CLH Digital - Issue #228

THE LEADING PUBLICATION FOR THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR & LICENSED TRADE Issue 228

“Authoritarian” Smoking Ban Will Lead to Pub Closures, Government Warned www.CLHNews.co.uk

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Lighting up outside in pub gardens and on restaurant terraces could be outlawed by the new Labour government, according to reports, creating even more uncertainty for the sector which is already struggling with rising costs and falling footfall.

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ernment contemplates a ban on smoking in outdoor social spaces.

The new proposals would come on top of existing plans to gradually outlaw smoking year by year. In 2023 the then conservative government set out plans to introduce a new law to stop children who turn 14 that year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes in England, in a bid to create the first ‘smokefree generation’.

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CLH DIGITAL

Issue 228

Editor's Viewpoint

Welcome to the latest issue of CLH Digital LIBERTY AT THE PUB: Is the Government's Proposed Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces a Step Too Far?

EDITOR

Peter Adams

As someone who has never smoked a day in my life, you might think I’d be thrilled at the news that the UK government is considering banning smoking in outdoor spaces like pub gardens and restaurant terraces. After all, I’ve personally enjoyed the cleaner, smoke-free air indoors since the 2007 smoking ban. But here’s the thing—I’m not.

This isn’t about smoking., at least to me, it’s about freedom, choice, and how much power we hand over to our elected officials without a second thought.

Let’s not kid ourselves: the original indoor smoking ban, which I accepted, was based on solid arguments about public health and the rights of non-smokers. Secondary smoke is a real danger, and no one should have to inhale it against their will.

Back then, the hospitality sector spent significant time and money creating designated smoking areas outside. These accommodations have worked remarkably well—smokers and non-smokers have peacefully coexisted, each respecting the other’s space.

Now, it seems the government wants to move the goalposts again. The proposed ban on smoking in outdoor spaces strikes me as a step too far.

Why? Because this time, I haven’t seen any convincing evidence that such a ban would have any meaningful impact on public health. Instead, it feels like a solution in search of a problem, or worse, a distraction as we edge closer to the October budget.

The libertarian in me is outraged. When we elect MPs, we do so with the understanding that they will govern—but within reasonable limits. The idea that a small group of people can make sweeping decisions about personal behaviour without direct public consultation is troubling.

What happened to democracy? Shouldn’t we have a say before such far-reaching policies are enacted? Especially when the Government’s justification is as flimsy as this one appears to be?

Let’s consider the context. The hospitality industry has been through the wringer over the past few years.

The lockdowns were disastrous—more so than I believe many will ever acknowledge—and the sector is still struggling to recover from high inflation, skyrocketing energy costs, and declining consumer demand down to high cost of living.

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Introducing yet another obstacle to profitability, like a smoking ban in outdoor areas, seems not only ill-conceived but downright ludicrous.

And who would benefit? Certainly not the pubs and restaurants trying to get back on their feet. If anything, the supermarkets might see an uptick in beer sales as smokers choose to stay home, where they can light up freely without being penalized.

I won’t dive into the costs versus benefits debate—it’s one that others are better suited to handle.

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EDITOR Peter Adams

SALES EXECUTIVES

My point is simple: some decisions should not be imposed by the government without broader consultation, especially when they infringe on individual choice. And in this case, I’m hard-pressed to see who this ban would really help, except perhaps the bureaucrats who like to think they know what’s best for everyone.

David Bartlett Guy Stephenson

As we approach the next budget, let’s keep an eye on stories like this. They may be more about distraction than action, serving to divert our attention from what’s really going on behind the scenes.

Matthew Noades

In the end, the choice should be ours—not theirs.

I can always be contacted at edit@catererlicensee.com

PRODUCTION & DESIGN PRODUCTION & WEB ADMIN Charlene Fox

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

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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.

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“Authoritarian” Smoking Ban Will Lead to Pub Closures, Government Warned Issue 228

(CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER) The proposed new legislation will make it an offence for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 to be sold tobacco products – effectively raising the smoking age by a year each year until it applies to the whole population. This has the potential to phase out smoking in young people almost completely as early as 2040.

PREVENTABLE DEATHS Asked about the report during a visit to Paris, the Prime Minister did not deny the plans. “My starting point on this is to remind everybody that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking,” he said.

“That is a preventable death, it’s a huge burden on the NHS and, of course, it is a burden on the taxpayer. So, yes, we are going to take decisions in this space, more details will be revealed, but this is a preventable series of deaths and we’ve got to take action to reduce the burden on the NHS and the taxpayer.”

Measures are presently being considered by ministers according to an article in the Sun Newspaper and are being proposed as part of a toughened-up version of the last government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was introduced in Parliament but fell once the general election was called.

The King’s Speech at the state opening of Parliament last month promised to reintroduce the legislation to increase progressively the age at which people can buy cigarettes.

NANNY STATE? Michael Kill CEO NTIA Says: “Following the Government leak which revealed plans to extend the smoking ban to outdoor areas such as beer gardens, spaces outside nightclubs, restaurant terraces and Shisha bars have understandably caused concern across the sector. Although smoking rates have seen a significant decline, many have switched to vaping—a trend that, according to these leaks, may also fall under new regulatory scrutiny.”

“This raises the critical question: Are we on the brink of becoming a nanny state? What is next? While these measures may rightly be driven by public health considerations, they risk dividing opinion and imposing yet another regulatory burden on businesses already facing considerable challenges. At a time when our industry desperately needs the freedom to trade, the last thing we need is further barriers.”

“Although many will not be personally affected by these potential changes, it’s important to recognise that 6.4 million people in the UK still smoke, many of whom enjoy doing so in social settings like beer gardens.

These leaked regulations could significantly impact their lifestyle choices and the businesses that serve them.”

“As we consider the implications of these potential restrictions, we must question whether such an approach is truly in the public interest, or whether it risks over-regulation at the cost of personal freedom and business viability.”

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prospect of serious economic harm to hospitality venues. You only have to look back to the significant pub closures we saw after the indoor smoking ban to see the potential impact it could have.”

“This ban would not only affect pubs and nightclubs, but hotels, cafes and restaurants that have all invested significantly in good faith in outdoor spaces and continue to face financial challenges.”

“The government must embark on a full and detailed conversation with affected parties on the impact of such a ban before any legislation is laid. It must also assess whether such a ban would achieve its aims of meaningfully reducing smoking or simply relocate smoking elsewhere, such as in the home.”

SUPPORT NEEDED Steve Alton, BII CEO commented: “Since the smoking ban in 2007, our members have made significant adaptations to their venues, to accommodate all of their customers. These changes included huge investments in outdoor spaces and diversifying their offer to be able to welcome everyone to their pubs. The significant effects from the pandemic in 2020 are still being seen today including heavy increases in food, drink, labour and energy, but pubs have time and time again adapted in order to thrive.

“Any further disruption to their businesses would be incredibly damaging, particularly for our small, drinks led, community pubs, who provide essential connection in villages, towns and high streets across the UK. They have already weathered so much and with only 1 in 4 making a clear profit currently, the impact of increased regulation and restrictions on their ability to survive and thrive could be devastating.

“Our pubs need support, investment and a fair and level playing field to be able to remain at the heart of their communities. Without them, their essential role across the UK is at risk.”

BAD FOR BUSINESS William Lees-Jones, the head of JW Lees Brewery, which owns and operates 150 pubs, inns and hotels mainly in north-west England and north Wales, said the idea was a “bolt from the blue” that had not been discussed with industry. He said it would be “really bad for business” and could “shut a lot of pubs”.

“People who smoke are pretty determined and will walk 10 yards down the road and smoke there, which will annoy other people,” he said.

RANGE OF MEASURES The Department of Health and Social Care said it did not comment on leaks but was considering a range of measures to “finally make Britain smoke-free”.

A spokesperson said: “We do not comment on leaks. Smoking claims 80,000 lives a year, puts huge pressure on our NHS, and costs taxpayers billions.

ECONOMIC HARM

“We are determined to protect children and non-smokers from the harms of second-hand smoking.

Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “A ban on smoking in outdoor spaces comes with the

“We’re considering a range of measures to finally make Britain smoke-free.”

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3

Advancing Allergen Management…

A Life or Death Process 4

CLH DIGITAL

Issue 228

The tragic death of 13-year-old Hannah Jacobs, after drinking a takeaway hot chocolate that she believed to be made with soya milk, is another reminder of the huge responsibility that every person in the food industry has in relation to food safety. This comes on the back of equally sad and avoidable deaths of Natasha EdnanLaperouse, aged 15, from an allergic reaction to sesame in a shopbought baguette in 2016 and of Owen Carey, who died in 2017 celebrating his 18th birthday after consuming a restaurant meal containing buttermilk.

Highly experienced food safety consultant Alec Kyriakides, Chair of the Safe to Trade Technical Standards Committee (TSC) www.safetotrade.org.uk, the first voluntary, third-party assurance scheme for the hospitality industry that puts people’s health first, shares his view on the cruciality of effective allergen management in the hospitality sector and offers guidance…

food safety management systems to ensure a business knows what allergens are in their products and that they are effectively managed and, where appropriate, communicated to consumers through on-pack labelling or point of purchase/consumption information.

The large number of allergen recalls in manufactured products are testimony to the fact that there is more to do to get this right but, in the most part, these are generally a consequence of the food manufacturer or retailer identifying the allergen labelling error (as it is mostly a labelling issue) before anyone has suffered a reaction and then conducting a precautionary withdrawal or public recall. It is a good thing that this is spotted and rectified, and effective verification processes and incident management are very important elements of a businesses’ food safety management processes. It is also important that businesses encountering such issues undertake root cause analysis to identify the underlying reason that allowed the issue to occur and put measures in place to ensure this cannot reoccur. Many of the deaths due to allergen consumption have occurred in hospitality/food service where the food is served/sold directly for consumption, and consequently where the entire management of the allergen risk is essentially discharged to the individual preparing the food in the establishment.

FOOD SAFETY CULTURE IS THE CRITICAL MISSING PIECE

As a food safety professional who has established and enforced allergen policy throughout the supply chain for a major grocery retailer and who has advised Standards bodies in their third-party food safety management certification schemes, I have seen the real challenges everyone faces in managing and communicating allergen risks. I also have a particular vested interest in getting this right as my wife has a severe allergy to nuts and peanuts, something that presents her with the daily challenge of making life-or-death decisions about what she eats. I know this sounds somewhat dramatic, but any person with a severe food allergy has to do this with every food they consume on every occasion for their entire life. I have only experienced one occasion when my wife consumed nuts and I can tell you that had it not been for the fact it happened in hospital, after the birth of our first child, my wife would not have survived. Of course, had she not eaten a vegetable bake at the hospital restaurant, which she was assured did not contain nuts (but actually contained ground almonds), then this would not have happened at all but this was definitely a case of being eternally grateful for the quick action of the A&E department to rectify the mistake of the catering department.

Whether in manufacturing, retail or hospitality, no one actively seeks to put the consumer at risk. So, is this just about having good food safety management systems, labelling, menus, training and inspection/audit? These are unquestionably important and I am a huge advocate for all of them but they have one thing in common they all rely on people. Unless someone feels a sense of responsibility to deliver safe foods, these elements become things to comply with or tick boxes. Have you ever been in a restaurant or shop and asked the waiter or assistant about an allergen and been given a response of “I think….” or “I’m pretty sure…..” or a vague look that tells you that you cannot really trust their advice? Contrast that with someone who says “I don’t know but let me get the allergen sheet….” or “There are no nuts in the recipe but we handle them in the kitchen…”. Your confidence is driven as much by how much someone cares, as by how much they know, and this is in turn driven by the culture in the business.

So, I am somewhat uniquely positioned to understand the challenges to both the food industry, and also the consumer regarding managing and communicating allergens. You will notice that I refer to the challenge as “managing and communicating” because this is essentially how I see this issue. I know that important work is ongoing to understand the basis of the underlying reasons for allergy and severe allergy and to employ therapies to modulate the immune response and temper the adverse effects of exposure, but this is a very longterm aspiration and there will always be a need to manage and communicate risk.

The real answer is that these system-based solutions have to be aligned with a culture in an organisation that makes food safety management and, in this case allergen management, second nature. This is not easy to achieve but something that comes with effective training, great systems including documentation, clear labelling and communication and, importantly, reinforcement. My experience is that colleagues respond positively to role modelling by their peers and managers of the right behaviours and being praised for their delivery. This constant reinforcement supports the delivery of the correct food safety (and allergen) behaviours.

FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ARE KEY

And, as a customer, this can also work by praising the attentiveness and responsiveness of staff in food businesses who display these behaviours by giving feedback with a quick “Thank you for asking about my allergies…” to online feedback about how well a business manages allergens.

Given my background, I am bound to say that strong, underpinning food safety management processes within businesses are necessary to rise to the challenge including understanding and, where possible, eliminating or reducing allergen risk from ingredients, during processing/preparation and when sold or served to consumers.

Fundamental to this is effective supply chain management and manufacturing/catering/retail processes with

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT DRIVES IMPROVED CULTURE

We can all make a difference to improve allergen management and communication if we truly believe we are all in this together.

The Bell At Broadway To Join St Austell Brewery’s Pub Estate The Bell at Broadway. It is a fantastic pub at the heart of its community with an excellent reputation and loyal following – a perfect match for us.

South West brewer and pub operator St Austell Brewery is acquiring The Bell at Broadway near Ilminster.

The Bell at Broadway is a recently refurbished 17th Century Inn three miles outside of Ilminster, in the picturesque village of Broadway. The popular village pub, which boasts a bar, restaurant, wood-fired pizza oven, beer garden and six en-suite guest bedrooms, will join St Austell Brewery’s estate of 122 leased and tenanted pubs located across the west country.

“Robert and his team at The Bell have done a tremendous job building an authentic, community pub and we are looking forward to continuing this great work with the team. We are now searching for the ideal business partner to run The Bell and will be working with Robert to ensure a smooth handover for the team and customers.”

Commenting on the sale, Robert Doak, who has owned The Bell for seven years, said: “It was a difficult decision to let the pub go, but I am excited for its future, safe in the knowledge that St Austell Brewery recognises all that has been done to develop the reputation of the pub. We have worked hard to create the best pub we can, and certainly had some fun on the way!

The 380 year old pub, which is the oldest in its area, is being sold by local businessman Robert Doak, who carried out a major renovation at The Bell in 2018 and has built a strong reputation for excellent food and warm hospitality.

This latest acquisition is part of a clear growth strategy for the 173-year-old business, which alongside its tenanted estate also directly manages 44 pubs across the south west and brews awardwinning beers including Tribute pale ale, Proper Job IPA and korev lager.

Kevin Georgel, Chief Executive, St Austell Brewery said: “We are committed to growing our pub estate through acquiring pubs that fit our ethos of quality experiences, and as such we are delighted to be acquiring

“Having had a close working relationship with St Austell since we opened, they were the only people we felt comfortable selling to, despite numerous advances over time. St Austell are an independent, local company, which genuinely shares our values and is committed to continuing to run a high-quality and community-focussed village pub. I wish them all the best and look forward to giving them our ongoing support from the other side of the bar!”

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Summertime Boost For UK Hotel Industry Issue 228

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The UK hotel industry enjoyed another strong month in July as better weather and summer holidays boosted occupancy and profitability, according to the RSM Hotels Tracker.

“While we didn’t see the usual uptick in room rates in July, this is likely to be due to stronger than normal growth in June, helped by Taylor Swift concerts in London and Scotland, skewing the normal annual spike.

The data, which is compiled and produced by Hotstats and analysed by RSM UK, shows occupancy of UK hotels rose from 82.1% to 84.8% in July year-on-year, albeit behind pre-pandemic levels of 86.5%. London occupancy reached 89.3%, up on 84.6% last year and back to peak occupancy levels seen in July 2019.

“With the Eras Tour continuing in August and demand likely to tick up again, hoteliers are likely to end the summer on a high. This demonstrates the powerful knock-on effect that events such as this have on the leisure, hospitality and hotel industry; and with Oasis’ recent announcement of a highly sought after reunion, hoteliers are set to benefit next year too.”

Despite the increase in demand, average daily rates (ADR) of occupied rooms in the UK were flat in the UK and London, at £172.79 and £260.10 respectively. RevPAR of UK hotels rose from £138.61 to £146.60 in July year-on-year; while London saw an even more significant increase, from £221.51 to £232.20 in the same period.

Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM UK, added: “Another strong month from the hotel sector is an additional sign that consumer spending is starting to pick up. A run of real wage increases, tax cuts by the previous government and now lower interest rates have all helped to boost households’ disposable income. What’s more, consumer confidence continues to improve, which seems to be helping to boost spending on hospitality services.

Gross operating profits (GOP) of UK hotels were up from 42.2% to 43.3% in July year-on-year, and from 47.7% to 49% in London, which is similar to pre-pandemic levels.

Chris Tate, head of hotels and accommodation at RSM UK, said: “It is encouraging to see occupancy levels and profits back to pre-pandemic levels. The warmer weather finally made an appearance in July as consumers set off on their holidays across the UK, meaning the strong summer streak continued for the hotel industry.

“A sharp drop in accommodation services inflation was the reason behind the significant slowdown in services inflation last month, but demand for hospitality services clearly remains strong and suggests that services inflation may rebound slightly in August. A rise in services inflation in August will provide the Bank of England with a good excuse not to cut interest rates again in September – we think the next opportunity for a rate cut will be in November.”

SLTA Highlights Downside Of Edinburgh’s Tourist Tax The SLTA (Scottish Licensed Trade Association) has expressed concern that the 5% visitor levy proposed by the City of Edinburgh Council will do nothing to support accommodation providers.

and sustainable tourism – but why should accommodation provider businesses be asked to contribute funds towards affordable housing? That seems unfair.

Colin Wilkinson, managing director at the SLTA, warned that the levy imposed, which will also attract 20% VAT, will be on top of the 20% VAT that visitors already have to pay when booking accommodation in Scotland.

“The comparison that many European countries have some kind of visitor levy is often used,” he said. “However, our European neighbours do not charge 20% VAT on accommodation – so here it is effectively a ‘tax on a tax on a tax’.

“It’s important to remember that it is not just accommodation providers that benefit from tourism – many other sectors also benefit – but it is the hard-pressed accommodation sector that is being targeted with administering this tax, another cost to business.

The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill was backed by MSPs earlier this year, giving councils a new power to introduce a visitor levy that would raise funding for local visitor facilities and services. Edinburgh will be the first to launch a city-wide levy.

“We are also hearing that some local councillors in other areas are suggesting imposing a visitor levy of up to 12.5% which is hugely concerning.

Government ministers can intervene if excessive visitor levies are imposed, but what will exactly trigger that intervention?

“These levies must be set at a reasonable level at a time when businesses are under inflationary and other pressures including the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.”

But Mr Wilkinson pointed out that many business operators in the tourism sector are concerned that the income from the levy may not be used for its intended purposes and how is the sector going to ensure this “extra” income will not just be swallowed up into the council’s budget to replace any future cuts.

Mr Wilkinson added: “Even with a consultation process and the formation of local forums to decide on the level of a visitor levy, if one is to be introduced will businesses’ concerns be truly taken into consideration?

He said: “We have no issue with money from the scheme being used to reinvest in the city’s infrastructure

“When budgeting a holiday any additional charges for visitor accommodation could well mean less spend in other business sectors.”

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CLH DIGITAL

Issue 228

Winning Customers with Great Connectivity

By Ben Allcock, B2B Sales Director, TP-Link UK (www.tp-link.com) their business. With the arrival of the latest technology, such as Wi-Fi 7 representing a significant step forward in connectivity, hospitality organisations have access to powerful solutions that can greatly enhance the customer experience.

For venues broadcasting live sports around the UK, Wi-Fi 7 is more than just an upgrade to their network - it’s a game changer. With these next-generation enhancements to today’s Wi-Fi technology, Wi-Fi 7 can effortlessly increase speeds, reduce latency and improve connection when handling multiple devices simultaneously. This technology can dramatically improve the live sports experience, providing smoother video, higher quality streaming and even combating challenges with buffering, lag, and congestion, all issues that have previously plagued venues during peak times.

This summer has been like no other, boasting a wealth of sports and entertainment to capture the nation's attention, and with events and fixtures like the Premier League, there's still time to benefit.

