budgets. UKHospitality has even claimed we are living through a ‘cost of doing business crisis’, as a result of skyhigh energy costs and inflation. Sadly, as many as 70% of the UK’s independent hotels are estimated to have closed since the pandemic, while restaurant closures also hit an all-time quarterly high in Q4 2023, according to data obtained by Price Bailey. Ensuring that budgets are as accurate as possible can make a big difference to businesses in precarious financial circumstances. So how can independent hotels, pubs and restaurants use technology to achieve financial precision? This is where a bureau service comes in. Enabling hospitality managers to gain around-the-clock access to their energy and utilities usage data, unhelpful disruption caused by unexpected billing errors could be a thing of the past.

Here are the key reasons for implementing a bureau service for smarter consumption and energy management.

INACCURATE ENERGY BILLING: CONFUSING AND UNRELIABLE Like most businesses, the hospitality sector primarily uses one of the following meters for energy billing Half Hourly (HH) meters or Non Half Hourly (NHH) meters. HH meters automatically send readings to the data collector for billing, while NHH meters rely on the hospitality businesses to provide the readings. From my experience, businesses often fail to submit these readings on a regular basis, resulting in estimated bills.

However, these estimates can often be unreliable. For instance, last year, bill validation by Advantage Utilities revealed that over 60% of NHH meter bills were based on estimates. But even HH meters sometimes get billed by estimates due to miscommunication with data collectors. This is a significant obstacle for hospitality owners striving for financial precision. Estimated bills can lead to unreliability, with businesses overpaying or underpaying for their actual consumption, creating confusion in their consumption patterns and financial records.

What’s more, the accounts payable process only makes this issue more obvious, with about 10% of bills having at least one error, leading to wasted time of accounts payable staff. This inefficiency has meant that 25% of time is being spent on handling exceptions within the invoicing process. Fortunately, adopting bureau service technology allows hotels in particular to gain control over these challenges and minimise errors.

A HOLISTIC VIEW OF BUSINESS PORTFOLIOS Beyond important financial gains, hospitality businesses can also gain important insight into their consumption history, payments history and also carbon calculations for their electricity and gas usage. Ever-increasing ESG reporting requirements also add additional pressure for hotels and restaurants to understand what they are

responsible for within their operations and supply chain. This is where a bureau service is once again crucial, including aspects such as energy usage, waste, water and the fuels used within an organisation - even down to vehicle usage.

Think of a good movie that you recently watched. Before that movie was filmed and released, there must have been a good script. There was a sense of what message the writers wanted to get across and of the direction of the story. That's why having a monthly report pack is essential to enabling a holistic view of a business’ portfolio, of their consumption, their payments and their carbon emissions.

RECLAIMING OVERPAYMENT THROUGH BETTER INSIGHT Identifying and fixing any discrepancies found during the bill validation process is a time-consuming task.

Fortunately, a bureau service enables hospitality businesses to efficiently understand their contracts, automatically highlighting any errors between contracted rates, taxes or levies. For the hospitality sector, electricity, gas and waste are all likely to be notable expenditures, but where one hotel uses more gas or produces larger quantities of waste, a bureau service can be tailored so that greater insight is given to these variables - exploring all opportunities to reclaim costs. After errors have been identified, the bureau service provider then steps in to liaise with the business’ suppliers to confirm these, reclaiming incorrect charges where overpayment has been made.

Bureau services have already enabled numerous businesses to reclaim overpayments. Since the start of 2024, Advantage Utilities has discovered £54,000 in overcharges and have already recovered more than £18,000 of this. We will continue to recover these overcharges until this entire amount has been recovered.

A BETTER APPROACH GOING FORWARDS With most bureau services providing a monthly report pack containing key information on the business decision-making process, this helps to develop a better approach for energy and utilities management in the future.

For example, a bureau service can monitor kVA (kilo-volt-amperes) consumption versus the kVA set for each meter within a business - this is used to determine energy use. Any discrepancy between the two readings means an inaccurate bill will follow, whether that’s one that’s too high, or too low. A bureau service can help to eliminate this issue by giving hospitality businesses the tools they need to view their historical consumption, in addition to setting up a new agreed kVA depending on whether they consume more or less than their set kVA consumption - saving money in the process.

To summarise, hospitality businesses stand to significantly benefit from implementing a bureau service that navigates energy billing inaccuracies with greater efficiency. By identifying errors automatically, hotels, restaurants and pubs can not only reclaim costs where overpayments happen, but this also frees up time and gives greater confidence to future bills received. Coupled with monthly reporting, key decision-makers within each hospitality business now have a path available to them that enables a more reliable decision-making process. At such a difficult moment for the hospitality sector, this technology should not go unnoticed.

Jamie Delap Of Fyne Ales Named ‘Brewer Of The Year 2024’ By The All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group Photo caption:”Jamie Delap presented with ‘Brewer of the Year’

by Alun Cairns MP, Chair of the Parliamentary Beer Group” The UK’s biggest All-Party Parliamentary Group have named Jamie Delap of Fyne Ales as the 2024 Brewer of the Year at their annual awards dinner.

The All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG) named Delap as the winner not only for Fyne Ales’ brewing achievements, but for Jamie’s voluntary work on the Scottish Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – lobbying for changes which led to the scheme’s postponement, which will now give more time to work on a much-needed UK-wide solution.

Andy Slee, Chief Executive of the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates, of which Jamie Delap is a Scottish Director, attended the awards and had this to say in praise of Delap;

“Jamie’s tireless and entirely voluntary work on behalf of Scottish brewers in fighting for necessary changes to the proposed Deposit Return Scheme has led to it being delayed to come in line with other similar schemes across the UK. It’s a real victory for the sector, as in its previous form the scheme would have imposed huge bureaucracy and cost on all brewing and pub operators in Scotland. Without Jamie’s work in this area all Scottish brewers would now be worse off and it is for this – in combination with the superb industry-leading beers being produced by Fyne Ales – he has deservedly been named the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group’s Brewer of the Year 2024.”

TUGO - Innovative Food Solutions We’re TUGO, a passionate team of food service fanatics, committed to creating the freshest, most flavourful globally inspired food concepts.

We’re clear in our purpose, to take the weight off our clients’ plate and make life easier with our complete end-to-end food service solution.

Our adventurous spirit, agility and positively restless dedication to innovation is what sets us apart, developing food concepts to suit operators across food service.

From menu innovation and concept development, through to product training, marketing and sales support.

From our vibrant global street food to our hand-stretched fresh dough pizza & authentic corn tortilla burritos, We seek adventure globally and are passionate about our produce as we are reducing our environmental impacts.

We provide the tastiest, most innovative food solutions so our clients can focus on delighting their customers and unlocking opportunities to drive revenue.

Tel: 01295 367351 | Email: hello@tugo.co.uk | Web: www.tugo.co.uk

Shaping the Future of Hospitality: Top Trends from The National Restaurant Association Show 20

CLH Digital

Issue 216

From the 18th to the 21st of May, McCormick Place in Chicago welcomed 58,000 food service professionals from 124 countries to the National Restaurant Association Show. Henry Stephenson (www.stephensons.com), managing director of Stephensons Catering, a Stockport-based catering supplier, shares the key trends and insights from the event.

increasingly making the DJ a focal point, rather than hiding them in a booth, while central bars are gaining prominence in restaurants. This enhances the immersive experience customers seek, and UK venues that are currently struggling might benefit from adopting these layout changes to create a more engaging atmosphere.

Despite increasing challenges, the UK hospitality market remains resilient. The sector's long-term prosperity will depend on adapting to changing consumer behaviours and innovative trends to enhance the customer experience. The National Restaurant Association Show unveiled trends set to shape the industry, from experiential-led venues to evolving drink preferences, providing a glimpse into the future of dining and hospitality.

Interestingly, water is served as standard in the US, unlike in the UK, where it is usually provided only upon request. This practice may gain traction in the UK, especially given the growing focus on wellness and moderate drinking. Bars and restaurants could also upsell bottled spring or sparkling water instead of just offering tap water.

THE RISE OF EXPERIENTIAL-LED VENUES Exhibitors showcased experiential leisure options within their bars, ranging from shuffleboard and pool tables to foosball and chess boards. This mirrors a rising trend in the UK, where leisure bars offering immersive experiences are becoming increasingly popular.

In today's fast-paced world, consumers, especially younger generations, are seeking memorable experiences rather than just products or services. A Mintel study in 2018 found that 22% of younger millennials agree that more bars should offer activities such as trivia and darts. Additionally, PROOF Insight reported a 9% increase in the number of competitive socialising venues between October and March 2023 in the UK. Venue operators understand the need to offer more to keep patrons engaged, suggesting this trend will only continue to grow. Food hall establishments like Mackie Mayor in Manchester and Seven Dials in London, which offer a more communal dining experience, are also likely to increase. Time Out Market, which has eight food markets worldwide including one in Chicago, exemplifies this trend, and it will be interesting to see how other major brands adopt this 'foodie' experience in the future.

Another experiential insight from the show is the evolving design of nightclubs and bars. Nightclubs are

SHIFTS IN CONSUMER DRINKS PREFERENCES A prominent trend at the show was the increasing popularity of non-alcoholic beverages. Low or non-alcoholic drinks are set to continue rising in popularity, with retailers predicting that it’ll be the biggest growth area in 2024. This shift reflects changing consumer behaviours in the UK, where 1 in 3 UK adults are now opting to cut down the amount of alcohol they drink or avoid it completely.

For alcoholic drinks, the once market-leading spirit gin is seeing a decline in the UK due to market saturation, with sales in the Chicago bar scene also dropping by 30%. While tequila is gaining popularity in the US, a third of UK retailers agree that rum now holds the top spot for spirits.

PRIORITISING SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability continues to be a driving force across all sectors in 2024. With the UN’s goal to eliminate plastic pollution in the UK by 2040 fast approaching, hospitality venues must adopt sustainable products and processes. The UK has already taken steps towards this goal by introducing a single-use plastic ban last year.

According to the 2024 Drinks Retailing Trends Report, respondents say that improving sustainability credentials in packaging is the most vital component when it comes to reducing environmental impact.

However, this doesn’t seem to be the case in the US, as a surprising insight from the show was that only 17 states have banned plastic straws and many bars in Chicago were serving cocktails in plastic cups. In this sense, they are trailing behind the UK and Europe, but with the increased consumer awareness around environmental responsibility, US hospitality businesses will need to seek eco-friendly alternatives to appeal to eco-conscious customers.

The National Restaurant Association Show highlighted a range of key trends shaping the future of catering and hospitality. While many of these trends, such as experiential-led venues and a focus on sustainability, are already present in the UK, there are still valuable lessons to be learnt from international practices to drive further innovation. Staying informed and adaptable will be crucial for success in this dynamic industry.

Young North East Chef Cooking Up A Storm A young North East chef is making a name for herself after winning a regional cooking accolade and securing a job with James Close, the former chef patron of 2 Michelin star Raby Hunt.

as anything.”

She is delighted to get the new job with James Close and one day hopes to become a head chef and or even run her own restaurant.

Abigail Smith, a commis chef at Rockliffe Hall, near Darlington, recently competed against other chefs to win the coveted title of North East Young Chef of the Year. She was both the youngest entrant and only young woman in the competition.

Hairy Bikers star Si King, who was one of the judges, said: “I loved being part of a great event. The standard was high, and the brief was locally sourced produce where possible. All the participant chefs and their teams did just that.

As a result of her win, Abigail has earned a coveted spot in the semi-final of the national competition Young Chef of the Year, organised by the Craft Guild of Chefs.

“There was some exceptional talent on show at the NECTA competition. But Abigail shone out above the competition, with her confidence, understanding of the task and her expertise in food preparation and cooking. We’ve got it all in the North East and I’m very proud of that. We just got to let the rest of the country know.”

The 18-year-old from Darlington caught the eye of many top regional chefs but it was James Close who offered her a job and promotion to chef de partie at his new summer residency TERRA, which opens at Rockliffe Hall on June 13.

Abigail, who is still studying at New College Durham, explained the competition was a nerve-wracking exercise: “It was a little bit intimidating. I was up against older chefs. I was both the youngest and only girl in the competition.

Chris Jewitt, CEO of FADNE, said: “The NECTA annual competition is becoming a key diary date for all young and aspiring chefs across our region. Many past winners of the accolade have gone on to build and develop fantastic careers in the food and hospitality sector and there is little doubt that Abigail will do the same and be a star of the future

“Everything went fairly smoothly during the morning competition. The only issues were my equipment, which kept breaking on me, but somehow, I got on with it. When the result was announced I did get a bit emotional – relief as much

“Each year the competition is becoming a bigger affair with senior chefs and restaurateurs keen to encourage and promote the enormous talent in kitchens around our region.”

Hot Off The Press: New Jangro Catering & Hospitality Catalogue Jangro, the largest network of independent janitorial distributors in the UK and Ireland, is proud to present its new Catering & Hospitality Supplies 2024/25 catalogue. Boasting a fresh new look, the latest edition is the ultimate caterer’s companion, offering a wide range of quality brands and choice at competitive prices.

Enabling establishments to keep up to date with trends, the catalogue offers all the equipment and supplies required to stir up positive customer experiences. From front of house to back of house, casual to fine dining, the latest crockery and table presentations to environmentally friendly catering disposables, Jangro’s new Catering & Hospitality 2024/25 catalogue has it all.

Jangro is committed to becoming a more sustainable business and helping its customers reach their own green goals. This new edition, therefore, offers a plethora of eco-conscious products, from food packaging containers, which are recyclable, compostable, and fully bio-degradable, to Jangro’s award-winning and innovative ntrl range of vegan cleaning solutions.

The ntrl portfolio comprises 13 products ideal for cleaning surfaces in a variety of environments, from

kitchens through to washrooms. Registered with The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark, all formulas are 100% biodegradable, contain zero petrochemicals, and can reduce the product’s carbon footprint by up to 85%.

Jo Gilliard, CEO of Jangro, comments, ‘For catering and hospitality businesses, creating a great impression is as crucial as the gastronomic delights served.

Front of house presentation sets the stage for the customer’s entire experience, whilst back of house provides the foundation. What’s more, today’s consumers seek establishments that resonate with their values, particularly in terms of environmental practices.

‘Providing an exceptional customer experience, making sustainable choices, whilst also balancing a budget is a delicate juggle – our new Catering & Hospitality Supplies 2024/25 catalogue has been curated to help businesses strike this balance.’

The catalogue features all the essentials required for catering, leisure and hospitality businesses – including kitchen hygiene, utensils and equipment, cleaning chemicals, tableware and glassware, washroom supplies, work wear, janitorial and waste management.

For more information, or to order a free copy visit www.Jangro.net or call 01204 795 955.

22

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Moderation Nation: A Quarter of UK Adults ‘Zebra Striping’ on Every Pub Visit As drinking habits change, moderation is becoming part of everyday life. We no longer see moderation as solely tied to specific occasions or weekdays. Instead, the most regular occurrence of moderation is during weekends (31% of UK adults vs. 27% weekdays, 17% celebratory events, 11% Dry January).

A quarter of UK drinkers are alternating between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks when they visit pubs and bars, according to a new industry report produced by research consultancy KAM and alcohol-free beer brand Lucky Saint.

The new report, ‘2024 Low and No: Drinking Differently’ launches this week looking at evolving drinking habits across the UK, with the clearest indication yet that the UK is a nation of moderators.

As alcohol-free drinks gain in popularity and emerge in different areas including major supermarket lunchtime meal deals, the research highlights the UK’s attitudes to them in different settings. The report found that 76% of UK adults find it acceptable for a colleague to drink alcoholfree beer at their desk at work, with this rising to 85% amongst 18-24s.

Historically seen as the reserve of designated drivers, we’re now seeing a significant number of people incorporating alcohol-free drinks into occasions they are also drinking alcohol. A quarter of the UK population are moderating their alcohol consumption through the practice of ‘zebra striping’ - when an individual alternates between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks within a single visit.

When you include situations where an individual is combining alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks whilst not necessarily ‘zebra striping’, this figure rises to 2 in 3 UK adults (78% of 18–24-year-olds).

Moderation of alcohol is now a year-round habit for UK adults, the report finds. 3 out of 4 UK adults who drink alcohol, have said they are currently actively moderating their consumption of alcohol across 2024.

Backed up by last year’s sales data, many Brits moderating during the summer months as during the festive season and Dry January, boding well for the big summer of sport ahead. (Circana BWS all outlets 52wk to w/c 26.08.23) A notable decline in the number of UK adults consuming alcohol more than once a month has been reported, with the figure dropping to 88% in 2024, down from 93% in 2023 (95% in 2022). This coincides with 11m UK adults (16% of UK adults) trying low and no alcohol beer for the first time in the last 12 months.

According to KAM Insights, more than 1-in-5 18-24s claim to not drink

alcohol, the highest of any age group. The report also found that 53% of 18–24-year-olds report visiting a pub or bar once a week or more.

With over 1 in 3 pubs visits by UK adults being alcohol-free, the report highlighted how the UK’s love for the pub continues to endure.

The figures show that whilst younger people’s consumption of alcohol declines, the pub remains cemented as the place for social connection.

There is a clear demand from younger people for quality alcohol-free options, with 68% saying they have left a venue early or disappointed due to poor low & no options, in the last 3 months.

The report also showed the sway a non-drinker can have on the choice of venues. 65% of UK adults say non-drinkers in their group influence the choice of venue, an increase from 46% in 2023. The figure in 2024 is higher amongst 18–24-year-olds, at 85%.

Katy Moses, MD at KAM said: “Increasing numbers of UK adults are actively moderating their alcohol consumption, whether driven by a desire to improve their physical or mental wellness or to save money.

Active moderation (where people are actively changing their behaviour in order to consume less alcohol) is happening across all age groups and all days of the week – 1-in-4 UK adults say they employ tactics to moderate their alcohol consumption to some extent.”

“What’s key, however, is that a decrease in alcohol consumption doesn’t mean a decrease in the demand for great experiences in pubs, bars and restaurants. People don't want to miss out on all the occasions where alcohol is normally present, going to the pub with friends, celebrating a birthday, enjoying a beer while watching sport, for example. The research identified that many are drinking differently now when they go out and embracing new moderation tactics such as alternating between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks in the same evening, known as zebra striping. The future of socialising in the UK will certainly be less centred around alcohol.”

The full report is available here: https://kaminsight.com/insights/low-and-no-2024/

Liberation Posts ‘Record’ Sales Following Accommodation Business Expansion South West brewery and pub group Liberation has reported “record” sales for the financial year, boosted by the expansion of its accommodation business.

coming through strongly, such as accommodation,” said Liberation Group chief executive, Jonathan Lawson.

Total group revenues were £144.4m for the year ended January 27 – a jump of 20% compared to the same period last year.

“We should remind ourselves that in 2016 we only had ten rooms and now we have over 400, with the potential to achieve 700 in the existing estate as our accommodation offering increasingly forms a substantial lever for our overall managed business. This performance is undoubtedly a differentiator for our group when we look at the wider performance across the sector.”

The group said its like-for-like managed pub EBITDA had also increased 19% despite a “particularly challenging” inflation and cost environment. Jonathan Lawson, chief of Liberation Group, said that 2023 was a “standout” year for the business, and set sights on expanding its room offering by 300.

However, Liberation said the national minimum wage increase in the UK and Channel Islands had presented “ongoing pressure” on payroll. The group attributed its recruitment programme, focusing on hiring South African chefs and managers, to reducing costs and improving vacancy rates.

Mr Lawson added, “It is particularly satisfying to see the way that mature parts of our business continue to grow such as our managed estate, tenancy and Butcombe drinks, whilst also seeing newer elements coming through strongly, such as accommodation.”

The group’s strategy of prioritising accommodation has increased growth in food and drink sales over the financial year. Occupancy in the new pubs is 19% points ahead of last year, the business said, and like-for-like sales on food is up 18.8% for the first quarter.

“It is particularly satisfying to see the way that mature parts of our business continue to grow, such as our managed estate, tenancy, and Butcombe drinks, whilst also seeing newer elements

“Our events-led offering is key as we continue to see a rise in the importance of experiences for our customers. For example, our premium pubs and inns are perfectly placed to take advantage of a growing trend for smaller, more exclusive and intimate weddings or celebrations, and experiences such as comedy nights, outdoor cinemas and supper clubs. As we head into the summer months, we also see a rise in bookings around festivals such as Glastonbury and Goodwood Festival of Speed.”

He added: “We are witnessing a growing opportunity in the breakfast and brunch market and will continue to develop this offering in our estate of 42 inns and other selected locations. Market data shows that over half (55%) of British adults are dining out for breakfast at least twice a month, whilst a quarter of us (25%) go out for breakfast every week as it is increasingly seen as a more affordable way to treat family and friends.”

“Looking forward, we remain optimistic for the year ahead as we start to see a calmer cost environment and are excited by the plans that we have for growing the existing business. In accommodation, we have progressed rapidly in the last five years and the launch of Butcombe Boutique Inns presents an exciting next step.”

Porkka - A Wide Range of Solutions to Meet Your Needs Porkka is a leading Finnish manufacturer of high quality, energy efficient refrigeration, Cold -rooms & hot-holding equipment and have been supplying high quality solutions to the UK commercial catering industry, education, medical & marine sectors for many years. Porkka UK has its headquarters in Binfield Berkshire, from where wo operate a wide network of dealers and installation partners. Porkka maintains a large stock of spare parts in Binfield for next day delivery country wide.

