CLH Digital - Issue #88

Issue 88

Hospitality Sector Pleads for Support as Cancellations Mount www.CLHNews.co.uk

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Hospitality businesses across the UK have demanded urgent financial support to deal with a drastic collapse in bookings which is expected to exacerbate following Prime Minister Boris Johnson and chief Medical Advisor Chris Whitty warning to “think carefully” before socialising over Christmas.

As criticism mounts, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who cut short his trip to California is to hold urgent talks with hospitality leaders as the sector reports mass preChristmas booking cancellations, following the implementation of Plan “B” and the prospect of Plan “C”.

Hospitality operators have warned that the crucial Christmas and new year period was "finished", due to increasing fears about the omicron variant and the impact of government guidance to work from home where possible.

The chancellor it is understood to have promised to do “whatever it takes” to protect livelihoods.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...)

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CLH Digital

Issue 88

Editor's Viewpoint

Welcome to the latest issue of CLH DIGITAL One major policy we have here at CLH News is to try and publish as much positive news to the sector as possible.

PUBLISHED BY RBC Publishing Ltd Roddis House, Old Christchurch Rd, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 1LG

We are happy to leave sensationalism, and the negative connotations to mainstream media.

When a publication supporting a particular industry, no matter what that industry is, its job is to produce informative, helpful and positive content.

EDITOR

Peter Adams

TELEPHONE:

Given what is going on, that is increasingly difficult.

Our front-page story once again leads with a beleaguered industry having to plead to the government for help, almost two years after the government first forced the country into a lockdown. After which we have had repeated disruptions to the sector, often when it looked like it was getting back on its feet.

This week Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has accused the government of introducing a ‘lockdown by stealth’ (see page 13). Businesses have been forced into a “zombie-like” lockdown with multiple cancellations at the busiest time for the sector. Without, at this stage, the government having to put its hand in its pockets like it did when the pandemic first broke.

The government has ignored all advice to keep the VAT low to help the sector get back on its feet, and, as previously reported, we here at CLH News wrote to the Chancellor pleading the current 12.5% rate to be extended until December 2023, and we received a resounding “No!” While I don’t have a crystal ball, I suspect the Chancellor now has no option. In fact, he should go even further and reduce it back down to 5%, reintroduce a part furlough scheme, introduce a January “Eat Out to Help Out” post Christmas, and possibly a set of interest free loans relative to businesses’ turnover.

This really is a mess of the government’s own making. We also reported in our previous issue how Dr Angelique Coetzee, who first discovered the Omicron variant, said many of her patients have mild symptoms and there is a "huge gap" between "the science and what is actually happening".

In an interview Sky News earlier this week Dr Angelique Coetzee was asked how many patients infected with Omicron she has seen with the most severe symptoms.

"No one," she replies. Apart, that is, from a man with HIV who had pneumonia and comorbidities. I haven't seen any COVID-19 pneumonia and neither have my colleagues,"

01202 552333

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EDITOR Peter Adams

Adding that Boris Johnson is creating "hysteria".

Yesterday, December 16 the Telegraph led with the headline “We’re most certainly overreacting to the omicron variant” Mainstream media are late to the party, but welcome nevertheless. We here at CLH News have repeatedly said so, and not just for Omicron, but also for the pandemic generally.

The country is two years (almost) into the pandemic and has lurched from one crisis to another and, as always, the hospitality sector caught in the eye of the economic storm.

I would urge everybody to mount a campaign and lobby their MPs, to get these ludicrous ad hoc plans of lockdowns thrown out!

SALES EXECUTIVES David Bartlett Guy Stephenson

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Matthew Noades

PRODUCTION & WEB ADMIN Shelly Roche Published Publishedbyby

Once again I would ask a favour,. We are trying to maximise our advertisers reach as much as possible - without them would not be possible to run CLH NEWS. So please do follow us on Twitter, and encourage as many people you know in the trade to subscribe to our digital issue, further details can be seen at www.catererlicensee.com

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Issue 88

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Hospitality Sector Pleads for Support as Cancellations Mount (...CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER) VAT & RATE RELIEF UKHospitality boss Kate Nicholls has once again called for business rates relief and VAT discounts to be extended, warning that the sector has been hit harder than expected by the new restriction, adding that hospitality sales have already plunged by more than a third over the last 10 days with £2 billion of trade already lost in December.