Over this captivating summer of sports, hospitality venues worldwide have found ample opportunity to reap the benefits, showing that these events can not only attract but retain customers. With some of the biggest sporting events like the Olympics and Wimbledon already having captivated audiences, it’s clear to see that the appetite for live sports has never been greater.

During this competitive season, hospitality venues have the opportunity to not only improve their existing customer experience but also attract a whole new customer base. Often overlooked but vital to providing reliable, high-quality gameplay is ensuring an efficient, reliable, and fast internet connection. With just under a quarter of sports fans heading to the pub to watch this year’s Men’s Euros, it’s an opportunity not to be missed.

GAME-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY FOR A WINNING CONNECTION With ongoing investment into networking technologies, connectivity is getting more intelligent, efficient and reliable, providing all organisations with several advantages for transforming and improving all aspects of

The last thing any venue needs is for the suspense and excitement to be halted by a frozen screen, or a lagging stream, seeing the latest goal through a social media post, rather than the match in front of them.

These interruptions are not only frustrating but can have a detrimental effect on your organisation, leading to your customers seeking out alternative venues. With Wi-Fi 7, hospitality organisations can ensure they keep their customers engaged and satisfied by providing a seamless streaming experience.

SCORING WITH TODAY’S TRAVELLERS In today’s digital landscape, the lines between work and play become increasingly blurred, especially for travellers and digital nomads. With advancements in technology and communication, more and more people are working remotely, and they expect and require the same standard of connectivity whether they’re working from home, in a hotel, or even in a pub down the road. For hospitality organisations, this can pose significant challenges - but with today’s technology, it’s an easy fix. With affordable, easy-to-implement technology, venues can transform their networking infrastructure to attract a whole host of new customers.

Today’s customers need spaces where they can effortlessly and seamlessly transition from work to play; whether that’s catching up on emails in the morning, to streaming the latest football match in the evening, they need a network connection that is robust enough to handle both tasks with ease. Investing in a robust network infrastructure not only streamlines a business, allowing it to operate much more efficiently but

can also encourage customers to stay where they are, giving them access to everything they need, including the potential for additional revenues through food, drinks and other services.

Moreover, EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) systems rely on strong network connections to process payments quickly and efficiently.

Implementing QR codes on tables can further enhance the customer experience by allowing patrons to order food and drinks without leaving their seats, ensuring they don’t miss any key moments of the game. This convenience not only improves customer satisfaction but also increases the likelihood of repeat visits.

WINNING GOLD: IMPROVING CUSTOMER FEEDBACK AND RETENTION Improving your organisation's internet infrastructure doesn’t just offer the benefits of enhanced streaming and connectivity, it can also greatly improve customer satisfaction, feedback and retention. In a generation where online reviews and customer feedback play an important role in an organisation's reputation, implementing advanced communication technology can greatly improve the customer experience and can be all the difference between a glowing review, or a poor one.

As we look back at some of the biggest events of the year like the Olympics, its clear hospitality venues need to be prepared to meet the increased demand for high-quality streaming and connectivity. Through embracing the latest in networking technology, venues can set themselves up for success, ensuring that their customers return time after time.

IMPROVED CONNECTIVITY IS WHAT HOSPITALITY NEEDS TO ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS As we manoeuvre through the captivating summer of sports, the hospitality industry has a wealth of opportunities at its fingertips. Through smart investment in advanced and sophisticated networking technologies, organisations can dramatically improve the experience for their customers, attracting a whole new audience and securing their place as the go-to venues for sports fans to immerse themselves in a whole world of entertainment. In a time where customer expectations are higher than ever, ensuring stable, reliable and fast internet connectivity is no longer a choice, but a business necessity.

CAMRA Chairman Nik Antona Steps Down The Campaign for Real Ale’s Chairman, Nik Antona, has announced he will be stepping down from his role with immediate effect due to illness.

active members and volunteers, and the support of the wider membership across the country.”

Nik has resigned his position as CAMRA Chairman and National Executive member in order to concentrate on treatment and recovery from his illness.

CAMRA’s Vice-Chairman, Ash Corbett-Collins, said: “I’d like to express my thanks to Nik on behalf of my colleagues on the National Executive, and the wider membership, for the time and dedication Nik has shown to the Campaign over his long involvement with the organisation. Most recently he steered the organisation through the challenges of COVID and the cost-of-living crisis.

CAMRA’s National Executive will now conduct an election process to select a new chair for the Campaign for Real Ale. Nik has served as a CAMRA volunteer for more than two decades, giving his time to his local branch in Burton-on-Trent, as well as serving as a Regional Director, National Director and most recently as CAMRA Chairman for the last five and a half years.

“We all wish him a speedy recovery from his illness and look forward to welcoming him back as an active member of CAMRA soon.”

In a message to all members, Nik Antona said: “It has been a privilege to serve as CAMRA Chairman. It has been a challenging time for the organisation, but we have emerged from COVID and the cost-of-living crisis in as good a position as possible, thanks to the tireless dedication of our

CAMRA’s Chief Executive, Tom Stainer, said: “The entire CAMRA staff wishes Nik and his family well as he rightly focuses on treatment and recovery. Nik has led the organisation through one of its most challenging periods and we’d like to thank him for all his hard work in an incredibly difficult and often thankless role.”

Jeremy Clarkson’s Pub Opens To Massive Queues A note on the door said only two people were barred from entering: prime minister Keir Starmer and Clarkson’s fellow Grand Tour presenter James May.

Hundreds of people queued to be among the first customers at TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s new pub on its first day of trading. Around 300 people had formed an orderly queue snaking around the car park and large beer garden to wait for the doors to be opened.

Clarkson bought the pub earlier this year after he lost a battle with West Oxfordshire District Council to run a restaurant on his nearby Diddly Squat Farm, but found himself embroiled in a row over his plans to allow greater visitor access to his farm and its attached shop.

The Farmer’s Dog, in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire, opened to the public at 12:00 BST. Clarkson revealed earlier this year he had paid “less than £1m” for the pub, previously known as The Windmill.

The popularity of his Amazon show, which documents the workings of his a 1,000-acre operation in the Cotswolds, ignited interest from tourists in seeking out the broadcaster’s produce, with queues for the shop reportedly a regular occurrence.

He told waiting customers: “Every single thing, even the black pepper and the sugar, is grown or reared by British farmers, everything.”

The pub features a tractor hanging from the ceiling and serves Hawkstone beer on tap, which is brewed by Clarkson and the Cotswold Brewing Co. It also houses an outpost of his Diddly Squat Farm Shop and an outdoor tent, named the Farmer’s Puppy, features a bar and kitchen with space for customers when the main pub is full.

County and district councillor Liam Walker said Clarkson had his full support for the new venture as it would be a boost to the local economy and tourism in West Oxfordshire. © Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

“Jeremy has my full support with his next venture, and I want the pub to be a success,” he said.

Foodservice Inflation Continues To Ease, But Beverage And Vegetable Prices Rise Issue 228

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The latest Foodservice Price Index (FPI) report from Prestige Purchasing and CGA by NIQ reveals more progress in the fight against inflation in the hospitality sector, with rates dropping to 3.1% in July.

English white potatoes are currently up around 90% year-on-year as a result of 2023’s challenging harvest. However, if the 2024 harvest progresses without climatic interruptions, price spikes are unlikely to repeat.

It means inflation has now fallen for 13 consecutive months, bringing respite to businesses and consumers who have faced historically high prices across food and drink. However, the report also indicates a slight uptick in month-on-month prices, with the whole basket of items increasing by 0.2% from June. The rise was largely driven by the beverage categories of the Foodservice Price Index, which have consistently risen since March this year, contributing to year-on-year inflation of 7.3% in the Mineral Waters, Soft Drinks & Juices segment, and 4.7% in the Tea, Coffee & Cocoa category.

Shaun Allen, Prestige Purchasing CEO, commented: “The sustained yearon-year decline in foodservice inflation is encouraging, but the slight month-on-month increase and the significant inflation in certain categories, particularly beverages and vegetables, remind us that the journey towards price stability is ongoing. Operators should remain vigilant and proactively manage their procurement strategies to navigate the fluctuating market conditions.”

On the food side, two of the Index’s eight categories recorded a year-onyear decrease in July, with Dairy and Oils & Fats down by -0.1% and -1.7% respectively. In contrast, the Vegetables and Sugar, Jam, Syrups & Chocolate categories saw sharp rises of 9.6% and 8.4% respectively.

High inflation in the Vegetables category is predominantly driven by potato pricing. Reports suggest that

Reuben Pullan, senior insight consultant at CGA by NIQ, said: “After two years of relentless price rises, this further drop in inflation brings more relief to hospitality venues and consumers alike. With energy costs easing too, the tight squeeze on operators’ margins and people’s spending may finally be loosening. However, while businesses can now plan with greater certainty, macroeconomic challenges and pressures in key areas of food and drink mean there is no room for complacency.”

Wetherspoon To Open New Pub At London Waterloo Station

Pub operator JD Wetherspoon is to open its new pub at London Waterloo Station on Tuesday, 3 September.

The company has spent £2.8 million developing the pub, The Lion & the Unicorn, in ‘The Sidings’, within the former Eurostar terminus.

Seventy new jobs are being created at the pub.

The new pub will specialise in real ales and traditional ciders, as well as craft and world beers, serving a wide range of different draught ales, as well as bottled beers, including those from local and regional brewers.

The new pub interior design is inspired by the historic architecture that once made The Lion and The Unicorn Pavilion a fan favourite at the Festival of Britain.

The attitude to light, colour and innovation at the festival (the complete opposite to pre-1951 Britain) have all been adopted in the design.

Family members of the 1951 pavilion architects and festival graphic designers have also shared original drawings and sketches, which have been incorporated into the new pub design.

Historical photos and details of local history, as well as artwork and images of local scenes and characters of the area, are also displayed in the pub, some following collaborations with local artists, as well as the Southbank Centre, with other connections to the key figures which once brought the 1951 festival to life.

The Royal Festival Hall is the only building remaining from the Festival of Britain, held from May to September 1951, on the South Bank.

Wetherspoon regional manager, Barry Brewster, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming customers into The Lion & the Unicorn and we are confident that the pub will be a great addition to Waterloo’s social scene.”

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Issue 228

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Fall In Small Business Confidence As Employment Costs Take A Toll, New Report Finds Small business confidence fell back into negative territory in the second quarter of this year, losing the ground made up by the first quarter’s welcome return to positive sentiment among small firms.

FSB’s Small Business Index (SBI) for Q2 2024 saw the headline confidence reading tumble to -10.8 points, a fall of 16.3 points from Q1’s +5.5 points.

Accommodation and food services businesses saw their score slip from -11.8 points in Q1 to -15.9 in the most recent survey.

Reported revenues over the second quarter were more or less in line with the previous three months, with just under a third of small firms reporting that their revenues increased in Q2 (32.1%, against 32.0% in Q1), and two in five noting a fall (41.4%, against 40.5% in Q1). These findings are lower than small firms had anticipated in Q1, when nearly half of small firms (45.7%) predicted that their Q2 revenues would rise, while only just under a quarter (23.6%) forecast a fall.

Looking ahead to Q3, revenue expectations have significantly moderated, with over a third of small firms (34.7%) anticipating an increase in their takings, and three in ten (30.1%) preparing for a decrease.

Growth aspirations for the coming year were also more or less in line with Q1, with over half of small firms (54.1%) saying they expect to grow over the next 12 months (Q1: 52.4%), and over one in eight (13.3%) saying they expect to contract (Q1: 12.6%). The proportion expecting to grow is the highest reading on this measure since Q2 2021.

Small firms once again pointed to the domestic economy as the most commonly-cited barrier to growth, picked by three in five small businesses (60.5%) – but this is a slight fall from the 64.6% registered in Q1, and could indicate a very slender easing of fears about the economy.

Consumer demand was selected as a barrier to growth by a similar percentage in Q2 (34.6%) as in Q1 (35.6%), although labour costs (up from 26.3% in Q1 to 28.5% in Q2) and the tax burden (up from 19.2% in Q1 to 22.2% in Q2) edged upwards as concerns.

do. The rise of labour costs will hold back economic growth, and points to the possibility of a contraction in small business job numbers, which would be terrible news for firms, for staff, for local communities and the national economy.

Access to appropriately skilled staff declined as a perceived barrier to growth, from nearly a quarter (24.8%) in Q1 to just over a fifth (21.1%) in the most recent survey, as did utility costs, going from one in five (19.6%) in Q1 to around one in six (17.2%) in Q2.

“Taxes and employment costs are already soaring for small employers.

The Government should formally index the Employment Allowance to the rising living wage to help alleviate pressure on small firms and resolve the economic inactivity crisis. Every line in the Government’s employment plans must be checked for negative impact on growth and jobs.

Elsewhere, the proportion of small firms saying the cost of running their business was higher than a year ago fell, from 83.7% in Q1 to 80.4% in Q2.

In terms of the factors driving that increase in costs, however, labour costs are the most commonly-cited, at 52.2%, the highest-ever reading on this measure, leapfrogging ahead of utilities (cited by 48.4%), which were the leading cost factor in Q1. Inputs (38.5%) and fuel (32.1%) were next in line. Rent set another record as a cost factor, selected by 26.9% of small firms, marginally increased from 26.4% in the previous quarter.

Small firms’ perceptions of the availability and affordability of finance took a tumble, with only one in nine small firms (11.6%) rating it as good, down from around one in six (16.5%) in Q1, while the proportion rating it as poor surged from 46.0% in Q1 to 53.2% in Q2.

Tina McKenzie, FSB’s Policy Chair, said: “After a strong start to 2024, we were all hoping that the latest quarter would be just as positive for small businesses – if not more so. But sadly it was not to be.

“Small businesses are looking with trepidation at the Government’s forthcoming plans to change employment, which could both increase risk around small businesses employing people, and the costs when they

“With reported revenues in the second quarter not matching the predictions small firms made at the start of the year, there are signs that the small business community found the going tough.

“Overall, the small business community is looking for reassurance from the Government that it is listening to their concerns, especially around tax and employment.

“The fall in confidence among small firms is disheartening, but need not become a self-fulfilling prophecy. With the right support, we know that small businesses can thrive and drive the economic growth that the Government has said is its priority.

“Now, as we head into the next quarter, we’re staring down the barrel at some tough challenges if we want to rebuild confidence.

“The riots have left small businesses picking up the pieces, so to turn this around, the Home Secretary needs to facilitate fair treatment of SMEs by the insurance industry. Additionally, the Government and police commissioners need to work together to clearly explain how small businesses can claim lost earnings under the Riot Compensation Act.”

Collaboration Leads to Guest Success A collaboration between a Cumbrian hotel and an award-winning natural skincare business has seen explosive sales due to guests’ demand for their bespoke Petrichor toiletries.

Petrichor is the name of the earthy scent produced when rain first falls on dry soil.

Derived from the ancient Greek Pétra (rock) and ikh r (ethereal fluid), this became the name for the brand.

In line with Sedbergh Soap Company’s ethos, Dorthe Pratt, the founder of the business, set about incorporating natural and organic ingredients infused with essential oils, grasses and herbs to created Petrichor to the hotel owners’ brief.

James and Nina of The Black Bull: “Petrichor is the essence of a very successful collaboration between two independent businesses. The bespoke artisan-crafted fragrance, inspired by our surroundings, Nina’s rich Japanese heritage is the embodiment of our ethos. We are thrilled how well it has been received by our guests”

Dorthe added: “when I set out to compose Petrichor, I knew it would be a challenge. The smell appears rarely here in the Yorkshire Dales as there needs to be a warm dry spell first, and once it starts raining the scent is gone, so my reference point was rather elusive” “James and Nina are ideal collaborators: ambitious, visionary, and open-minded.

They placed a lot of confidence and trust in me to bring it all together and when it happened, it was a real celebratory moment for us all. Scents are emotive, so when I am told I have hit the brief and brought someone’s vision to life, there’s no feeling like it. It becomes about more than doing business together and creating something new – it gives me a strong sense of purpose and fulfilment.“ Sedbergh Soap Company’s clients include several Michelin starred restaurants and Rélais & Châteaux hotels.

See the advert on page 9 for details or visit www.sedbergh-soap.co.uk

Countdown Begins For The New Tipping Legislation – Are You Ready?

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Issue 228

By Charlie Barnes, director and head of employment legal services at RSM UK; Lee Knight, employer solutions director at RSM UK; and Anna Burdett, Associate at RSM UK (www.rsmuk.com) imised. It is critical that the NIC disregard is only applied if the Tronc is set up and operated correctly, which is an area HMRC do actively check.

When allocating tips, employers aren’t required to distribute them equally among all workers. Distribution can vary based on factors such as different roles, individual or team performance, length of service or seniority and customer preferences. However, this list is not exhaustive. Crucially, employers must use clear and objective criteria to determine how tips are allocated to ensure fairness and transparency. They must also ensure that the criteria used is not discriminatory.

Employers are required to have a written policy on how tips are distributed, ensuring that the process is fair, transparent, and consistent. They must also keep records of how tips have been managed for three years from the date they were received. Employees can request information regarding their employer’s tipping records once every three months, and employers must respond within four weeks. Processes will therefore need to be implemented to ensure those records can be accessed and provided within the timeframe, whilst ensuring that no third-party data is disclosed in compliance with data privacy obligations.

AREAS OF COMPLEXITY REMAIN From 1 October 2024, all hospitality employers will need to ensure that tips, gratuities, and service charges (Tips) are distributed fairly among their workers and are paid in full without any deductions, other than applicable Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and National Insurance contributions (NIC).

What is deemed to be fair is covered by a Code of Practice, and those that fail to comply are exposed to claims from workers, requiring them to redistribute the tips fairly to all impacted workers and pay compensation of up to £5,000 per impacted worker.

WHAT DOES THE ACT REQUIRE EMPLOYERS TO DO? The key change is that employers must pass on 100% of tips to employees, with no deductions except for PAYE or NIC, and these tips must distributed within one month of them being collected. Currently Tronc schemes may allow for a proportion of the tips collected to be retained so that the distributions made to all employees are consistent over the course of the year, particularly in less busy periods when there may be fewer tips. However, that will now be prohibited. Employers will also have to ensure that any systems in place which made deductions for credit card charges are updated and that these are removed.

Helpfully, Troncs are still permitted but they must still adhere to the requirements of the Code. Where a Tronc is used to distribute tips and voluntary services charges to employees, distributions from the Tronc may not be liable to employees' and employer's Class 1 NIC. Operating a compliant Tronc can therefore result in employer and employee NIC savings, the latter helping to ensure that employees' "take-home" tips are max-

Agency workers must be included in the allocation of tips by employers. However, neither the legislation nor the Code of Practice provide any clarity on how this will work in practice. Agency workers are on the payroll of the agency supplying them and, if the employer operates a Tronc, will not be a member of that Tronc scheme. Therefore, the tips will need to be distributed to them outside of the Tronc scheme, meaning the NIC disregard won’t apply. It’s also likely that the tips will need to be paid to the agency for them to pass on to the worker. The legislation is currently drafted in a manner in which an agency worker could, arguably, bring a claim against both the agency and the employer if the agency worker does not receive those tips. As a result, the employer may need to consider contractual guarantees with the agency that all tips will be paid to the agency worker.

Employers must also allocate tips to those workers based on the location from which the tips were collected. This means that multi-site operators cannot pool the tips collected across all sites and distribute them accordingly. They must be pooled at each site and distributed to those workers employed at that site.

However, the Code of Practice envisages that tips can be allocated to workers in non-customer facing roles, which includes those in central functions such as HR or Finance. Therefore, there would appear to be an exemption to this where a proportion of those tips can be allocated to those central functions.

With less than a month to go until the Code of Practice comes into effect, employers should be checking they have the necessary systems and processes in place to comply.

Punch Pubs & Co Joins Forces With Biffa To Clear Cannock Chase’s Woodlands Pub company Punch Pubs & Co have participated in a woodland clean at Cannock Chase as part of a joint effort to protect its natural beauty, in partnership with Biffa, the UK leader in sustainable waste management, and Molson Coors Beverage Company.

Following the success of the businesses’ beach tidy-up in April, Punch Pubs undertook their woodland clean, where members of the community, Local MP Josh Newbury, Punch people and partners ventured into The Chase’s vast woodland.

The event, which took place on Tuesday (20th August), supports Punch’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, titled the Punch Promise. This activity is a fundamental part of their Doing Well, By Doing Good programme, which underpins everything the business sets its heart on.