We have recently taken steps to enhance our spare parts business by launching a Web-Store for 4/7 access to our extensive spare parts list.

Contact Porkka today to see how we can work together for a brighter, more efficient future.

Known throughout the world for their reliability, longevity & energy efficiency, Porkka cabinets, counters,

www.porkkawebshop.co.uk

modular cold rooms & ice makers are designed and manufactured to the highest standards to withstand the demands of the commercial catering environment.

Porkka manufacture a wide range of standard refrigerated products, and, importantly, we can design and build bespoke solutions for any application from HORECA to Pharma. These capabilities, allied with our unique patented cam-locked PIR solution have seen the Porkka Group go from strength to strength.

24

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Next Government Must Use First 100 Days To Revitalise ‘Brand Britain’ The CBI’s Business Manifesto, shaped by input from over 400 business leaders and 70 Trade Associations, has mapped out the steps the next Government can take to redefine the UK’s growth trajectory and place the UK firmly on a sustainable path.

As public spending is squeezed and monetary policy is likely to remain tight, growth across the next Parliament will come squarely off the back of the private sector. With capital in no short supply, and the UK in a global race for investment, the defining challenge for the new Government’s first 100 days will be to develop a credible plan to crowd in private sector investment and deliver sustainable growth.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE: REVITALISE THE INVESTOR PITCH FOR ‘BRAND BRITAIN’: • Launch a cutting-edge trade and investment strategy – increasing UK exports, securing imports, and growing investment, to maximise the UK’s competitive advantage, growth and productivity, boosting employment • Deliver a Net Zero Investment Plan – secure the UK’s standing as world-leader on green growth, fostering investment opportunities so firms want to invest and grow in the UK. Success can create jobs, provide greater energy security and efficiency, lower energy costs, increase tax receipts, fund public services and help avert a climate emergency • Unlock the power of UK regions – Aligning UK industrial and trade strategy with the transformative role of UK Mayors, via a new industry-partnered Mayoral Economic Compact launching on 17 July 2024

BUILD MOMENTUM WITHIN THE FIRST 100 DAYS ON THE ‘BIG THREE’ ENABLERS FOR INVESTMENT: • Build a tax environment that drives investment – develop a long-term UK Business Tax Roadmap to deliver

a simplified and digitised business tax system with international competitiveness at its heart • Transform the planning system – speed up decisions and cut bureaucracy with a UK-wide Planning for Growth Strategy, and prioritise grid connections • Boost the labour market & productivity – by expanding tax-free occupational health support to incentivise business investment in early workforce health interventions, helping prevent employees leaving the labour market, and extending the Made Smarter programme to all sectors, giving firms the support and funding they need to grow Rain Newton-Smith, CBI CEO, said: “The UK economy has spent the last five years buffeted by a series of ‘one-off’ shocks – from the aftermath of Brexit, to Covid, to global conflict and the subsequent energy crisis. As a result, our economy has understandably focused more on shock absorption than on boosting growth.

“Firms can now see some bright spots emerging in the UK economy. But the challenges are persistent: sluggish productivity growth, underperforming business investment compared to our international counterparts, and ongoing labour and skills shortages.

“A new Government of whatever colour provides an opportunity to shift gear and prioritise the long-term decisions that can deliver a decade of sustainable growth.

“Top of the in-tray should be sharpening the investor pitch for ‘Brand Britain’ – ensuring we are at the very top of the league table when it comes to investment. At the same time, a focus on building momentum behind the ‘big three’ enablers across tax, planning and the labour market within the first 100 days can give firms a clear flightpath for growth.

“We want to see a new Government deliver a bold pitch to investors across the globe, restore the UK’s competitiveness, and double down on our climate commitments and opportunities.”

Stella Artois Launches ‘Perfect Serve’ Campaign Celebrating The Perfect Pint

Budweiser Brewing Group celebrates their dedication to serve quality, incentivising consumers to rate the quality of their Stella Artois serve, and rewarding customers who serve the perfect Stella Artois.

Stella Artois, a proud part of Budweiser Brewing Group, has announced the launch of its new ‘Perfect Serve’ campaign, illustrating the brand’s dedication to the perfect serve ritual. From the 1st of March consumers are encouraged to rate the quality of their Stella Artois or Stella Artois Unfiltered served in 2000+ venues across Britain. Consumers will be rewarded with cash back on the full price of their pint, driving footfall to on-trade venues stocking Stella Artois on tap.

From the 1st of May through to the 26th of June, Stella Artois, the official beer partner of the Wimbledon Championships, will then offer participating consumers entry to a prize draw for a chance to win a pair of tickets to Wimbledon Tennis Championships; transforming every Stella Artois moment into a chance to win.

At the heart of the campaign is a mobile powered platform called TaDa, which allows consumers to rate the quality their Stella Artois and Stella Artois Unfiltered serve. As part of the campaign, Budweiser Brewing

Group will also be ensuring continued excellent serve quality by refreshing tap lines, training staff on the perfect serve ritual, and using targeted ads to drive local customer traffic into participating pubs year-round. Each pub will also receive promotional kits with coasters, bar runners and other materials to promote the ‘Perfect Serve’ campaign.

"We're excited to give pub-goers even more reasons to enjoy a pint of Stella Artois through this new campaign," Elise Dickinson, Stella Artois Marketing Director. "By focusing on the Perfect Serve, we aim to boost dwell time and keep customers coming back for the perfect pint."

The ‘Perfect Serve’ uses the iconic Stella Artois chalice, pouring at a 45degree angle whilst allowing the foam to spill over the top of the chalice.

Next is to use the skimmer to slice the excess foam off the top – which creates a smooth foam barrier that locks in the CO2 bubbles, providing Stella Artois with its distinctly fresh flavour. The final step is the placement, with the cartouche (the brands iconic emblem representing it’s 600 years of brewing history) facing forward towards the consumer.

Sign up here https://thepubclub.beer/service/perfect-serve/ to be part of the campaign.

Bidfresh Highlights Importance Of Sustainability, Seasonality & Provenance Bidfresh has kick-started the Spring with an event to celebrate fresh produce and the importance of it on menus.

The event focuses on Campbell Brothers (catering butchers), Direct Seafoods (nationwide fishmongers) and Oliver Kay (fresh ingredient suppliers). Bidfresh believes that by utilising fresh food, operators can open the door to products that are full of flavour and packed full of quality, ready to meet to the expectations of consumers.

Brian Hall, managing director at Bidfresh, commented: “I’m pleased to see the spotlight on fresh produce and the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure that the products delivered to customers are of the very best standard.

“All experts within their sector, the teams at Direct Seafoods, Oliver Kay and Campbell Brothers are always there to support chefs and operators find what

they need. Sustainability, provenance and seasonality are at the very heart of all three businesses and it’s their dedication to these details that truly makes them champions of fresh.”

To demonstrate their knowledge and credentials, each business took a different area of fresh to champion, explaining how it is weaved into their ethos and the benefits it brings to chefs and operators.

THE BENEFITS INCLUDE: • Direct Seafoods are dedicated to helping operators find the perfect species and achieve their sustainability goals •Oliver Kay are on hand to help caterers make the most of the fresh fruit, vegetables and other produce in season • Campbell Brothers offer quality meat that is fully traceable and suits the requirements of chefs working at all levels of catering

Energy for Rural Hospitality Businesses – Versatility is Key 26

CLH Digital

Issue 216

As energy-intensive operations, for hospitality businesses the drive towards sustainability and reducing carbon emissions also needs to factor in the careful balance of customer experience and efficiency. That’s why a fuel that does it all can be a game-changer.

Understanding your options With busy hotels, pubs and bars requiring a fuel source that offers increased reliability and a controllable flame for cooking, LPG can be utilised for a variety of uses, such as hot water, heating and cooking requirements.

In addition, Calor’s range of storage options, including underground tanks, which can be hidden out of sight, means there’s a solution for every business.

Ready for the future Despite being one of the most carbon intensive fuel sources, oil-fuelled boilers are still commonly found in off-grid catering outlets. Switching from oil to LPG can immediately cut CO emissions by up to 18%1 compared to oil and is

ideal for rural businesses where electricity is simply not viable due to the processes needed or simply because of limited supply to the location.

From providing an instant and controllable flame needed to create mouthwatering meals, to offering the versatility for heating and hot water requirements, Calor LPG is the fuel source catering businesses can trust.

To take this step further, once a business is on LPG they can easily switch without any change of equipment or infrastructure - to Futuria Liquid Gas which is a sustainable fuel made from a blend of waste, residues and sustainably sourced materials. For catering businesses keen to demonstrate their reduction in carbon emissions, the Green Gas Certification Scheme ensures traceability of all Futuria Liquid Gas delivered to, and used up by, our hospitality customers, while also highlighting the amount of CO2 saved.

To find out how Calor can help your business thrive, visit calor.co.uk/caterers

North East Tourism Stars Take Centre Stage At National Awards Duncan said of his win: “It’s an honour to be recognised on a national level for following my passion to conserve our vital dark skies and support people in discovering how wonderful they are. I feel truly fortunate to work every day with colleagues, volunteers, and partners who share my passion for Northumberland International Dark Sky Park and I hope will continue to conserve these wonderful skies for future generations to enjoy.”

It’s double Gold for North East England at last night’s (Wed June 5) national tourism awards.

For the second year in a row Serenity Farne Island Boat Tours picked up GOLD in the Experience of the Year category at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence for its Grey Seals and Seabirds Cruise. Duncan Wise, Visitor Development & Tourism Officer at Northumberland National Park was also awarded GOLD in the Unsung Hero category.

Destination North East England Chair, John Marshall said: “What an incredible achievement for our regional finalists and a huge congratulations to Duncan and everyone at Serenity Farne Island Boat Tours for their muchdeserved Gold awards. They have not only done themselves and their teams proud but the whole of the North East, helping to shine a light on the fantastic individuals and businesses we have in this region.

Blackfriars restaurant received a Silver in the Taste of England category and Rockliffe Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa resort held on to its Bronze title from last year in the Large Hotel category.

The four finalists headed to the national awards, which were held at The Titanic Hotel in Liverpool, after winning Gold at the North East England Tourism Awards in February. The regional tourism awards are delivered by Destination North East England and run in partnership with VisitEngland, the awards celebrate quality, innovation, and best practice, showcasing the fantastic range of high-quality experiences on offer for visitors in our region.

Andrew Douglas, owner of Serenity Farne Island Boat Tours, said: “It is absolutely amazing, to have won the first time was brilliant, but to get Gold for a second year in a row is just fantastic. The night was made even more special as it was also my daughter, Charlie’s 18th Birthday, and she was there to celebrate along with me. The hard work and dedication of our staff is what makes this experience so special, the Farne Islands are an amazing place but the staff help to bring it to life for visitors and make it a memorable trip for everyone.”

“Being recognised on a national scale is testament to their dedication and passion for their industry. They are fantastic ambassadors for the diverse, innovative and exceptional visitor offer in the North East.

“Through Destination North East England we are working collaboratively with our delivery partners Visit County Durham and Visit Northumberland and in partnership with all seven local authority partners to unlock the potential of our visitor economy, an industry which is worth £6.1bn and provides employment for 63,000 people. It is our brilliant tourism businesses that will deliver our target of doubling the size of the visitor economy in the next 10 years, creating jobs and providing the welcome and experience that ensure visitors return to the region. The national tourism awards are a brilliant opportunity to celebrate and showcase our businesses. Next year’s North East England Tourism awards are now open and we’d encourage all our tourism businesses to consider applying.”

VK Enters Alcohol-Free Category with VK Blue 0.0% The UK’s biggest RTD brand in the on-trade category*, VK, is entering the alcohol-free market for the first time with the launch of ‘VK Blue 0.0%’.

their night.

The launch comes following shifting market dynamics and consumer behaviours, which have seen low and no-alcohol products become the fastest-growing category in the ontrade sector in the last year, according to Neilson (NIQ) data.

Craig Chapman, spokesperson at VK, explains: "We are proud to introduce our very first VK Zero available in our ‘OG’ Blue flavour. Our loyal VK fans are at the heart of everything we do, so recognising the changing drinking culture among 18-24s and supporting these choices through product innovation is incredibly important to us.

To support its development, VK commissioned research among students in key university towns across the UK, in a bid to better understand evolving drinking habits within the 1824 age demographic.

“The insights highlight a clear opportunity for on and off-trade stockists to support consumers’ changing needs and tastes, while providing greater choice when it comes to high-quality, fun, alcohol-free options.”

The findings reveal nearly half (49%) of students now consume less alcohol compared to the previous year, with 32% intending to further reduce their intake in the coming months.

The primary motivation for 79% is a focus on mindful socialising and connecting, with only 6% driven by the ‘buzz’ of alcohol.

Craig continued: “VK's mission is to bring people together to share unforgettable experiences. With Blue being our best-performing flavour, the decision to launch it in 0.0% format was an easy one and we’ve already received strong interest from a number of customers.

VK Zero maintains the signature, fruity flavour profile synonymous with VK Blue, but with 0% alcohol content, providing a more inclusive option by appealing to those looking to reduce their alcohol consumption or abstain.

VK Blue 0.0% is not the only new product joining VK’s lineup ahead of summer. The RTD brand is also announcing its newest VK flavour, which is set to launch following the successful #WEAREFLAVOUR campaign, which has asked consumers to vote for the next product to join the lineup.

Unlike many competing brands in the category, VK Blue 0.0% offers an added caffeine boost (32mg per 100ml, similar to standard energy drinks), ensuring consumers stay energised throughout

For further information on VK Zero click here: https://www.vkofficial.com/vkzero/.

New Legislation To Cost 25,000 UK Hospitality Businesses Over £60,000 A Year 28

CLH Digital

Issue 216

A new report reveals how the government’s Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 will push hospitality operators to breaking point, with 83% of respondents expecting to incur costs of at least £12,000 a year to comply, the equivalent of 118,690 UK operators. Nearly one in five (18%) claim costs could increase by £60,000 to £360,000 a year under the new regulations.

Despite hospitality closures slowing, these findings come at a worrying time for the industry, with more than 4 hospitality businesses closing in Britain every day so far in 2024, according to data from CGA by NIQ and AlixPartners.

The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 comes into effect from 1st October and will require hospitality businesses to distribute 100% of customer tips and service charges to staff, with no exceptions other than standard-rate tax deductions. The changes also make it mandatory for all hospitality businesses to have a written policy accessible to staff on how tips are dealt with at their place of work.

The report, ‘Tipping Point: How new legislation will impact hospitality’, commissioned by customer experience technology company three rocks®, surveyed 1,000 hospitality businesses, 1,000 customers and 500 staff in the UK to gain their insight into the new government legislation and to understand feelings towards tipping.

The study included UK hospitality businesses of all sizes, from independent operators to national restaurant, pub and bar chains.

The findings revealed that only a mere 28% of operators are currently compliant with the Act, distributing tips among all staff without any deductions. The majority, two thirds (63%) of businesses, currently take a percentage of tips from employees. 29% of those use these tips to cover costs such as processing fees, costs the business will now have to cover under the new Act, while over a quarter (28%) take a profitable share of the

tips, money they will be unable to claim from October. This means that 63% of businesses will have to make changes to the way they operate to comply with the new legislation, which is equivalent to more than 90,000 hospitality businesses currently operating in the UK according to latest government figures.

Speaking to 500 hospitality staff, the research uncovered that 42% of hospitality workers in the UK have never been told about how tips are distributed to staff, which equates to 756,000 employees across the UK*, based on the latest government figures. When asked whether they were happy with how tips are distributed to staff, more than a third (37%) of staff said they were unsure but felt they should get more tips.

The study revealed that there could be a better and fairer alternative tipping process to the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023. Nearly half (44%) of operators would support the creation of a Tipping Standard Practice, an official tip amount implemented ‘across the board’ for customers and a standard process for businesses to distribute tips to staff.

Scott Muncaster, founder and Managing Director of three rocks®, said: “The UK hospitality industry has been under immense pressure in the last few years. Beginning with the pandemic, then one of the biggest labour and skills shortages in decades, and now the cost-of-living crisis, operators need all the help they can get. This legislation, although introduced with good intentions, could push many businesses to breaking point as our research shows. The reality is that increasing costs by tens of thousands of pounds a month isn’t viable for many in the current climate.

“Tipping has long been a sticking point for customers, staff and businesses, with many not knowing what to expect, what to give, or how to spread tips out among employees. The research shows that clarity and transparency is needed to help all three parties find a standardised process for tipping.”

Arc Inspirations To Double Up In Nottingham And Sheffield As Growth Strategy Continues

Arc Inspirations operator of premium bar brands, Banyan, BOX and Manahatta, has announced plans to open new sites in Nottingham and Sheffield this year.

The two new sites will build on Arc’s city centre growth strategy, which is key to its ambition to operate 50 bars by 2030. After successfully launching Manahatta Sheffield in early 2023, and BOX Nottingham in November last year, the company will double its presence in both cities with the launch of BOX Sheffield, and Manahatta Nottingham, this autumn.

Arc recently secured £7m in extra funding to accelerate its expansion across the UK, with a £4m loan alongside a £3m equity injection from its shareholders, including BGF which has backed the business since 2022. With ambitions to deliver at least four new openings per year over the next five years, the capital will support Arc’s continued growth plans, and also fund a major programme of exciting new refurbishments.

BOX Sheffield will bring a game-changing, high-quality sports bar and kitchen to the Steel City, where customers can watch, play and party. Relaxed by day and energetic by night, BOX has something for everyone, with award-winning locations including Leeds City Centre, Deansgate in Manchester and Brindleyplace in Birmingham.

Also opening in the autumn will be Manahatta Edinburgh, and the Edinburgh and Nottingham locations will both launch with a new interior look and feel, evolving the brand whilst staying true to the original concept

– a glamorous, exciting cocktail bar inspired by the beat of New York. The new design is confident and immersive, providing guests with an everyday escapism and the perfect backdrop to share on social media. The new venues will feature a stunning art-deco style back bar, inspired by the New York speakeasy but made modern by LED moving artwork, while guests will continue to find neon touches around the venue but cleverly used in new and exciting ways, such as in lighting and reflections. Manahatta’s famous mirror ball has also been evolved into a giant NY-inspired ball drop to bring light and movement into the venue.

Arc Inspirations Co-Founder and CEO, Martin Wolstencroft, said:“We’re thrilled to be doubling our presence in the centre of Nottingham and Sheffield, two cities where we’ve seen great success in the last year, and we can’t wait to unveil our new-look Manahatta design. The new sites in Nottingham and Edinburgh mark a significant evolution for the brand, and the new design will be rolled out across existing Manahattas over the coming months.”

The three new sites will create around 225 new jobs which can turn into long-term careers, with team members at all levels able to take advantage of Arc’s industry-leading training and development programmes and immerse themselves in the company’s famous culture.

Building on its ambitious growth programme and city centre strategy, Arc is also eyeing further launches in London, Liverpool and Cardiff in the near future, and will look to dispose of older, legacy sites which don’t fit the future strategy of the business.

Foodles Partners with ReFood to Eliminate Unavoidable Waste As part of a strategic drive to further enhance its sustainability credentials, B-Corp Certified corporate catering business Foodles has partnered with ReFood to eliminate unavoidable food waste generated across its national operations.

The agreement will see the surplus meals collected from Foodles’ smart fridges across London sent to ReFood’s state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in Dagenham and used to generate both renewable energy and biofertiliser. Foodles is a fast-growing company with a rising need for sustainable waste management, and this partnership with ReFood unlocks new circular solutions which both benefit the environment and have the ability to scale with Foodles’ rapid expansion.

Founded in 2014, Foodles has pioneered a revolutionary approach to tackle mundane corporate catering. Rather than running a canteen, the innovative business delivers fresh, healthy, home-cooked meals on a daily basis, which are stored in next-generation smart fridges and dispensed to customers much like a vending machine.

The concept was originally launched in France, but has since expanded further across Europe – first into Belgium in 2020, before entering the UK in 2022. Every year, the business delivers more than 1,000,000 preprepared meals, with hundreds of smart fridges operational across the continent.

Michaël Ormancey, co-founder and co-CEO of Foodles, commented: “Since setting up our services in

London, we’ve seen a variety of companies sign-up to receive daily deliveries.

We aim to offer complete flexibility to both employers and employees – in essence, we’ve re-imagined the lunch break.

“However, while our cutting-edge approach is far more sustainable than the old fashioned corporate catering model, uneaten meals must be dealt with responsibly. Our partnership with ReFood will enable us to continue to grow with this sustainable, scalable solution.”

Philip Simpson, commercial director at ReFood, added: “We’re pleased to be working with Foodles to recycle its surplus, unavoidable waste. Thanks to our state-of-the-art AD sites, we can offer a scalable solution that builds on the company’s already impressive sustainability credentials.

“What’s more, we can even handle fully packed material, meaning less hassle for Foodles and a more streamline solution overall.”

With three AD sites in the UK (Dagenham, Doncaster and Widnes), ReFood works with hundreds of businesses for across the food supply chain to enable best practice, sustainable food waste management. Every year the company handles 480,000 tonnes of waste, using it to generate renewable energy and sustainable biofertiliser.

For more information about Foodles, visit www.foodles.com. To find out more about ReFood, or its pioneering food waste recycling services, visit www.refood.co.uk.