Ms Nicholls said: “It is quite clear that the impact of the current guidance and restrictions has been more hard hitting on an already beleaguered hospitality sector than expected.”

She added: “It is imperative that local authorities release the discretionary grants and rate relief they have to affected businesses immediately and VAT and rate relief support is extended and not turned off prematurely.”

Firms across the sector have repeatedly asked for an extension of the discounted 12.5% VAT, which is due to revert back to the original 20% rate in March next year, with UKHospitality also pushing for a postponement of business rates.

She said the group was working with the Treasury and across government to help ensure support is maintained for the sector.

A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Campaign for Real Ale has also joined demands immediate support package to compensate for loss of trade Speaking ahead of discussions between the Treasury and industry representatives about financial support in response to the spread of the omicron variant, CAMRA Chairman Nik Antona said: “Coal for Christmas would be better than the current situation - at least pubs with fires would have help with rising heating bills.

“We are now back in the same, and wholly unacceptable, situation of March 2020 where pubs and social clubs were put in lockdown by proxy when the public were warned to stay away.

“The Chancellor must urgently deliver a new package of support including grants, business rate relief and furlough – this time available to brewers and the whole supply chain, rather than just publicans, and with money for devolved governments to do the same for pubs which are already facing fresh restrictions.

“It’s not going to be a merry Christmas for anyone working in the hospitality sector, but if the Chancellor acts now, we can avoid the business closures, unemployment and poorer communities that mass pub closures during what should be the busiest time of year for the trade would bring.”

New analysis by the Labour Party shows the serious situation facing the hospitality and culture sectors in the UK, as tens of thousands of businesses report fears they may not survive in the New Year.

“TENS OF THOUSANDS” OF HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES FACING CLOSURE The Labour Party has hit out at the government's lack of support saying that tens of thousands of businesses in the hospitality and licensed on trade face closure without government intervention.

Labour’s analysis of ONS data reveals that one in every five businesses reported they were at risk of going under, whilst one in three reported lower festive sales. In the culture sector, almost one in ten are at moderate or severe risk of insolvency, and one in three have reported a lower turnover. Astonishingly, this analysis covers the month before Omicron hit, suggesting things could get even worse for the sector as parties are cancelled and orders dry up.

The Party slammed the Chancellor’s decision to leave British business in the dark while jetting off to America. Remarkably, Ministers only convened a roundtable with hard hit sectors yesterday, and confirmed they will “continue to work with industry leaders over the coming days” despite firms calling for help now.

Already, without official lockdown restrictions, many theatres have cancelled their Christmas runs, which especially for local and regional theatres can bring in up to 25% of their yearly income.

Labour has written to the Chancellor calling on him to come out of hiding and provide much needed support for British business.

Labour has set out its own plans to help businesses through this tough period, with action to ease the burden of debt repayments, cutting business rates for small businesses and creating a functioning system of selfisolation support.

Jonathan Reynolds MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, said: “Every day the Chancellor is missing in action is an insult to the British businesses and workers who have struggled to get to this point.

“They are now facing closure by stealth from a government without the authority to take the public health measures required and back it up with economic support.

“Firms are clear in their message to Government; they need help now not just warm words. Labour backs British business and workers

with our plans to fix sick pay, ease the burden of debt repayments and cut business rates for small businesses.”

SALES DOWN 70% COMPARED TO 2019 Greene King CEO Nick Mackenzie said some its London pubs have seen sales down as much as 70% compared with the same week in 2019 amid a wave of cancellations.

He said: “The guidance from Government to limit social interactions and shift to working from home has put our industry into lockdown in everything but name.

“As consumer confidence plummets and booking cancellations rise, we urgently need Government to act to support the industry now by freezing business rates and removing the existing cap, confirming a longer-term reduction in VAT and providing targeted support for those most severely affected by the current situation.

“This will help to continue to preserve livelihoods and jobs in our sector.”

MINI FURLOUGH Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund said Chancellor Rishi Sunak should be “ready to deploy” a mini form of furlough support in the event of widespread closures to help sectors suffering the most, in particular hospitality.

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI chief economist, added: “Further support for struggling firms will be needed if fresh government public health measures prevent firms trading their way to recovery.

“Cash is king, so helping affected firms with cashflow, by ensuring unspent local authority grants are distributed to firms, giving firms more headroom to manage their coronavirus debt repayments and considering measures to reduce the fixed costs of businesses where demand is severely affected should be on the table.”