Punch Pubs’ Strategic Corporate Affairs & ESG Lead, Jon Dale, who helped organise the clean, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the team of volunteers and community members, who have shown up today to demonstrate their commitment to driving change and protecting an area of natural beauty for future generations.

“I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who not only took part but who also worked hard to make this event happen. At Punch, ESG has become an increasing area of focus, and this is a fantastic example of our industry joining forces with communities to protect our three Ps: People, the Planet, and Pubs.”

Liam Woods, Corporate Account Manager at Biffa, said: “Looking after the environment is a key part of what we do, whether that’s helping homes and businesses recycle more, creating renewable energy from

waste or growing our fleet of net zero vehicles.

“We also love to get involved in community clean-up projects like this. Litter not only looks unsightly, but it’s also a threat to wildlife and prevents perfectly good materials like plastic and glass from being recycled.

“Earlier this year we worked alongside Punch on a beach clean-up in Cornwall, so we were delighted to roll up our sleeves once more and help preserve the natural beauty of Cannock Chase for everyone to enjoy.”

In their joint attempt to protect the Chase’s natural beauty, the 100 volunteers collected 73kg of waste, which has since been placed into Biffa’s respected commodity markets.

After the woodland clean, participants gathered at The Hen House pub in Cannock, run by Management Partner, and current Punch Pubs Sustainability Champion, Mike Lenthall.

Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for communities and culture, said: “I would like to thank all the volunteers from Punch Pubs & Co, Biffa and Molson Coors for helping to tidy up our stunning woodland in Cannock Chase.

“We have seen a marked increase in visitors during and after the pandemic as residents rediscovered the natural beauty on their doorsteps. Therefore, it is just as important as ever for us to look after Staffordshire’s countryside so we can continue to enjoy it for many years to come.

View our video here - https://youtu.be/8pZ0IcUOTy0

FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND PRODUCTS FOR THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR, VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.CATERERLICENSEE.COM

New Report Suggests Radical Rethink Of Hospitality Hiring Practices Issue 228

The advice is based on insights from a new report outlining findings from the two-year Westminster Works scheme, funded by Westminster City Council, which was designed to address the recruitment challenges faced by businesses in the hospitality hot-spot of Westminster. Over 400 businesses were supported by the scheme and 27,000 candidates registered interest in job vacancies, including positions at some of the most prestigious hotels, restaurants and bars in the country.

Jackie Bedford, CEO at Step Ahead, one of the key delivery partners in the Westminster Works initiative says: “In the early days of the scheme we quickly realised that the key to attracting and retaining quality staff was not in making the roles more desirable to candidates, but in changing the way businesses approach recruitment. Outdated, CV based applications were causing many people with huge potential and the right personal attributes to be overlooked due to lack of past experience, so this was something we set about to change.”

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recruitment process and would only look at CVs that had previous experience and then would offer a face-to-face interview. We are now open to all kinds of candidates regardless of their experience and welcome the innovative methods of recruitment suggested.

Hospitality and leisure business across the UK are being urged to reconsider traditional CV based hiring practices to help ease the staffing crisis that has been impacting the sector since the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the initial goal of the scheme was to attract more candidates into the hospitality and leisure industry, it soon became clear that a lack of appetite for these roles was not the problem, as over 7,000 people registered interest in the programme during the first six weeks. The focus was instead turned to the methods businesses were using to hire entry level candidates.

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“The team have been sending us quick 30 second video applications instead of CVs and we absolutely love how this works! It gives us a better understanding of the nature of the candidates and their passion and commitment to our brand. We have offered two trial shifts off the back of these and have offered a role to one of them so far. It has caused us to change the way we recruit going forwards.”

The first initiative of its kind in the UK, Westminster Works was created by town centre vitality agency Attis in partnership with recruitment agency Step Ahead and funded

by Westminster City Council. StepAhead also secured match funding from the Mayor’s Adult Education Fund. It was supported by New West End Company, Knightsbridge Partnership, the London Property Alliance and University of Westminster.

Recognised as having a world-class hospitality and leisure offering, Westminster is home to over 3,700 restaurants, bars and cafes and a further 4,000 leisure businesses supporting around 120,000 jobs in the city Despite the success of the scheme, hospitality and leisure business across the UK continue to face hiring challenges, with latest ONS stats showing that there are still around 100,000 unfilled job vacancies in accommodation and food services alone, and world-renowned chefs including Michel Roux Jr and Yotam Ottolenghi talking openly about their struggle to recruit staff in their restaurants in recent years.

A new approach via ‘experiential recruitment’ and bespoke training modules for candidates with no previous hospitality experience was trialled as part of the scheme, with a first of its kind ‘Recruitment Restaurant’ event run at Westminster Kingsway College allowing candidates to take part in live trial shifts and secure on-thespot interviews for vacant roles. This initiative allowed employers to see potential staff in action and persuaded many to reconsider their current CV based recruitment process.

Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, said: “This scheme has been a vital support for businesses in Westminster, at a time when recruitment has been very challenging. It goes to show the benefit that can be had by looking at existing recruitment practices and trying new methods, with those tested in this scheme clearly providing benefit for both applicants and businesses.

Tenzing Tashi, Restaurant Operations Manager at A Wong, a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in Pimlico commented: “Before engaging with the Westminster Works programme we were very set in our ways in our

“Hospitality provides jobs for everyone, whether you have previous experience in the sector or not, and I hope insight from this scheme can enable more people to embark on a rewarding and exciting career in hospitality.”

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Issue 228

Nearly HALF of England’s SMEs Don’t Know That Simpler Recycling Will Impact Their Business, According to New Biffa Survey Nearly half (42%) of SMEs in England don’t know that upcoming Simpler Recycling legislation will impact their business, according to a new survey from waste management experts Biffa.

SMEs will face extra challenges from the scheme compared to corporate businesses – like finding space for new bins, separating all recycling into material type and training staff – compounded by the risk of a fine if not implemented. For many, it will be the first time doing so.

That said, 58% of English SMEs do believe Simpler Recycling will affect their business. When it comes to wider UK policies, affected SMEs anticipate Extended Producer Responsibility (53%), Digital Waste Tracking (52%) and the existing Plastic Packaging Tax (51%) having the greatest impact.

It comes as SMEs report sustainability being a greater business priority in 2024 compared to last year – the third highest (36%) following cost efficiency (45%) and revenue growth (39%). When Biffa issued a similar survey in 2023, sustainability was the lowest priority for small businesses.

What’s more, four in five (80%) see waste management and recycling as important to sustainability, with three in 10 (29%) saying the two are ‘very important’.

They prevalently measure and report on the reduction of general waste (67%) in their efforts to be more sustainable – a significant rise on 39% last year. SMEs are also vigilant on the recyclability of products and packaging they purchase or produce (60%). Perceptions from customers or employees also matter, as over half (56%) track this compared to just a fifth (22%) last year.

In fact, nine in 10 (91%) SMEs have a formal sustainability strategy either in place, planned or in progress.

Four in five (82%) also say their business is focused on being part of Britain’s circular economy – compared to just half (52%) in 2023 – but, crucially, nearly all (98%) say that more support is needed for their business to be sustainable.

Financial incentives (42%) are the type of support SMEs need most in order to be sustainable. That’s understandable given that – as in 2023 – the cost (45%) of making changes is their biggest barrier to sustainability, followed by increased expenses of products and or services (38%). Monetary concerns are compounded by a lack of clarity on sustainability metrics (30%).

Two-fifths (42%) of SMEs seek advice on the best options available. They also want to find new ways to be sustainable, desiring investment in innovation and technology (39%), product life cycle, and circular supply chain analysis (37%).

Commenting on the findings, Maxine Mayhew, Chief Operating Officer – Specialist Services and Collections, Biffa, said: “Being more sustainable is not always simple or cost-free, but more SME decision makers are prioritising sustainability than ever.

Our research shows that small and medium sized businesses are capable and motivated to make positive change.

“This change and growing commitment to sustainability, through what have been incredibly tough trading conditions for many, has not been driven by government regulation alone. SMEs are not currently mandated to have a sustainability strategy; businesses have taken the initiative to drive change. They want to do their part in tackling climate change because it is important to them, their customers, and their colleagues.

“Our sector has a duty to help SMEs by providing clarity and guidance around waste legislation. We’re committed to supporting businesses through this period of policy change, so their waste management remains compliant and cost-effective.

“Working together – with the waste industry and across the supply chain – will be crucial for SMEs going forward to reduce waste and recycle more. As will stable legislation, which will give businesses confidence to invest further in sustainability.”

For more information on SME attitudes towards the circular economy, sustainability and recycling, visit: https://www.biffa.co.uk/biffa-insights/Biffa-SME-sustainability-survey-report or see the advert on page 6.

CAMRA Seeks Best-Looking Pubs In The Country The Campaign for Real ale (CAMRA) has relaunched its Pub Design Awards to seek out the most stunning examples of pub architecture, conservation and refurbishment across the UK.

other awards, the judges are looking for originality and imagination in the way the building is treated.

Held in conjunction with Historic England, CAMRA’s prestigious Pub Design Awards champion the highest standards of design in the refurbishment and conservation of existing pubs, as well as newly built pubs and conversions to pub use.

bished street-corner locals.

COMMUNITY LOCAL: reserved for outstanding refurAndrew Davison, Chair of CAMRA’s Pub Design Awards says: “The UK is full of visually stunning pubs, from grand Victorian gin palaces to warm homely street corner locals, all are beautiful in their own way and deserve to be celebrated.”

Judged by a panel of experts in design and conservation, CAMRA’s Pub Design Awards are an opportunity for owners and communities to showcase the craftmanship that they have poured into their pubs. The awards also encourage heritage enthusiasts and pub lovers alike to visit these inspirational buildings.

THERE ARE FIVE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AND PUBS CAN BE ENTERED INTO MULTIPLE CATEGORIES: NEW BUILD: evaluates newly built pubs, where the owners

“Every year, the judges are blown away by the submissions for the Pub Design Awards and I cannot wait to see what is in store for us this time round.”

Historic England Award for Conservation 2024 winner The Vines, Liverpool

“It is always heartening to witness the sheer effort people will go to protect, refurbish and repair pubs, whether it be bringing back to life a long-lost historical gem, or a local community coming together refurbish their much-loved pub. It is initiatives like these the keep pubs alive for future generations to enjoy.”

have used imagination and flair to create a new, visually impressive venue, whilst recognising the traditional qualities of pub hospitality.

“The flair and originality shown in contemporary venues and innovative conversions is of equal value, and a real testament to the determination and workmanship it requires to design a pub from the ground up.”

CONVERSION TO PUB USE: rewards outstanding conversions of buildings which were originally built for other uses and have now been transformed into a pub. The judges look for conversions which successfully create the pub ambience in a building not designed as one, but also those which bring out the character of the building that has been converted.

The Pub Design Awards are open to all UK pubs, and anyone can nominate. Entrants may be asked to provide additional photographs and plans of the building; therefore, the licensee should be aware of and approve the entry.

HISTORIC ENGLAND CONSERVATION: celebrates work which conserves a pub’s architec-

The competition is free to enter and closes on 17 November. Once submissions have closed, judges will visit and assess the nominated pubs throughout the year, with judging set to be completed by mid-April 2025. An awards ceremony at one of the winning pubs will be aimed to be staged in June 2025.

tural features, enhances the viability of a historic building, whilst restoring and updating the original facilities to give it a viable future.

REFURBISHMENT: awarded to the best renovation of an existing pub building. This can range from a complete gutting and replacement, to enhancing the design of what was originally in the pub. As with the

To enter the awards, work will need to have been completed between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024.

To enter and see examples of previous winners, please visit: https://camra.org.uk/what-we-do/pub-designawards/

Live Entertainment Can Enhance The Customer Experience, Motivate Staff and Maintain Good Customer Retention If you want to introduce live entertainment, or you’re looking to increase the bookings you currently have but are unsure how to utilise live entertainment in the best way, we have some top tips you can use in your venue to make the most of the easy booking processes and the incredible talent available. Why not try introducing the likes of a music quiz where you can test your customers music knowledge and present a special prize for the winning team!

You can take advantage of local talent by bringing in local bands and artists to perform within your venue. This also gives those artists the opportunity to showcase their talents. But why let the talented bunch have all the fun?

Karaoke has increased in popularity over the years as it gives your customers the chance to sing their favourite songs- whether they can sing or not!

But live entertainment can go further than bands or singers, you could even

consider hosting comedy shows by inviting local comedians to perform standup routines and get your customers giggling.

When you purchase a license with TheMusicLicence, you are directly supporting the artists, composers, and producers who dedicate their time and creativity to crafting the music we know and love. The royalties the artists receive from having their music played allows us to continue supporting the music industry.

If you require a music licence, or want to increase your current usage, head to our website or call us on 0800 015 5937 (8am to 6pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 3pm Friday). www.pplprs.co.uk/get-themusiclicence/

These Restaurants Ban You For Posting Your Food on Instagram 16

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Article supplied by Truely eSIM (https://truely.com/) Working its way into marketing strategies overall, the pervasive influence of Instagram has gotten into every nook and cranny, particularly that of the restaurant industry.

The three-Michelin-starred restaurant has banned Instagramming on the premises on grounds that the place should be intimate to give a dining experience. In a statement released, reasons have been cited as to let the diners be in focus at the food and the restaurant environment—just leave your phones behind.

With the current profligate user base of 2.4 billion people across the globe, Instagram has entered into the arena of the major social platforms. This offers an enormous audience for a restaurant to showcase and promote their foods.

2. Grenouillere Restaurant - La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, France

In addition, statistics show that 69 percent of the people within this category are more likely to take a photo of their food and post it on their social media, which innovative restaurant owners have been able to integrate.

Grenouillere has gone so far as to ban cell phones from its vicinity and not even in its lounge area to keep the unique dining environment unique. It was very important that the food and the act of eating be something, you know, you cherish and that's it.

According to Nathan Mercer, an expert in connectivity solutions at Truely eSIM, "Instagram has completely changed the way that restaurants connect with their patrons. The visual appeal and sheer scale of reach brought about by Instagram make the platform an indispensable tool of modern marketing."

3. Take Dae - New York, USA Take Dae in New York maintains a no-photos policy for influencers, meant to prevent disturbances. The idea is to ensure a peaceful, uninterrupted dinner for all guests.

HOW INSTAGRAM DRIVES RESTAURANT GROWTH Being far more visual, Instagram represents the perfect platform for presenting culinary delights so that every shown dish could become viral. Here is how it works.

4. Carthage Must Be Destroyed - New York, USA This restaurant takes after the other New York spot and has also decided to ban cellphones, for the reason of making a "purer and fuller" experience according to the owners.

THE DEBATE: PROS AND CONS

1. Visual Marketing: Mercer explains that "38 percent of Instagram users actively seek out food content," citing data on Menu Tiger. Meaning, restaurants have an opportunity for audiences through high-quality pictures of dishes.

"A well-timed post can attract diners from miles away, turning a simple dish into an overnight sensation," according to Mercer.

2. Customer Interaction Instagram does more than just post photos—it does real-time interactions with the patrons through comments, likes, and shares, thereby building a community around the restaurant's brand.

"Engaging with customers on social media creates a loyal following that feels personally connected to the restaurant," says the Truely eSIM connectivity solutions expert.

3. Influencer Partnerships Pairing with any food blogger and influencer increases a restaurant's reach within no time as they reach an influencer's follower base as well.

Mercer asserts, "Influencers bring credibility and a ready-made audience, making them invaluable partners in digital marketing."

CASE STUDIES: RESTAURANTS THAT SAY, ‘NO MORE PICTURES’ Not everything on the photo-taking front has been "sparkles and rainbows," though. Some top-of-the-line establishments have even prohibited taking photos altogether as they think it's interfering with the dining experience. Leading the pack: 1. The Waterside Inn - Berkshire, England

The whole debate over an outrageous photo ban and Instagram interaction restriction inside the restaurants is right here. Here's the view from both sides:

PROS • Improves the dining experience in terms of focusing on the food and personal interaction.

• Ensures that exclusivity and specialty can be attached to the dining experience so that it becomes well-remembered.

• Lessens distractions, hence, allowing one to focus on their meal as well as their company.

CONS • Loses out on free marketing and word-of-mouth promotion.

• Could be perceived as somewhat stifling and out of step with digital culture, and it is likely to alienate younger users.

• Hampers true customer engagement and spontaneous customer advocacy.

Commenting on this, Mercer adds, "Even though Instagram has huge marketing firepower, it is important for restaurants to keep the very essence of why people eat out—to savor good food in a distinctive environment that enhances the overall experience."

REFLECTING ON THE ROLE OF INSTAGRAM IN MODERN DINING While, at the same time, dining is taking on an increasingly digital center, the distinction between maintaining the old-world etiquette of dining and using modern techniques of marketing to a restaurant becomes one of a small, if not infinitesimally fine, line.

Eventually, it is the brand values that a restaurant holds and the dining culture that is being fostered which can best decide the appropriateness of using Instagram to market. This digital dilemma is further fuelled by culinary circles, proving that for even the best of chefs and marketers, the perfect recipe remains elusive when it comes to eating.

Popular Wrexham Village Pub Festival Is A Roaring Success A popular Wrexham pub’s annual music and beer festival has proved to be a roaring success when it took place over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

“We’ve also raised over £700 for our chosen charity Bowel Cancer UK following our music quiz, raffles and donations which is a great achievement.

The Golden Lion in Rossett hosted its sixth successive ‘Live at the Lion’ festival from 23rd – 25th August and organisers estimate that over 3,000 people attended over the course of the three day free community event.

The Golden Lion staff did an amazing job over the course of what was a very busy weekend and the support from Hydes during the planning of the event and throughout the festival itself has been first rate at usual. We’re very grateful for their continued backing in helping to make this such a resounding success.”

The event drew to a close on Bank Holiday Monday with a fun 80s themed daytime disco which pulled in hundreds of revellers. Mayor of Wrexham Councillor Beryl Blackmore also attended the festival.

“We aimed to make this year’s festival the biggest and best one yet and we delivered beyond our expectations.

The Festival launched with a themed music quiz night held in the pub’s famous Nordic tipi followed by a packed programme of musical entertainment which saw 15 acts play over Saturday and Sunday across two stages, the main stage and the tipi stage.

I’m delighted that the surrounding communities are so supportive of this free local festival as it brings everyone together and has a huge positive impact. It certainly makes all the hard work worthwhile when we see everyone singing, dancing and enjoying themselves so much. People are already asking about next year’s festival!”

Allan Parrington, general manager at The Golden Lion since 2009, has established the Hydes-owned pub as a real community hub for the people of Rossett and surrounding areas. The popular annual music festival is a hotly anticipated event in the local calendar.

Managing director of Hydes Brewery, Adam Mayers said: “Once again, it was great to see The Golden Lion host such a popular and well attended event. The thousands of visitors over the course of the festival clearly shows the crucial role the pub plays in the community and its significance to local people in the areas.

Commented Allan: “This year’s Live at the Lion was the biggest and best one yet with a fantastic atmosphere, great music and entertainment and first class food and drink to enjoy. We had a perfect mix of people coming along to enjoy everything the festival has to offer and it proved to be a major success with local families looking for the perfect way to spend a Bank Holiday weekend.

Hydes is delighted to support this event and we look forward to watching it go from strength to strength with every passing year it takes place. As a business, we are fully committed to all of the pubs across the Hydes estate and staging festivals and community events such as this really does set us apart from our competitors.”

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SLTA Survey Reveals Hospitality Outlets Continue To Face Rising Costs As 78% Of Outlets Urge VAT Cut The (SLTA) Scottish Licensed Trade Association today releases a snapshot survey of the challenges facing Scotland’s pubs, bars and hospitality venues in 2024.

The summer survey responses, representing just over 400 pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, cover the full spectrum of licensed hospitality businesses in Scotland and contain key insights into the continued challenges facing hospitality, driven by a challenging economic environment, rising costs and a reduction in visits to hospitality venues.

Colin Wilkinson, SLTA managing director, said: “Despite the uplift from Euro 2024, in 62% of outlets trading is down versus last year.

Visitors are more selective on when they visit, with 19% leaving earlier and 16% only visiting our pubs and bars for events. Our report identifies that 64% of respondents highlighted less spend, fewer visits and less time spent in the venue.”