Publicans Urged Celebrate Contribution Of Volunteers To Their Local Areas 30

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Pubs across the UK are being invited to get involved in this year’s Thank You Day, on Sunday, 7 July to help recognise the volunteers and people in their communities who make a real difference to the lives of local people.

Since 2021, Thank You Day has brought millions of people together to celebrate and give thanks to those who go above and beyond.

It offers a fantastic opportunity for people to come together and thank the local legends who are at the backbone of communities and give their time and energy to help others.

For pubs offering community services and activities enabled by volunteers, or for those that are community-owned and supported by unpaid heroes, Thank You Day offers an ideal occasion to recognise their contribution.

Together, the organisation behind Thank You Day, is encouraging publicans to get involved by hosting events and activities, or partnering with other organisations to put on community takeovers and local events as a way to say “Thank You”.

Olivia Williams, Together’s campaign manager said: “Pubs are the perfect place for this celebration. They are natural gathering spots for communities to come together and give thanks.”

She added: “Organising a Community Takeover in your pub for Thank You Day is simple. You could host a ‘cheers for volunteers’, a’ BBQ-Thank-Q’, afternoon tea, live music event with a local choir (last year some pubs teamed up with WI choirs), or a dinner and quiz for local volunteer groups.”

Pub is The Hub, The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), the Royal Voluntary Service, the WI, Scouts,

National Lottery, Music For Dementia, Alzheimer’s Society and the National Association for Social Prescribing are among the organisations supporting this year’s Thank You Day initiative.

John Longden, chief executive of Pub is The Hub, said: “Publicans are often the community connectors in their local areas and help to drive togetherness through the range of services, activities and events they provide which have a positive social impact on local people.”

He added: “Taking part in Thank You Day and helping to recognise others who help to make a difference in their communities feels a natural fit for pubs to get involved in.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “The value that pubs bring to local areas, be they on a busy urban high street or in a countryside village, is more than the economic; it is also the social, cultural and community value that makes pubs such an essential and dynamic part in knitting together neighbourhoods and promoting social cohesion.”

She added: “Each year pubs help raise over £100 million for charities and there are numerous examples of pubs hosting local voluntary groups in bringing together people in achieving good causes for their communities. There can be no better place to celebrate these volunteers than by saying Thank You than in their local pub.”

Pub is The Hub has produced a free guide for publicans full of ideas and information on how to get involved which can be downloaded here.

Urban Pubs & Bars Launches Where To Watch The Euros Guide

London pub and dining group Urban Pubs & Bars has launched the “ultimate guide” showing the best places to watch the Euros across the capital.

sary, have planned something for everyone with the finest beers, cocktails, wines, spirits as well as mouthwatering food to enjoy during the games.

The group have put together a live blog with all the information needed to watch the Euros across the capital (the blog shows all upcoming games, scores and best places to catch each match).

An Urban Pubs & Bars spokesperson said: “We have brilliant food and drink and this summer every pub has great screens and is geared up to be the best place to enjoy the Euros.”

The pubs and bars span central, North, East, South and West London and plan to show every game in the tournament which begins on Friday June 14 with the opening match between Germany and Scotland.

Urban Pubs & Bars’ first site The Whippet in Kensal Rise opened in May 2014.

England’s first match is two days later, Sunday June 16 against Serbia and falls on Father’s Day. The game kicks off at 8pm and the leisure group are also featuring their famous Sunday Roasts in many venues to celebrate the ultimate Father’s Day! Urban Pubs & Bars, who have just celebrated their 10th anniver-

In the last year, the business also successfully opened three other new sites including The Victory at Waterloo Station, The Railway in Putney and The Junction in Islington, with trading exceeding expectations.

The UP&B Group, includes flagship pubs Nest, Bishopsgate, The Wheatsheaf, Tooting and The Gatehouse, Highgate.

For further details: https://www.urbanpubsandbars.com/euro-2024

Food Waste Dryer Slashes Hospitality Food Waste Costs Hospitality costs are up all over the place with utilities, fuel, food, staff and product costs all contributing to the inflationary pressures. In addition, new legislation will add further cost pressures. The Environment Act 2021 bans food waste going into general waste and down the drain in disposal units, so you’ll need separate, additional wheelie bins. So where can you cut costs and increase profits without cutting service and putting off customers?

One answer is in waste disposal and in particular food waste disposal. If you can reduce your food waste wheelie bins your bills will go down.

The Eco-Smart Food Waste Dryer is taking the country by storm, saving catering and hospitality owners around 80% in food waste disposal costs. Hotels, restaurants and hospitals have all taken advantage of the easy-to-use technology which has been in the UK for over ten

years now. The concept is very simple: you load the food waste throughout the day and turn it on at night when it’s full. The machine extracts the water from food waste, (typically about 80% of the weight) overnight, leaving a dry powder, only 20% of it’s former weight and volume, a fraction of the original wet food waste. Simple and effective.

Six models from 20kg to 350kg daily capacity take all types of food waste so even small premises can benefit. It is a ‘plug and play’ solution: you just need a power socket and a nearby sink drain for the extracted water to drain off. “The new legislation will add costs.

This machine will reduce your costs. It’s also a hygienic solution which ends the headaches from vermin and pests of food waste in bins and compactors.” said David Boyd from Eco-Smart.

For more information and a brochure go to www.bergmanndirect.co.uk or call 01522 692888

How Much Is Your Used Cooking Oil Worth?

Fats, Oils and Greases (FOG’s) are used and produced in the cooking process. To the catering industry and food manufacturers, they were long considered a valueless waste product. To the water authorities they are considered a noxious substance that dramatically increase the costs of maintaining the sewage networks. To the Environmental Agencies they are a source of pollution in the waterways they are tasked with looking after.

Recent changes in environmental attitudes and the push for net zero carbon emissions have seen the increasing use of these waste FOG’s in alternative fuel production and have moved FOG’s from waste to an additional revenue stream for the catering industry.

The increase in value of these FOG’s is evidenced by the increasing problem of used cooking oil theft from catering establishments. One estimate suggests that this could account for a fifth of all used cooking oil.

This increase in value is driven by legitimate industry demand as

alternative fuel sources become mainstream.

One of those businesses has recently been showcased in Birmingham, with a joint project involving leading grease recovery unit manufacturer Fatstrippa, Lifecycle Oils, Severn Trent Water and Gurdwara Aid, a charitable enterprise of the Sikh community.

The project involves the supply of fresh cooking oil to the Sikh Temples for use in their Langar kitchens at competitive prices and collection of the used cooking oils by private equity backed Lifecycle Oils. As part of the agreement, they are supplied with free installation and service of Fatstrippa Grease Recovery Units. The used cooking oil is then processed by Lifecycle Oils using their patented method for use in electricity generation supplied directly into the National Grid and for their mobile generators that are used to power festivals and mobile electrical vehicle chargers.

Fatstrippa and Life Cycle Oils are looking at expanding this offer to the wider catering industry in the coming months.

So how much is your used cooking oil worth, probably more than you think!

Call 020 7207 7713, Email info@fatstrippa.co.uk or see the advert on page 2.

32

Angellica Bell To Reveal AA Hospitality Award Winners CLH Digital

Issue 216

Image credits: Angellica Bell and Paul Ainsworth, Andrew Callaghan (Callaghan Studios).

Celebrating outstanding hotels, restaurants, and their dedicated teams nationwide, the AA Hospitality Awards stand as a pinnacle event in the industry, eagerly awaited by all.

This year’s awards will take place at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London on Monday 23 September. Adding to the style and splendour will be Celebrity MasterChef winner of 2017 (BBC1) and Bafta-nominated television and radio broadcaster Angellica Bell, who is set to host over 1,000 guests from hotels and restaurants across the UK. The awards span 17 categories, each judged by AA inspectors to select the best hotels and restaurants across the UK, as well as shining a light on those individuals going above and beyond, with awards such as the Lifetime Achievement Award (won last year by Jonathan Raggett, Red Carnation Hotels’ Chief Executive), and national Hotel and Restaurants of the year awards.

The Summer of Love Something about spring and summer makes the season perfect for getting back into the dating scene, whether it’s the hot weather or the brighter evenings. We conducted a survey to see how hospitality businesses can use music to enhance first dates and create a much calmer atmosphere. The survey results give us insight into what music people want to hear on a first date.

Whether you’re a café or pub, there’s a genre of music suited to your venue that’ll create a memorable atmosphere for those nervous first daters.

The survey shows that around 61% of people prefer there to be music playing in the background on their first date as it can help them to relax (64%) and reduce awkwardness (57%) as music is a helping hand for breaking the ice (42%). Music can be a great way to start conversation with 33% agreeing it’s a good talking point and puts them in a much happier mood (34%) *.

The winner of the AA Chefs’ Chef Award 2023, Paul Ainsworth, restaurateur and owner of Paul Ainsworth at No6 in Padstow, will be creating the menu for the Awards, including key industry figures from world famous chefs and prominent hoteliers to restauranteurs and hospitality experts.

Commenting on his award, Paul Ainsworth said: “As a recipient of the esteemed AA Chefs’ Chef award from last year, I am privileged to continue the legacy by curating the culinary experience for the AA Hospitality Awards 2024. Alongside the Grosvenor House hotel team, we can’t wait to bring a taste of Cornwall to London’s Park Lane for this year’s guests.

Speaking of the upcoming awards, Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media added: “The AA Hospitality Awards showcase the brilliance and innovation within our industry, igniting a celebration of quality. It’s an honour to acknowledge the exceptional work of countless establishments and their dedicated teams, who continually redefine excellence across the UK hospitality scene. We’re excited to celebrate with you at the awards in September.”

Working with our neuroscientist Dr Julia Jones (AKA Dr Rock) said: “studies show that our brainwaves often synchronise to the music we hear. This means that you can use slow, relaxing music to slow your brainwaves and enter relaxing brain states.” So, when the first date nerves kick in, they can really let the music do the talking!

We asked these UK singletons which genre of music they prefer hearing on a first date in different venues and the results show: •Bars should bop to pop (47%) •Pop music in a pub (48%) •Restaurants should add chill out music to the menu (63%) •Cafes should look to play chilled-out tunes (55%) Not only can using music in your business help set the scene for first dates, but having background music as an aid to create a positive and relaxing atmosphere could result in those customers having a memorable experience which in turn, can help create customer loyalty with future visits.

See the advert on the facing page for further information. *A survey commissioned by PPL PRS of 1000 UK respondents by Attest in June 2023

Prowrap Dispensers are a Cut Above Thanks to the New Speedwrap Pro THE NEW SPEEDWRAP PRO

Did you know that just 1kg of food waste sent to landfill produces the same amount of carbon emissions as 25,000 500ml plastic bottles?

Now made in the UK, we designed the Speedwrap Pro to be as efficient as possible – and that process always begins with safety. Nothing can derail a kitchen’s process like an accident, which is why we improved the cutting action of the Speedwrap Pro with a patented sheathed blade.

The blade only unsheathes and makes a cut once the lid of the dispenser has been pushed closed, dramatically reducing the risk of accidents.

That’s not to say plastic waste isn’t also a problem that we need to solve. But the impact of food waste is much more serious, while also being harder to describe and much less direct. And, as around 12% of all wasted food occurs in the hospitality and foodservice sector, foodservice operations have a direct influence on this very real problem.

At Prowrap, we’re committed to helping foodservice operators balance food and material waste, minimising both to create a more efficient, profitable kitchen.

The compact 300 model is ideal for smaller kitchens thanks to its minimal footprint. Meanwhile, the wider 450 model is essential for catering businesses that regularly have to wrap larger platters of prepared food or other ingredients.

That’s why we’re updating our market-leading Speedwrap film, foil, and parchment dispensers with a new, improved range – the Speedwrap Pro – making them faster, safer, and more efficient.

SAVING MONEY AND MATERIALS WITH EVERY USE Outside of environmental considerations, there’s also the financial angle to consider. Wasted food is wasted money – and, at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is squeezing already thin profit margins, this can have catastrophic consequences.

WRAP estimates that food waste costs the foodservice sector £3.2bn every year – an average of £10,000 per outlet. This is money that many outlets simply cannot afford to lose. Throwing food in the bin means you’re leaving money on the table.

However, on particularly busy shifts in the kitchen, it’s easy to see how wrapping and unwrapping small batches of ingredients or garnishes can get missed from time to time.

That was the problem we, at Prowrap, set out to solve when we designed our new Speedwrap Pro dispenser. Like its predecessor, it cuts

precise lengths of cling film with a simple press on its lid, streamlining the wrapping process while also minimising the amount of cling film that is wasted. If you’ve ever spent precious time wrestling with a box of cling film trying to get the integral cutter to make a clean cut, you’ll understand how that time can add up quickly, spilling over into the rest of the kitchen processes. No more soggy serrated cardboard edges and twisted, ragged lengths of cling film – just quick, clean cuts every time. That’s Speedwrap Pro. All dispensers are made in the UK, significantly reducing carbon footprint during the manufacturing process. The Speedwrap Pro 300 and the larger Speedwrap Pro 450 model feature several upgrades that emergered from our understanding of the fine balancing act between food and plastic waste.

Both models include antimicrobial technology for enhanced dispenser protection to reduce the risk of contaminants spreading onto stored food during the wrapping process, which will help when preserving highly perishable ingredients. But the benefits of the new dispensers go beyond reducing food waste, as they are also designed to reduce material waste with each use.

The Speedwrap Pro is launching a fully recyclable refill roll across its film, foil and parchment range. The plastic adapter required for the previous model will be removed and as a result, will dramatically reduce plastic use. We’re excited to be introducing a range of fully recyclable films and our foil refills, which are proudly made from recycled content.

As the foodservice industry continues to throw up unexpected challenges, it’s important for operators to have a set of tools and processes they can rely on. That’s why Speedwrap Pro is a must for any kitchen looking to reduce its overall environmental impact and improve efficiency.

For further information visit https://wrapex.com

FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND TO SIGN UP FOR OUR BI-WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VISIT WWW.CATERERLICENSEE.COM

The Rise of Pub Snacks: 34

CLH Digital

Issue 216

A Profitable Opportunity in the UK Hospitality Sector

In the ever-evolving landscape of the UK hospitality industry, where trends come and go, one thing remains a steadfast companion to pub-goers: snacks. Often overlooked but essential, pub snacks have emerged as a lucrative market segment, providing crucial support to the licensed trade. In this feature, we explore the significance of pub snacks, their evolving popularity, and how they present a unique opportunity for operators amidst changing consumer behaviours and the backdrop of a major sporting summer.

According to industry data, sales of pub snacks have experienced steady growth, with an increasing number of consumers opting for light bites or quick nibbles during their pub visits. This trend underscores the importance of snacks as a revenue stream, contributing significantly to the overall profitability of pub establishments. While snacking is popular all year round, consumers look to the savoury snacks category during summer holidays and sports events when they can enjoy quality time with friends and family.

Comfort is key when it comes to pub and bar food choices and stocking customers’ favourite flavours will heighten their enjoyment.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SNACKS IN THE PUB SECTOR

• 38% of pub visitors say they are interested in seeing snack menus in Pubs • 62% of out of home customers buy snacks

Pub snacks have long been synonymous with the quintessential British pub experience. These modest offerings play a pivotal role, especially during times when economic constraints or shifting consumer habits impact dineout behaviour. As people opt to eat out less frequently due to economic uncertainty, pub snacks offer an accessible and affordable alternative, aligning perfectly with the pub's social ambiance.

THE SUMMER OF SPORT: A BOOST FOR PUB SNACKS

The pub sector's reliance on snacks has deepened over the years.

Snacks are an important driver to increase out of home spend. Snack sales in Pubs & Bars are now well exceeding pre COVID-19 levels and in a 2023 report, savoury snacks was worth £4.16bn and growing at +13.8%.

Snacking occasions are growing +2% with savoury snacking (+20%) growing ahead of sweet (+11%) in pubs and clubs.

The convergence of major sporting events—such as the Olympics and European football championship—provides a unique opportunity for pub operators to capitalize on increased footfall and heightened consumer engagement. During these peak seasons, traditional pub snacks witness a surge in demand, as patrons gather to cheer on their favourite teams while

enjoying a selection of savoury treats.

TIPS FOR BOOSTING SNACK SALES To optimize snack sales and enhance the pub experience, operators can implement strategic measures: • Diversify the Snack Menu: Introduce new and innovative snack offerings to cater to varying tastes and preferences, including vegan and gluten-free options.

• Promotional Bundles: Create enticing snack and drink bundles, encouraging customers to explore different combinations.

• Enhanced Presentation: Visibility is Key. Ensure your snacks are visible!

Elevate the presentation of snacks through attractive serving platters or themed offerings tied to major sporting events.

• Seasonal Specials: Introduce seasonal snacks or limited-time offers aligned with sporting fixtures, fostering excitement and boosting sales.

• Social Media Engagement: Leverage social media platforms to showcase snack offerings, promote special events, and engage with customers.

In an era defined by shifting consumer behaviours and economic uncertainties, pub snacks emerge as a beacon of opportunity within the UK hospitality landscape. Their enduring appeal, coupled with the upcoming summer of sport, presents pub operators with a golden chance to not only boost revenues but also foster lasting patronage. By embracing innovative strategies and catering to evolving consumer preferences, pubs can transform snack time into a profitable venture while keeping punters engaged and satisfied, one bite at a time.

The Perfect Snack for All Your Trade and Hospitality Needs

Robert's Dorset provides an unparalleled snack experience that will elevate your trade and hospitality offerings to your customers.

At Robert's Dorset, we understand the diverse dietary preferences of your patrons, whether they follow a vegan, keto, or allergen-free lifestyle. Rest assured; our selection of snacks caters for all.

As a trusted supplier to independent shops, pubs, and the hospitality industry, we offer a range of sizes in all our products for direct reselling.

Our vibrant packaging is designed to catch the eye, while the contents are sure to satisfy. From our stackable pots which optimise your shelf space, and fit most cup holders, to our elegant mason jars which add the "wow factor" to any display.

Discover the perfect bar snacks to complement your fine beverages or enhance your guests' welcome baskets with something truly special.

WHY CHOOSE ROBERT'S DORSET?

Established in 2011, we are a family-owned and operated business. At the core of our operations lies a personal touch, ensuring our trade customers enjoy the following advantages: • Delicious snacks to delight your customers.

• Exceptional customer service, led by a dedicated Account Manager.

• Convenient ordering options, whether online or by phone.

• Handcrafted products made in beautiful Dorset, England.

• Every item is prepared to order, ensuring customers always receive the freshest products • All our packaging is fully recyclable or reusable and we have a 99.9% waste free production

process • Proudly certified by the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) - palm oil is only used in Fudge • All our ingredients are of the highest quality.

Contact Robert for an online catalogue and more information regarding our perfect snacks. robert@robertsdorset.com | 01202 875280 | www.robertsdorset.com or see the advert on page 5.

CLH Digital

36

Cocktails and Spirits

Issue 216

A Twist on the Traditional – The Perfect Wine Cocktail

If we were to say ‘Port makes the perfect wine cocktail’ you might think we’ve got our wines confused – surely Port is reserved for Christmas?

Port wine is exclusively produced in the Douro Valley region of northern Portugal, an area famed for its Mediterranean climate so, if you think about it, drinking Port as a refreshing cocktail makes perfect sense – you wouldn’t want a warming drink on a hot day.

Visitors to Portugal may have enjoyed Port served chilled as a delicious aperitif.

The traditional way is to pour equal parts white Port and tonic or soda water (or lemonade for a modern twist) in a cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of citrus (lemon, lime and orange are all good). Another super simple serve is to drink Port chilled straight up in a white wine glass or a short tumbler over ice. Not only do these make for refreshing drinks, ‘Port + mixer’ is a great alternative to gin and tonic. And, as well as easy to make, margins are attractive with a ‘house’ bottle of Port available at a relatively low price compared to spirit – and lower ABV. Port can also be a fantastic ingredient in mixed drinks to add depth, richness, and a touch of sweetness. Indeed, Port is often used in cocktails for several reasons:

World's First Pre-Mix Is A Party For Your Taste Buds!

Hot on the heels of their successful new drink-in-a-can margarita, (which launched on World Margarita Day in February) Pergola Drinks is introducing a second new drink: Tequila and Tonic.

of yuzu citrus. It's fizzy, it's allergen-free, it's preservative-free - and it's about to become your new favourite go-to drink, whether you're chilling at home or hanging out at your favourite bar.

The world's first pre-mix in a can Tequila and Tonic has been infused with the cosy warmth of cinnamon and the creamy sweetness of vanilla.

Rahul said: "Margarita with Mint and Yuzu takes the tequila experience to a whole new level.

With a chill 5% abv, our cocktails are down for whatever - from lazy poolside days to wild wedding parties.

Pergola Drinks has been created by husband and wife team Rahul and Sheetal Murthy. The company is a cocktail creator with a focus on the premium market.

"What's more, our cans are eco-warriors - no plastic sleeves here, just crush and recycle for a guilt-free sip!"

Sheetal said: "Say goodbye to boring drinks! Pergola's unique flavour combos take the tequila experience to a whole new level.

"Say hello to the world's first canned Tequila and Tonic that's gonna blow your mind! It's like a party for your taste buds! Perfect for stocking up your minibars at home or adding a splash of excitement when you visit your favourite bar."