Michelin starred chef Tom Kerridge has also asked for a VAT to be reduced back down to five per cent for hospitality to protect restaurants that are struggling with the effects of rapidly spreading Omicron.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Kerridge said it was time for the ‘Government to step up’ and stop with ‘mixed messaging’ to ensure that hospitality venues and businesses get the support they need. He condemned the Government for being ‘reactive rather than proactive’ when it comes to putting support measures in place for those struggling due to the virus.

Covid ‘Plan B’ Restrictions: Can Employers Force Employees To Be Vaccinated?

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Issue 88

From Monday 13 December 2021, workers in England have had to work from home if possible as part of new rules introduced by the government to limit the spread of the Covid Omicron variant.

But can the businesses that need employees in the workplace force them to be vaccinated? Damian Kelly, partner and head of the employment law practice at Lodders Solicitors (www.lodders.co.uk), explains.

“For care homes and their staff, The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 were approved on 22nd July 2021, and made it mandatory for a person working or providing professional services in a care home to have the Covid-19 vaccine from the 11th of November 2021.

“Vaccines for care home workers are therefore now compulsory unless the person has provided clinical reasons why he or she cannot be vaccinated. Religious and philosophical beliefs do not suffice, and the new regulations apply to England only.”

“Other than employers of care home staff, employers have no legislative right to require staff to be vaccinated.

“In other sectors, employers who try to mandate staff vaccinations are running a high risk of Employment Tribunal claims, including claims for unlawful discrimination”, explains Damian.

“Increasingly, employers are seeing value in introducing Vaccination Policies which, whilst falling short of requiring mandatory vaccinations, encourage their staff to get vaccinated and set out various means by which they will be supported in doing so.”

He adds: “Employers should give careful consideration to the drafting of a Vaccination Policy and the way in which it is communicated and implemented across their workforces. Important issues for consideration are likely to include timing, confidentiality, time off measures and fair procedures for dismissals should they be necessary.”

Jestic Foodservice Solutions Team Play Santa for Kids Out Charity The team at Jestic Foodservice Solutions have been playing Santa over the past few weeks, as they added presents around the Giving Christmas tree in the centre of the Jestic office at Paddock Wood. The 100+ gifts that have been donated are now on the ‘Jestic sleigh’ to the Kids Out charity who aim to bring fun and happiness to disadvantaged children across the UK who have fled domestic abuse to seek sanctuary and refuge.

Ben Dale, Managing Director of Jestic Foodservice Solutions explains: “The team at Jestic, as well as suppliers and customers, have once again been extremely generous with their donations and we are thrilled to be able to do our own little bit to help support disadvantaged children this

Christmas.”

In addition to the above, Jestic has also raised over £2,000 through festive charity raffles and donations for ‘Hospice in the Weald’, which provides care for patients with terminal illness across West Kent and Northern East Sussex. The charity is particularly close to the hearts of the Jestic team after they helped to support the family of a Jestic employee in recent times.

For further information on getting your company involved in the Kids Out Giving Tree initiative, visit www.kidsout.org.uk

Festive Call to Publicans to Connect People and Communities by Using their Pub as the Festive Hub Publicans are being invited to help raise awareness of a new seasonal campaign, encouraging their customers to help tackle loneliness in their area, by taking someone as a ‘Plus One’ to the pub in December.

HEINEKEN UK’s pub business Star Pubs & Bars are among those already getting involved in the campaign, including its 140 Just Add Talent managed operator pubs who will be hosting events throughout December.

Christmas Plus One is being organised by the Together Coalition, as a way to build kinder, closer, more connected communities by bringing people together and bridging divides. This Christmas they are giving all members of the UK public a ‘PlusOne’ www.together.org.uk/christmasplusone, inviting them to take their Christmas cheer one step further and involve someone new in their festive plans.

As with previous years HEINEKEN will also be offering all their 2,300 employees the opportunity to volunteer in Christmas Plus One through their Brewing Good Cheer campaign.

EASY TO GET INVOLVED Kim FitzGibbon, licensee at Star Pubs & Bars’ pub The Drill in Romford, Essex, said: “I am looking forward to bringing some festive joy to customers this year, especially after missing out last Christmas. The Christmas Plus One campaign is a great way to remind people to think about those who would love to have more social interaction with others and may feel socially isolated.”