The SLTA has been conducting Market Insight Surveys for nearly 10 years, based on quantitative research from outlets covering the length and breadth of the country. They are supported by independent pubs, bars and hotels as well as major food and drink chains in Scotland’s licensed hospitality sector.

statement ‘The Scottish Government is out of touch with the business community’. (Scottish firms feel that Scottish government is out of touch with the business community, Fraser of Allander Institute, 30 August 2023) “With recent changes at Westminster, we call on the Scottish and UK governments to work to support one of our key industries. The most effective way to achieve this is by reducing VAT in the licensed hospitality sector and an urgent review on the commercial rating system.”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF KEY CHALLENGES • Despite the uplift from Euro 2024, in 62% of outlets trading is down versus last year. From June to August, the outlook is slightly more optimistic, with less outlets expecting a major decline.

• Visitors are more selective on when they visit with 19% leaving earlier, 16% only coming for events, and 64% of respondents highlighted less spend, fewer visits and less time in the venue.

• Rising rates continues to be a challenge across the sector with 42% of outlets seeing an increase of 10% or more.

• Rising costs are an increasing challenge – 77% of venues are seeing 10%+ increases, versus 30% in our January survey.

“Our survey has now become a barometer which measures the pulse of Scotland’s hospitality sector. Over that time, we have seen the impact of Brexit, Covid, and right now our biggest challenge is not only spiralling business operating costs but also the cost-of-living increases that are having an impact on the ‘leisure pound’.”

• A worrying 58% of outlets expect to see decline for the remainder of 2024, with 44% expecting decline of over 10%.

Wilkinson added: “In our January 2024 survey, we highlighted that 96% of our respondents agreed with the

Only 52% of respondents are opening in line with their trading plan.

• 78% of outlets think the best way the new UK Government can help hospitality is by reducing VAT.

Stourbridge Pub Receives £362,000 Makeover The Ashwood Inn on Sandringham Place in Stourbridge has reopened following a major investment of £362,000. The pub is part of Proper Pubs – the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns – which has more than 200 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales.

The pub has undergone a complete transformation and now hosts a brand new function room, accommodating up to 100 people, as well as new flooring, furniture, fixtures and fittings throughout. It also now boasts a newly renovated bar area complete with a cosy lounge and a dedicated games section with a brand new pool table, darts board and five flatscreen televisions with Sky and TNT Sports.

To celebrate the reopening, customers enjoyed a weekend jam-packed full of entertainment including a DJ set, a family fun day and a live performance from local band, Bedazzled.

Sandra Pemblington, Operator of the Ashwood Inn, said:“We had a wonderful time during our opening weekend! It was amazing to celebrate with so many of our family, friends and customers, both old and new.

The reception we’ve received from the community has been fantastic already and we can’t wait to continue

showing off everything that the Ashwood Inn has to offer.”

On behalf of myself and Steve, we’d like to thank our fabulous staff, everyone who came out to support us and of course to the team at Proper Pubs for helping to bring our vision to life.”

Sandra and Steve are also keen to support as many local charities as possible, including hospices, homeless shelters and children’s charities through regular fundraising events and initiatives. Having recently benefitted from the donation of a lifesaving defibrillator from West Midlands-based charity, OurJay, they will start by raising money for the charity in return.

Matthew Gurney, Operations Director for Proper Pubs, said: The refurbishment at the Ashwood Inn looks absolutely phenomenal and I’m delighted that the reopening was such a success. Sandra, Steve and the team have worked incredibly hard to get everything ready in time and I’m excited to see them unlock the pub’s full potential.

On behalf of the Proper Pubs team, we would like to wish our community heroes, Sandra and Steve Pemblington, every success for the future in making the Ashwood Inn a fantastic hub of the community”.

Boost Your Team’s Skills: Invest in Essential Safety Training Introducing the Navitas Safety Shop, your one-stop destination for comprehensive online safety training. With essential courses in Food Safety, Health & Safety, and Fire Safety, Navitas Safety ensures your team is equipped with the knowledge needed to maintain a safe and compliant workplace.

Take advantage of our introductory offer of 30% off all courses until September 30th, with courses starting at just £8.40 and 12 months of access included. This limited-time promotion is the perfect opportunity to invest in your team’s skills without breaking the bank.

In the hospitality industry, staff turnover and seasonal employees can disrupt safety practices. Navitas Safety offers flexible, CPD-accredited, and EHO-approved training that can be quickly implemented for new hires, ensuring even temporary staff receive essential training. Our role-based packages cater to diverse hotel roles, from kitchen staff to management, ensuring consistent safety standards across your team, regardless of tenure.

In today’s regulated environment, staying on top of safety protocols is more important than ever. By choosing the Navitas Safety Shop, you’re taking a proactive step towards ensuring a safe and productive workplace. Our easy-to-navigate platform and comprehensive courses make it simple to get the training you need when you need it.

By choosing Navitas Safety, you’re ensuring compliance across your entire workforce, reducing the risks associated with turnover. This proactive approach not only enhances workplace safety but also provides peace of mind, knowing your team is always prepared.

Explore our courses today at shop.navitassafety.com Navitas Safety is a leading safety solutions provider supporting over 15,000 organisations globally. From cutting-edge digital food safety and health and safety management software, to elite training programs, and a team of expert safety consultants, we’re here to make safety simple. Find out more at navitassafety.com

FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.CATERERLICENSEE.COM

Brits Defy Mixed Weekend Weather To See Moderate Growth For The UK On Trade 20

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Despite the nation’s high hopes, the weather proved to be up and down in the On Trade over the recent August Bank Holiday.

45.3 million pints were sold across the 3-day weekend this year, representing growth in Draught Beer & Cider sales of +3.3% vs. the equivalent Bank Holiday weekend in 2023.

The high point of the weekend was Saturday, which saw sales growth of +6.9% vs. 2023, likely driven by the array of sporting events occurring over the day. England defeated Sri Lanka in the first Test Match at Old Trafford, while the second weekend of English Premiership games got underway with exciting ties between Brighton v Manchester Utd, Tottenham v Everton and many others.

The average pub served 1,195 pints of Draught Beer and Cider over the Bank Holiday, equating to a £5,831 income generator, although that may have been dampened slightly by the variable weather conditions across the 3 days.

The overall growth in Beer and Cider sales was primarily driven by the Ale & Stout categories this weekend, particularly Ale which was up +20.0% and Stout, which was up +28.5%. The Cider category suffered, as it oftens does during variable weather conditions, driven by a decline in sales of -15.7% for Apple Cider, propped up by a small growth of +0.9% for Fruit Cider.

With regard to footfall into hospitality venues, the numbers were fairly flat over the weekend vs. 2023, a -0.1% decline overall, driven by slightly smaller visit numbers to Urban & Rural locations. Saturday had the highest number of visits to outlets overall, albeit marginally less than in 2023, down -2.0%, whilst Friday was flat YoY -0.1% and Sunday was slightly up +3.3% vs. 2023. City Centres had the best weekend with overall footfall +0.5%, whilst the variable weather kept a few people away from Rural areas -0.3%.

There was some good news on the consumer front however, in that average in-outlet dwell time grew +4.1% over the weekend, driven by City Centre locations +7.4%, (which corresponded with the slight gains in footfall over the bank holiday). Suburban Outlets also saw marginal dwell time growth of +0.8% but their footfall was flat. Unfortunately, Rural areas struggled slightly and saw shorter visits -1.7% compared to 2023.

So overall, it was a broadly positive weekend for the UK On Trade but one that was slightly underwhelming compared to what may have been with better weather conditions.

Oxford Partnership’s CEO, Alison Jordan, commented: “We were really hopeful for a strong Bank Holiday for the trade because of all of the sport but sadly the variable weather left us a bit disappointed, and the knockon effect was a marginally positive but somewhat un-inspirational weekend for sales. At least Saturday provided a little respite. Here’s hoping for some sunnier weather to lift spirits – and sales! – very soon”

Innholder Scholarships Open for Applications General managers and heads of departments in the UK hospitality industry have the opportunity to receive career-changing leadership and development as applications for this year’s Innholder Scholarships have been extended to Friday 6 September.

They are a rare and unique opportunity for hoteliers to take that next important step in their career, and I strongly encourage all passionate and ambitious individuals to apply and help make a positive impact on the industry in the process.”

Created by the Master Innholders, the scholarships will see up to 12 successful applicants awarded a completely free scholarship worth over £10,000 for one of two exceptional courses, both designed to help hotel professionals develop their management and leadership capabilities and broaden their expertise within the industry.

Previous Innholder Scholarships recipients include Grant Campbell SJS, General Manager at Nobu Hotel London Portman Square and current Innholder Scholars chairman.

The two courses available this year include the Talent Development Programme at Cranfield University, Buckinghamshire, UK, and the General Managers Programme at Cornell University in New York, USA. Each course will see successful applicants undertake live virtual courses taught by well-renowned hospitality lecturers over several months, as well as several day visits to the campuses throughout the year to help reinforce learning and network with peers in person.

Speaking on the announcement of the Innholder Scholarships reopening, Dan Rose-Bristow MI, Chairman of the Master Innholders, said: “The Master Innholders is committed to the hotel industry, its future, and to developing the people who work in it, with the Innholder Scholarships being one of the ways we are helping to achieve this.

Speaking on his own experiences on the Talent Development Programme at Cranfield University, Grant Campbell MI SJS said: “It was a challenging but immensely rewarding experience being able to attend Cranfield University for my studies. I had the opportunity not just to learn how management is applied in the hotel industry, but also in a range of other industries and what they can teach us about management in hotels.

Some of the changes that I made in my management style happened quite quickly allowing for a much better performance and balance to my work life. Many other aspects are still developing but there are numerous key elements from the course that I still apply to this day.”

An assessment panel will review all submissions and draw up a shortlist of applicants who will be invited to attend an interview undertaken by a panel in the autumn in London.

Applications will close on Friday 6 September.

Find Out How the Simpler Recycling Legislation Will Affect Your Business As the hospitality sector braces for the upcoming Simpler Recycling Legislation, which will take effect on March 31, 2025, it’s crucial to partner with a waste management provider that not only ensures compliance but also enhances your operational efficiency and sustainability. Fresh Start Waste Services is that partner, deeply embedded in the hospitality industry and committed to driving your business forward.

The new legislation appears to mandate that the vast majority of hospitality premises must have a minimum of Glass, Food, and Dry Mixed Recycling alongside their General Waste services. This will be a significant adjustment for many businesses, as the requirement will apply to all businesses, hospitals, and schools. At Fresh Start, we are here to help you navigate this transition smoothly, ensuring that your operations are fully compliant by the deadline.

We understand the unique challenges faced by caterers and licensees in managing waste. Our tailored solutions are designed to simplify your operations while maximizing recycling efforts. We don’t just collect waste—we innovate the process using split body vehicles and making it easier for your business to meet and exceed the new regulatory requirements.

Our dedication to the hospitality sector is evident in our strategic partnerships, like the one we have with Too Good To Go. This collaboration is part of our 360-degree approach to food recycling, where edible food finds new homes through the app, and inedible waste is efficiently processed through our specialised bins. This not only reduces waste but also aligns with your business’s sustainability goals. Additionally we proudly support Hospitality Action, reflecting our commitment to the well-being of those who work in the hospitality industry. Our involvement with this charity is just one of the many ways we give back to the sector that we’re so deeply connected to.

Fresh Start Waste Services also operates its own sorting facility just five miles from central Manchester, ensuring that the waste we collect never travels beyond the North West region. This local focus minimises your carbon footprint and supports the community where you do business.

Partnering with Fresh Start means more than just compliance—it’s about embracing innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence. As the March 2025 deadline approaches, ensure your business is ready to meet the new recycling standards by choosing a partner who is as committed to your success as you are. Contact our Sales & Marketing Director Sean Martins on 07717 497 877 or email sean@fswaste.co.uk for more information

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Zero Carbon Forum And BBPA Awarded A Grant To Uncover Effects Of Climate Change On Brewing The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and Zero Carbon Forum have been awarded a grant to research the climate risks facing UK brewing supply chains.

The research will support the brewing sector to operate in the long term, in the face of the immediate and future impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Rising temperatures are affecting the production of barley and hops, as well as the yield and quality of crops, which can have a significant impact on UK supply chains.

E m m a M cCla rkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association said: “This study will give us crucial insights into how climate risks are directly impacting supply chains, and how we can take steps to understand how we as an industry mitigate them as we continue to ask the Government to come forward with a number of financial measures and incentives that will provide our farming system with an incentive structure which further encourages sustainable approaches to farming.”

The research by the not-for-profit organisation and the UK’s leading brewers and pub association will be made possible from funding from the Brewers’ Research and Education Fund (BREF).

The forum and BBPA will use the funds to gain a clear understanding of the scale of these risks through scientific research and modelling across geographies, timelines, and different global warming scenarios, and to identify effective measures to mitigate them.

M a rk Cha pm a n, founder and CEO of Zero Carbon Forum, said:“We are grateful to BREF for this grant that will enable us to complete the final stages of our Brewing Risk and Resilience Study. The brewing and hos-

pitality industry is under immense pressure, and with the effects of climate change becoming increasingly evident, this research is extremely important to help highlight the current and future environmental risks facing the sector today and how we will overcome them.”

These significant challenges being faced across the industry cause uncertainty throughout supply chains and pile on the pressure for brewers and pubs.

M a rk Cha pm a n sa id: “We must come together and collaborate as an industry if we want to reduce emissions at pace and build resilience in the sector to operate over the long term.”

In the first phase of the three-phase study, Zero Carbon Forum and the BBPA engaged 21 major brewers and pubs to understand what the industry believes to be the most significant climate risks to their business.

The findings revealed that brewers are primarily concerned about the critical impact of climate change on their supply chains.

The results of the final two parts of the study, expected to be completed in early 2025, will be made available to the broader industry upon publication.

The results will provide the industry with a better understanding of the challenges facing it and how to tackle these going forward.

The BBPA and Zero Carbon Forum have a history of working closely together. In 2022 the two organisations teamed up to launch a bespoke roadmap specifically designed for the brewing sector. This provided support and guidance to breweries across the UK to take ambitious steps towards emission reduction targets.

Urban Pubs & Bars Acquires Eleven New Sites The rapid growth of London’s pub and dining group, Urban Pubs & Bars continues with the acquisition of eleven new sites.

Urban Pubs & Bars (UPB) has announced the acquisition of eight trading leasehold businesses and three vacant freehold sites from the administrators of Elflock Limited, Babel Silk Limited, Brocade Limited and De Gremio Limited.

The leisure group, which already operates 44 pubs, bars and restaurants across London, will assume control of these sites with immediate effect.

The iconic London pubs that have been acquired are spread across the capital and include The East Dulwich Tavern in East Dulwich, The Antelope in Tooting and The Sun in Camberwell.

This major deal makes UPB London’s fastest growing pub business, having already doubled the size of its estate since COVID. This deal takes them to 52 trading sites. As part of the transfer, 150 employees will transfer to UPB. Sam Birchall, head of Special Situations M&A at Interpath added: “The transaction demonstrates the opportunity that exists in the market for successful operators to acquire quality assets as part of their ongoing growth strategies.”

Steve Absolom, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator, said: “This eclectic group of popular pubs and bars have traded well since our appointment just over seven weeks ago and buyer interest has

been extremely strong. We are delighted that we have been able to secure this transaction with Urban Pubs and Bars and importantly safeguard the jobs for their loyal and hard working employees.”

Last month UPB announced the acquisition of two new sites including The Herne Tavern in East Dulwich and The Gun in Spitalfields.

UPB Managing Director, Chris Hill, said: "We are delighted to be acquiring these fantastic pubs - and we can’t wait to bring them into the Urban family. Like so many existing corners of UPB, these newly acquired sites are iconic in so many individual ways and we can’t wait to work with our new colleagues to realise the full potential of them, and their brilliant businesses".

The UPB Group, includes flagship pubs The Wheatsheaf, Tooting, The Gatehouse, Highgate, Bat & Ball Stratford and recently opened The Red Setter in Battersea and The Victory at Waterloo.

Earlier this year Urban Pubs & Bars (UPB) announced group EBITDA of £6.4m for the financial year-ended April 30, 2023, an improvement of 11 per cent versus the prior year.

The group of ever-expanding pubs and restaurants saw like-for-like sales increase by 17 per cent and turnover increased by almost 60 per cent to £52.2m.

Trade Drinks Expo 2024 Returns to ExCeL London Bar and pub owners, micro-brewers and international decision makers for the largest beverage brands across the country are eagerly awaiting the return of Trade Drinks Expo. Known as Europe's leading event dedicated to on-trade and off-trade drinks, this trade show and industry conference will return to ExCeL London on the 15th & 16th of October.

This year promises to be the event’s most dynamic yet. The expo is set to be attended by thousands of beverage-serving professionals, ready to gather and explore a vast array of delicious drinks, groundbreaking ideas, delivery solutions, essential services, and more. The Expo is designed to help businesses discover forward-thinking solutions to boost profits, attract guests, and retain clients. It’s an exceptional opportunity to discover emerging trends, cuttingedge products, and network with professionals shaping the future of beverages.

Innovative Exhibitors: The show will feature a wide range of exhibitors at the forefront of the industry, showcasing products and services to give businesses a competitive edge. From pre-mixed cocktail brands to electric point-ofsale technology, visitors can expect to find everything they need to drive profits and improve customer satisfaction.

Inspiring Speakers: Attendees can expect to glean insights and inspiration from the brightest minds in the industry. The lineup of speakers will share expertise on a range of topics, including the bar experience, nonalcoholic options, event promotion, and more. It’s a great opportunity to learn from the challenges and suc-

cesses of representatives of the sector’s biggest institutions.

Sustainability Trail: With sustainability coming to the forefront of importance in the café industry, we’ve curated a dedicated trail of exhibitors at this year's show that have best utilised and implemented sustainable strategies within their business.

Innovation Awards: Time is set aside at the show to celebrate the most groundbreaking alcoholic and low-to-no drinks of the year in an Innovation Awards ceremony. Recognising excellence and creativity in flavour and marketability, these awards highlight industry game-changers, offering a glimpse into the future of trade drinks.

Networking Opportunities: The event offers attendees the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, industry experts, and potential partners. The Expo provides countless chances to build relationships, collaborations, partnerships, and business opportunities, with a diverse yet relevant clientele.

So, mark your calendars for the 15th & 16th of October and secure your FREE ticket today to take advantage of countless opportunities to help your drinks business thrive. Register now to be inspired, informed, and connected at the Trade Drinks Expo 2024!

For more information and to secure your free ticket, visit: www.tradedrinksshow.co.uk

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Guest Amenities

Elevating the Guest Experience: The Strategic Importance of Hotel Amenities In today's fiercely competitive hospitality industry, the key to standing out isn't just about offering a place to sleep—it's about creating an experience. Hotel amenities, often perceived as add-ons, are in fact integral components that can elevate a guest’s stay from satisfactory to exceptional. These offerings are more than just extras; they are essential tools in shaping a hotel's or inns reputation, influencing guest satisfaction, and driving both loyalty and business success.

WHAT ARE AMENITIES? Amenities are the facilities and services provided by a hotel that enhance the comfort, convenience, and overall experience of guests. They can range from basic necessities to luxurious indulgences, all of which contribute to how a guest perceives their stay. The role of amenities extends beyond simply meeting guest expectations—they can be powerful differentiators that influence whether a guest chooses to book a stay, whether they enjoy their experience, and even whether they leave a glowing review or return for future visits.

THE ROLE OF AMENITIES IN GUEST SATISFACTION In a world where travellers have an abundance of options, the amenities offered by a hotel can make or break a guest's experience. Whether it's the convenience of free Wi-Fi, the comfort of high-quality linens, or the delight of a complimentary breakfast, each amenity contributes to the overall impression of the property. For business travellers, certain amenities—like a well-equipped workspace, fast internet, and access to meeting facilities—can be the deciding factor in their choice of accommodation.

However, in the modern hospitality landscape, guests are not just looking for the basics.

They expect a certain level of luxury and personalization, and they are acutely aware that if one hotel doesn't meet their standards, there are countless others that might. This means that hoteliers need to be strategic about the amenities they offer, ensuring they not only meet but exceed guest expectations.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT AMENITIES FOR YOUR HOTEL Selecting the right amenities for your hotel rooms or property requires a careful balance between enhancing the guest experience and maintaining profitability. It’s important to recognize which amenities should be offered as standard, which should be available upon request, and which could be positioned as premium add-ons.