Last month, Pergola Drinks jazzed up the classic Margarita with a kick of fresh mint and the exotic tang

To secure your supply of our Margarita with Mint and Yuzu and Tequila and Tonic with Cinnamon and Vanilla, simply reach out to us at rahul@pergoladrinks.com.

Whether you're interested in sampling our products or have inquiries about marketing support, our team is here to assist you every step of the way.

We are confident that our allergen-free, preservativefree fizzy tequila cocktails will be a hit at your establishment, providing your customers with an unforgettable drinking experience.

Cheers to success and innovation!

Pergola Introducing Our New Offerings Margarita with Mint and Yuzu Embark on a flavor journey with our Margarita, infused with invigorating mint and the exotic zest of yuzu.

Tequila and Tonic - Cinnamon and Vanilla Flavoured This innovative blend offers a delightful balance of flavors, providing a unique drinking experience that is both comforting and invigorating.

rahul@pergoladrinks.com www.pergoladrinks.com

• Port has a distinct flavour profile that sets it apart from other types of wine. It is typically rich, sweet, and full-bodied with notes of ripe fruit, spices, and sometimes a hint of nuttiness. These unique flavours can add depth and complexity to cocktails, providing a rich and indulgent taste experience.

• Whether it's a robust and fruity Ruby Port or a mellow and nutty Tawny Port, the versatility of port makes it a versatile ingredient in mixology. This variety allows bartenders to experiment and create a wide range of cocktails with different flavour profiles.

• The sweetness of Port can help balance out flavours in a cocktail, especially when combined with other ingredients like citrus juices, bitters, or spirits with higher alcohol content. It adds depth and complexity without being overly cloying.

• Port has a long-standing history and is often associated with sophistication and elegance. Incorporating port into a cocktail can evoke a sense of tradition and class, adding a touch of refinement to a cocktail menu. It can be a unique choice for those looking for something beyond the usual spirits.

For more information on Lanchester Wines’ Port and Wine selection, please visit www.lanchesterwines.co.uk

Rosé Port Bramble Over crushed ice pour: • 1 measure Rosé Port • 1 measure gin • ½ measure lemon juice • ½ measure sugar syrup • Fill with lemonade and garnish with summer fruits The beautiful colours in this cocktail make it perfect for Instagram!

White Port and Tonic

AKA the classic Portuguese aperitif

Over ice pour: • 2 measure White Port • Top with tonic (around ½ bottle per glass) • Garnish with a slice of citrus – lemon, lime, orange or a combination all work really well If you’re not a fan of tonic, soda water or lemonade also make refreshing alternatives.

Great Experiences Start Way Before The First Sip… Transform your menu into a sensory apothecary with Flavour Blaster!

Harness the power of scent to deliver mind blowing, instagrammable drinks - treat your patrons to an experience they won’t forget.

Wow your guests with a theatrical aroma filled bubble garnish, perfectly paired to your menu. Choose from over 20 aromas guaranteed to match every spirit, mixer and flavour combination! Our aromas can be used on any recipe - it’s the perfect way to add excitement to your no and low options or make your cocktail menu go viral!

Reveal your cocktails from within our swirling gilded cloche, or encourage guest interaction with an immersive, burstable bubble filled with their favourite scent. Looking for something more unique? Stir up a frenzy with a flock of our hand blown Flamingo glass-

es, or shock your guests with our Electric Jellyfish glasses. With a unique range of quirky drinkware, our collections are guaranteed to set you apart from the rest.

However you choose to serve your drinks, serve them in style with Flavour Blaster bespoke glassware.

The Flavour Blaster aroma gun is more than just an accessory, it’s a tool for success. Enjoy viral marketing at your fingertips with a globally recognised garnish that invokes awe and wonder whenever it is served.

Developed with operators in mind, choose quality with an industry trusted brand - complete with a 1 year guarantee on all products for peace of mind.

For an impression that lasts, choose the original patented aroma gun today. www.flavourblaster.com

38

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Food Safety

Taking the Fear From the EHO Inspection Ask any food operation, and they’re likely to agree that an EHO inspection provokes feelings of anxiety and sleepless nights. But it shouldn’t for establishments who audit carefully and have the right checks and processes in place, an inspection should be an opportunity to demonstrate their competence and secure that crucial 5 rating.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) relies on regular face to face meetings on the food premises which allows the EHO to see the facilities, ask questions and examine process, paperwork and general hygiene standards. Dependant on the evidence available during the inspection, the EHO will score the premises in three key areas and the rating will be awarded based on these scores.

Environmental health practitioners are a valuable source of information and advice and can help a food business shift their operation from good to great. The Safer Food Group have teamed up with a leading Environmental

Health consultant to produce a comprehensive FREE training course to help food business managers assess their readiness for their inspection, available now from www.thesaferfoodgroup.com The course details the three areas of an inspection and how it will be undertaken. Learners are supported by a comprehensive checklist that allows them to analyse their own operation’s performance in detail, including an action plan that supports them to make improvements as part of everyday business – ensuring that the business is well prepared and food safety is always front and centre, not just saved for inspection day.

‘How to secure a 5 rating’ uses a blend of video and written content to support the learner throughout their training. Businesses with SFG accounts can secure access to the free course for any employee with a learner account – adding even more value to our comprehensive food safety training portfolio. View the course and the whole portfolio here: www.thesaferfoodgroup.com or call 0800 612 6784, info@thesaferfoodgroup.com for more information.

FOOD HYGIENE RATING 0

1

2

3

4

5

VERY GOOD

Revolutionise Your Business's Are You Natasha’s Law Compliant? Many Still Aren’t Allergy Management The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have recently announced its support for Owen’s Law - a campaign to mandate allergy information on menus in restaurants and cafes in the UK. As it currently stands, there is only guidance in place to advise those in the food industry to include written allergy information on their menus. It is not currently a legal requirement.

Owen’s Law aims to change the law by requiring restaurants to clearly state the allergy information in all of their dishes.

The FSA have now discussed the allergen information proposals during its December 2023 board meeting and the government body has confirmed their backing to the proposal and plans to write to the government about the matter. The FSA also said it would work on developing further guidance for restaurants on how to provide written information for food allergies.

However, if the change in how food businesses supply allergy information to their customers goes ahead, it likely means a big switch up for restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, delis and other

food outlets.

Businesses may struggle to supply the correct allergen information on their menus every day, especially if any ingredients change at the last minute.

Services like Allergy Menu can help restaurants, cafes and other food businesses small and large ensure they meet any new legislation and comply with the law using technology as a simple, easy and cheap solution.

Able to run on mobiles or tablets, digital menus can be provided to customers to ensure they meet the law. With unlimited free downloads and pricing per menu, Allergy Menu is the cheapest and the only provider with a downloadable app for both android and apple devices, making it the leading edge provider for allergy management. https://allergymenu.uk/

It’s been more than two years since Natasha’s Law came into force, but there’s evidence that many food businesses are still struggling to comply with it.

The law, known formally as the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019, means all businesses in England that produce pre-packaged for direct sale (PPDS) food to customers on site must label food clearly with information on potential allergens present. These need to stand out so a customer can tell at a glance what they’re about to eat.

A 2023 study carried out by Erudus, the market leading source of accurate allergy, nutritional and technical product data, found that more than half (54%) of 116 PPDS products sampled still failed to meet the requirements by accurately declaring the presence of allergen ingredients on the labels.

The report also revealed the most common reasons for noncompliance in the sample. In a quarter of cases, no information at all had been placed on the packet, a third failed to list ingredients, two fifths didn’t emphasise allergens and a third featured illegible information.

Incorrectly labelled PPDS can not only put customers’ safety at risk, but those who don’t comply also face the possibility of large fines of £5,000 per instance and reputational damage, with longer-lasting consequences for customer numbers.

THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB

One way to achieve compliance with Natasha’s Law reliably and efficiently is by adapting your labelling processes.

Small businesses have historically opted to handwrite their labels, but these are time-consuming and risk poor legibility.

Pre-printed labels from an external supplier is one alternative, but can lack flexibility and prove costly as any changes or additions to a product’s ingredients will mean ordering a new run of labels and potentially throwing away unwanted bulk-printed batches.

An on-site printing solution avoids these issues.

To help business of all sizes comply efficiently, integrated packages are available that bundle a label printer with easy-touse menu-management software. These make it simple to keep your labels up to date as you make changes to your menu, and multi-site solutions are available for those businesses with more than one outlet.

If you’re looking for a compliant labelling solution, a Brother printer can help make it easy, whether as a standalone device or as part of a turnkey menu-management system from one of our partners.

To find out more, go to brother.co.uk/food-labelling

Chef's Buyer's Guide

Issue 216

CLH Digital

41

Elevate Your Catering Menu with Albert Bartlett Inspired by James Martin Range Introducing the new Albert Bartlett inspired by James Martin range, a chef's dream come true for elevating catering menus with convenience and high-quality ingredients.

This range celebrates the renowned quality and taste that has made Albert Bartlett a beloved homegrown brand in the UK.

LUXURY MASH: Crafted from single variety British Albert Bartlett Potatoes, this high-end restaurantquality mash offers a rich taste and silky-smooth texture that screams luxury. Packaged in 800g containers for portion control, it can be cooked from chilled or frozen without compromising on quality.

CLASSIC MASH:

CLASSIC FRIES: Experience the perfect taste and crunch with these classic fries made from British Albert Bartlett Original Rooster potatoes. Coated and fried to perfection, these gluten-free fries are consistently tasty and crispy, ideal as a classic side or as a base for additional flavors.

A New Oil Enters the Kitchen

This new oil is important because it has properties that will be of interest to professional cooks. It is high in Oleic Acid, also known as monounsaturated fat (Omega 9) which is also the main fat in Olive Oil.

Indulge in the ultimate chip experience with these chunky chips featuring a bespoke batter for the perfect crunch. Made from British grown Albert Bartlett Original Rooster potatoes, these chips lock in quality and freshness through freezing, providing a delightful side or a canvas for culinary innovation.

SWEET POTATO FRIES: Delight your customers with sweet potato fries coated in a unique batter that delivers a crispy outer layer and smooth sweet inner flesh. These fries offer a healthier alternative with the same attention to quality and freshness found across the Albert Bartlett range.

SKIN ON FRIES & TRIPLE COOKED CHIPS:

Made from British Albert Bartlett Potatoes, this high-quality mash is perfect for everyday meals. With the same convenient packaging and cooking versatility as the Luxury Mash, it serves as an excellent base for adding your own creative twist.

Although Sunflower oil is a popular and well-regarded oil, it has a cousin, ‘High Oleic’ Sunflower oil that is less well known and vastly different.

TRIPLE COOKED CHUNKY CHIPS:

Because the oil is strong, it means that even with a modest premium price, it saves money and waste, so you are effectively increasing the quality of your ingredients and cutting costs at the same time.

The oil is a great alternative to rapeseed as there are now calls to reduce the amount of Rape cropping as it is less sustainable than Sunflower crops, which are naturally resistant to insects and as a regenerative crop need less nitrogenous fertiliser. It is the most sustainable oil.

It is not just about health, though, High Oleic Sunflower Oil is particularly resistant to Oxidation (breakdown) and so will perform significantly more frying cycles in a busy kitchen.

Extensive trials have proven that the oil will outperform even a rugged Palm Oil and easily surpass a rapeseed or soya medium. It can also be filtered cold and more cycles mean less downtime for the friers.

High Oleic Sunflower Oil was once the preserve of food manufactures who prized the resilience of the oil, but it is now available wholesale from Flavoil, who introduced the oil to the UK trade and its distributors.

High Oleic oil is stable in high temperature cooking and has a high smoke point which degrades more slowly than cheaper oils.

For more information please feel free to contact Martin McHugh on martin.m@flavoil.co.uk . There is more information on www.flavoil.co.uk

For a rustic touch, try the Skin on Fries or Triple Cooked Chips made from British grown Albert Bartlett Original Rooster potatoes. The skin-on feature adds texture and flavour, while the triple cooking process ensures a perfect crunch and fluffy interior, ready to complement any dish on your catering menu.

Elevate your culinary offerings with Albert Bartlett inspired by James Martin range, where convenience meets quality to create unforgettable dining experiences for your customers.

See the advert on the facing page for details.

Fylde Fresh and Fabulous Established in 2005, Fylde Fresh and Fabulous has fast become one of the UK’s leading processed potato, vegetable, and chip suppliers thanks to our expertise in the field.

In those early days, the Fylde Fresh and Fabulous team recognised the lack of consistency in the supply chain for manufacturers and food service operators and addressed this issue by establishing a unique potato growing programme. The result from this was a high-quality product for customers that provided a platform on which Fylde Fresh and Fabulous could build for the future.

Powered by potatoes!

Processing over 1000 tonnes of vegetables each week, the peelings generated through this process are used in our very own bio-gas plant! Vegetable peelings, balanced with whole crop silage and animal manure, produce sufficient gas to generate up to 1800KWe per hour of both thermal heat and electricity. This energy is used to power and heat our Preston site with the remaining exported back to the National Grid supplying enough power to run over 1000 homes in the local community.

Triple FFF Chips remain at the heart of all we do.

Since the start of Fylde Fresh & Fabulous way back in 2005 we have supplied chip shops throughout the country with fresh chips and this supply remains very much at the heart of our business today.

We grow more than 15,000tn of potatoes each year and select the finest quality and best tasting, UK grown Red Tactor approved potatoes when producing our chips through our BRC accredited facilities. Every batch of Triple F Chips undergoes rigorous quality checks prior to leaving site, ensuing we offer consistent quality, tasty frying chips, day in day out.

Partnering with a broad network of distributors allows for us to supply you with our freshly prepared and cut chips, wherever you are in the UK. We have recently also made it even easier to order our chips having opened our own online shop to service customers in areas where we continue to expand our distributor network.

If you would be interested in finding out more about FFF, partnering with us as a distributor or would like to discuss your fresh chip requirements in more detail please contact our sales team directly on 0113 5136875/ sales@fyldefreshandfabulous.com /

Chef's Buyer's Guide Taking a Closer Look at Seafood in the Foodservice Sector 42

CLH Digital

Issue 216

as a cheaper substitute to takeaways. For many people, dining in at home has become the new ‘going out’.

In the ever-shifting seas of consumer spending, anyone involved in the selling of seafood can thrive from a better understanding of the current trends and market opportunities. Our latest report, ‘Fish and Chips in Foodservice’, looks at the insights we’ve uncovered based on data gathered over two years (to September 2023).

FISH AND CHIP SHOPS SUFFER AS SOCIAL EATING IS PRIORITISED On-premises dining remains important to people for the socialising opportunity it offers, with full-service restaurants seeing an overall traffic growth of 2.5%. Meanwhile, fish and chip shops have seen a significant dip in sales as consumers tighten their purse strings to cope with the cost of living.

The first step to changing or reacting to buying behaviour is knowing what drives customers. Our report on out-of-home seafood sales combines industry data with consumer surveys to reveal the bigger picture.

The headline news is that, despite declining fish and chip shop sales, overall fish and chip sales across total foodservice are recovering, with 1.1 million more servings in the last two years. While the cost-of-living crisis has had a dampening impact on the market, post-pandemic recovery continued steadily, slowing only in the most recent quarter (July to September 2023).

THE BIG TAKEAWAYS Foodservice equates to almost a third of the volume sales of seafood. Of that, fish and chip meals represent around 20% of all foodservice seafood consumption. In the two years analysed, 337 million servings of fish and chips were sold – a 0.3% increase on the previous two years.

OPPORTUNITIES IN FISH AND CHIPS – THE 5 ES 75% OF FISH AND CHIPS SERVINGS ARE TO ADULTS WITHOUT CHILDREN

1. Engage younger consumers to broaden the consumer base.

Fish and chips perform better in adult-only occasions, particularly in pubs and full-service restaurants where over 80% of servings are to adults without children.

2. Expand the buying window by finding ways to make fish and chips relevant throughout the week.

3. Embrace delivery services and app-based ordering, and explore digital loyalty schemes.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY DINNER REMAIN THE PEAK TIMES FOR FISH AND CHIPS

4. Explore opportunities to diversify with portable snacking options, or expand menus for fish and chip shops.

FISH AND CHIPS ARE MOST POPULAR WITH OLDER GENERATIONS

Saturdays are now the most popular day for fish and chips, with Fridays a close second. Together, they account for 43% of all fish and chips servings per week.

5. Emphasise value for money, promoting fish and chips as a delicious, filling and affordable meal option.

Despite under-50s representing 73% of the out-of-home total of food and drink servings, 59% of all fish and chips servings are to consumers over 50.

This skew is more apparent in pubs, where over 72% of fish and chips servings are to over-50s.

THE COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS IS REFLECTED IN A SHIFT FROM OUT-OF-HOME TO IN-HOME

In navigating the evolving landscape of the fish and chips market, businesses must be willing to adapt, innovate and strategically target emerging opportunities to ensure sustained success.

In line with the trading behaviours seen in foodservice, there’s been an increase in purchases of frozen fish and chips products from supermarkets

Want to dive deeper? Read the full report at www.seafish.org/insightand-research/seafood-in-foodservice-data-and-insight

Atlante: Excellence Beyond Borders; Exploring Flavours, Markets and Opportunities WHO IS ATLANTE? We develop, source, manage & distribute private label and branded food, wine & textiles.

We delight in connecting retailers in the UK and Ireland, with our fantastic network of regional Italian producers. Whether your needs lie in food service products, private label, import/export, or brand creation, we can help.

THE ATLANTE METHOD Our expert cross-functional team works on an end-to-end process basis with you, to develop tailor-made products for your specific requirements, from brief to basket.

Atlante is unique as we are neither an agent nor broker. We are a value-adding link between retailers and producers.

We are totally independent and do not represent producers so are able to use our expertise to identify the producers best suited to meet your needs.

We simplify the process and help you to do more with less and in in doing so, we save cost, we save time and we save effort.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND ATLANTE We are a dynamic and international team of professionals. We operate all over the world through a network of producers and our international staff. Our headquarters are located in Bologna, in the heart of the Italian Food Valley whilst a dedicated team is based in London supporting our UK customers and partners. We bring together the best of Italy and UK, whilst also working globally.

For all enquiries and to discuss your brief with us today, please contact: uksales@atlanteuk.co.uk Or check out our website here: www.atlanteuk.co.uk

Chef's Buyer's Guide Carpigiani Shares Recipe For Sweet Discover Bidfood's 2024 Food Success With New Soft Serve Consultancy and Drink Trends 44

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Carpigiani is the global leading manufacturer of soft serve, milkshake, gelato, and frozen drink machines. As industry leaders, we know best how to balance the science and art behind this colourful sector of food production, and we’re taking our services even further by providing exclusive insight and extra support that our customers deserve with our Soft Serve and Shake Consulting scheme.

Dessert specialists and business owners can get the recipe for sweet success with first-hand expertise from Carpigiani development chefs dishing up industry insights, flavour trends, menu development, and how to get the most out of the latest technology from soft serve and shake machines.

Our Carpigiani consultants will show you various techniques and accessory recommendations to help put tailored twists on your soft serve and shake products and explain how these ideas can be developed using different flavours, ingredients, textures, and colours to create a solid business strategy to help develop your dessert and drink menus. This brand-new initiative is set to leave attendees feeling confident and inspired to shake up their menus using insights from Carpigiani UK’s development chefs.

The Soft Serve and Shake Consultancy sessions focus on four key areas: machine configuration and settings, food style, machine-mix capability analysis, and operations management. This will cover everything from

great scope for chefs to be creative and have fun when planning their menus for 2024.

68% of consumers find British fusion appealing, with over a third (35%) feeling this is because it bridges the gap between the exciting flavours of global cuisines and the safer ground of familiar British classics . Try mixing up your Sunday roasts, English breakfasts and even desserts such as crumble with interesting global flavours.

As we see some welcome signs of spring, the eating out market is also showing evidence of green shoots, and we look forward to seeing consumer optimism and visits to the on-trade recover though the year.

understanding successful retail concepts to profitability targets and expected sales flow.

As all the Carpigiani machines are manufactured with the industry-leading and patented technology, Hard-oTronic - which consistently measures and adapts the mix consistency - as well as Carpigiani’s patented Hopper Agitation technology - ensuring the mix stays fresh without splitting - the four-hour sessions will explain and demonstrate how to best utilise these ground-breaking features to create a truly special and delicious product.

If you’re looking for new ideas, techniques, recipe inspiration, or the perfect machine for your business, the new Soft Serve and Shake Consultancy run by Carpigiani UK is most definitely for you!

The courses are £35+VAT and bookable on the website - www.carpigiani.co.uk/soft-serve-consultancy. Alternatively, please call Carpigiani UK Ltd. on 01432 346018 or see the advert on page 7.

Follow us @CarpigianiUK

LittlePod - The Campaign for Real Vanilla When LittlePod launched in 2010, we discovered that even some of the best chefs in the business did not realise that vanilla was the product of an orchid.

It became clear that there was a need to educate cooks about real vanilla, as opposed to the artificial alternatives that had become so prevalent.

This prompted us to initiate our Campaign for Real Vanilla – a mission that continues to this day.

Fourteen years later, having inspired countless professionals to keep it real in their kitchens, we are delighted that so many young people are using LittlePod products.

Educating future generations of chefs remains high on our agenda and at Colchester Institute, patisserie teacher Stephanie Conway is helping spread the word.