Essential Amenities: Hotel toiletries extend fare beyond functional items; they are vital to the overarching guest experience. Thoughtfully chosen and high-quality toiletries have the power to elevate a guest’s perception of a hotel, creating a lasting and positive impression, and are the baseline expectations of any hotel stay. Items like toi-

letries (shampoos, soaps, facewashes), personal care items (hairbrush, body lotion, shaving cream, razors, shower cap), and conveniences such as coffee kits, bathrobes, slippers, and tissue boxes have become standard across the industry. Failure to provide these can lead to immediate dissatisfaction.

Furthermore as the sector seeks to meet escalating concerns for the environment, hotels and inns are increasingly adopting sustainable practices in their toiletry offerings.

Biodegradable packaging, refillable containers, and cruelty-free products are gaining traction, reflecting a commitment to environmental responsibility.

Plus, an important trend in the industry is the support for local communities/businesses with the use of locally sourced or artisanal toiletries, connecting guests with the culture and individuality of the destination, adding a custom-made touch to the overall guest experience.

Special Amenities: Some amenities are highly appreciated but may not need to be provided universally in every room. A dental pack, for instance, could be available upon request, along with other personal items like combs. By making these available through reception rather than placing them in every room, hotels not only manage costs but also create opportunities for guest interaction, allowing staff to personalize the guest experience.

Luxury Amenities: For properties aiming to position themselves as luxury or boutique offerings, the inclusion of high-end amenities can be a significant differentiator. This could include anything from high-thread-count linens and premium bath products to in-room spa services or curated mini-bars. The key is to offer something that feels exclusive and personalized, enhancing the overall value perception of the guest.

THE STRATEGIC APPROACH TO AMENITIES It’s not just about what amenities you offer, but how you present them. In the digital age, where online travel agencies (OTAs) play a significant role in booking decisions, the way you market your amenities can significantly impact your property’s visibility and attractiveness. Engaging, accurate descriptions of amenities can improve your property's chances of appearing higher in search results and entice potential guests to choose your hotel over competitors.

In conclusion, the strategic selection and marketing of hotel amenities are crucial in today's hospitality landscape.

They are key differentiators that can elevate a guest’s experience, foster loyalty, and drive business success. As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, those who master the art of amenity selection will find themselves leading the charge in guest satisfaction and industry reputation.

Guest Supply - Transforming Stays with World-Class Amenities Guest Supply has been a cornerstone in the hospitality industry for over 40 years, providing a comprehensive range of amenities and products tailored to hotels of all sizes. Since its founding, Guest Supply has built a reputation for understanding the unique needs of the hospitality sector, from luxury resorts to budget-friendly accommodations, restaurants, and leisure facilities. This long-standing commitment is rooted in their ability to offer high-quality, reliable products that enhance guest experiences while supporting their customers operations and sustainability goals.

brand cleaners all designed to meet the diverse requirements of their customers. By leveraging close relationships with top manufacturers and maintaining a customer-centric approach, Guest Supply ensures that their customers consistently deliver exceptional guest experiences.

Their extensive catalogue includes toiletries, linens, housekeeping supplies, in-room appliances, and leading

Partnering with Guest Supply means accessing not just products, but also the expertise and resources necessary to stay competitive in a fast-evolving industry. Guest Supply’s solutions are crafted to support both the operational and guest satisfaction goals of any property . www.guestsupply.co.uk

Collaboration Leads to Guest Success sales@guestsupply.co.uk

A collaboration between a Cumbrian hotel and an award-winning natural skincare business has seen explosive sales due to guests’ demand for their bespoke Petrichor toiletries.

Petrichor is the name of the earthy scent produced when rain first falls on dry soil. Derived from the ancient Greek Pétra (rock) and ikh r (ethereal fluid), this became the name for the brand.

In line with Sedbergh Soap Company’s ethos, Dorthe Pratt, the founder of the business, set about incorporating natural and organic ingredients infused with essential oils, grasses and herbs to created Petrichor to the hotel owners’ brief.

James and Nina of The Black Bull: “Petrichor is the essence of a very successful collaboration between two independent businesses. The bespoke artisan-crafted fragrance, inspired by our surroundings, Nina’s rich Japanese heritage is the embodiment of our ethos. We are thrilled how well it has been received by our guests” Dorthe added: “when I set out to compose Petrichor, I knew it would be a challenge. The smell appears rarely here in the Yorkshire Dales as there needs to be a warm dry spell first, and once it starts raining the scent is gone, so my reference point was rather elusive” “James and Nina are ideal collaborators: ambitious,

visionary, and open-minded. They placed a lot of confidence and trust in me to bring it all together and when it happened, it was a real celebratory moment for us all. Scents are emotive, so when I am told I have hit the brief and brought someone’s vision to life, there’s no feeling like it. It becomes about more than doing business together and creating something new – it gives me a strong sense of purpose and fulfilment.“ Sedbergh Soap Company’s clients include several Michelin starred restaurants and Rélais & Châteaux hotels.

See the advert on this page for details or visit www.sedbergh-soap.co.uk

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CLH DIGITAL

Issue 228

Cleaning and Hygiene

The Importance of Cleaning and Hygiene in the UK Hospitality Sector In the UK hospitality sector, maintaining high standards of cleaning and hygiene is not just a matter of compliance but a critical factor that can significantly influence a business's success. From hotels and restaurants to bars and cafes, the cleanliness of an establishment directly impacts customer satisfaction, reputation, and even financial performance.

HEALTH AND SAFETY COMPLIANCE One of the primary reasons why cleaning and hygiene are vital in hospitality is to ensure health and safety compliance. The UK has stringent regulations regarding food safety and hygiene, governed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and enforced by local authorities. Businesses that fail to adhere to these standards risk not only hefty fines but also the potential closure of their establishment.

Regular cleaning reduces the risk of foodborne illnesses and other health hazards, ensuring that the business remains in good standing with regulatory bodies.

CUSTOMER PERCEPTION AND SATISFACTION In the hospitality industry, first impressions are crucial. Customers are likely to judge an establishment based on its appearance, with cleanliness being a top priority. A spotless environment reflects a business’s commitment to quality and customer care. Conversely, a dirty or poorly maintained venue can lead to negative reviews, diminished customer loyalty, and a tarnished reputation. In the age of social media, where customer experiences are widely shared, maintaining impeccable hygiene standards is essential to prevent damaging feedback.

IMPACT ON STAFF AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY Cleanliness also affects staff morale and operational efficiency. A well-maintained working environment reduces the likelihood of accidents and illnesses among employees, leading to fewer absences and a more productive workforce.

Additionally, when staff work in a clean environment, they are more likely to take pride in their work, which in turn enhances the overall customer experience.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS The financial implications of poor hygiene in the hospitality sector cannot be overstated. Apart from the immediate costs of non-compliance, such as fines and legal fees, businesses may face long-term financial damage due to lost customers and reduced revenue. On the other hand, investing in regular cleaning and maintenance can lead to higher customer satisfaction, repeat business, and positive wordof-mouth, all of which contribute to increased profitability.

CONCLUSION In conclusion, cleaning and hygiene are foundational to the success of any business in the UK hospitality sector.

By prioritizing cleanliness, businesses can ensure compliance with regulations, enhance customer satisfaction, improve staff well-being, and protect their bottom line. In a competitive industry where reputation is everything, maintaining high standards of hygiene is not just important—it’s essential.

Five Star Cleaning, Starts With Best In Class Equipment In all service industries, cleaning is a necessary byproduct of other activity. However, for hotel managers and restaurant owners, it is key to delivering a comfortable front-of-house experience for guests. But good hygiene takes time and resource to get right. This can be challenging in a hotel, where managers and staff have both front of house areas, like restaurants and lobbies, and rooms to keep clean.

cleaners wish their systems were easier to refill. The new compressed Tork Xpress® multifold hand towels increase efficiency with compressed refills allowing the dispensers to hold up to 50 per cent more towels**, meaning they can serve twice the number of guests before refilling.

In addition, compression reduces packaging by up to 27 per cent*** – meaning more towels can fit on a shipment, and less packaging is thrown away.

Ther first step in achieving hygiene, while minimising the time impact on staff, is to equip staff with the tools and knowledge for the job. That’s why Essity (makers of Tork products) works to provide hoteliers, and other service industries, with the right equipment so cleaning doesn’t become a hindrance to the hive of activity hotels can offer.

* Problem detection study conducted in US, UK, Mexico and China, 2020

A large facility, means maintaining a large number fo work stations, so it’s no surprise that 71 per cent* of

Visit www.tork.co.uk to learn more. ** Problem detection study conducted in US, UK, Mexico and China, 2020 *** Compared to equivalent Tork standard folded towel

Products and Services

Issue 228

CLH DIGITAL

27

Guest Supply - Transforming Stays High End Wine Preservation In Your Business or Home with Expert Wine Storage with World-Class Amenities Guest Supply has been a cornerstone in the hospitality industry for over 40 years, providing a comprehensive range of amenities and products tailored to hotels of all sizes. Since its founding, Guest Supply has built a reputation for understanding the unique needs of the hospitality sector, from luxury resorts to budget-friendly accommodations, restaurants, and leisure facilities. This long-standing commitment is rooted in their ability to offer high-quality, reliable products that enhance guest experiences while supporting their customers operations and sustainability goals.

Their extensive catalogue includes toiletries, linens, housekeeping supplies, in-room appliances, and leading brand cleaners all designed to meet the diverse requirements of their customers. By leveraging close relationships with top manufacturers and maintaining a customer-centric approach, Guest Supply ensures that their customers consistently deliver exceptional guest experiences.

Partnering with Guest Supply means accessing not just

products, but also the expertise and resources necessary to stay competitive in a fast-evolving industry. Guest Supply’s solutions are crafted to support both the operational and guest satisfaction goals of any property. www.guestsupply.co.uk sales@guestsupply.co.uk See the advert on page 19 for further information.

For those who cherish the exquisite notes of a fine vintage, proper storage is paramount.

At Expert Wine Storage, we understand that every bottle is an investment and our stateof-the-art wine storage products are designed to ensure that your wine collection ages gracefully, maintaining its peak flavor profile and value.

With years of experience in wine preservation, Expert Wine Storage offers bespoke solutions tailored to the needs of collectors, whether you're a seasoned connoisseur or just beginning your journey into the world of wine.

Our climate-controlled wine fridges and wine walls offer precise temperature and humidity regulation, protecting your bottles from the fluctuations that can compromise their integrity.

We've provided wine storage solutions to Michelinstarred restaurants and the finest institutions such as Oxford University.

We offer a range of wine storage options including:

• Wine fridges and coolers • Ageing wine cabinets • Luxury wine walls • Wine room conditioning units • Wine cellar / room design Invest in your passion with Expert Wine Storage.

Preserve your collection, protect your investment, and enjoy the finest wines the way they were meant to be enjoyed.

Call us on 0330 133 2327 or visit www.expertwinestorage.co.uk to speak with one of our experts today.

Modular Magic: Winterhalter’s MT Dishwasher is Amazingly Adaptable One of the big problems with big conveyor dishwasher systems is that each one is bespoke – and once they’re built, they’re set, with limited options for change.

Winterhalter’s new MT conveyor systems have changed all that: their modular system is incredibly adaptable, so they can fit any space or application, giving designers a new level of footprint flexibility. And even after they are installed they can be easily restructured, by retrofitting additional modules, to keep up with a site’s changing circumstances.

There are two types of MT system, the MT Flight (MTF) dishwashers, where dirties are loaded straight onto the conveyor, and the MT Rack (MTR), where they are put into racks on the conveyor.

The basic structure of a MT system consists of the pre-wash, main wash, rinse and drying zones (or modules), plus an inlet zone, positioned upstream, plus the loading and unloading areas. So that designers can specify their perfect machine, Winterhalter offers a range of additional modules, such as extra wash or drying zones, allowing the machine to be tailored to individual requirements.

Winterhalter has also developed ‘neutral’ modules that can be positioned between operational zones (prewash, wash, rinse and drying). They extend the distance between the zones, meaning the MT can accept extra-large wash

Atlas Hospitality Cleaning and hygiene are the backbone of a successful hotel, restaurant and professional kitchen. Ensuring the safety of food, the health of customers and staff, and the overall reputation and efficiency of the business is crucial for several reasons, namely:

• Brand Protection, Customer Trust and Confidence: Customers are more likely to trust an establishment that maintains visible cleanliness, thereby enhancing the business's reputation.

• Food safety and the prevention of cross contamination: Professional kitchens are subject to strict health and safety regulations. Regular cleaning ensures compliance with these laws, avoiding potential fines, shutdowns, or damage to the business's reputation.

• Preservation of Food Quality: Proper hygiene practices help maintain the quality of the ingredients and the food served and promotes a positive customer experience.

• Minimised Downtime: A clean and well-organised kitchen can operate more efficiently, reducing the likelihood of equipment breakdowns due to the accumulation of grime, grease, or other residues.

• Safety for Staff: A hygienic kitchen reduces the risk of accidents and injuries, such as slips, trips, and falls, ensuring a safer working environment for the staff.

• Positive Inspections: Regular cleaning ensures that the

kitchen is always ready for health inspections, reducing the stress and potential for negative outcomes during surprise visits from inspectors.

In addition, long-term sustainability considerations are important in terms of equipment and asset longevity.

Effective and regular cleaning of kitchen appliances and expensive surface areas protects your business’s investment and extends the life of your assets by preventing the buildup of dirt and grime that can cause wear and tear.

At Atlas Hospitality, we ensure that every aspect of your premises is meticulously maintained to reflect your exacting standards of cleanliness, hygiene and refinement.

Our highly trained professionals effortlessly integrate into your front or back-of-house operations, ensuring a memorable experience for every customer.

Phone: 0800 132 507 Email: info@atlasfm.com Or see the advert on page 9.

MIWE Smartfresh Lands in the UK EPP is pleased to announce the first sale of the MIWE smartfresh system in the UK. MIWE smartfresh allows bakers to offer fresh, high-quality products to customers whilst storing goods for longer, saving time, energy and money. The first unit in the UK has been purchased by an established bakery in the north of England with a history of excellence.

The MIWE smartfresh storage system allows bakers to store par-baked goods, such as bread, for a longer period of three to 10 days, and bake them off as and when they’re needed. By storing products at a constant temperature of about 4°C and a humidity of 95-98% RH, par-baked goods are able to absorb more moisture with each day they’re stored. This improves the texture, flavour and shelf life of products, as they stay fresher for longer.

“MIWE’s smartfresh is a fantastic new innovation in storage technology, allowing bakers to offer customers the best possible quality and freshness, whilst also preventing wastage and saving time, money and energy,” says Steve Merritt, managing director of EPP, the exclusive distributor of MIWE products in the UK and Ireland. “It’s especially

items, such as crates or containers. By creating balance between the zones, the neutral modules also enhance the performance of the MT. The ability to retrofit new modules into an established machine is a massive benefit.

These big conveyor systems can have a service life of decades, over which period the business’s needs are likely to change. Using new crockery that’s tricky to dry? Expand the drying zone. The business grows and capacity needs to increase? Add an extra wash zone. Since modules are connected with silicone-free gaskets, installation (considering the size and complexity of the systems) is easy and quick.

As well as the machine itself, a conveyor system will need an inlet table leading to the machine and an outlet roller table at the end. MT systems can be specified with either straight or corner versions for both.

MT conveyor systems can handle up to 8,000 plates (MTF) or 355 racks (MTR) per hour. List prices for a complete system start at around £51,000.

For further details, call Winterhalter on 01908 359000, visit www.winterhalter.com/uk-en/ or email info@winterhalter.co.uk.

OTC – A Journey of Tradition, Family, and Wellbeing One True Concoction (OTC) is more than just a beverage brand; it’s a blend of tradition, family, and a deep commitment to wellbeing. The name OTC carries several layers of meaning. It signifies the availability of our products "over the counter," reflects the founder's experience in London’s financial sector with "over the counter trading," and encapsulates our dedication to "organic traditional concoctions." Additionally, OTC is a tribute to family, representing the initials of the founder's sons, Omari and Tyrone, and his nephew, Corey.

Our signature beverages, Sorrel and Ginger Beer, are renowned for their natural cleansing properties, offering a refreshing and health-conscious choice for consumers. The distinctive sleeve design and vibrant colours of our packaging ensure that OTC beverages stand out on the shelves, catching the eye of discerning customers. Feedback from events has highlighted the unique difference in taste between our sparkling and still versions, adding an intriguing dimension to our product range.

Since the launch of OTC, our products have found their way into a variety of establishments, including a pub in Walthamstow, a vegan restaurant in Hackney, a supermarket in Bruce Grove, and a health food store in Southgate. We are actively expanding our reach, with

ongoing discussions with additional health food stores in Finchley, a supermarket in Luton, and takeaways in Hackney and Tottenham. We are also in initial discussions with two major national distributors.

Our commitment to community extends beyond our products. The founder is deeply involved in mentoring youth through Volunteering Matters and is a Founder Patron of the Legacy Onside Youth Zone in Croydon, supporting young people and giving back to the community.

In July 2019, OTC collaborated on a special edition bottle to raise funds for the Aren Mali Memorial, celebrating the life of the founder's best friend's son. This initiative is just one example of how OTC uses its platform for positive impact.

At OTC, we live by the words of a famous Jamaican singer: "Gratitude is a must." We are immensely proud of how far we’ve come on our drinks journey and are excited for the future, including the potential recognition of our efforts through prestigious awards.

Follow our journey on Instagram at @otcbeverages, and discover the true essence of One True Concoction.

See the advert on page 2, call 0844 357 0441or visit www.otcbeverages.com

well-suited to bakers with a wide variety of single par-baked goods, affording them greater flexibility to bake as needed. We’re excited to be bringing this technology to the UK and Ireland, and we know it’s going to be a huge asset to many bakeries here.”

By being able to store more par-baked goods for longer, bakers are afforded more options to choose when they bake. Bakers can reduce awkward night shifts, accommodate public holidays, and bake products quickly as demand increases.

MIWE smartfresh is also suitable for in-store baking.

Because it does not require such significant changes in temperature – as seen with traditional energy-intensive method of freezing par-baked goods – the MIWE smartfresh system allows bakers to reduce their carbon footprint, limit energy pull and save costs.

MIWE smartfresh is available in the UK and Ireland exclusively from EPP. For further enquiries, please contact the EPP team at sales@eppltd.co.uk.

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CLH DIGITAL

Issue 228

Products and Services

Collaboration Leads to Guest Success Exceeding Customer Expectations

A collaboration between a Cumbrian hotel and an award-winning natural skincare business has seen explosive sales due to guests’ demand for their bespoke Petrichor toiletries.

Petrichor is the name of the earthy scent produced when rain first falls on dry soil. Derived from the ancient Greek Pétra (rock) and ikh r (ethereal fluid), this became the name for the brand.

In line with Sedbergh Soap Company’s ethos, Dorthe Pratt, the founder of the business, set about incorporating natural and organic ingredients infused with essential oils, grasses and herbs to created Petrichor to the hotel owners’ brief.

James and Nina of The Black Bull: “Petrichor is the essence of a very successful collaboration between two independent businesses. The bespoke artisan-crafted fragrance, inspired by our surroundings, Nina’s rich Japanese heritage is the embodiment of our ethos. We are thrilled how well it has been received by our guests” Dorthe added: “when I set out to compose Petrichor, I

The Label Group

The Label Group are a supplier of labelling guns, thermal label printers & labels. We’re here for retail, industrial and manufacturing businesses. We’re independent, which means impartial recommendations combined with over 30 years experience in supplying these products.

The labelling gun market can be complicated. Many products are known by

knew it would be a challenge.

The smell appears rarely here in the Yorkshire Dales as there needs to be a warm dry spell first, and once it starts raining the scent is gone, so my reference point was rather elusive” “James and Nina are ideal collaborators: ambitious, visionary, and open-minded. They placed a lot of confidence and trust in me to bring it all together and when it happened, it was a real celebratory moment for us all. Scents are emotive, so when I am told I have hit the brief and brought someone’s vision to life, there’s no feeling like it. It becomes about more than doing business together and creating something new – it gives me a strong sense of purpose and fulfilment.“ Sedbergh Soap Company’s clients include several Michelin starred restaurants and Rélais & Châteaux hotels.