So how do we tempt them back and nurture spend with the right menus? To help hospitality businesses stay ahead of the curve, Bidfood have uncovered five key trends that are shaping consumer choices in 2024.

This year it’s all about creating a sense of adventure and providing consumers with the opportunity to try something new, as well as focusing on authenticity and provenance. Consumers also continue to be sustainability and health-focused, and these concerns are also influencing their choice of venue as well as food and drink. From interesting flavour pairings, to creative, playfully presented dishes, a twist on British cult-classics and an increased focus on health and wellbeing – this year’s trends are tipped to be more exciting than ever!

British Fusion is one of the trends which allows

To support with the unveiling of these trends, Bidfood has launched its 2024 interactive guide, designed to help operators navigate the changing market and consumer behaviours, adapt their menus and fully explore the latest cuisines and flavours taking hold of the industry. The report also comes with a range of useful support tools, including new additions to the trends video series, expanded web content, tasty new recipes and much more.

For a look at the trends and to download the interactive trends guide, head to their website: www.bidfood.co.uk/food-and-drink-trends-2024

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising “We have to teach these kids not just how to use vanilla, but also what it is, where it’s from and why it matters,” Stephanie said. “The ethical side is important and we must teach the students about sustainability. If we don’t, they’re not going to go into their own kitchens and educate their staff in the future.

“LittlePod is the only vanilla we use. We get through tubes and tubes of vanilla paste and we love it. The consistency is perfect and the tube is great. You can squeeze every last little bit out, which is something we always do here. I’m always stressing to the students that it’s important to use real ingredients and nothing is better than LittlePod.” Janet Sawyer MBE BEM, LittlePod’s founder and MD, has given numerous talks at the Michael Caines Academy, whilst Joe Mann, our former marketing manager, is now inspiring his students as Head of Food and Nutrition at Queen’s College in Taunton.

Joe brought his current cohort to LittlePod’s base in East Devon for last summer’s King’s Award for Enterprise presentation. With education still at the forefront, and with such enthusiastic advocates on board, we’re hopeful that the top chefs of the future will keep it real for years to come. www.LittlePod.co.uk or see the advert on page 30.

Cleaning and Hygiene Independent Kitchen Extract Cleanliness is Always Auditing Service Swiftclean, the nationwide-based air and water hygiene company, has recently launched its new Kitchen Extract Auditing service.

It has been developed primarily to support Facilities Management companies when they take on a new multi-site contract.

When a new facilities management team takes over the running of a new multi-site contract, they may, as part of that contract be required to make sure that the current specialist cleaner of the kitchen extract systems is carrying out the work to the required standard.

As a member of the BESA and the Ventilation Hygiene Elite Scheme, Swiftclean has the experience and qualifications to carry out these audits and ensure that they have been completed thoroughly and competently following the TR19® Grease specification. TR19® Grease is issued by the BESA (Building Engineering Services Association) and is widely accepted as the leading source of authority on

kitchen extract system hygiene.

Our audit reports include a summary of the overall condition of the extract system with photos. They will detail the grease thickness levels before and after the clean and, if there are any inaccessible areas, they will make recommendations as to how to resolve these issues.

More and more insurers are now insisting that systems are cleaned to the TR19® Grease specification. It is important for you to check your policy as there will be a possibility that you may not be paid out in the event of a fire if you cannot provide clear evidence of your compliance with TR19® Grease.

Swiftclean, as a member of the Vent Hygiene Register, is also a leading provider of expert cleaning for kitchen extract systems, routinely providing clients with compliant systems. www.swiftclean.co.uk See the advert on page 34 for details.

in Season

Practising good hygiene maintenance is crucial for creating a safe and sanitary environment for facility users in the hospitality sector. Consistently implementing proactive cleaning measures helps to reduce the need for intensive deep cleaning, allowing facilities managers to allocate resources more efficiently. By preventing the entry of dirt into the building, the accumulation of unwanted debris inside can be reduced by up to two thirds, maintaining high hygiene standards.

A key way businesses can ensure hygiene maintenance is upheld is through selecting the right product for the job. The Kärcher Puzzi 8/1 spray extraction cleaner is a product that is renowned for its exceptional cleaning performance and efficiency. This compact machine effectively sprays cleaning solution deep into textile fibres, dislodging dirt which is then swiftly removed through back suction. Its rapid drying capability ensures that tex-

tile surfaces can be promptly reused helping to increase efficiently and decrease safety risks.

For facilities prioritising operational efficiency, steam cleaners like the SG 4/2 Steam Cleaner from Kärcher, offer a compelling solution. Featuring onboard water tanks designed for continuous operation, these steam cleaners minimise downtime, enabling cleaning teams to work uninterrupted for extended periods.

In today’s environment where businesses face increased scrutiny regarding cleanliness and hygiene, all venues must show close attention to their cleaning practices. From product selection to staff training and investment, prioritising hygiene is essential for achieving business success. Kärcher Professional allows facilities to prioritise cleaning and hygiene with high performance efficiency with a vast range of products available. www.kaercher.com/uk

46

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Cleaning and Hygiene Reckitt Pro Solutions are Proud to Be Offering Exceptional Cleaning and Hygiene Solutions for Stronger Businesses at Interclean 2024 Reckitt Pro Solutions are proud to be presenting at Interclean 2024 (14-17th May) and will be bringing their portfolio of internationally recognised cleaning and hygiene brands to Stand 403 in Hall 11.

Reckitt Pro Solutions will be bringing the latest research results, information and best practices for cleaning and hygiene in commercial spaces and demonstrating the role efficient and effective products have in helping create cleaning and hygiene protocols that support stronger businesses.

Jonathan Weiss, Commercial Director for Global Business Solutions EUANZ at Reckitt Pro Solutions, shared his excitement for the event and the opportunities that it presents: “Interclean is one of the most significant dates in the calendar, and it presents an opportunity for us to deliver the latest hygiene research and thinking as well as talk to businesses about the cleaning needs of their spaces along

with the hygiene needs of staff and customers.”

“In addition to our VIP lunch workshop, we will be at stand 403 consulting with attendees and discussing how to strengthen businesses through efficient and effective hygiene and cleaning protocols. At the stand, Reckitt Pro Solutions will be demonstrating how their exceptional hygiene solutions help create stronger businesses.”

Alongside Dettol and Sagrotan the Finish Professional range will also be a key focus. Specifically formulated for professional dishwashers. The Air Wick range will also be on the stand at Interclean 2024. Products on show will include newer additions such as the award-winning Air Wick 24/7 Active Fresh which is the brand’s first aerosolfree, automatic air freshener and has a 95% naturally derived formula free from dyes and propellants.

See the advert on the facing page for further information or please visit uk.reckittpros.com.

Better Cleaning Means Better Productivity For Hotel Managers

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

In some service industries, cleaning is a necessary byproduct of other activity.

However, for hotel managers, it is part of what makes your front-of-house impression, from your foyer to your bar, restaurants and rooms. In any case, good hygiene takes time and resource to get right. But can better cleaning lead to better productivity?

The simple answer is yes - by investing time in creating better cleaning practices, and equipment, you can keep staff moving forward throughout the workday to reduce lost time. For example, Tork Xpress® Multifold hand towel refills are 50% compressed, enabling dispensers to hold twice as many towels to serve twice as many customers before requiring a refill. With a simple upgrade, you can save your staff time refilling and save

valuable time for your end user. This improves the overall efficiency of the business to help you offer the best possible experience to guests. Additionally, by designing the hand towel dispensers to only provide one towel at a time, Tork is helping to reduce waste, so businesses get more from less and reduce environmental impact.

For hotel managers, maintaining a clean space for guests is pivotal, and can be the difference between a guest returning or not. Furthermore, with social media and public reviews becoming ever more commonplace, hygiene is a key factor in ensuring the hotel’s reputation is upheld.

For more information on our hygiene solutions, visit www.tork.co.uk

48

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Products and Services

A Real 90s Classic: Nostalgic RTD Returns to Pubs and Bars Already available in a variety of independent venues across the UK, the RTD is readily accessible for listing in on-trade stockists, as well as wholesalers Global Brands, the leading independent ready-to-drink expert, has announced the relaunch of its popular 90s RTD, Reef.

Already available in independents pubs and bars across the UK, the unique alcoholic orange and passionfruit juice drink is now accessible to on-trade for stocking, as well as wholesalers.

Perfect for summer sharing occasions and with an ABV of 3.4%, Reef combines a real fruit juice base with vodka, for a taste like no other; juicy, tropical and still chill. It is set to be marketed as the ultimate nostalgic RTD beverage, stirring up memories of good times and carefree days and nights.

Originally introduced in 1998, Reef quickly became a fixture in bars, offering a refreshing blend of orange and passionfruit that captured the spirit of the 1990s. For the last 4 years, Reef has been the top-selling brand on online retailer Goodtimein.co.uk. and now after a hiatus, Reef returns to the ontrade with a refreshed design, while retaining its classic flavour profile.

Jacob Barrett, Brand Manager at Reef, said “We’re seeing the impact that 90s culture is having for today’s consumer, especially with the growth of our iconic Hooch brand. We feel that Reef is perfectly

placed to join the nostalgia revolution and bring its chilled vibes to venues up and down the country.

“It’s still the same great product that everyone knows and loves, but now at 3.4% ABV, to make the drink more sessionable, and ideal for summer drinking occasions.”

To drive further interest from stockists, Global Brands will execute an extensive marketing strategy to support Reef, utilising tactics including PR, social media and digital marketing activity, in a bid to land a major national on-trade listing.

Marketing Director at Global Brands, Matthew Bulcroft commented “Convenience alone is not enough to entice customers, they're also seeking an experience when they’re out drinking. Reef offers a unique proposition that resonates with consumers' memories of carefree summers and vibrant social gatherings in the 90s. We aim to amplify Reef's presence in the on-trade sector, ensuring that bars recognise the value it brings to their RTD offering.”

Global Brand’s wider portfolio of RTD’s includes VK, Frankin & Sons, be., Hooch, All Shook Up, Shake Baby Shake, Kick Energy, Lustre, Amigos Tequila Beer and TAKE Tequila.

For enquiries regarding Reef's availability and stocking opportunities, please visit: https://globalbrands.co.uk/contact/

Summer’s Coming – Time For Espresso On The Go! The range and number of outdoors activities is constantly developing and mobile coffee is evolving and growing to meet the demands of the outdoors consumer in a really big way!

venture with the perfect solution for their specific requirements. Operating from LPG – in the form of regular barbeque gas bottles - and a 12v battery, connected through an inverter to the machine to power the pump and electronic control system, these innovative models ensure full mobility and the opportunity to serve coffee in the remotest of locations!

Fracino manufacture one of the most powerful LPG powered espresso machines range available. Our BSI Kitemark accreditation – the only espresso machine manufacturer worldwide with this prestigious endorsement - reinforces the commitment to quality and durability; ensuring that you’re making a solid and astute investment.

Back at base, the same machine can then be connected to a mains power and water supply and, without any technical work required, become a standard, electric powered machine again! Ingenious!

The trend and enthusiasm for enjoying great coffee in the outdoors appears to have really caught on – and many artisan roasters are now using the concept for sharing their unique talents for creating amazing coffees and taking them to the places that people meet for leisure activities. This gives plenty of opportunity in a relaxed environment to share their knowledge and fantastic flavours to multiple new customers.

Durable construction from high quality stainless steel, the Fracino Dual Fuel models are robust and strong to ensure they can handle the rougher treatment of moving around the roads and fields their owners take them to.

Where there’s people, the motto is becoming, ‘serve great coffee – and make money’!

With such a wide range of Dual Fuel models available, Fracino provide every new

Check out the range at www.fracino.com or contact us for more details at sales@fracino.com

CLEAN Do The Workwear, So You Can Do The Work

garments whenever your team need them. By renting with CLEAN, you can avoid upfront purchase costs, spread the payments over your contract, and ensure quality and care with every wash. Delivery is free, and there are no hidden charges; contracts even include repairs. Each item of clothing can be branded and tailored to the wearer with logos and embroidery. Their managed service prevents issues compiling when supplying your team with work clothes; a convenient locker valet service helps distribute and store uniforms, and they tackle minor repairs early to extend the service life of a uniform. Ultimately, this avoids costly replacements wherever possible as it reduces uniform losses, and uniforms only need replacing when a repair is not safe or cost-effective.

CLEAN Linen & Workwear are one of the UK's most trusted laundry companies. They supply tailored workwear solutions provided by real people. Their comprehensive laundry network means they can service customers throughout England and Wales, providing chefswear, workwear and linen rental services.

Whether you operate from a single-site hotel, pub or restaurant or have multiple locations, CLEAN can tailor a workwear rental solution to suit your business requirements. They offer a range of functional, non-restrictive, breathable chef clothing perfect for the modern commercial kitchen, ensuring that your people look smart and are comfortable, boosting their confidence and productivity. They offer various uniform options to support the entire kitchen brigade, from Executive Chefs to Kitchen Porters.

With CLEAN's workwear rental and laundry service, business owners can focus on what matters most — running their business — while CLEAN takes care of the rest.

With their workwear rental service, you can say goodbye to the hassle of purchasing, storing, and maintaining chef and kitchen uniforms. Instead, enjoy the convenience of a hassle-free rental system that provides freshly laundered

Unlocking Sustainability With Hot Water Sustainability shouldn’t be difficult. But, with ever present energy demands leisure and hospitality organisations are potentially significant contributor to UK carbon emissions.

However, as a sector, it has been one of the first to lead the charge in sustainable practices. Activities such as responsible sourcing of ingredients through local suppliers has become a familiar activity for many businesses, defining a brand and encouraging engagement from new customers who are increasingly aware of, and seeking to participate in collaboration with brands which empower them to make eco-conscious choices more easily.

The existence of such sustainable culture is particularly advantageous when addressing the more challenging technical challenges of addressing sustainability within our buildings. Water heating – which alone can account for anywhere up to 30% of overall daily energy demands – is inherently more complex and expensive in the commercial sector as regulations are more exacting to ensure the safety of staff and customer alike.

Addressing the sustainability of inherently business-critical water heating is the most straight-forward and therefore cost-effective way to unlock energy savings. Working as a ‘closed system’ water heating is easier to upgrade without major structural changes, the focus being on

the plant room storage and heat sources, whether gas, or preferably electric and renewables in the shape of air source heat pumps (ASHP) and/or solar thermal. The renewables are deployed in a hybrid approach to provide low carbon pre-heat, reduce the energy demands on gas or more expensive electric, offsetting operational costs, reducing carbon emissions, and as a bonus avoiding costly scale buildup in hard water areas.

A well-designed water heating system will actively meet demands when required, minimising flow and return to avoid waste energy. When combined with hot water conservation efforts which can include low-flow showerheads or tap aerators, there is a real opportunity to cut wasteful energy demands from a daily service supply. Such practical responses are eminently repeatable and very demonstrable, enabling capital investment in sustainability to be clearly communicated to both staff and customers, building trust and attracting the environmentally conscious.

Adveco can help your sustainability strategy with hot water system metering, design and supply to maximise investment and minimise buildings works. www.adveco.co or see the advert on page 9.

See the advert on page 9 for details.

To find out more: www.cleanservices.co.uk or see the advert on page 3.

New Tools for the Professional Ale Keeper A brand-new integrated range of products for cooling and keeping ales is being offered by seasoned ‘ale engineers’ Filton Brewery Products. A newly developed and patented cask cooler beats all records for speed and efficiency in cooling real ales, working in tandem with a modular and rather neat piping system, which makes use of standard fittings from the likes of Wickes or Screwfix, Filton can ensure precise service temperatures are delivered and at around only 10wh per cask, the Spile Probe is a serious contributor to the decarbonisation effort.

“The new range closes a long standing, industry wide weakness, in the products offered to those wanting a reliable and professional system for cooling and serving cask ales in out-of-cellar situations, typically back bar dispense or beer festivals. But this system goes much further, learning from the days before cellar cooling and applying modern technologies. There’s huge potential for energy and cost savings in the cellar, without any significant change to normal service routines”.

For more info call 01323 847386 or email sales@filton.net. www.filton.net or see the advert on page 5.

Kitchen Equipment and Fit-Out

Issue 216

CLH Digital

MEIKO Announces 38% Less Water, Detergent, Rinse Aid and 21% Less Energy Consumption on Upster Rack Transport Dishwashers “Meiko already leads the market in terms of sustainability for rack transport dishwashing," says Meiko UK MD Paul Anderson, "and Meiko has once again stunned the market by announcing massive savings on energy and water, which could not have come at a better time for UK caterers.”

Meiko previously announced in 2023 running cost savings of up to 21% for its new MiClean undercounter dishwashers!

‘Maximising productivity with minimal staff’ is our theme – ask us how a re-design can help boost productivity.’

• Up to 21%* energy and up to 38%* water can be saved, (* compared to the previous model KM 280) thus reducing operating costs.

The UPster K range is what Meiko calls its ‘restaurant’ dishwasher because UPster provides top-quality cleaning with minimum space requirements. The theme of this year's HRC stand is helping caterers combat staff shortages. Meiko's dishwashing specialists explain how using sound design, ergonomics, and clever accessories such as

tabling and sorting stations are vital to maximising productivity with minimal staff.

UPster K comes in a choice of lengths giving caterers precisely the dishwashing capacity needed, from 120 racks per hour to 150, 190 and 210.

There is maximum flexibility for dishwash design because UPster K can take a variety of shapes using powered exit and entry curves, tabling and sorting racking.

Heat recovery systems come free with UPster K because they are built in at the factory. Given sufficient air changes, no direct exhaust air connection is usually required because heat recovery effectively manages air quality.

Award-winning customer service includes commissioning always by Meiko.

At a time when operators are looking for guaranteed hygiene, combined with maximum economy and improvement to staff working conditions – the steamfree UPster machines provide the most sustainable rack transport choice.

Mobile Kitchens Ltd specialises in the hire of temporary catering facilities and foodservice equipment.

Ideal for events or to provide temporary catering facilities during your kitchen refurbishment, our versatile units and equipment offer an efficient and economical solution to the caterers’ needs.

Production Kitchens, Preparation Kitchens, Ware-washing Units, Dry Store Units, Cold Rooms and Restaurant Units are available as individual units in their own right or they can be linked together on site to form a complete complex.

Alternatively, we can offer modular, open-plan facilities, usually for larger, longer-term hires.

We offer a free design service, and project management from concept through to delivery and installation on site, plus full technical support throughout the hire period.

So, if you’re planning a refurbishment or need to cater for an event then why not give us a call and we’ll be happy to provide advice and put forward a competitive proposal.

For further information or to arrange a site visit, email: sales@mk-hire.co.uk or call us on 0345 812 0800, or visit our website: www.mk-hire.co.uk

Temporary Catering Facilities

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

49

50

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Kitchen Equipment and Fit-Out

Fridge Seals Direct Fridge Seals Direct proud to be UK's no1 supplier of replacement fridge and freezer seals. We fabricate for a wide variety of commercial fridge & freezers.

The management team at Fridge Seals Direct have over 30 years of experience in the refrigeration industry and have each spent many of those years installing gaskets and hardware for a range of styles, brands and sizes of fridges.

From restaurant kitchens to food warehouses - we have experience in dealing with fridge & freezers of all sizes and scales. To learn more about fridge seals, be sure to explore our range of extensive guides on how to replace a refrigerator door seals. Otherwise, find your specific guides in how to identify, measure, install or maintain your fridge or freezer door seal.

Our reputation in the industry along with our commitment to providing a high-quality gasket without having to buy from the factory allows us to have competitive pricing and fast turnaround time.

Try us out, order your door gaskets from us and discover a better way to do business. We are here to help you. www.fridgesealsdirect.co.uk

Hot Wastewater Pumping – The Caterquip Ventilation Problems and the Solutions!

Caterquip Ventilation Ltd is proud to be celebrating their 23rd Anniversary this year.

Reliability is absolutely essential for busy commercial kitchens. This is especially true when pumping hot wastewater from equipment such as pasta boilers, glasswashers, dishwashers, combi ovens and even sinks with Zip taps.

The Problem: While all wastewater pumping systems utilise submersible pumps, these are generally only designed for pumping wastewater at nominal temperatures of 35°C.

The Solution: For wastewater coming from a system that regularly discharges hot wastewater, a submersible pump rated for continuous use is therefore essential.

Over many years of testing and development, one range of pumps has become the benchmark for reliable hot wastewater pumping. These are the Jung Pumpen 730HES (10m closed valve), or for higher discharge requirements, the 1030HES (12.5m closed valve).

Due to their internal shaft seal design, specification and choice of construction materials these pumps are reliably rated for continuous operation at 90°C, meaning that they are specifically designed for hot wastewater.

These unique pumps can be used as part of an automatic hot wastewater pumping system and a number of different floor mounted tank designs and options are available.

These include the Pump Technology Ltd, DrainMajor (pictured) for single pump specification or, if a twin duty standby pumping system is required, the DrainMajor Duo and DrainKing.

The automatic start stop is controlled by the pump’s own large, triangular, low-level float, which is external to the pump body and attached via a rigid float arm. This design ensures accurate and reliable operation, even when the incoming flow is turbulent or contains debris that could tangle or block conventual lead or tube float systems.

More assistance and technical advice is always freely available from the experienced Pump Technology Ltd team, who will ensure that the correct pumping system to meet the required discharge pumping parameters is specified for any application.

This Warwick based company offers nationwide coverage for all your commercial catering needs: free site surveys, quotations and designs (CAD), quality bespoke and standard fabrications, specialist knowledge of catering ventilation systems including input air, odour reduction (carbon filtration and ESP) and sound attenuation. Affiliated members of Constructionline and CHAS, Caterquip Ventilation have a strong hold in the marketplace often advising industry professionals on ventilation systems to a DW172 specification & BSEN:6173.

They have strong relationships with all leading kitchen equipment suppliers, and they offer a kitchen design service to help you build your ideal kitchen.

Projects undertaken have included Olympic Villages, Basildon Hospital, The Mitre Hotel at Hampton Court, The Truck Stop at Anglesey, The Lodge at Old

Hunstanton, Colleges, Schools, Hotels, Restaurants and Public Houses. They ensure their systems are compliant with the current guidelines whilst maintaining an efficient and dynamic facility.

With extensive knowledge of manufacturing and installing ventilation systems, they can help you design the best kitchen within the space available.

Call: 01926 887167, visit: www.caterquipventilation.co.uk, email: info@caterquipventilation.co.uk

Kitchen Equipment and Fit-Out

Issue 216

CLH Digital

51

Blue Seal Fryers and Oil Filtration

By David Chesshire, National Accounts Manager, Blue Seal (www.blue-seal.co.uk) Operators should consider when purchasing a fryer and their oil, the oil capacity against production rate, burner efficiency and recovery rate, as well as a true cool zone in gas fryers to help prolong the oil life. Blue Seal V ray Gas Fryers are our premium fryer and burner system, which come at a higher price compared to some competitors’ gas models. However the fuel efficiency, cost saving, performance and stainless steel high build quality far out way the additional initial cost to the operator.

Blue Seal produce high performance thermostatic controlled gas & electric fryers. Our Evolution range gas fryers GT60, GT46 & GT45 have a premium feature benefit of all using our patented “V’Ray” burner system. This system uses infra-red technology radiating the heat into the tank, only heating the area of oil the baskets are sitting in. This promotes incredibly fast recovery rates, high efficiency for limited fuel consumption provides a true cool zone in conjunction with the specially shaped tank. The true cool zone prevents crumb and food debris that drops below the batter plates from continuous cooking and carbonising,

which in turn helps prevent the degrading of oil quality. This all achieves considerable cost saving for the operator with fuel and oil, as well as time efficiency, producing the finished products.

Blue Seal also offer an additional Filtration units that give a fantastic solution to improving oil life, have great mobility and space saving features as well as powerful pumps & full stainless steel construction.

Moisture, fatty acids and food residue contaminate cooking oil, spoiling fried food taste and causing the oil to smoke. Blue Seal Filtamax removes impurities, quickly and effectively, maintaining consistent high cooking quality and considerable extension of oil life.

The Carbon Pads remove sub-micron particles down to 0.5 microns – this is 100 times smaller than a grain of sand. Daily filtering of fryer oil using carbon filters can massively increase the life span of the oil creating large cost savings and create more consistent finish and taste to the food product.

Rational iVario by CEE

You can boil, fry and deep-fry with just a single cooking system. Up to 4 times as fast and with up to 40% less energy. The iVario thus replaces numerous conventional kitchen appliances. Such as the stove, pots, pans, deep-fat fryers, pressure cookers and bainmarie. And in the restaurant, it is impossible to imagine the mise en place and à la carte without it.

Use the iVario to blanch, deep fry or confit effortlessly and in no time. Thanks to the powerful heating system iVarioBoost, the oil is heated in record time and you can start deep-frying immediately. At the same time, the temperature is regulated so sensitively

Evolution Fryers and Filter Units

The Premium Fryer and Burner System The ultimate solution for any catering establishment, perfect for pubs, hotels, restaurants, cafes and much more.

and precisely, that even meat, fish or vegetables can be prepared using the confit method.

Call For the best prices in the UK on 01902 495634.

• Be ready for your inspections

www.blue-seal.co.uk Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

Rational iVario by CEE

• Damaged fridge seals are unhygienic • Make your fridge more energy efficient with a good seal on your fridge • We provide custom seals for cold rooms, discontinued models, and units with no identification information

Boil, fry and deep-fry with just a single cooking system

• Next-day delivery service • Discounted prices on large orders

WhatsApp, phone, and email support

07936807320 sales@fridgesealsdirect.co.uk

fridgesealsdirect.co.uk

52

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Kitchen Equipment and Fit-Out

Get a Grip on Food Prep with the new Onyx from Williams Sharp new design makes it easier than ever to keep your prep station clean Williams has launched the latest versions of its Onyx prep stations, with a sleek new look complementing the innovative features under the hood that deliver energy efficient performance and ensure food safety.

The Onyx prep station combines refrigerated storage beneath a worktop with refrigerated food wells on top – these provide instant access to regularly used fresh ingredients. The wells are ergonomically designed to be at the ideal working height and are positioned within easy reach for the chef.

The latest model combines practicality and good looks, with newly designed doors made from solid stainless steel featuring full-width integral door handles.

These provide an easy to use, non-slip grab while being quick to clean, with no dirt traps. The generously sized work area makes the Onyx ideal for creating a range of foods including pizza, sandwiches, tapas, salad and desserts. Meanwhile the base of the unit has also been redesigned with a flatter surface, making it easier to install, transport and service.

The storage cabinets are designed to hold 1/1GN pans and the Onyx range is available in a choice of sizes, from the compact, space saving two door model up to the large, 1043 litre capacity, five door version. The ingredient wells are capable of holding a selection of 1/3 and 1/6 GN pans, up to four 1/3 pans on the two door model, with the five door model taking twelve, or up to 24 1/6 GN pans.

The system maintains temperature in the ingredient wells in two ways. Pans are cooled from beneath, and a curtain of cool air is blown over the top of the food. A honeycomb shaped air guide directs the air curtain straight down across the product, minimising air loss into the environment, and concentrating cold air in the pans. This maintains an internal temperature of 4°C, by keeping warm kitchen air away from the ingredients. After passing over the ingredient wells cold air is drawn back into the Onyx, where energy is recycled helping to reduce power consumption.

Energy efficiency is further improved by EC (Electrically Commutated) brushless fans, which allow for precise control with reduced power consumption. The new Onyx range uses natural hydrocarbon refrigerant which, as well as having low GWP/zero ODP, offers excellent thermodynamic properties which further reduce energy usage.

Capable of operating in ambient conditions up to 43°C and constructed from sturdy, food safe stainless steel, the Onyx comes with a lift-off cover to allow ingredients to be stored overnight, and removable, easy to clean crumb catchers. A choice of customisation options is available, including drawers, a hinged lid, granite worktop, and a polypropylene chopping board.

Williams Refrigeration offers a comprehensive range of commercial refrigeration including gastronorm cabinets and counters, specialist bakery equipment, coldrooms, multidecks and blast chillers.

To learn more about Williams extensive product range visit www.williams-refrigeration.co.uk.

Porkka - A Wide Range of Solutions to Meet Your Needs Porkka is a leading Finnish manufacturer of high quality, energy efficient refrigeration, Cold -rooms & hot-holding equipment and have been supplying high quality solutions to the UK commercial catering industry, education, medical & marine sectors for many years. Porkka UK has its headquarters in Binfield Berkshire, from where wo operate a wide network of dealers and installation partners. Porkka maintains a large stock of spare parts in Binfield for next day delivery country wide.

We have recently taken steps to enhance our spare parts business by launching a Web-Store for 4/7 access to our extensive spare parts list.

Contact Porkka today to see how we can work together for a brighter, more efficient future.

Known throughout the world for their reliability, longevity & energy efficiency, Porkka cabinets, counters,

www.porkkawebshop.co.uk

modular cold rooms & ice makers are designed and manufactured to the highest standards to withstand the demands of the commercial catering environment.

Porkka manufacture a wide range of standard refrigerated products, and, importantly, we can design and build bespoke solutions for any application from HORECA to Pharma. These capabilities, allied with our unique patented cam-locked PIR solution have seen the Porkka Group go from strength to strength.

Hospitality Technology Address F&B Profitability Before It Takes You Under, says Guestline Profitability in food and beverage (F&B) dropped by over 30% in the last five years. In 2018, hotels’ F&B profit margin stood at an average of 32% according to STR, but fast-forward five years and it stands at 22%.

Consumer behaviour and attitudes to F&B have shifted since the pandemic, with some outlets struggling to keep pace. Revenue leaks in hospitality F&B are varied, including food waste, overstaffing, and no-shows or - even worse - an increase in ‘dine and dash’. Operating with increasingly tight margins, hotels simply cannot support loss-making business units; action needs to be taken now to address the falling profitability in F&B. F&B teams need to ditch time-consuming, inefficient paper-based procedures for automated and digital processes including: prompts to upsell products and customise orders; maintain inventory management with real-time stock updates; process bills from the POS to the PMS; and, waitlist management to handle walk-ins and no-shows to minimise lost revenue.

Gala Technology / SOTpay Gala Technology is a leading name in payment solutions and cloud-based innovation, committed to transforming the hospitality industry through technology, and has recently added Oracle Opera Cloud capabilities to its growing suite of integration options.

By using data, hotels can improve revenue, identify customer preferences and shape menus and promotions to fit guest profiles. By using intelligent forecasting to respond to market changes, F&B profitability will improve.

Working with a fully-integrated PMS, POS and procurement platform, hotels can automatically bill in-house guests; better understand restaurant performance; assess inventory to work with high-profit margin items; and streamline menus to manage the supply chain. Savings in procurement go straight to the bottom line of your F&B department.

Guestline supports its customers with integrated solutions to drive excellence in customer experience, finance, and operations, promoting sustained business growth with impactful commercial data at its core.

Contact Guestline on +44 (0) 1743 282300 and https://www.guestline.com/ to discuss how you can improve the overall financial health of your business.

These key features mean that every booking is safe and secure, with easy deposit-accepting processes reducing the potential for no-shows, and that all hospitality businesses can meet their guests and patrons on their own preferred platforms to provide a superior customer experience.

SOTpay can offer additional financial benefits for any business that implements it for accepting distance payments, including lower transaction fees due to increased security.

Gala Technology’s SOTpay payment solution helps pubs, hotels and restaurants to boost direct advance bookings, by enabling secure payments by telephone without the added security risks of the customer reading their card details over the phone, especially when customers are more cautious over their personal data than ever before.

The user-friendly platform requires no hardware for deployment in any business. It can be seamlessly integrated with accountancy software Xero and Quickbooks, offers international payment acceptance and is now available on the Oracle Opera Cloud Marketplace.

The link-based process offers payment convenience across all channels, including email, SMS texting, live web chat and social media channels, and provides enhanced customer service with its digital wallet compatibility.

To book a free consultation with Gala Technology’s team of payment industry experts and elevate your booking numbers, visit www.sotpay.co.uk or call 01709 911661 now.

Empower your hospitality business with the SOTpay payment platform, by Gala Technology.

54

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Hospitality Technology

Facilities Maintenance Visibility, Cost Notts County FC's Fan Experience Control and Improved Compliance Transformed with the Help of MCR Systems Ostara Systems focuses on helping clients manage maintenance costs, especially in the F&B and Hotel sectors with clients such as Whitbread and Admiral Taverns.

The Ostara System establishes a culture of paying for completed work using automatic cost calculations based on contractor rates and time on-site. The Ostara Mobile App validates engineers' attendances to sites, while proprietary Bluetooth technology can replace QR codes for more accurate data.

Further cost control options include replacing fixed cost quotes with estimates based on agreed rates, time, parts, and miscellaneous costs, acting as a ceiling for costs rather than a fixed amount. This then works alongside the check-in and time on site processes cited earlier, resulting in the client only paying for actual time spent and parts used.

Customizable authorisation rules allow for flexible approval processes, based on a range of conditions. At all authorisation statuses there is functionality for spend value comparison to a budget.

However, it is clear to Ostara that it is not just client expenditure that proves costly, but also administrative labour. An automated invoice validation process reduces invoice review time, while legislative compliance reporting identifies actual compliance levels and PPM needs, based on what clients should have, not just what they have.

Ostara's also has a built-in auditing process that allows clients to audit invoices based on specific criteria and sample size.

Finally, one of the key applications and benefits of a CAFM system is client ‘buy-in’ to the process and world of maintenance. Ostara’s self-service portal and mobile app enhance client involvement and job information capture, improving the maintenance process. All work order information can be captured, including all email chases and notes, resulting in clear job history in one place.

Contact us on: +44(0)844 880 2582 info@ostarasystems.com www.ostarasystems.com

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

In football, it's not only about the game; it's about creating a memorable experience for fans.

That's why clubs are continuously seeking ways to enhance matchday experience by reducing queues and providing more options for their supporters.

Notts County FC adopted an innovative strategy to achieve this by installing a new bar inside a repurposed shipping container at their Meadow Lane stadium, with the aim of improving fan experience and boosting matchday revenue.

To ensure seamless operations and efficient transactions at the new bar, Notts County turned to MCR Systems, a leading provider of EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) solutions.

INSTALLING A WINNING SOLUTION MCR Systems swiftly responded to Notts County's needs by installing eight cutting-edge EPOS terminals with the new bar. These state-of-the-art terminals were equipped with interactive media screens and integrated payment devices, providing a robust solution to manage the bustling crowds during home games.

MCR Systems conducted thorough training sessions

Preventing Dine & Dash with CardsSafe

®

It's a good idea to hold customers' bank cards securely while they run a tab to ensure they don't make off with payment. The hospitality industry has been plagued with dine-and-dash since the cost-of-living crisis. A few bad apples leaving a bar, pub or restaurant without paying can cost the venue hundreds if not thousands of pounds every year.

Too many dine-and-dash cases are being reported, but simple, affordable solutions exist. Hospitality managers shouldn't worry about dine-and-dash. The good news is that CardsSafe is a genuine deterrent for walkouts because the venues securely store cards.

with the club's team to ensure a seamless transition and help the team maximise the functionality of the new system.

Notts County FC Nets Immediate Results The installation had an immediate and practical effect. Fans enjoyed shorter wait times and quicker transactions, significantly improving their matchday experience.

Encouraged by these positive outcomes, Notts County FC decided to take further steps to enhance their matchday offerings by expanding their partnership with MCR Systems.

Notts County ordered an additional ten terminals from MCR Systems for two new sections in the away end of Meadow Lane. These terminals were operational just in time for the Boxing Day fixture against Doncaster Rovers, further enhancing the stadium's amenities and revenue potential.

MCR Systems T: 0116 299 7000 E: enquiries@mcr-systems.co.uk www.mcr-systems.co.uk See the advert on the back cover

Deers Hut pub in Liphook, Hampshire, first came to CardsSafe in 2013 to seek help with a large volume of indoor and outdoor customers' bar tabs. One of the main motivations for utilising CardsSafe was to stay on top of where their customers sat outside. Deborah Steel, the Director, told us, "The CardsSafe system is great for servicing customers who enjoy our outdoor areas."

Over 5,000 venues in the UK use CardsSafe. The system is used by Young's pubs, golf courses, Hilton Hotels, Lord's Cricket Ground, and many independent restaurants and bars in the hospitality industry.

CardsSafe is affordable, too. Each unit, containing ten card drawers, costs just £9.95 per month. So, just one £120* walkout is the cost of a 10-card CardsSafe unit for an entire year. In addition, each hire comes with customer service troubleshooting and free replacement keys, and additional units can be added at any time.

The question is, can you afford not to have CardsSafe as a part of your business?

For more information, please visit www.cardssafe.com or contact the sales team on 0845 500 1040 *Plus a sign-up fee of £39.95 (plus VAT) for new customers.

Castra Solutions - Wired and Wireless Solutions Attention all hospitality business owners! Are you tired of dealing with poor WiFi that's costing you positive reviews and customer satisfaction? It's time to take control and enhance your venue's connectivity with Castra Solutions at your side. Our team specializes in providing tailored Hospitality WiFi solutions, IT Support, and cutting-edge cybersecurity services that are designed to elevate your business to new heights.

Picture this: a seamless WiFi experience that not only meets but exceeds your expectations. We recommend that you say goodbye to outdated captive portals and hello to alternative data capture methods that will keep both you and your customers smiling. Our vendor-agnostic approach means we focus on finding the perfect solutions for your unique business needs, maximising your ROI every step of the way.

Don't let technology hurdles hold you back from achieving success. Join forces with Castra Solutions and let our experienced IT support team and cybersecurity experts safeguard your business while enhancing your customer's experience.

Our team is dedicated to providing personalised support that caters to your every need. From seamless connectivity solutions to proactive cybersecurity measures, we are committed to helping your hospitality business thrive in the digital age.

Let Castra Solutions be your trusted partner in

leveraging technology to its fullest potential, ensuring a secure and efficient operation that leaves both your staff and customers impressed. Say goodbye to connectivity woes and hello to a future-proof IT infrastructure that sets you apart from the competition. Elevate your hospitality business with Castra Solutions today!

Reach out to us to schedule a consultation and witness firsthand how Castra Solutions can revolutionise the way technology empowers your hospitality business. Embrace the future of connectivity with Castra Solutions by your side! hello@castrasolutions.co.uk 0300 124 5005 See the advert on page 2 for details.

56

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Outdoor Spaces

Banners are an Exceptionally Effective Tool for Drawing Crowds into Your Pub 6. CAPITALISE ON LOCAL PRIDE

Banners are an exceptionally effective tool for drawing crowds into your pub for sporting events, turning a regular night into a bustling hotspot of fan excitement and camaraderie. Here's how creatively leveraging banners can significantly boost your pub's appeal and bring in sports enthusiasts:

If your pub is in a city with a local team, use pub banners to show your support for the home team during their games. Local pride is a powerful draw, and showcasing your pub as a supportive hub for the community can significantly boost patronage.

1. PROMOTE UPCOMING GAMES WITH VIBRANCY

7. SOCIAL MEDIA TIE-INS

Use large, colourful banners outside your pub to announce upcoming sporting events. These banners can highlight key matches, special game-day discounts, or viewing parties. With bold graphics and the logos of competing teams, you'll not only capture the attention of passersby but also ignite the spirit of rivalry and anticipation.

Use banners to promote your pub’s social media hashtags or handles, encouraging patrons to share their game-day experiences online. This not only increases your pub's visibility but also creates a digital community of fans who frequent your establishment.

2. CREATE A THEMED ATMOSPHERE

8. ANNOUNCE POST-GAME ENTERTAINMENT

Inside the pub, banners can transform the space to reflect the fervour of the games. Hang banners of the teams playing in the upcoming matches to create a themed environment that resonates with fans. This visual appeal can make your pub the go-to place for fans looking for an immersive gamewatching experience.

4. ENCOURAGE FAN ENGAGEMENT Encourage patrons to wear their team's colours by promoting a "Best Dressed Fan" contest on banners. This not only increases engagement but also fosters a lively, competitive atmosphere, making your pub an exciting place to be during major sporting events.

3. HIGHLIGHT SPECIAL OFFERS AND PROMOTIONS

5. USE BANNERS FOR DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGE

Custom banners can effectively advertise special promotions, such as discounted drinks or game-day menus, exclusive to sporting event nights.

Placing these banners strategically at the entrance or within high-visibility areas in the pub can entice sports fans to choose your venue over others.

For larger venues, banners can serve as effective directional signage, guiding guests to specific areas set up for watching the games. This can include different sections for fans of competing teams, enhancing the overall experience by catering to the tribal nature of sports fandom.

Create a Cohesive Indoor and Outdoor Look

Having a cohesive indoor and outdoor look is a great way of encouraging your guests to make the most out of your outdoor space this summer. It ensures that all areas of your establishment are welcoming to your customers and helps you to create a recognisable brand.

Woodberry knows that your outdoor areas can look just as good and work just as hard as your indoor areas. So, here are some top tips on creating a cohesive, stylish, and hardworking establishment.

USE SIMILAR COLOUR SCHEMES & MATERIALS Using similar colour schemes and materials throughout your establishment will help you create that cohesive look. It will also help you to attract the right type of customers to your business which is great if you’re hoping to bring in people that will want to come back time and time again.

INVEST IN A SHELTER There are multiple ways you can use a shelter to elevate your outdoor space. You could use it to extend your indoors out by placing it next to your building or create a freestanding shelter for a separate event space.

USE FURNITURE SUITABLE FOR INDOOR AND OUTDOOR USE Indoor outdoor furniture can offer you a higher level of flexibility as you can move your furniture in or out depending on where you need it most

Attract patrons to stay longer or come in after the game by using banners to advertise post-game entertainment, such as live music, karaoke, or a DJ. This can turn game day into an all-night event, increasing your sales and patron satisfaction.

Implementing these strategies with banners not only elevates the gamewatching experience but also solidifies your pub's reputation as the ultimate destination for sporting events. By visually communicating excitement, offering, and community, banners can significantly influence sports fans' choice of venue, ensuring your pub is their first pick for enjoying the game.

Check out the online Banner Library at www.hfe-signs.co.uk for promotional ideas for your pub! while giving you a cohesive look. The best furniture for this would be pedestal tables and chairs.

However, if you wanted a cohesive look without the need for flexibility you can invest in similar furniture throughout. Woodberry’s Discovery and Gabion ranges are great for this as they have indoor and outdoor versions of the products within the ranges, and they are as sturdy as they are stylish.