See the advert on page 9 for details or visit www.sedbergh-soap.co.uk

different names depending on their use. Labelling guns, price guns, pricing guns, label guns, coding guns and batch guns. Our range of products can meet all needs: Simple low use models, durable machines for industry.

A wide variety of specialist features including auto-incrementing guns for batch codes.

All equipment is supplied with a one year factory warranty and are designed to give years of reliable and effective service.

Call 01736 810334 for details or see the advert on page 11.

Hospitality should be based on exceeding customer expectations. The better the operator does to impress its customers, the better its reputation and customer retention.

Unfortunately, it's not always possible to get customer service right every time, no matter how hard you try or how good staff training is. UK businesses lose £12 billion annually due to poor customer service. This may sound astronomical, but there are ways to improve how customers see your business.

Alongside great staff training, investing in the latest technology will help improve your reputation.

CardsSafe Ltd.'s technology has been a part of customer service for numerous restaurants, hotels, bars and golf courses for over twenty years. The system protects businesses by deterring dine and dash and securely protects customers' bank and ID cards while they run a tab. The bar tab-keeping units signify to the

customer that the venue cares about their card security.

If a customer wishes to run a tab and their bank card is slotted in the wallet or stuffed into a till, things don't look good for the business. The impression of the brand is diminished, resulting in less loyalty and, ultimately, a reluctance for that customer to return. One of CardsSafe's longest-standing customers, the leading global hospitality brand Hilton, has used their system since 2005. They say, "All our customers are pleased that we look after their cards more securely with CardsSafe." CardsSafe's tab systems are in multiple hotels nationwide.

So, the choice is yours. To exceed customer expectations, ensure your technology benefits your business and reap the benefits of reputation and loyalty.

For more information, please visit www.cardssafe.com or contact the sales team on 0845 500 1040. See the advert on page 39.

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 imported barbecues, but also built to ISO 9001:2015 standards.

The barbecues have internal self-cleaning too, removing the odious chore of post-barbecue clean-down. 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

Cinders ‘Classic’ Barbecue

South West Coffee Co. Your Partner in Coffee CLEAN Do The Workwear, So

We can help you make the most of your coffee and hot drinks service, ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty – together with increased profits.

We offer a wide range of coffee machines, all at competitive prices and with a range of rental, fnance and leasing options available.

We have our own in-house engineering team and guarantee the highest levels of customer service, ensuring downtime is kept to an absolute minimum. Wholesale customers get discounted service charges, further enhancing the overall value of working with us. With experience in all makes of machine, we have no problem working with your existing equipment.

We even offer a free inspection and service to new

customers to make sure your machine is running as it should before getting to work serving up some of the best coffee going…

We also supply a full range of leading, premium products for your hot drinks service.

“Not only are deliveries super quick and reliable but we’ve been given fantastic training and continual support in all aspects of our coffee offering. Their branding looks fantastic and we’ve had great customer feedback too so couldn’t be more delighted!”

Jane – RIVER EXE CAFE, Exmouth For further information call 07776 184141, email hello@swcoffeeco.com or visit www.swcoffeeco.com See the advert on page 2.

Saniflo is best known for its range of domestic macerators that pioneered the ability to install bathrooms in spaces where gravity drainage was unavailable. The full range of products from Saniflo includes models to pump grey water waste from laundry rooms, washing facilities and kitchens, including those in commercial premises. The Sanicom range, in particular, has become a mainstay in hospitality projects when a pumping mechanism is required to lift waste water away from catering or cleaners sinks, dishwashers, glass washers, ice machines and washing machines.

The powerful floor mounted lifting station range includes two models; the single pump Sanicom 1and the Sanicom 2 which features twin pumps for applications where continuity of use is imperative. The motors operate alternately for even wear but each is a fail-safe back up for the other in the event of a pump issue. The

second pump will also assist the first in the event of a large deluge of water.

Both models operate automatically via a pressure switch and dip tube that controls the activation of the motor and have multiple connections so that a range of products can be connected. The tank of the Sanicom 2 is equipped with 2 immersion tubes to control the motor and alarm.

Frequently used in buildings that are undergoing ‘change of use’ the Sanicom 1 and Sanicom 2 can pump up to 11m and 15m respectively, making basement or underground installations a breeze.

Easy to install, maintain and operate, the Sanicom range can provide drainage discharge whatever the project.

For further information visit www.saniflo.co.uk or see the advert on page 11.

Sanicom. Proven & Reliable Pump Solution for Hospitality

You Can Do The Work

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 singlesite hotel, pub or restaurant or have multiple locations, CLEAN can tailor a workwear rental solution to suit your business requirements. They offer various uniform options to support the entire kitchen brigade, from Executive Chefs to Kitchen Porters.

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 garments whenever your team need them. By renting with CLEAN, you can avoid upfront purchase costs, spread the payments over your con-

tract, 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.

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.

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

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 high-quality 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.

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CLH DIGITAL

Bar Snacks

Issue 228

Tayto Has ‘Snacking Sorted’

As the largest family-owned, British-based snack company with a stable of well-known British brands, Tayto has ‘Snacking Sorted’.

Bar Snacks offer a brilliant opportunity to increase sales through the ‘double whammy’ of generating incremental sales AND boosting dwell time. Our unique offering provides hospitality and licensed venues with a snacking ‘onestop shop’.

Here are our top tips on how to maximise sales - and profits - from snacks! *Stock a wide range of proven, premium snacks that have been developed for the licensed sector Pub consumers look for brands they can trust and it’s important to stock proven sellers! Tayto has a range of award-winning snacks to suit every pub and cover a large range of ages and dietary requirements: • Midland Snacks Traditional Scratchings – No 1 brand1 and our best-selling pubcard – boasting a 2-star Great Taste award, with its traditional hand cooked recipe that has stood the test of time.

• Mr. Porky Original Scratchings – the No 2 brand1 is the most recognised name in scratchings and also a 2-star Great Taste Award winner.

• Mr. Porky Crispy Strips - a lighter bite, akin to crispy bacon rinds, for those who want all the taste of a scratching but a less hard texture, and another Great Taste award-winner • REAL Hand Cooked Crisps – premium, award-winning, food service focussed crisp brand with 9 strong flavours (of which 7 are Great Taste Award winners). All recipes are gluten free, vegetarian and with no added MSG. REAL has relaunched it’s punchy Ham & Mustard flavour and has partnered with Colman’s, the UK’s number one mustard brand2 to bring you REAL Handcooked Ham & Colman’s Mustard.

• Animal Adventures – vegetarian, gluten-free, with no added nasties, is a lightly salted animal-shaped fun snacks that kids love.

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER Boost sales by tailoring your range to their tastes. Our research shows that younger male consumers prefer the meaty flavours – like Roast Ox, Ham & Colman’s Mustard whereas the more traditional flavours are popular with the 45yrs+ - Salted, Cheese & Onion and Sea Salt & Black Pepper.3

PROMPT SERVICE

We know that less than 20% of people regularly buy a snack with a drink and the main reason for not doing so is ‘I just didn’t think about it’4. By simply asking “Would you like a snack with that?”, staff can easily increase incremental sales and profits – and add to the customer experience.

SEEING IS BELIEVING Snack sales increase by up to 80% when they are more visible5. Put your snacks where customers can see them o Pubcards or clip strips behind the bar o A full range of crisps on the bar o Bar runners and coasters are great eye-catching prompts Tayto provides pub-focused solutions such as eye-catching pubcards for pork scratchings to be hung behind the bar and a range of FREE POS available by scanning the QR code below.

PREMIUM PROFITS By not offering a range of premium snacks, pubs could be leaving money on the table. Research shows that most people either have no idea what they pay for pub snacks, or expect to pay over £1 a pack, so venues can easily make over 50p profit per pack4.

Premium crisps are another essential bar snack given 82% of pub goers eat them6 and consumers are willing to pay up to 30% more for premium over standard products7. Having products that aren’t available in supermarkets, such as REAL Hand Cooked Crisps, enables venues to justify premium pricing.

HOG THE LIMELIGHT – DON’T FORGET PORK SNACKS! Snacks also have the potential to increase sales of drinks. Pork scratchings are a great example. The perfect partner to cider, wine, and especially premium beers and lagers, their unique taste balances the sharpness and carbonation of some drinks, while the saltiness enhances the flavour and helps get your thirst on.

Scratchings really are the ULTIMATE PUB SNACK! In a 2021 poll, they topped the list when 2,000 pubgoers were asked to name their favourite pub snack.8 This comes as no surprise as 83% of pork snacks are consumed with a drink9. The combination of a pint and scratching has been passed down generations and is fundamental to the Great British pub experience. There really is no matching a scratching!

Tel: 01536 204200 www.taytogroup.com SOURCES: 1. Circana Symbols & Independents GB | Pork Snacks | Value | 12 w/e 06-May-23 2. Kantar Topline Report 23.10.23 3. 1,500 Craft Gin Clubber March 2021 4. Norstat | Nov 20 5. HIM! Foodservice 2016 6. Norstat | Consumer Usage | March 2019 7. CGA Strategy Research | 2016/2017 8. Perspectus Global Poll | March 2021 9. Norstat | Jan 20

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 See the advert on page 5.

Fly the Flag for Good Taste Snacks represent an excellent opportunity for pubs and bars to encourage consumers to increase spend. While snacks won’t replace meal occasions, they offer pubs the opportunity to trade up on drinks-only visits, with 56% of customers saying they like to consume savoury snacks with an alcoholic drink1.

to pubs and bars feel like a special occasion. With 93 Great Taste Awards across the range, Tyrrells offers a great accompaniment to a glass of wine, offering classic and popular flavours including Mature Cheddar & Chive, Lightly Sea Salted and Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar.

Perfect when paired with a cold beer, our KP Nuts range features KP Flavour Kravers Flame Grilled Steak in a 21x50g pub card. Combining the best-performing SKU from the Flavour Kravers range with the popular pub card format, Flame Grilled Steak drives sales in pubs and bars by tempting customers to trade up.

Launched this year, our new League of Tyrrellbly Good Taste initiative supports the Out of Home (OOH) channel in driving bagged snacks sales. The initiative enables OOH outlets to register their business via a bespoke platform to receive exclusive POS, with 200 POS kits available, including a branded wooden display unit, a window sticker marking out the business as a “Tyrrellbly Tasteful Establishment”, a clip strip and more.

Consumers gravitate towards familiar brands that they trust and recognise so it’s important to stock a range of best-sellers that customers want. KP Snacks offers a diverse portfolio of flavoursome and popular snacks perfectly positioned to help pubs and bars gain sales. From tasty nuts, perfect when paired with a cold beer, to premium crisps, our range can create value and generate demand by meeting all consumer needs.

KP Snacks’ premium hand-cooked crisp brand Tyrrells is an ideal choice for customers looking to make trips

FInd out more – www.tyrrellscrisps.co.uk/league/ See the advert on the previous page for details.

PLEASE MENTION THE CATERER, LICENSEE & HOTELIER NEWS WHEN REPLYING TO ADVERTISING

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Chefs' Buyers Guide Greenleaf’s Christmas Collection Unveiled

Utensils for the restaurant and fast food trades!

phs Greenleaf has launched its 2024 Christmas tree collection, featuring everything from sustainable moss trees to novelty Christmas jumper trees. phs Greenleaf has been providing Christmas trees and decorations to businesses for over 20 years, including pre-decorated artificial and real trees, bespoke displays and festive accessories for both inside and outside a premise.

This year’s range includes a collection of traditional trees, luxury trees and trend trees and matching accessories, including wreaths, garlands, tabletop trees, desk florals and parcels.

“Christmas is an opportunity to make a statement about your brand,” said Stephen Dieppe, Managing Director of phs Greenleaf. “That’s why we have created

such a diverse collection so that every business can have something that reflects their ethos and culture.

“We have the traditional trees in reds and greens, and a luxury collection for a truly decadent festive display.

We also monitor the market all year round to create our ‘trend trees’.

“With sustainability front of mind, we created our new ‘Festive Forage’ tree, which uses natural decorations, and, as a nod to nostalgia (which is big this year!) our ‘Deck the Halls’ tree is an ode to the Christmas jumper “We also make bespoke trees and displays for our customers. This is a great way to create that big Instagram moment that so many brands want at Christmas.” phs Greenleaf’s new Christmas 2024 brochure is now available online.

Suncream Ice Cream - The Great Taste of the Summer

We at Fryersmate have over fifty years experience between us in the hospitality sector.

Fryersmate, Unit 3, Great Northern Way Great Northern Terrace Lincoln LN5 8XF

Call us now: 01522 542054 Email: info@fryersmate.com www.fryersmate.com

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

For over fifty years Suncream Ice Cream has been manufacturing their award winning Italian ice cream in Tamworth Staffordshire, earning many awards along the way we are proud to be classed as Great Taste Producer. Family-owned business offers an impressive array of products including traditional scoop ice cream, vegan, sorbets and even ice cream for dogs.

Rebecca Manfredi, Managing Director, emphasises the versatility and quality of their Gelato Gold range. Made with 20% double cream, this premium ice cream comes in 21 exquisite flavours like Sea Salted Caramel and Black Forest Gateau. Ideal for standalone scoops or as an accompaniment this range can certainly elevate your dessert offering. Gelato Gold is a perfect addition to any dessert menu. Suncream ensures their clients are well-equipped to present these delights with comprehensive menu cards and a full range of point-of-sale materials.

Suncream's commitment to inclusivity and safety is

evident in their vegan ice cream range, which is free from the main 14 declarable allergens. "We are proud to be a nut-free site" Rebecca states, addressing a critical concern for many consumers and highlighting their dedication to high safety standards.

For those seeking a touch of luxury Gelato Lusso offers an artisan experience. This ice cream is robotfilled and hand-dressed, made with whipping cream to deliver a sumptuous, creamy texture that promises to impress. Gelato Lusso undoubtedly adds the "wow" factor to any offering.

Not forgetting our four-legged friends, Suncream introduces Gelato Woof, a lactose-free ice cream designed for dogs. Made with carrot and apple puree and fortified with calcium, it provides a delicious and healthy treat, promoting strong bones, heart health, and muscle function. A wooflicious treat for your furry friends.

Suncream Ice Cream’s diverse and high-quality offerings continue to set them apart, ensuring delight for every customer, be it human or canine.

For more information on Suncream Ice Cream please contact 01827 282571 info@suncreamdairies.com www.suncreamicecream.com

Chefs' Buyers Guide If You Are Going To Do Northern Ireland - Bringing One Trade Show This Year, Character to Your Business Then This Is It…

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Join us at the Booker Catering Trade Show, Wednesday 25th September at the iconic Wing building of the Silverstone Circuit (Towcester NN12 8TN) from 9am to 4pm

The invitation is open to all catering type establishments, new or existing to Booker Wholesale, with over 5 halls as well as outside street food zones, there is so much to see and do.

Covering food, drink, non food as well as the support with utilities or allergens, supported by live demonstrations and trends advice from butchers, greengrocers, baristas, leading chefs and mixologists. Plus throw in some fun like racing simulators then this is one event not to be missed.

Over 4,000 visitors attend and come back every year from across the country. Don’t take our word

for it… Customers feedback include, “Learnt so much”, “Chance to see a lot of the right people in one place” “Lots of fun as well as lots to see”, “So much new and products perfect for our business” , we could go on

Open 7 days a week across the whole of the UK, Booker/Makro offers caterers one of the widest and indepth services.

From a wide range of channels to suit the customer from the traditional collect service, order online to collect or for a delivery from the branch.

Even an option to purchase from an extended range of premium alcohol, food or even catering equipment. Supported by loyalty schemes and locked down pricing and extended service like oil recycling and credit. You’re truly Better off with Booker. www.booker.co.uk

and Two Stacks showcase genuine innovation with their unique flavours and product formats. Killowen has enjoyed critical acclaim for its rum and raisin single malt, Two Stacks for its ‘Dram in a Can’. In total, Northern Ireland is now home to over 20 distilleries and breweries producing single malt, pot still and blended Irish whiskeys, gin, poitin, vodka, rum, craft beer, cider and hard seltzers. Drawing on the region’s rich natural resources, distillers are crafting spirits with a unique sense of place. An emphasis on quality is aligned with a global trend towards premium beverages and strong value growth in

Over 100 years ago Northern Ireland introduced whiskey to the world and now our distillers and craft brewers are in the midst of a vibrant renaissance. Over the last decade our drinks sector has become one of the region’s most dynamic, innovative and export-driven industries. Our drinks producers are winning awards across the globe, driving buoyant sales at home and abroad and our buzzing visitor centres and tap rooms are enticing tourists into cities, towns and villages across the four corners of our beautiful country.

This resurgence is driven by a compelling blend of long-established distilleries such as Bushmills, the world’s oldest licensed whiskey producer, and a wave of innovative newcomers. Bushmills doubled its production in 2023 with the opening of its £37mn Causeway Distillery, taking sales to over 1 million cases for the first time. Also taking strides are newcomers Echlinville Distillery, a pioneer in field-to-glass distilling, McConnell’s Irish Whiskey, a brand with roots tracing back to 1776 and Rademon Estate Distillery which has created the first peated whiskey in the region in over a generation.

Impressive visitor centres at Hinch, Belfast Distillery and Titanic Distillers offer insight into the history and provenance of Northern Ireland spirits, whilst Killowen Distillery

McWhinney’s Sausages McWhinney’s Sausages has been a family run business since 1898. Starting out in a butcher’s shop, many things have changed over the years, but one thing has stayed the same – quality. The company emphasises quality above all, using only the best quality cuts of pork to produce their award-winning Irish Pork Sausages. Everything from the 126-year-old recipe used in the Premium sausage to the newer additions, such as gluten free, used the same high-quality ingredients and get the same care and attention to ensure a consistently excellent result every time.

MD Kevin McWhinney is a fifth-generation butcher who was raised on the premium sausages. 6 years ago, he

the sector.

There has never been a better time to buy Irish whiskey from Northern Ireland. The region’s unique post-Brexit position due to the Windsor Framework offers an advantageous gateway for both the UK and EU markets. This strategic positioning promotes business opportunities and sets the stage for the further boost to Northern Ireland’s thriving drinks industry.

For more information contact Michelle Charrington E: michelle.charrington@investni.com or Iain Joannides E: iain.joannides@investni.com Buynifood.com

was diagnosed with coeliac disease and became unable to eat any of the products he produced. This led to the creation of the McWhinney’s Gluten Free Sausage. Applying the McWhinney’s quality ethos, Kevin set out to create a great product in its own right as opposed to a passable alternative. In this he succeeded in creating a sausage with a hint of honey-roast ham sweetness which packs a peppery tingle on the back of the palette.

Gluten free offerings are becoming increasingly important as awareness in the industry grows and kitchens become more equipped to deal with the challenges it poses. The McWhinney’s Gluten Free can sit on any menu proudly to delight diner’s tastebuds whether coeliac, gluten-reducing or just looking far a tasty sausage.

For more information email info@mcwhinneys.com

Photo courtesy of Titanic Distillers, Belfast.

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Chefs' Buyers Guide LittlePod’s REAL Vanilla Paste The team at LittlePod have been speaking to chefs all over the UK in a bid to learn more about vanilla use in the nation’s professional kitchens.

In doing so, a trend has emerged and a consensus reached: quality, affordability and ease-of-use are all crucial when it comes to choosing ingredients in 2024.

For more than fourteen years, such considerations have been at the forefront of LittlePod’s Campaign for Real Vanilla and the innovative product with which the company was launched in 2010.

“We have received great feedback, reviews and recommendations since bringing our natural vanilla paste in a tube to market all those years ago,” said Janet Sawyer MBE BEM, LittlePod’s founder and Managing Director, who spent time with the chefs gathered for the latest A Passion to Inspire Upskill Day in Suffolk earlier this summer.

“The chefs who use our vanilla paste continue to recommend it to their colleagues and others in the industry.

They love the quality of the vanilla and the functionality of the tube. This is the best endorsement of all.

“LittlePod’s vanilla paste is such a versatile product. It saves time and hassle, there’s no need to scrape and split pods, and it has been described as an evolution for the kitchen.

“The chefs we speak to tell us that the tube is the perfect size to hold, the fliptop lid makes our vanilla paste quick and simple to use, and that understanding that one teaspoon of vanilla paste is equivalent to one vanilla pod helps them to manage portion control.

“It’s so important for us to get this feedback as it helps us to encourage more chefs to use REAL vanilla from LittlePod. This enables us to continue to support the farmers in the Equatorial regions and to underline the importance of top quality real, natural ingredients.”

Like to find out more about LittlePod? Visit www.littlepod.co.uk, email sales@littlepod.co.uk or call 01395 232022.

Tiptree Patisserie – Serious About Shortbread

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

At Tiptree Patisserie, we’ve built our reputation on crafting exquisite cakes and desserts that celebrate tradition and quality, supplying the hospitality sector with traditional, cakes, desserts, scones and much more since 2010. Today, we’re proud to be channelling our expertise into expanding our shortbread offerings a category that has rapidly become an important part of our growing product range. These buttery, melt-in-the-mouth treats are becoming a hallmark of our brand, and we’re serious about making them nothing less than exceptional.

With traditional flavours such as All-Butter and Chocolate Chip, to more unusual seasonal flavours like Lavender and Mince Pie, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

As part of the Wilkin & Sons family of business, famous for its Tiptree Jam, you can be assured of our focus on quality and ingredients. Naturally, here at Tiptree Patisserie our handmade cakes are made with

Tiptree preserves and curds.

Our much-loved biscuits have found a warm welcome in hotels across the country, where they are enjoyed as part of a premium offering for room service and gifting. Our bespoke white-label solution also enables us to meet the exacting standards of high street retailers and farm shops, who trust us to deliver excellence under their prestigious labels.

At Tiptree Patisserie, shortbread is not just another product; it’s an expression of our brand's dedication to quality, tradition, and the art of artisan baking.

If you would like to get in touch about supply or to discuss a white-label solution for your business, please get in touch: Tel: 01376 509101 Email: tiptreepatisserie@tiptree.com Web: www.tiptreecakes.com

Hospitality Technology

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Introducing Task Manager: Revolutionising Food Safety and Vista Technology Support: Your Trusted Partner Operational Efficiency in Hospitality & Catering Industry NCCO International announces the launch of Task Manager, an innovative food safety task management and temperature monitoring solution designed for the hospitality & catering industry. Task Manager addresses key challenges in food safety, regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction, making it an essential tool for catering businesses.

"Task Manager is a transformative digital HACCP solution," said Karl Rose, Managing Director of NCCO International. "Our system not only ensures adherence to food safety regulations but also enhances the quality and safety of the meals served, contributing to a superior customer experience."

Task Manager assists catering companies in complying with local, state, and federal food safety regulations, significantly reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. With robust record-keeping and log management capabilities, Task Manager ensures that businesses are always auditready, simplifying health inspections and compliance

checks.

The system automates temperature monitoring for refrigerators, freezers, and food storage areas, eliminating the need for manual checks and helping maintain safe temperature limits. Task Manager also organizes food safety-related tasks, such as cleaning schedules, equipment maintenance, and staff training, ensuring thorough and efficient operations.

By maintaining consistent monitoring, Task Manager helps preserve the nutritional value and quality of both stored and prepared food. Real-time alerts for temperature deviations allow for quick corrective actions, potentially preventing spoilage and ensuring that customers receive high-quality meals.

For more information about Task Manager, please visit www.ncco.eu or contact David Webster at dwebster@ncco.com.

Discover how Vista Technology Support can help you grow your business, enhance your customer experience, and streamline your operations.

Vista provides a comprehensive package of IT solutions designed for retail and hospitality businesses of all sizes and sectors.

Vista’s services include hardware supply, software configuration, cloud support, cyber security, network, and managed services, as well as technology installation, structured data cabling and remote technology helpdesk and onsite engineering and training and support.

Vista supports an award winning suite of customer focused IT services, provided by a team of experienced and certified professionals who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of the retail and hospitality industry.

Vista can help you improve your sales, profitability, and customer loyalty by providing you with the latest and most reliable in-store technology solutions.

Vista can help you enhance your customer experience by offering you solutions such as digital signage, self-service kiosks, mobile PoS, loyalty programs, and in-store

ordering.

Vista helps you streamline your internal operations by providing you with a range of flexible IT services (Service Desk, Maintenance, Technology Deployment), enabling you to focus your budgets and resources on your core retail skills and in serving your customers.

Vista is a trusted partner for hundreds of retail and hospitality businesses (large, medium and small) across the UK and afield.

Vista offers you a flexible and scalable approach that can adapt to your changing needs and budget.

Vista provides you with a true partner and one stop shop for all your IT needs, saving you time, hassle and costs.

If you are interested in learning more about Vista Technology Support and how we can benefit your business, please visit our website at www.vistasupport.com or call us on 0330 135 9878.

We will be happy to provide you with a free consultation and a customised quote based on your specific requirements.

We look forward to hearing from you.

King’s Cross and SevenRooms Aren’t Just Partners; They’re Rewriting the Rules of Hospitality with Tech That Truly Understands Your Guests In a first-of-its-kind partnership for European hospitality, King's Cross has teamed up with SevenRooms, the leading restaurant marketing and operations platform, to become the first real estate destination to launch an aggregated restaurant booking experience. This initiative enables diners to find and book reservations at 11 of King's Cross's esteemed restaurants, including El Pastor, Caravan, and Coal Office, all through a single, convenient platform.

The SevenRooms platform, seamlessly integrated into the King's Cross website, simplifies and improves the visitor experience by cross-promoting multiple restaurant brands and eliminating the need for diners to visit multiple restaurant websites or apps.

“We have been able to facilitate this easy-to-use booking platform that allows customers to get a single view of table availability and make bookings without having to visit multiple websites, which can be time-consuming and frustrating,” said James Rayner, Head of Retail at King’s Cross.

Diners can search by date, time and party size to see restaurant table availability across the estate. This not only ensures guests book at King’s Cross restaurants, but maximises restaurant revenue potential by ensuring all avail-

able tables can be booked quickly and easily.

“It is our mission to help restaurants thrive, and partnerships like these are incredibly impactful in helping bring more business to our restaurant partners by making it easier for diners to book reservations at the places they want to go,” said Danilo Mangano, EVP, International at SevenRooms.

Leveraging SevenRooms’ tech, restaurants benefit from more reservations, while also capturing guest booking details like allergies or special occasions and collecting and responding to customer feedback, delivering more personalised guest experiences that boost loyalty.

This collaboration marks a significant advancement in the integration of technology and hospitality. By prioritising customer convenience and leveraging data-driven insights, King's Cross and SevenRooms are setting a new benchmark for dining experiences, transforming the way diners discover and book their favourite restaurants.

“We hope that by delivering this customer-first experience, customers will keep choosing King’s Cross as their dining destination of choice,” Mangano added.

For further information visit www.sevenrooms.com

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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.

Elevate Alfresco Dining with Quality Wines from Lanchester Wines James Dainty is business unit controller at Lanchester Wines: When it comes to alfresco dining experiences - be it festivals, picnics or venues where glass isn’t permitted - there’s no need to compromise on the quality of wine served. Lanchester Wines offers innovative solutions that ensure outdoor events can still feature exceptional wines.

INSPIRAL: PREMIUM HOUSE WINES IN SUSTAINABLE PET BOTTLES Our Inspiral range features high-quality house wines in recycled PET plastic bottles, making them perfect for any outdoor event or function where glass is unsuitable. These rPET bottles are made from sustainable materials and are fully recyclable. Specially designed for wine, each lightweight bottle includes a barrier that extends its shelf life to at least 24 months—four times longer than regular PET bottles.

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

WALLFLOWER: FUNKY AND FRESH WINE IN CANS

Introducing our latest range, Wallflower—a collection of 187ml Spanish wines in a trendy can format. Ideal for on-the-go occasions, festivals, events or as a single serve in ontrade settings, Wallflower ensures your wine offering is both stylish and convenient.

The Wallflower range includes: • Red Wine: A fruity blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.

• White Wine: A zesty mix of Airen, Macabeo, and Sauvignon Blanc.

• Rosé Wine: A delightful Garnacha Rosado.

With Lanchester Wines, alfresco dining can be both environmentally conscious and a celebration of great taste. Our innovative packaging solutions ensure you can offer high-quality wines that are practical and sustainable, enhancing the outdoor dining experience for your customers.

See the advert on the facing page for details.

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Mobile Coffee Is The Growth Sector! LEDsynergy - LED Video Screens & LCD Displays

With the increasing number of outdoors events and festivals, the enthusiasm for mobile coffee continues to take off in a really big way! Serving great quality coffee away from the traditional high street coffee shop location also brings with it some operational challenges!

Fracino manufacture one of the most powerful LPG powered espresso machines range available and continues to develop the innovation to further improve the user experience.

As a result, 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 their many different leisure activities.

This gives plenty of opportunity in a relaxed environment to share their knowledge and fantastic flavours to multiple new customers.

With such a wide range of Dual Fuel models available, Fracino provide every type of outdoors catering venture with the perfect solution for their specific requirements. Operating from LPG – in the form of regular barbeque type gas bottles - and a 12v battery, connect-

ed through an inverter to the machine to power the electronic systems, these innovative models ensure full ‘off grid’ mobility and the opportunity to serve coffee in the remotest of locations!

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!

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

Fracino have already increased their range of LPG products to include a powerful and ‘steam free’ water boiler – and will launch further new innovative models later this year; watch this space!

Where there’s people, the motto is lucratively becoming, serve coffee!

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

With over 40 years’ experience in the LED industry, LEDsynergy is a market leader in the field of Programmable Electronic Display Systems and can offer a vast range of LED displays to meet a wide variety of customer applications from simple information displays, right up to large scale, full colour video boards for both Indoor and Outdoor use.

We are incredibly proud, that as a British manufacturer, we have recently become a registered manufacturer with ‘The Made in Britain’ organisation. We design, develop, and manufacture right here in the UK, so that as a customer you can be assured, we have quality at the forefront of our principles and, in addition, we offer outstanding service and of course ongoing support to our valued customers.

We have a highly dedicated and professional team all working in synergy to offer the complete solution from initial design through fabrication to installation and commissioning. We provide the best advice, very competitive prices, and highly reliable products. With a vast

range of LED products, we can compete at all levels of tendering.

Within the hospitality sector we can offer LED video screens which can be used in many ways; such as large TVs, stage backdrop screens, information screens, site entrance displays and ‘what’s on’ event information.

The key to our success is reliability coupled with the highest quality of design and service, with a total commitment to every customer through all aspects of their project.

Flexibility and careful design are key factors in ensuring accurate compliance to customer specifications with relatively short lead-times.

If you want to find out more about how we work, then why not give us a call on 01264 303030 or email us on sales@LEDsynergy.co.uk. Or why not come to visit us in Andover, Hampshire, we have a showroom where you can have a play with the displays, and you can see just how impressive and versatile they are. www.ledsynergy.co.uk

Outdoor Furniture That’s Built To Last Leading the Way in Table Numbers & QR Code Thanks to the weather and heavy use, no furniture has to work harder than the pieces you choose for your outdoor space. Trent Furniture offers a great range of durable, contract grade outdoor furniture that your customers can rely on for comfort and you can depend on for durability.

The Monaco Stacking Chair is a great choice to accommodate outdoor diners. The popular wicker seating option is available in a choice of black, natural, red or green. Made from durable synthetic woven rattan, this is a comfortable chair built to cater for all weathers. Alternatively, you can choose between sturdy aluminium or wood effect slats. Whichever seat you opt for, the sturdy aluminium frame with fully welded joints is built for strength and can be stored stacked up

to 10 high.

Picnic benches are a stalwart of any British beer garden and also offer an ideal solution for alfresco dining.

Available to seat 4, 6 or 8, the sustainably-sourced Chunky Picnic Table is made from 4cm thick, fully dip-treated spruce wood and features a double strut across the A frame and galvanised metal fixings. Not only that, its attractive rounded edges and corners and smooth timber slats mean your guests will be sitting comfortably!

Both these picnic benches and the Monaco chair range are also perfect for indoor use in garden rooms or venues where outdoor style seating is required.

For more information, please call 0116 286 4911 or fill in our contact form at www.trentfurniture.co.uk

Labels for the Hospitality Industry

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.

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.

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 W: www.brunelengraving.co.uk See the advert on page 34.

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Outdoor Spaces

Expanding Your Business Potential with Quality and Style

Unable to take any more bookings because it’s too cold outside or raining? Turning customers away because you’ve run out of seats? As professionals in the world of Outdoor Coverings for commercial venues, Broadview know how important it is to keep your business operating whatever the weather.

More clients are looking to enhance their outdoor dining spaces with a Pergola, Awning or Umbrella System that can accommodate all seasons. Broadview are as passionate about outdoor coverings as you are about maximising your business potential. Invite them to see your outdoor space, discuss the options available and turn your vision into a reality. Most importantly, they’ll show you how to achieve a fast return on your investment.

With one of the largest ranges of outdoor living systems in the South, manufactured by the industry leading brand Brustor, every system from Broadview can be custom designed to fit your business. They offer both

louvred roof pergola systems and garden awnings with rotating and retracting roofs which are powered by a Somfy motor and can be operated either by remote or app control as well as umbrella systems.

Add extras such as LEDs, heating, Bluetooth speakers and sliding glass and you’ll get not just an Umbrella, Awning or Pergola, but a full outdoor room to use all year round.

Broadview have over 55 years of experience in the industry - backed with a five year warranty, 5 star ‘Excellent’ Trust Pilot rating and an accredited ‘Somfy Expert’ status, so you can be sure that you’re in good hands from initial survey right through to the final installation. Talk to the experts for your free consultation and see how your business can benefit with an outdoor lifestyle solution.

Call 01202 679012 or visit their website: www.outdoor-shading.co.uk

Café Culture - Pavement Profit

We create appealing and comfortable outdoor seating areas for your clients supplying everything required including:-

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

• 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

Outdoor Spaces

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Let Jefferson Calor Gas Power Your Hospitality Experience Let Jefferson Calor Gas Power Your Hospitality or Catering Experience with Free Delivery for LPG Propane or Butane Cylinder Supply wherever you are on the UK South Coast from Eastbourne to Weymouth.

In the bustling world of hospitality and catering, reliable fuel sources are not just necessary; they are essential.

Whether you're heating an upscale hotel patio or firing up a BBQ or hotplate burner at a local food festival, Jefferson Gas has your energy needs covered with our high-quality Calor Gas Propane, Patio Gas Cylinders & Refills plus Campingaz Butane Gaz Bottles.

Why Partner with Jefferson Calor Gas? • Diverse Applications: Superb for gas barbecues and patio heaters designed to enhance dining ambience and comfort.

• No Mains Gas, No Problem: Ideal for venues and

events without access to mains gas supply.

• Mobile Solutions: Essential for mobile catering units, burger vans, and food trucks at events and festivals.

Our Calor Gas Delivery Service: • Free Delivery: We Supply Calor Gas Bottles directly to your business at no extra cost, ensuring you have the necessary resources without the hassle.

• Reliability: Experience uninterrupted service a dependable supply, helping you keep operations smooth and efficient.

• Customized Services: Dynamic Supply & Delivery Arrangements to fit your specific needs, volume, and frequency.

Let Jefferson Fuel Your Success: Call us on 01273 041500 to schedule your first Free Calor Gas Delivery.

Choose professionalism, choose reliability, choose Jefferson Calor Gas.

Discover Your Perfect Catering Gazebo with Gazeboshop At Gazeboshop, we specialise in high-quality printed gazebos tailored for food and drink vendors. Whether you run a street food business or participate in occasional markets and events, our custom-printed gazebos will help you stand out and attract customers.

Our catering gazebos are perfect for showcasing your delicious offerings.

They easily accommodate BBQs and street food ovens, ensuring your setup is both practical and visually appealing.

Fully waterproof and flame retardant, our gazebos offer year-round protection from wind and rain, keeping you and your food sheltered and dry. We also offer printed accessories like sky banners, half walls and flags to further personalise your unit and enhance your business’s visibility.

Food and drink gazebos aren't limited to outdoor use; they can also provide a competitive edge at indoor events. We’ve proudly supplied a number of catering clients over the years, including The Filthy

Vegan, Santina’s Wood Fired Pizza Co, Acropolis Street Food, and Bring & Braai Catering. A well-designed gazebo can showcase your unique products and attract passers-by, making your booth the go-to spot at food festivals, markets, and events. Our pop up gazebos come with a manufacturer’s warranty of up to 3 years, and next working day delivery is available for spare parts.

For those who don’t need a branded gazebo or are working within a budget, we offer plain pop up gazebos in various colours, sizes, and frame strengths.

Additionally, explore our stretch tents to elevate your outdoor space and create a beautiful alfresco dining experience for your customers.

At Gazeboshop, we’re committed to helping you find the perfect gazebo solution to make your business shine. Contact us at 01295 258922 or visit www.gazeboshop.co.uk to get started.

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

• Diverse Applications: Superb for gas barbecues and patio heaters designed to enhance dining ambience and comfort.

• No Mains Gas, No Problem: Ideal for venues and events without access to mains gas supply.

• Mobile Solutions: Essential for mobile catering units, burger vans, and food trucks at events and festivals.

FREE DELIVERY TO THE SOUTH: We Supply Calor Gas Bottles directly to your business at no extra cost.

01273 041500 | www.jeffersongas.co.uk

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Kitchen Equipment and Fit-Out

Issue 228

Caterquip Ventilation Caterquip Ventilation Ltd is proud to be celebrating their 23rd Anniversary this year.

design service to help you build your ideal kitchen.

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

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

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.

The Importance of Venting Floor Mounted Waste Water Pumping Systems

When designing or installing a commercial kitchen venting the floor mounted waste water pumping system may not be the first thing that is taken into consideration. However, understanding the importance of venting for the effective operation of the pump, as well dispersing odours from the tank, is a critical factor for reliability in these situations.

As wastewater drains from a sink or appliance the air inside the tank must be released to allow the flow of water into it. If the tank is not vented correctly wastewater will be noticeably slower to drain away from sinks and appliances. Odours and gurgling noises from equipment and sinks will also occur. In these situations, the likelihood is that the pumping system is not properly vented.

ing tank.

Two filters are available from Aldermaston based waste water pumping system specialists Pump Technology Ltd, the smaller CharcoVent and the larger MicroVent. Both contain an activated carbon filter ideal for removing odours.

The smaller CharcoVent, which is an easy to replace disposable cartridge, should be used on systems that are typically sink only. Its vent pipe should be 1 1/4”.

The larger MicroVent, which features a replaceable cartridge, should be used on systems that have multiple wastewater inlets, or with appliances such as dishwashers. Its vent pipe should be 2” to allow the greater airflow.

As the pump operates air needs to be drawn back into the tank so that a partial vacuum is not created.

If this is allowed to happen the discharge flow of the pump will be reduced adversely affecting its efficiency.

Vents should be positioned as far above the collecting tank as practical. This improves the life of the filter and its effectiveness and facilitates easy removal of the lid for cleaning and servicing. It also ensures that, when pumping hot wastewater, any potential condensation will not adversely affect the activated carbon.

For these reasons all pump tanks need to be fitted with a suitable vent to allow them to breathe in and out. Ideally this should be routed to atmosphere external to the building.

The specialist team at Pump Technology Ltd are always happy to talk with any potential customers who are designing or installing a waste water pumping system and offer help and advice.

In cases where the vent outlet can only be sited within the building, a filter must be used to minimise any potential odours escaping from the pump collect-

More information: 0118 9821 555 www.pumptechnology.co.uk

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

• Be ready for your inspections • 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 • Next-day delivery service • Discounted prices on large orders

WhatsApp, phone, and email support

07936807320 sales@fridgesealsdirect.co.uk

fridgesealsdirect.co.uk

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Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems from Trinity Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems guard against highly destructive kitchen fires. Trinity Fire & Security Systems will survey, design, install, commission, maintain Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems throughout the UK, including Ansul and others.

A restaurant fire suppression system is a crucial piece of equipment for any commercial kitchen, it responds within seconds should a fire break out and they can often be an insurance company requirement. Kitchen fire suppression systems are ideal for all types of commercial kitchen such as hotels, factories, restaurants, casinos, stadiums, schools, hospitals and fast-food outlets.

Trinity Fire & Security Systems are an Authorised Tyco distributor for the Ansul R-102 Restaurant Fire Suppression System.

The need to provide continuity in a commercial kitchen is key to the survival of the business, which is why Trinity offer the class leading Ansul R-102, Restaurant Suppression System to stop fires rapidly, at source. With

more 3rd party accreditations under UL-300 and LPS-1223, than any other product, Trinity are proud to become one of a select number of companies that are fully approved, having their system designs, installations and servicing audited by the manufacturer, to provide clients with complete peace of mind.