If you need have any questions regarding shelters or indoor-outdoor furniture the Woodberry team are happy to help: Call 01926 889922 Email mail@woodberry.co.uk

Café Culture - Pavement Profit

We create appealing and comfortable outdoor seating areas for your clients supplying everything required including:-

• planters with real or faux plants • cafe banners and restaurant screens • lighting • heating • classic neon signage • parasols installed and repaired • lenticular bladed roofed shelters • tables and chairs Our hardy planters are built to order using rot proof artificial wood planks. This unique material is not only

completely waterproof but is formed from UK factory waste plastics and materials that would otherwise have gone into landfill.

They will last you countless years and are a genuine recyled investment.

From our workshops in Kent we deliver UK wide and are happy to visit and survey your site to to discuss your needs and prepare a drawing and quotation outlining what could be done, all within your available budgets.

We firmly believe the better you look on the outside, the more customers will come to the inside so contact us on 01733 559437 or sales@cafeculture.biz

Domestic & Trade Handmade Garden Furniture From MG Timber The UK outdoor furniture market is heavily influenced by changes in weather conditions, with consumers more likely to purchase picnic benches during periods of good weather. MG Timber specialise in the manufacturing and supply of highquality wooden picnic tables.

Their picnic tables are made from high-grade timber and are designed to withstand the harsh outdoor elements.

Whether you’re a restaurant seeking to enhance the cosy ambiance of your outside space with a high-quality dining set. A hotel wanting to revive your garden with a premium picnic table or a pub landlord aiming to elevate your beer garden with an impressive selection of pub benches and wheelchair accessible picnic tables. MG Timber are the garden furniture suppliers

for you.

Crafted from the finest Swedish Redwood, each piece is expertly pressure treated to ensure longevity and protect against the elements. Renowned for their robustness, our treated wooden outdoor furniture is designed to withstand the unpredictable British weather, making them a reliable choice for any catering and licensing industry outdoor space.

For full details about our vast array of top-quality outdoor picnic benches for sale contact us today. We are also offering up to 15% off on commercial orders, please visit our website www.mgtimberproductsltd.co.uk or call us on 01902 953166. See the advert on the front cover.

Outdoor Spaces

Issue 216

CLH Digital

Cinders ‘Classic’ Barbecue The Cinders ‘Classic’ barbecue has exceeded customers’ expectations for decades, due to its unique, patented design. It easily cooks 1000 burgers in one session but being a true workhorse is not its only selling point. Robust, reliable and low-maintenance are just three adjectives to describe a barbecue whose repair costs are typically non-existent over long periods, generating a healthy ROI for many years.

The Cinders ‘Classic’ comes as a six-foot long double grill (TG160), or a half-sized single grill (SG80), with both running on LPG and offering incredible food output for the price of the energy used. The user-friendly grills are easy-to-light and powerful, getting up to temperature in around five minutes, to quickly feed a queue or facilitate an impromptu pop-up barbecue if great weather arrives.

Cinders’ production values are impressive - not only offering a warranty for commercial use, unlike cheap

Gala Tent

Since 1999, the family-owned Gala Tent has supplied robust event shelters to hospitality businesses for many purposes. From pop-up gazebos covering smoking areas and patio benches to commercial quality marquees large enough to cover an entire beer garden, Gala Tent supplies them all.

POP-UP GAZEBOS With five models available to suit your budget, the Gala Shade Pro Gazebo range is renowned as the tent that stays standing when inferior products crumble in poor weather. The UV-protected, highly water-resistant PVC-coated polyester covers are available in 12 colours and can be printed to incorporate your business logos and information.

Perfect for: Patios and Smoking Shelters COMMERCIAL MARQUEES

imported barbecues, but also built to ISO 9001:2015 standards.

The barbecues have internal self-cleaning too, removing the odious chore of post-barbecue cleandown. The grill merely needs to be left running for a few minutes to burn off residue, which is then brushed away or ejected.

Once cool, the Classic can be folded down and easily stored away.

To discover more call 01524 262900 or www.cindersbarbecues.co.uk

Incorporating patent-protected framework components and industry-leading cover materials, the Gala Tent marquee is available in sizes from 3m x 2m up to 6m x 24 in two distinct cover materials. Each marquee comes with 3 door options at either end, plus privacy blinds in each windowed side wall.

Perfect for: Large beer gardens and outdoor eating spaces CLEARSPAN MARQUEES The Gala Tent Fusion marquee range uses industrial strength T6061 aluminium and 650gsm wipe-clean PVC covers, providing cover for anything from 120 to 500 customers and beyond. The modular design means that the Fusion can be reduced in size to suit the occasion, or extended as you choose.

Perfect for: Private functions and very large beer garden spaces All Gala Tent structures come with warranties up to 5 years, with spare parts available quickly in the case of accidental damage.

To cover your venue’s outdoor space with a seriously strong temporary structure from Gala Tent, no matter what the size, just call 01709 242454 or visit www.galatent.co.uk.

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

57

58

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Outdoor Spaces

Old Smokey – The BIG Pit Like No Other!

Our passion is creating the best Barbecue, Smokin’ and Grillin’ Experience.

Old Smokey – The BIG Pit Like No Other!

If you need a point of difference that delivers high levels of taste & expert professionalism with a truly unique talking point – whether bespoke large scale celebration events, iconic street food delivery at a festival or food focused market or indeed special corporate day tailoring all aspects of your needs day Old Smokey is your operator.

Our team is made up of highly experienced chefs who put flavour and fun customer focused service first!

With a 6ft long smoking chamber and a 2.5ft square Parrilla style grill to cook and lock in BIG flavours, Old Smokey sits on a Tri Axle Trailer that gives presence and the most incredible wow factor.

So, if your event demands and craves “Slow & Low” smoked Classic Americana moist Brisket, sticky Burnt Ends, tender sweet pulled Pork and you need seared flashed cooked steaks, burgers and smoky charred loaded dogs -our imposing 12ft “stand on and cook” rig is for you.

Old Smokey is based in the Derbyshire Peak District, but we are more than happy to discuss travel & supporting events that need our skill and one of a kind atmosphere in further afield locations.

Contact us to make your event super special: @oldsmokeyofficial e-mail andrewdaniels321@gmail.com Mob 07842680653

"Can We Sit Outside Please?"

Our passion is creating the best barbecue and smoked food for weddings, corporate events and private events. @oldsmokeyofficial andrewdaniels321@gmail.com | 07842680653 www.oldsmokey.co.uk

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

Over 79% of UK diners have attested that they would spend more time and money in a restaurant if they incorporated outdoor dining.

parasol could provide a profit contribution of £57.6k per annum, which is a welcome statistic in these economically trying times.

Integrating outdoor dining into your establishment is a no brainer decision especially when you consider the al fresco movement across the UK and return on investment opportunities.

What’s more, our zero deposit leasing options allow for payments to be spread over 2-5 years.

The maths is simple; seating 16 people under a 4m x 4m parasol, at an average spend of £12.50 per head equals £200. If you were to turn these 3 times a day that would equal £600. If we multiply that by a realistic 4 days of the week, you’re looking at £2400 or £9,600 a month! Multiply that by 12 and your revenue would increase by £115k per annum.

Assuming 50% gross margin, the investment of 1

So taking a 4mt X 4mt parasol with a moveable base, import, delivery and fitting, the monthly payment over 36 months would be £184.09 or the weekly equivalent of £42.98. As such, your potential R.O.I. massively outweighs this no deposit figure.

What are you waiting for?!

01352 740164 www.indigoawnings.co.uk enquiries@indigoawnings.co.uk

Outdoor Spaces Leading the Way in Table Numbers & QR Code Labels Brunel Engraving proudly stands as the UK's foremost supplier of table numbers and QR code labels, catering to the evolving needs of the hospitality sector.

With a commitment to excellence and innovation, we offer swift and efficient solutions to enhance the dining experience for both establishments and their patrons.

Our investment in cutting-edge equipment and software underscores our dedication to meeting the increasing demand for personalised table numbers and QR code discs. These meticulously crafted items serve as invaluable tools for modern establishments, seamlessly integrating technology into their service offerings.

By utilizing our table numbers and QR code labels, businesses can streamline operations and elevate customer satisfaction. Guests can effortlessly access menus, promotions, and other pertinent information with a simple scan, eliminating the need for physical menus and expediting the ordering process.

At Brunel Engraving, quality is paramount. Our ISO9001 accreditation ensures that every product meets

stringent standards of excellence, reflecting our unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction.

Our reputation for reliability and superior craftsmanship is further underscored by the continuous stream of 5-star ratings we receive on Trustpilot.

In addition to our signature rotary engraving, we offer a comprehensive suite of printing and engraving techniques, including laser engraving, chemical etching, and various printing methods. This diverse range of capabilities allows us to cater to the unique needs of each client, delivering tailored solutions that exceed expectations.

From large blue-chip chains to local privately owned establishments, our table numbers and QR code labels can be seen installed across the UK. Join countless satisfied clients in experiencing the Brunel Engraving difference. Contact us today to learn how our solutions can transform your establishment's operations and elevate your guest experience.

T: 01275 871 720 E: info@brunelengraving.co.uk

New Stock Chair Ranges from ILF www.ilfchairs.com email terry.kirk@ilfchairs.com With the continuing success of the ILF Chairs website, 2023 has seen an increase in their STOCK chairs to 11 ranges available in different Faux and Velvet upholstery and selection of frame colours, plus a 12 colour STOCK range of Egger laminated 25mm table tops in a selection of sizes and colour finishes. A full range of table bases in metal and stainless steel are also kept in STOCK. In addition, ILF now also have a comprehensive range of STOCK outdoor seating and tables to suit all budgets plus real wood table tops and real wood table bases for indoor use.

More STOCK ranges coming soon please check the website.

Their online website offers both indoor and outdoor

seating and table solutions.

Divided into Contemporary seating, Boutique, Lounge Seating, Period Seating, Outdoor seating and tables plus Indoor Dining & Coffee height wood tables, creating a great selection of products to view at your leisure.

Most made to order indoor seating and indoor wooden table bases and tops can be finished to any customer specification. Outdoor items offer a variety of colours within the same product style.

Enquiries can be sent to ILF directly from the website and they will reply within 24 hours. ILF hope you will enjoy the experience of viewing their easy to navigate website and they look forward to helping clients get the best products for their hospitality site.

Issue 216

CLH Digital

59

60

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Outdoor Spaces Catering Equipment Ltd Catering Equipment Ltd are the authorised UK Distributor for the range of Kängabox thermoboxes that keep items Hot or Cold. Kängabox is a revolutionary new high density EPP series of containers in which hot or cold items can be transported with an average temperature loss of less than 1°C plus or minus per hour within a temperature range of -40°C to +120°C. Kängaboxes are available in a range of capacities and attractive colours. Kängabox are available in eight different designs and four different depths. The various gastronorm, pizza, ice cream and euro norm formats are available.

Our Transport Boxes perfect for keeping food HOT or COLD whether delivering food, running an event or managing extra food production in the Kitchen.

Comprehensive product details can be found on our

website www.kangaboxuk.com.

We are also leading suppliers of European manufactured Stainless Steel items such as Sinks, Gastronorms, Accessories and other products.

In addition Catering Equipment Ltd are also the UK's largest specialist supplier of European manufactured gastronorm containers, ice cream containers, sinks, hand wash and restaurant equipment. See our extensive range of products on our website clickonstore.net.

Catering Equipment Ltd are a family firm that has been trading for almost 30 years. Our commitment is to our customers you are the most important people in our business.

Our promise is that you can count on Catering Equipment Ltd to help you and that our team will do their utmost to ensure that dealing with us is a pleasant and worthwhile experience. Call the team on 0121 773 2228 now.

Recycled Plastic Furniture same product and up to 15%, the more bought the more saved for exceptional value. We believe we are the most competitive in the market.

LeisureBench Ltd, is proud to announce its new RECYCLED PLASTIC FURNITURE manufacturing facility.

Made from 100% recycled plastic, our new ranges are designed and manufactured at our new premises in Granthan using the latest technology.

From picnic tables to planters, the growing range of products are ergonomically designed for the commercial sector at affordable prices and most items come with a 25-year construction guarantee.

Introducing our new stylish side chairs available in several colours, they are both comfortable, and at a starting price of just £99.45 +vat in black, they represent excellent value for money.

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

Our new website has automated muti-buy discounting. Discounts start at 5% for as little as two of the

Our in-house design team can design bespoke products for our clients and no job is too big or too small.

Customer service is key to our success.

We welcome visitors to our factory showroom at Old Wharf Road, Grantham, Notts, NG31 7AA. LeisureBench W: www.leisurebench.co.uk TEL: 01949 862920 We all want to see less plastic waste, our products are not only made from recycled plastic but are also 100% recyclable, future proofing sustainability.

Sustainable Furniture

Sustainable Furniture is a Cornish family run business headed by Margaret Larson. The company founded in 2007 comes from Margaret’s many years of experience in furniture retail combined with a love for all things Sustainable. Margaret started with a vision to exclusively sell products that are ethically and sustainable sourced. Ensuring that throughout the supply chain, from sourcing of timber right through to delivery in the UK, that every aspect of the business is conducted in the most ethical of ways.

Seeing obvious shortfalls, Margaret set about to readdress the balance with Sustainable Furniture. Utilising her large knowledge of the industry she went about procuring products sourced from forestry protected by commissions. These commissions prevent illegal logging from occurring, whilst ensuring re-plantation does. Logging when undertaken happens in an eco-manner using techniques such as thinning to promote growth of the trees around it. We also support the removal of the roots of

Outdoor Spaces

Issue 216

CLH Digital

trees from previously illegally logged ground so that replantation can occur, an essential undertaking to create reusable ground. Incidentally, these now form our teak root tables.

Sustainability means more than just supporting the timber supply chain; we also support the local communities to which this trade is their only source of income. We ensure fair pay and equitable wages for these communities to allow them to flourish.

Closer to home in the UK we also support Cornish manufacture from local sawmills using timber sustainably sourced from Devon and Cornwall, certified woodlands.

All our products be they indoor or outdoor are built to last. This means that the investment in timber is not for a loss. All our products are manufactured using traditional, tried, and tested methods which will ensure longevity, meaning less replacement and less timber needs to be used. www.sustainable-furniture.co.uk vicky@sustainable-furniture.co.uk 01726 884123/07878 851693

Increase Your Revenue with a Commercial Shading Solution The battle for customers is tougher than ever, but with recent research suggesting 40% find the pub garden their Ultimate Happy Place, now is the time to make the most of your outdoor space and turn it into a haven for customers and a true talking point.

Whether it’s covering a terrace bar, expanding your seating area or providing a truly unique standalone outdoor experience, our commercial awnings and Louvred roof systems can create a unique feature for your business and add not just a significant WOW factor, but an area to be used again and again.

At Roché we offer award-winning retractable wallmounted and freestanding awnings from leading German manufacturers Markilux and Weinor, as well as the stunning Louvred Roof systems from both Renson and Weinor. Our team of experts have over 20 years’ experience in advising businesses on the right shading solution to suit a variety of outdoor spaces, and can help you maximise potential revenue by increasing

usable floorspace, both kerbside and in any garden areas you may have.

All our products are made-to-measure and completely customisable to meet your exact requirements, with powder coated frames in a range of RAL colours and hundreds of weather-resistant fabrics to choose from.

Take advantage of accessories such as lights and infa-red heaters to create a desirable location for customers to relax and be comfortable while they enjoy evening meals or drinks. For an added wow-factor you can add signwriting to help reinforce your brand and drive people into your premises who may have otherwise walked by without noticing.

Our teams of engineers and surveyors are based nationwide and use their experience to ensure each installation is completed to an extremely high standard.

Call us on 0800 060 8844 to arrange a free site survey or visit www.rocheawnings.com

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

61

62

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Design and Refit

Warner Contract Furniture This year, Warner Contract Furniture, a North-West-based contract furniture supplier, celebrates 10 years of providing highquality commercial contract furniture to leisure and hospitality businesses across the UK.

Over the past decade, Warner Contract Furniture has collaborated with our customers & suppliers to deliver top-notch contract furniture at competitive prices. We have built a loyal and trusting client base, setting the stage for continued exceptional service in the years to come.

All commercial furniture from Warner Contract Furniture is meticulously tested to ensure maximum safety and commercial compliance. This commitment to quality allows clients to have peace of mind knowing that their commercial furniture meets industry safety standards and is designed to stand the test of time.

Whether you are planning a refurbishment or need

quick replacements, Warner ContractFurn iture's expert team can help you find the right furniture.

You can shop online for readymade commercial furniture to match your aesthetic or contactthe team for a completely bespoke order.

Offering a fully customisable service, Warner Contract Furniture ensures clients receive the perfect furniture solutions for their hospitality or leisure spaces.

Contact Warner Contract Furniture Today If you're searching for a reliable contract furniture supplier or planning a refurbishment and need support with commercial furniture, reach out to Warner Contract Furniture.

Call 0161 408 2390, email the team at sales@warnercontractfurniture.co.uk, or browse their extensive range of commercial furniture at www.warnercontractfurniture.co.uk.

ReFurnishUs Is Your Go-To Source for HighQuality Contract Furniture at Unbeatable Prices!

In the competitive landscape of the hospitality industry, finding reliable suppliers for high-quality contract furniture at competitive prices is essential for businesses aiming to optimise their budgets without compromising on quality. Enter ReFurnishUs, a leading provider in the field, dedicated to meeting the diverse furnishing needs of hospitality venues across the UK, from small independents to larger chains.

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

At RefurnishUs, we pride ourselves on our commitment to offering a wide range of premium commercial furniture from table tops and bases to an extensive outdoor collection that will guarantee to refresh any space. With hundreds of products in stock readily available for fast delivery, we ensure a seamless and efficient process, allowing businesses to furnish their establishments promptly and without hassle.

Our promise goes beyond mere price matching – we

go the extra mile by beating any like-for-like quote provided by our competitors, ensuring our clients receive the best value for their investment. In addition to unbeatable prices, we prioritise customer satisfaction, offering a no-quibble return and replacement service in the rare event of any issues.

Our commercial-grade furniture, sourced from reputable suppliers with extensive industry experience, is rigorously tested and certified to meet Crib 5 fire regulations, providing peace of mind to our clients. With RefurnishUs, businesses can rest assured that they are investing in furniture that not only meets their functional needs, but also their budget requirements.

Contact us today to discuss how we can beat any like-for like quote and discover how we can help with all your furnishing needs. www.refurnishus.com

Design and Refit

Issue 216

CLH Digital

Celebrating 39 Years of Illumination Excellence: The Lightique Journey In 1985, David Smith, along with two esteemed business associates, embarked on a mission to redefine the lighting industry. David, a seasoned electrical contractor serving the commercial sector, grew increasingly dissatisfied with the subpar quality and delayed deliveries from suppliers. Determined to set a new standard, he founded Lightique Limited.

From its humble beginnings, Lightique swiftly gained recognition for its unwavering commitment to quality and reliability. The company’s initial focus on a small yet comprehensive range soon garnered acclaim.

As fashion trends evolved over the next five years, so did Lightique. David, ever attuned to the pulse of innovation, steered the company towards expansion and adaptation. It was during this period that his sons, Gary and Neil, joined the ranks of the company. Through rigorous apprenticeships under their father’s mentorship, they ascended through the ranks to become joint managing directors.

Today, as Lightique marks 39 years of illuminating

excellence, we reflect on the journey that brought us here. Our success story is not merely one of growth and expansion but a testament to the enduring partnerships we’ve cultivated with our most cherished asset: our customers.

As Neil and Gary lead Lightique into the future, they carry forward the legacy of their father’s vision, built on sturdy foundations and fueled by the trust and loyalty of our valued clients. The Lightique saga continues, driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence and a steadfast commitment to serving your lighting needs.

Join us as we illuminate the path ahead, guided by innovation, quality, and a profound appreciation for our customers. Together, let’s script the next chapter of the Lightique legacy—a tale of brilliance, forged in the glow of shared success Check out our website www.lightique.com to see some examples of what we can do. Or drop us an email sales@lightique.com with your enquiry and we will do our best to help!

Experience the perfect blend of style, functionality, and innovation. Discover our collection

Mayfair Furniture Mayfair Furniture will be celebrating 12 years this year of providing the UK’s fastest and affordable commercial furniture. Supplying all kinds of establishments from high end hotel chains to small local takeaways.

We keep in stock a huge variety of items ready for immediate dispatch, and can fulfil a wide range of bespoke orders. We deliver to all areas of the UK, Ireland & Europe.

We are not just a supplier; we understand that from time to time hospitality and leisure establishments like to give themselves a fresh new look. That's why not only do we supply contract furniture, but when it's time for your establishment to go through a refur-

ILLUMINATE YOUR WORLD WITH LIGHTIQUE LTD. today and let us brighten up your space in ways you never thought possible.

With over 39 years of experience of manufacturing and supplying the pub restaurant and hotel industry we have something for everyone. We understand the how important it is to supply on time and within budget.

bishment we also offer a complete clearance service.

We'll organise everything from a suitable time and date, professional clearance staff to remove contract furniture whether fitted or unfitted. Along with our sister company Caterfair who provides commercial catering equipment for your kitchens we are the ideal people to speak to when you are looking to refurbish.

01733 310115 sales@mayfairfurniture.co.uk www.mayfairfurniture.co.uk

Check out our website www.lightique.com to see some examples of what we can do. Or drop us an email sales@lightique.com with your enquiry and we will do our best to help!

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

63

64

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Design and Refit

MST Auctioneers Ltd Need to Increase Footfall? Our Custom MST AUCTIONEERS Ltd specialise in handling & auctioning a wide variety of goods.

We act for Insolvency Practitioners, Receivers, Bailiffs and Solicitors as well as large PLCs. We are members of The National Association of Auctioneers and Valuers (NAVA).

For the past 25 years, we've provided a unique disposal service tailored to suit, liquidators, banks, receivers as well as private and corporate vendors. We carry out probate valuations and conduct complete house and commercial clearances.

We have the largest Auction venue in the South of England. Our regular monthly Auctions occupy 45,000 sq.ft. of undercover space, selling over 2500 lots from 3 rostrums over two days.

Made Quality Furniture Could Help!

Have you recently taken over premises, just fancy a change or need to replace your tired old fixed seating and fixtures? At Drakes, we can help you realise your dreams with our bespoke furniture design service.

Every week we build new tailor-made furniture up and down the UK, working with owners to come up with design concepts for fixed seating, booths and even bars and fixtures. We can take ideas from you, or your interior designer, or we can design something ourselves, all done efficiently, with professional quality and on time within budget.

We also hold regular Auctions ”On Site” and "On Line"

Our service provides a unique opportunity to make your establishment stand out from others and add additional comfort for your customers.

See advert on this page for further details.

ABOUT DRAKES BAR FURNITURE We have been providing bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes,

clubs, and hotels with high-quality furniture and fixtures for decades. We employ over 15 joiners, upholsterers, polishers and designers who are capable of installing fixed seating and bespoke joinery, new bars and full refurbishments, or simply making stools for the front of the bar, or providing quality tables that last. Our dedicated team are either time-served officially trained craftsmen or externally based professionals.

FREE QUOTE AND PROFESSIONAL ADVICE Got you interested? We are available for a chat Monday – Thursday: 9.00 am > 4.00 pm and Friday: 9.00 am > 12.00 pm on 01422 839 690. If you prefer, email us at sales@askdrake.com, and of course please visit our website www.askdrake.com to see some of our range and past work. We are also available on Facebook and Instagram, just search for Drakes Bar Furniture and give us a follow!

Welcome The Crowds With Flexible Furniture On Fast Delivery Trent Furniture have a great range of chairs that can be delivered to you in super quick time. Available in brown or grey easy-to-clean faux leather, the retro looks and high back of the Bremen Chair means it’s as at home amongst the traditional dark wood and leather of a traditional pub as it is in a modern bar.

Alternatively, the Hamburg Chair offers comfortable and flexible seating in vintage grey or vintage brown, with its generous proportions and stylish fluted back. Or why not opt for the always popular Bella Chair, based on the iconic Tolix design and available in a large choice of colours ranging from mint green to silver?

Thanks to its French café origins, Bella is stackable too!

Poseur Tables are also a great bet if you want to create more space for your

customers, and many of these are also available on short lead times. The simple clean lines of the Chrome Pyramid Poseur Table means it offers ultimate leg room for those sitting around it and is super easy to clean. Alternatively, the Alma Aluminium Poseur Table provides the ultimate in lightweight flexibility for use indoors or out.

And don’t forget our wide range of stacking tables such as the Square Stacking Table can also be delivered to you quickly when you need to cater for crowds.

To find out more about these items and the other great furniture we currently have available on fast delivery (in as little as 2-3 days on some products), please call us on 01162 864911 or fill in our contact form at www.trentfurniture.co.uk

Design and Refit

Issue 216

CLH Digital

also fits the style of the space. They offer furniture for receptions, including reception desks as well as seating, tables and chairs for lounges or dining rooms and restaurants, bar stools, and furniture for use in individual hotel rooms or suites. They also offer items for staff areas, including lockers.

Rosehill Furnishings Group are proud to have a longstanding history within the furniture industry. It’s their unique history and knowledge of the market which sets them apart from the rest. They’re committed to quality, and their standards have continued to excel over the last 40 years.

The expert team at Rosehill understand the market and can tailor your order to suit your exact requirements. With over four decades experience in the industry, you can feel at ease knowing that you’re in safe hands. They take pride in the quality products they supply which are built to last, while also being great value for money.

Their products and designs are inspired by innovation using only the best quality materials and trends. Rosehill have an extensive supply chain, meaning you can use them as a one-stop shop for all areas of your Hotel or Hospitality Venue. Whatever you are looking for, they can find, with very competitive pricing.

Knowing this market, their experience means they understand the usage you will like have and the importance of having durable and comfortable seating, which

Their furniture is available in a variety of styles and is designed and manufactured with the appropriate contact testing for hospitality venues. Many of the made-to-order products have a huge selection of customisations too.

Browse their wide range of furniture for your lounge, dining room, conference space, reception, bedroom or staff area online at www.rosehill.co.uk, or call 0161 485 1717 to discuss your requirements with their helpful sales team.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK “Excellent customer service from start to finish, delivery on time as chosen, good delivery company and good packaging. Very pleased with the chairs ordered and the condition they arrived in.”

“The service from everyone at Rosehill has been excellent. From our initial enquiry, through the process of choosing the best chairs for our use, helping to meet our particular requirements, and the delivery on schedule that went exactly to plan.”

“The chairs are being admired greatly and we look forward to using them for many years to come.”

For further information contact: 0161 485 1717, sales@rosehill.co.uk or www.rosehill.co.uk

Restaurant Furniture Store

Restaurant Furniture Store, the leading UK supplier offering a wide selection of affordable and high-quality indoor and outdoor restaurant furniture. Whether you're searching for restaurant chairs, tables, table tops, or table bases, we have the perfect options to suit your needs. Our extensive range caters to various styles, from classic to contemporary, ensuring that you find furniture that complements your establishment's aesthetic. We understand the importance of affordability and good value, which is why our collection offers competitive prices without compromising on quality.

With thousands of products in stock, including faux leather restaurant chairs and laminate table tops, we are well-prepared to meet your immediate requirements. We take pride in our commitment to next-day delivery, ensuring that you receive your furniture

promptly. And here's the best part: we offer FREE delivery to enhance your experience, making it even more convenient for you to furnish your space.

At Restaurant Furniture Store, customer satisfaction is our top priority. We strive to create a collaborative environment where we work together to bring your vision to life. With our reliable and durable products, we offer a warranty to ensure your peace of mind.

Whether you're furnishing cafes, hotels, bistros, bars, or restaurants, we have the furniture solutions you need. Browse our online store, take advantage of our next-day delivery, and enjoy the convenience of purchasing in-stock items or personalised made-to-order pieces.

Visit www.restaurantfurniturestore.co.uk

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

65

66

CLH Digital

Issue 216

Design and Refit

Service So Good You’ll Fall Off Your Seat... Take A Look For Yourself!

At Nobis, we understand that exceptional service is the cornerstone of any successful business. That's why we go above and beyond to ensure your satisfaction every step of the way.

Whether you're browsing our extensive collection online or reaching out to our dedicated sales team, you can expect nothing but the best.

Need assistance selecting the perfect pieces for your restaurant or hospitality establishment? Our knowledgeable staff are here to help! With years of industry experience, we can provide expert guidance to help you make informed decisions that meet your specific needs and budget.

Experience Nobis Restaurant Furniture today and discover why our customers keep coming back for more.

From the initial consultation to the final delivery, we prioritise your satisfaction above all else. Our dedica-

tion to service doesn't end after your purchase – we're here to support you every step of the way, ensuring a seamless experience from start to finish.

Whether you're outfitting a cosy café or a bustling restaurant, trust Nobis Restaurant Furniture to deliver exceptional quality and service that exceeds your expectations. Shop now and elevate your space with furniture that's as remarkable as your establishment.

But don't just take our word for it – see for yourself! Visit www.nobisrestaurantfurniture.com to explore our range of high-quality furniture options or reach out to us directly at sales@nobisfurniture.com or 01733 342 372.

Experience service so good, you'll fall off your seat – in the best way possible.’

New Stock Chair Ranges from ILF www.ilfchairs.com email terry.kirk@ilfchairs.com

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

With the continuing success of the ILF Chairs website, 2023 has seen an increase in their STOCK chairs to 11 ranges available in different Faux and Velvet upholstery and selection of frame colours, plus a 12 colour STOCK range of Egger laminated 25mm table tops in a selection of sizes and colour finishes. A full range of table bases in metal and stainless steel are also kept in STOCK. In addition, ILF now also have a comprehensive range of STOCK outdoor seating and tables to suit all budgets plus real wood table tops and real wood table bases for indoor use.

More STOCK ranges coming soon please check the website.

Their online website offers both indoor and outdoor

seating and table solutions.

Divided into Contemporary seating, Boutique, Lounge Seating, Period Seating, Outdoor seating and tables plus Indoor Dining & Coffee height wood tables, creating a great selection of products to view at your leisure.

Most made to order indoor seating and indoor wooden table bases and tops can be finished to any customer specification. Outdoor items offer a variety of colours within the same product style.

Enquiries can be sent to ILF directly from the website and they will reply within 24 hours. ILF hope you will enjoy the experience of viewing their easy to navigate website and they look forward to helping clients get the best products for their hospitality site.

Property and Professional

OakNorth Completes First PanEuropean Deal with £22m Loan to Sticks n Sushi to Support its Growth equity firm, McWin Capital Partners. McWin is a sector specialist with stakes in a number of chains, including: Gail’s Bakery, Popeyes, Big Mamma, Vapiano, and Burger King Germany to name a few.

Founded in 1994, Sticks n Sushi is a restaurant group specialising in sushi and yakitori, with 27 restaurants across Denmark, the UK, and Germany; The group has recently been acquired by McWin Capital Partners, which focusses on the food service and food technology sectors; With OakNorth’s and McWin’s support, the restaurant group will continue to open new restaurants across the UK. OakNorth, the digital bank for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, has provided a £22m loan to Japanese premium restaurant group, Sticks n Sushi, to support its future growth.

Founded in Denmark in 1994 by brothers Jens and Kim Rahbek and Thor Andersen, the group has successfully scaled to 27 restaurants – 12 in Copenhagen, 12 across the UK, and three in Berlin making this OakNorth’s first pan-European transaction. It opened its first restaurant in the UK in Wimbledon in 2012, and the UK is now the group’s largest market in terms of turnover, with its 13th UK restaurant due to open in Richmond in May. The group’s CEO, Andreas Karlsson, joined in 2011 as its operations director, and was promoted to CEO in 2019. He has more than 36 years’ experience in the industry having led the global roll out of Wagamama.

The business has been acquired by leading private

Commenting on the transaction, Andreas Karlsson, CEO of Sticks n Sushi, said: “Our continued growth is really exciting – we’ve opened a restaurant every year since 2012 and we launched two last year in Shoreditch and Kingston, followed by Richmond this May – which will make it three in nine months. Over the years, we’ve built a loyal customer base who continue to choose us because of the quality of food we serve, and the quality of service we provide. We have identified great locations for several new restaurants in the coming years, and with the support of McWin and OakNorth, we will be able to take advantage of this.

We’re incredibly grateful for both of their support and the commercial and collaborative nature in which they operate – it genuinely feels like a partnership and a relationship that will help make us an even stronger business for years to come.”

Stuart Blair, Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth, added: “Given the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, it is no surprise that many hospitality businesses have struggled over the last 18 months. However, Sticks n Sushi is a business that is more than bucking this trend – it has a strong brand presence, and a model focussed on high quality food production that has stood the test of time.

Over three decades, it has grown to 27 individually designed restaurants, and it has never had to shut one down, demonstrating its sensible and smart location selection, as well as the clear demand for its offering. In Andreas, the business has a seasoned leader with more than three and a half decades of experience in the industry, and with the backing of McWin, it is primed for future growth.”

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

Stocktake UK Offers New Hospitality Career Opportunities As Pub Closures Rise franchise opportunity comes with an average turnover of around £50,000 per year, with the company’s top franchise partners earning over £125,000.

Hospitality stocktaking specialists, Stocktake UK has announced the launch of a new franchise programme designed to help hospitality managers impacted by the growing number of pub closures. With over 500 pubs closing in 2023, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), the initiative aims to harness the skills and experience of former pub and hospitality managers, offering them business opportunities within their chosen industry.

Over recent years there has been unprecedented strain on the hospitality industry, with many businesses succumbing to the dual pressures of rising operational costs and changing demands from customers seeking better service and increased value for money. This has left many skilled professionals seeking alternative career opportunities. Stocktake UK's franchise programme enables hospitality professionals to utilise those skills in a viable business venture.

For an initial investment starting at £11,999 plus VAT, franchisees will receive comprehensive training, all necessary equipment and a steady flow of leads from Stocktake UK's head office. The offer is designed to appeal to individuals seeking to be their own boss and who want to work regular hours instead of the long and unsociable hours normally associated with the hospitality industry.

Andrew Consterdine, Managing Director, at Stocktake UK said, "Stocktake UK is committed to helping those hit hardest by the recent challenges in the hospitality sector. Our franchise offers people a chance to rebuild their careers within an industry they are familiar with, and with the support of a company that values their experience and skills. We're not just offering a career; we're offering a completely new way of life."

STOCKTAKE UK'S FRANCHISE OFFER

The franchise programme is aimed at individuals with a background in hospitality but who are looking for a change in career direction. The company believes that their extensive hands-on experience will be invaluable in providing high-quality stocktaking services to hospitality businesses across the UK. However, extensive stocktaking experience is not required, as full training is provided. This will cover everything from the use of bespoke stocktaking software, developed in-house, to effective business management practices.

As part of its goal to help those affected by closures, Stocktake UK is inviting experienced managers and others from the broader hospitality sector to join its national network of professional stock auditors. The

Those interested in becoming a franchise partner are encouraged to contact Stocktake UK or download the franchise brochure and application form from the company website, www.stocktakeuk.co.uk

Issue 216

CLH Digital

67

68

CLH Digital

Property and Professional

Issue 216

Unique Profitable Business for Sale PROFITABLE BUSINESS FOR SALE La Fiesta is a classic twin screw motor yacht. I purchased her ten years ago and have spent most of that time fully restoring her into what she is today. I have been a cordon Bleu chef all my adult life having worked on Hotel Barges in France , Together with Ski Chalets throughout Europe. From the onset my plans were to offer Classic fine dining to just four guests, together with a four hour cruise down the River Thames to Sunbury and return to Weybridge . She is one of, if not the Prettiest boats on the river. I commenced trading from a cold start without advertising in August 2019 and the business was hugely successful , however I only traded for seven weeks.This because I suffered serious injuries from a road traffic accident which has left me

permanently disabled. Hence the reason for the sale. In that seven week period I turned over in excess of £35,000 with just one other crew member. I am also a Qualified RYA yachting pilot . The boat has everything one can imagine on board , Full air conditioning throughout, desalination unit , fully fitted catering kitchen, two en/suit twin cabins, Art deco style salon with piano. She is due an out of water survey this coming spring at which point she is being completely repainted. She has enormous provenance, listed on the National historic ships registry , and once belonged to Sir Alex Guinness.

For further details and contact kindly email www.lafalaise1923@gmail.com

Why Use a Specialist Hospitality Consultant?

La Fiesta is regrettably for sale.

I can assure a potential buyer that this is a Diamond opportunity not to be overlooked.

Answer: because we can help your business to succeed.

Catering for just four guests at £250 per head for a four course tasting menu inclusive of Champagne, and Paring wines for either lunch or dinner, with just two crew members and a three hour cruise included.

With the investment capital returned within two seasons.

Not to mention the enormous attraction at the Henley Regatta offering a potential income stream of around £50,000. in one week.

The price is £150.000 or nearest offer.

This is a Hospitality, Home, & Business Opportunity

With over 30 years of industry experience in the Hospitality sector, The Bowden Group’s Managing Consultant David Hunter will work with you to address the following elements: Profitability, Operational Strategy, Staff Management, Marketing and The Future of your business.

PROFITABILITY & OPERATIONS

Based on the River Thames in Surrey

Presently undergoing a complete repaint and out of water survey.

For further details and contact kindly email www.lafalaise1923@gmail.com

Our experts will analyse your entire operation and also its key operating figures if they are available. We then help you to identify strategies to manage costs and overheads associated with the core Profitability of running a Hospitality business.

The largest overhead, even higher than Cost of Sales, is the Labour cost, so, with detailed analysis of your wages and being able to understand ‘’the way your business actually works’’ we can ensure that you are

maximising the labour usage in your business.

Budgeting, Forecasting, Menu Management, Stock Controls, Purchasing, and controlling Variable Costs are just a few of the other areas that David Hunter, your Restaurant Consultant, will work on with you, and improve with you.

MANAGING PEOPLE Managing people brings with it a whole set of new skills that are now needed more than ever. From ‘’Managing the Managers’’ through to Service and Kitchen staff, your team needs careful and skilful Management, Motivation, guidance and Development.

MARKETING We will help you build a workable, planned Marketing Strategy. From Digital Marketing, such as Social Media marketing, Websites, eMail Marketing and online advertising, to print design, Promotions and offline advertising, your Hospitality business should be constantly working on ‘’ all things Marketing’’.

If your business is actually struggling, or if you just feel that it could be doing some things better, give David Hunter a quick call on 07831 407984 to arrange a ‘’Free of Charge’’ initial consultation (please quote CLH Offer), when David will discuss with you what could be achieved if you ask us to work with you.

T H E W E S T C O U N T RY S P E C I A L I S T S

BISHOPSTEIGNTON, DEVON

PERRANPORTH, CORNWALL

• Beautifully Presented Grade II Listed Village Freehouse • Elevated Position Overlooking the Teign Estuary in South Devon • Character Main Bar, Lower Bar/Dining Room & Library • Sunny Trade Terrace to Front with Partial View of the Teign Estuary • Spacious & Well Presented 5 Bed Private Accommodation

OFFERS IN EXCESS OF: £350,000 +VAT FREEHOLD REF: 4420

W! NE

PRICE: £1,200,000

W! NE

PRICE: £30,000

PRICE: £30,000

• Stunning Coastal Thatched Village Inn - Rethatched in 2023 • Recently Renovated, Reequipped and Remodelled • 70 Plus Covers Inside & Stunning Outside Trading Areas • Beautiful Owners Chalet Bungalow with Sea Views • Very Strong Business, Viewing Essential

REF: 4351

PAIGNTON, DEVON

• Niche Home Delivery Service Offering a Choice of Hot Lunches • Operating 7 Days a Week Providing 80-100 Lunches a Day • Freshly Prepared Onsite Daily Using Quality Produce • Huge Potential to Expand into Breakfast & Dinner Options • New Lease Available at a Rent of £4,992 PA

LEASEHOLD

REF: 4268

REF: 4265

REF: 4711

LONGDOWN, EXETER

!

LD O S

BUTTERLEIGH INN, BUTTERLEIGH, DEVON

D! L SO

SHIP INN, BURCOMBE, WILTSHIRE

PALM BAR, EXMOUTH, DEVON

D! L SO

D! L SO

PRICE: NIL INGOING – NEW FREE OF TIE LEASE REF: 4386

W! NE

PRICE: £35,000

• Impressive Detached Tudor Style Property in Fabulous Location • Well Appointed Licenced Restaurant with Outside Seating • Commercial kitchen with Prep Area & Wash Up Room • Self-Contained 4 Double Bed Accommodation • Private Parking for 4 Cars & Outbuildings

FREEHOLD

LEASEHOLD

• 17th Century Country Freehouse Only 4 Miles from Exeter • Substantial Property with 2 Sets of Owner’s Accommodation • 2 Beautifully Presented Interlinking Trade Areas • Outbuildings and Storage Space • Recently Closed – Has to be seen to be Appreciated

MINEHEAD, SOMERSET

PRICE: £600,000

!

LD O S

• Stunning 17th Century Traditional Cornish Inn • Successful Business, Oozing with Character and Atmosphere • Well Equipped Commercial Kitchen • Attractive Owner's Accommodation • Outside Seating Areas with Sunny Aspect & Car Park

SOUTH DEVON

FREEHOLD

!

LD O S

NEWTON ABBOT, DEVON

• Modern Catering Kiosk Located in Popular Park • Benefitting From Being The Sole Catering Unit • Providing Hot & Cold Drinks and Snacks • Pretty Decked Area Seating Circa 16 • Great Owner/Operator Opportunity

LEASEHOLD

REF: 4860

SWAN INN, BAMPTON, DEVON

!

LD O S

PRICE: £69,950

LEASEHOLD

REF: 4344

LIVE & LET LIVE, LANDSCOVE, DEVON

SOLD IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2024.

TORQUAY, DEVON

• Elegant Restaurant Premises Offering Fine Dining • Located Close to Town, Major Hotels & Marina • Well Established with Potential for 40+ Covers • Further Potential to Increase Business • Large 2 Bedroom Residential Accommodation

DUKE OF LEEDS, LEEDSTOWN, CORNWALL

BOATYARD BAKERY, EXETER, DEVON

THINKING OF SELLING YOUR HOSPITALITY OR CATERING BUSINESS? CALL US FOR A FREE APPRAISAL.

THINKING OF SELLING? CALL FOR A FREE VALUATION

!

LD O S

OSTLER INN, UFFCULME, DEVON

01392 201262 www.stonesmith.co.uk