Fires can, and often do, run quickly out of control and it is essential to have a system that can protect all aspects of the cooking and extraction process, that’s exactly what the partnership between Trinity and Tyco can offer.

There are several similar Suppression systems that only have limited certification covering the fryers, however the Ansul R-102 offers 3rd party certification for individual cooker types whether it be a fryer, broiler, salamander, range or skillet as well as the associated hood and ducts.

Get in touch with kitchensuppression@trinitypro.co.uk to enquire or for a quote.

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.

The standard specification of our Medium Production

Kitchen unit includes a six burner oven range, salamander grill, twin basket fryer, undercounter fridge, undercounter freezer, hot cupboard, double bowl sink unit with integral hand wash basin, storage racking, plus ample power points to plug in Microwaves, Food Processors, Toasters etc. Internal equipment can be interchanged, and clients can effectively specify their preferred layout.

We have many tried and tested design layouts and would be pleased to put forward our recommendations for your project.

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 Kitchen & Equipment Hire

0844 335 1910

kitchensuppression@trinitypro.co.uk

Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems guard against highly destructive kitchen fires.

Trinity Fire & Security Systems will survey, design, install, commission, maintain Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems throughout the UK, including Ansul and others.

www.trinityfireandsecurity.com

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Design and Refit

Transform Your Space With Stackable Chairs When you’re planning a refit or furnishing your restaurant from scratch, the chairs you choose play a crucial role in getting the very best out of your space.

Bring your walls to life with Fitzwalls.com

Dreaming of Venice or simply love the serenity of water scenes?

Do your clients have a soft spot for horses?

Maybe you're a fan of abstract colour bursts?

Say goodbye to tedious cleaning and hello to beautiful acrylic presentations.

No matter what your needs, check us out on www.fitzwalls.com Contact Kate on kate@fitzwalls.com or by phone +44 (0)7812 341517

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In any demanding hospitality setting, the quality and contract-grade durability that comes as standard across Trent Furniture’s large and varied range is key. The York Crossback Stacking Chair is a highly popular dining chair among venues of all types and sizes thanks to its versatility and understated style. Choose the vintage oak finish for a rustic vibe or the clean tones of light oak for a contemporary feel. Alternatively, walnut and dark oak finishes are available for a more traditional look. Whichever oakwood finish you choose, you can rest assured you’ve opted for an elegant chair with the added benefit of being stackable up to 8 high.

Alternatively, our bestselling Loopback chair is now available with the added convenience of stackability. Available in walnut or dark oak, the Loopback Stacking Chair, inspired by classic Parisian café design, will seat your customers in comfort and style.

It’s the little details that really create the wow factor in your newly designed space. That’s why these chairs are available with a simple wooden seat or expertly upholstered by us onsite in a choice of over 100 hardwearing fabrics in material, faux leather or vinyl to fit in perfectly with the colours of your décor scheme.

To find out more, please call 0116 286 4911 or fill in our contact form at www.trentfurniture.co.uk

The Final Touch - Delight Your Clients With Gorgeous Art Fitzwalls.com offers a range of high quality photographic images with you in mind.

Enhance your new build or refurbishment with glorious images from www.fitzwalls.com.

Find that perfect finishing touch for your building, whether new build or refurbishment, home, office, restaurant or pub.

Subjects include, Travel, Water, Boats, Rigging, Venice, Horses, as well as abstracts and images inspired by the natural world.

Transport your clientele to a favourite or planned holiday destination, with fabulous images of Venice and the islands, or a Safari with Zebra, Elephant and Lions from Kenya.

Abstract images are also available, which cause the viewer to stop and consider what is depicted there. We all see things differently.

For horse-lovers choose from a selection of attractive breeds, magnificent Friesian ‘warhorses’, elegant

Portuguese Lusitanos, free running Icelandic horses, and wild, white Camargue horses.

Modern and sophisticated presentations as acrylics are available, which, with no heavy wood frame, can fit with any style of building.

Easy to clean, maintain and ready to hang they are eminently suitable for offices and public areas of buildings.

Some of the images are available both with existing black frames as well as unframed.

Images bought unframed are supplied with a mat border.

For more details, or if you have questions arising from the website contact Kate by email or phone. kate@fitzwalls.com M: +44 (0)7812 341517 Freephone 0808 197 2726 www.fitzwalls.com

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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. www.ilfchairs.com/email terry.kirk@ilfchairs.com

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.

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

refurbishment 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

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Design and Refit

Maximising Revenue, Compliance and Customer Experience with a Lift a restaurant in London For larger establishments and new buildings, the primary choice should always be a passenger lift, as it can robustly handle high volumes and frequent use.

Not only do these lifts improve overall customer experience but also ensure inclusive access. Failure to give equal, dignified access is a breach of the Equality Act, and with the Purple Pound valued at £274billion per year, it’s a vital source of business revenue.

Whether you're opening a new hospitality venue, renovating existing premises, or looking to comply with regulations, a lift could be the solution.

Any hospitality business aims to provide unparalleled customer service, facilitating easy movement for customers throughout the building and enabling staff to serve quickly and safely.

Lifts in hospitality settings generally fall into two categories: front of house lifts, which ensure smooth movement of people and occasional goods (such as luggage), and back of house lifts, which facilitate the transport of goods and sometimes staff.

A front of house lift, depending on the size and needs of the establishment, is typically a passenger or platform lift.

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• Where stairs to a mezzanine floor or steps in front of the building create a barrier for wheelchair and buggy access, a step lift can provide a practical solution where installing a ramp is not feasible.

• For moving customers between floors: In smaller establishments and existing buildings, a conventional platform lift may be sufficient. For a more enhanced customer experience, a cabin platform lift, which gives the look and feel of a traditional lift, could be ideal. Platform lifts benefit from lower pit and headroom requirements and involve less building work than a conventional lift.

A platform lift designed to match the building refit at

Behind the scenes, back of house lifts play a crucial role in maintaining excellent customer service. The most well-known is the dumbwaiter, also known as a food or catering lift. With options such as heated shelves to help keep food warm, it’s an invaluable tool when kitchen and restaurant areas are on different floors. This setup prevents the risks of manual handling for staff and improves safety for customers if using the same stairs.

The benefits of a Stannah dumbwaiter include their ability to fit into the even smallest spaces, quick installation time, and relatively low-cost addition to the overall fit-out cost.

For larger working restaurants, trolley lifts and goods lifts are available, including an option for attendant control so a staff member can accompany the load.

Fast and efficient service enhances the customer experience and ensures staff safety at work. Including a lift as part of a refit or fit-out can be a relatively small investment with significant benefits. Are you considering a renovation or thinking about a lift? Look no further than Stannah Lifts, www.stannahlifts.co.uk.

Download our free manual handling guide here resources.stannahlifts.co.uk/manual-handling

Design and Refit

Restaurant Furniture Store

Looking to elevate the elegance of your restaurant? Discover the sophisticated range of chairs and tabletops at Restaurant Furniture Store, available in both standard and custom sizes. Enjoy peace of mind with our 5-year warranty and free delivery, ensuring both quality and convenience.

We offer a comprehensive selection of in-stock products, along with a vast array of unique, custom options.

If you're searching for something truly bespoke, we provide an extensive range of customisable chairs that can be tailored to your exact specifications, including colour, fabric, and design.

We’re also excited to introduce our new leasing option! If you'd like to enjoy our products without the upfront cost, you can now lease any of our in-stock items—perfect for startups and business renovations.

Leasing starts at just 33p per week, with flexible 2-year and 3-year terms, giving you the option to purchase at the end or renew your lease to refresh your furniture.

At The Restaurant Furniture Store, we are dedicated to delivering high quality indoor and outdoor restaurant furniture, complemented by exceptional customer service.

With a dedicated account manager and our expert customer service team, you’ll receive timely updates throughout the entire process, from purchase to delivery. Our mission is to make your experience smooth and stress-free.

Visit our online store to explore our extensive indoor and outdoor furniture collections www.restaurantfurniturestore.co.uk

Beautiful Wood For All Surfaces

Inspiring customers for nearly 50 years, Havwoods is the prevailing name in beautiful wood surface design for floors, walls and ceilings.

Havwoods’ superior collection of products is available in an extensive range of species, finishes and colours to ensure the perfect fit for any interior.

OVER 400 WOOD FLOORING OPTIONS Combining unrivalled expertise and latest designs, Havwoods set the benchmark for outstanding quality wood surfacing in a wide variety of species and with every conceivable finish. They select the very best products from the best manufacturers worldwide, continually researching new ideas and trends. The result is a superior portfolio of hundreds different wood surfacing products, most of it being European Oak. Wood flooring offers the perfect balance of luxury and practicality for any space adding value to a property. Investing in this beautiful, tough, natural and durable material is therefore a great choice.

BEYOND THE FLOOR Providing a literal new dimension to their collection

of wall surface and veneer solutions Havwoods recently introduced its latest new collection, Elegante Veneers. With versatility, flexibility and sustainability at the heart of the range, Elegante is part of Havwoods’ new journey to enhance its product portfolio to offer ranges that extend beyond the floor. With a wide variety of wood surface options for floors, walls and ceilings, Havwoods is your go-to provider for any of your timber surface requirements.

PRODUCTS FOR ALL BUDGETS H Collection by Havwoods is the perfect high-quality timber flooring option for value management and a popular choice in the Hospitality sector due to its fantastic price-point without compromising on the performance or durability required for high-traffic spaces. Dive into a curated palette of popular hues, thoughtfully designed to inspire and elevate your interiors. H Collection products are FSC® Certified Timber (FSC-C009500). info@havwoods.com +44 (0)1524 737000 www.havwoods.com/uk

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Design and Refit

It’s The Small Touches That Make A Big Difference: British Luxury Lampshades

So much effort goes into making guest experiences special and memorable in the UK’s 10,000 or so hotels. It could be down to the softness of the bed or the tartness of the lemon dessert ...it all takes professional care and attention from all the skilled staff working their magic day in day out.

Here at Tringhams we believe that the ambience of the rooms in a hotel have a massive impact on the positive experience of guests that stay there -the warmth of the lighting and the quality of the lampshades is where we specialise in making a real difference to guest experiences.

These are areas that are so often overlooked or seen as less important than other higher profile areas of the hotel.

Our consumer research tells us that guests love to relax in quintessentially British décor...in surroundings that they aspire to have in their own homes.

It also tells us that housekeepers and hotel proprietors struggle with finding the time to look at the smaller touches that make up a stunning hotel room-that’s why we have created the Tringhams’ Lampshade Fitting Guide to make the process as stress- free as possible for our customers.

At Tringhams we have been supplying handcrafted luxury lampshades from our family-owned business in London since 1986.

We are proud to have supplied many of the most beautiful houses, hotels ,castles and palaces in the UK but it’s helping the Independent Hotel sector transform their special spaces into stunning rooms that is our true forte.

If you want to order new luxury lampshades or replace or restore existing one’s please see the advert on this page for details.

Drakes Bar Furniture 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.

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.

Our service provides a unique opportunity to make your establishment stand out from others and add additional comfort for your customers.

We have been providing bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes, clubs, and hotels with high-quality furniture and fixtures for decades. Our dedicated team are either time-served officially trained craftsmen or externally based professionals.

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

Call 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. See page 42 for details.

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UK Pub And Restaurant Transactional Market Activity Improved In H1 2024 Report Reveals Investor confidence has returned following an uplift in mergers & acquisitions according to the latest Pubs & Restaurants 2024 Mid-Year Market Insight report by Christie & Co, which reflects on market activity and trends across the UK’s pub and restaurant transactional markets in the first half of 2024 and provides an outlook for the rest of the year.

The report reveals that pub market activity improved in H1 2024, compared to the subdued levels seen in 2023, with Christie & Co’s key transactional metrics trending upwards since January this year, albeit off soft year-on-year comparables.

Demand has been polarised towards bottom-end and premium assets however, this also shifted over the past six months, with signs suggesting the mid-market is returning. Additionally, there has been increased M&A activity signalling that investor confidence has improved.

THE KEY MARKET INSIGHTS AND TRENDS REVEALED IN THE REPORT INCLUDE: • Christie & Co instructions increased by 46% compared to historic low levels. Viewings, offers, deals agreed and exchanges increased by 5%, 15%, 46% and 74% respectively • The sub 600K market remains strong but the freehold, freehouse market is returning as confidence improves • There is increased demand for closed sites, particularly within the restaurant sector as buyers would prefer

Why Use a Specialist Hospitality Consultant?

Answer: because we can help your business to succeed.

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 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.

to buy the property and add value in the current environment • The most active buyers are predominantly experienced operators or individuals already in the marketplace who understand value • Pub Co’s have been notably active. They are looking to divest sites that no longer fit their portfolios, subsequently freeing up capital to acquire new sites • The late-night sector has continued to struggle, with the latest figures from CGA Nielsen indicating there were approximately five closures per week in Q1 2024. The growth of the late-night bar, changing social trends and disproportionate impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the student and younger demographic has contributed to this. Entertainment-led venues are faring better • Consumer habits have shifted with regards to food, drinking and dining out times – a continuation of last year • Operators are focusing on creating lean, consolidated businesses versus saturation Looking ahead, whilst it is noted that operators are still contending with staffing issues, cost pressures and current interest rates have made funding deals challenging, Christie & Co remains optimistic that market activity is moving in the right direction and suggests that correctly pricing assets is the key to increased deal activity as vendor expectations remain high, particularly as rates are expected to come down in the coming months.

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

What Next?

UK Hospitality is not alone in having had a turbulent couple of years, but it does seem to be resilient. The UK economy has just been confirmed as the fastest growing economy in the G7, inflation and interest rates have come and dare we say energy prices seem to have levelled off.

The pessimist in me however is looking at what is next, we have a budget coming up and despite pre-election promises we know taxes are going to increase, it would be fair to assume that minimum wages will increase and possible pension’s requirements also.

One area I think could be an increase is the rate of IPT (Insurance Premium Tax) which is currently 12% and I feel could be increased to 20%, this would be an increase on all insurance premiums before any insurance rate increases.

It’s not all doom and gloom though and with the economy growing it suggests that we are all spending more money. I recently had a trip to Yorkshire and was amazed at how busy the town was, the pubs, bars and restaurants and the variety of establishments, slightly annoyed I had not thought to pre-book for dinner!

As an insurance broker we are here to find the best insurance deal for you and if you are tired of having excuses for poor service or just want to change to a broker who cares, we can look after all your insurance requirements, from your hotel to your home, your leisure centre to your life insurance, call us and find out more.

Simon Bentley Phoenix Specialist Risk Solutions – Insurance Brokers 01273 977221 Info@phoenixsrs.co.uk See the advert on the back cover for further information.

T H E W E S T C O U N T RY S P E C I A L I S T S

• Famous Premises with Unique History in Prestigious Town • Grade II Listed Four Storey Building, Built in 1736 • Commercial Ground Floor Unit with Planning to Convert to Residential • Delightful 2/3 Bedroom Town House with Pretty Sun Terrace • Must Be Viewed to be Fully Appreciated

BRIXHAM, DEVON

SOUTH CORNWALL COAST

CHAGFORD, DEVON

SOMERSET COUNTRY VILLAGE

Free Of Tie Village Pub/Restaurant

Well Known Character Café & Tearoom

Destination Country Pub & Restaurant

Stunning & Profitable Business

Tearoom 24, Catering Kitchen

Bar/Restaurant Areas 66+, Garden 60+

Impressive Bar & Dining Areas 104+

Easy Daytime Hours, 5 Days A Week

2 Bedroom Owners Accommodation

Gardens, Parking, Owners Accom.

Successful & Profitable Business

Landmark Trading Position

Excellent Reputation & Reviews

Tremendous Potential & Opportunity

Affordable & Profitable Business

LH £37,500

4850

LH £40,000

2150

FH £295,000

EXMOUTH, DEVON

SOUTH HAMS TOWN

POPULAR DEVON VILLAGE

Café, Coffee Shop & Restaurant

High Turnover Character Village Inn

Prime Town Centre Location

60+ Covers & Commercial Kitchen

Bar & Dining Areas 68+, Kitchens

Fully Equipped With 42 Covers

Landmark High Street Position

4 E/S Letting Rooms, 3 Bed Owners

Vibrant Coastal Town

Easy Daytime Hours, 6 Days A Week

Beer Gardens 98+, Car Park

Tremendous Potential

Thriving Turnkey Business

Impressive & Profitable Business

2109

LH £75,000

2168

FH £695,000

FREEHOLD

REF: 4906

PRICE: £27,250

NR. SALCOMBE, DEVON

• Award Winning Restaurant in Idyllic South Hams Location • Panoramic Coastal Views over Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty • Contemporary Interior Design & South Facing Terrace • Local Repeat Custom with Huge Tourist Boost • Trading 11 Months of the Year

4794

Licensed Café, Bar & Restaurant

LH £24,950

PRICE: OIEO £435,000

LAUNCESTON, CORNWALL

• Delightful Café in Substantial Grade II Listed Premises • Art Deco Design Trade Area Seating 20+ • Owners 1 Bedroom Accommodation • Separate Function Room & Studio Flat Let on AST • Popular Café with Further Potential

PRICE: £85,000

LEASEHOLD

REF: 3684

TORQUAY, DEVON

PRICE: £70,000

FREEHOLD

REF: 4940

PORT ISSAC, CORNWALL

DEVON VILLAGE

DORSET VILLAGE

Stunning Country Inn & Restaurant

Traditional Pub & Restaurant

Prime Central Trading Position

Bar & Restaurant Areas 48+ Kitchens

Bar Areas 48+, Gardens 78+

Purpose Fully Fitted Premises

Superior 4 Bedroom Accommodation

3 Bed Owner’s Accommodation

Potential To Develop Business

Extremely Successful Business

Sought After Dorset Village

Customer Seating 18+, Kitchen

High Turnover & Six Figure Profits

Profitable Wet Led Village Pub

PRICE: £1,500,000

LH £19,995

2170

FH £725,000

THINKING OF SELLING? CALL FOR A FREE VALUATION

4864

FH £495,000

4851

01392 201262 www.stonesmith.co.uk

FREEHOLD

REF: 4351

FREEHOLD

REF: 4320

• Unique & Successful Lifestyle Business in Former 18th Century Water Mill • Licensed Café/Bistro situated Over 5 Character Trading Areas • Extensive Retail Sales Area Located on 3 Floors • Exceptional 2 Bed Owner’s Accommodation • Expansive Grounds with Woodland, River Frontage, Paddocks & Ponds

• Stunning Coastal Thatched Village Inn - Rethatched in 2023 • Recently Totally Renovated, Reequipped and Remodelled • 70+ Covers inside and Stunning Outside Trading Areas • Beautiful Owners Chalet Bungalow with Sea Views • Very Strong Business, Viewing Essential

PRICE: £1,100,000

REF: 4942

TOTNES, DEVON

TORQUAY, DEVON

Coastal Licensed Café & Takeaway

LEASEHOLD

• Historic Building, Sympathetically Converted to Create Versatile Property • Very Well Established B&B/Hotel with Significant Net Profit • 10 Superior En-Suite Letting Bedrooms, all Individually Designed/Decorated • Breakfast Room & Conservatory, Fully Equipped Kitchen & Guest Car Park • Newly Renovated, Self-Contained & Separate Bespoke Owner’s Cottage

SOUTH ZEAL, DEVON

PRICE: £1,500,000

REF: 4262

• Successful Fish & Chip Takeaway with Excellent Reputation • Impressive Turnover & Net Profit Figures • Prominent Location within Residential & Commercial Area • Smart Fitout, Well Equipped with Ancillary Areas • Rent £11,200 PA, 10 Year Lease from 2020

• Stunning Hotel & Inn with Luxury Rooms Overlooking Dartmoor National Park • Steeped in History with 7 Luxury En-Suite Letting Rooms • Extensive Trade Gardens, Patio, 2 Paddocks & Private Field • Separate 3 Bedroom Owners Bungalow & Gardens • Genuine Retirement Sale of a Very Successful Business

4859

LEASEHOLD

TIVERTON, DEVON

PRICE: £895,000

FREEHOLD

REF: 4885

Phoenix Specialist Risk Solutions Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority – FRN: 992540.

Phoenix Specialist Risk Solutions Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 10529278.