The initiative is being supported by Pub is The Hub, who run Join Inn – Last Orders for Loneliness’, Join Inn – Last Orders for Loneliness - Pub is The Hub, a campaign which supports publicans to help tackle loneliness in their local area, and Heineken UK, who are getting involved in Christmas Plus One through its annual Brewing Good Cheer campaign.

JOIN IN CHRISTMAS PLUS ONE DAY Publicans are also being encouraged to take part with an event or activity on a national Christmas Plus One Day on Tuesday, 14 December, when people across the country will come together around this national day to help spread some festive joy. Alongside this pub customers, charities, community groups and volunteers are being asked to do small acts of kindness throughout December and take someone along as a ‘Plus One’ to their pub for a chat, a drink, some food or community event.

RESOURCES TO HELP PUBLICANS GETTING INVOLVED

bring a ‘Plus One’ along to the pub in December publicans can not only make a difference to someone’s day, but potentially make their pub accessible to a whole new audience, community group or local volunteers.”

She adds: “We will be highlighting the campaign and hope that customers will act on it and bring someone with them to the pub to enjoy a pint or meal. We can all do our bit and it's not a big ask, so I do hope other pubs get involved too."

SIMPLE ACTIONS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

‘PUBS PLAY VITAL ROLE IN COMBATING SOCIAL ISOLATION’

Kemp adds: “We appreciate Christmas is already a busyand challenging time for publicans, but there are many simple ways to join in and make a difference with Christmas Plus One. This new initiative is all about connecting people and their communities at a time of celebration and goodwill - a time of year when so many might feel that no one cares.”

Publicans can find Christmas Plus One resources, including a guide with information and ideas on getting involved, a poster to highlight the campaign to their customers and social media tools here: Christmas Plus One - Pub is The Hub

Research in Together’s Talk/Together* report highlights that 73% of people say they would like society to be closer and more connected in the future.

Deborah Kemp, ambassador for loneliness for the ‘Join Inn - Last Orders for Loneliness’ campaign, said: “By encouraging customers to

HEINEKEN UK PUBS AND STAFF JOINING IN AND BREWING GOOD CHEER

Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs & Bars, said: “We are delighted to be getting behind the Christmas Plus One campaign as pubs play a vital role in helping combat social isolation in their communities. It is an issue HEINEKEN feels passionately about and is the focus of our Brewing Good Cheer campaign which has been in place since 2017.”

He adds: “All of our 140 managed operator Just Add Talent pubs will be offering a free meal or drinks this year, building on the support many of our pubs have provided to communities throughout the pandemic, and continue to do on an ongoing basis.”

Night Czar Sacha Lord Launches “Axe the Red Wall Tax” Campaign in Protest at VAT Increase

Issue 88

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THINKING ABOUT HAVING AN ESPRESSO MACHINE INSTALLED? WOULDN’T YOU REALLY PREFER TO HAVE A

hotels have already suffered immense damage since March 2020. Sales across hospitality are around half what they were in 2019, and the sector remains in crisis mode. Yet for some unfathomable reason, this government plans to practically double VAT for hospitality businesses, putting at risk the survival of 12,600 businesses, forcing them to raise prices for consumers and six in ten of them to cut jobs.”

He added: “This Tory tax rise is a ‘red wall’ tax on working class northerners, plain and simple. It will hurt the poorest in our society more than anyone else, eating into the disposable incomes of the UK’s poorest ten percent of people three times more harshly than the richest ten percent.

Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, has launched a campaign to fight back against the government’s proposed VAT tax increase, and has launched a ‘Axe The Red Wall Tax‘ website as part of a protest against a second tax rise for pubs and restaurants “which will put 12,600 businesses at risk”.

“I’m not sure why it’s left to me to tell a Conservative government not to raise taxes, but the road we are going down will do nothing but stifle investment, economic growth and recovery.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak cut the rate of value added tax to 5% cent in a bid to stimulate spending in the sector when it reopened after the first lockdown last summer. It was then raised to 12.5pc in October and is set to return to its full 20pc rate next April.

“I get that we need to be safe at the moment but they need to look at a long term vision to help us recover over the next two to three years.

Lord said: “Britain’s pubs, cafes, restaurants, and

“Nobody in the industry wants to go cap in hand to the Government – they actually want to trade.

“With the VAT we are not asking for money, we’re saying don’t hike us up again yet.

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Issue 88

Omicron Curbs In UK Dips Christmas Trade For Hospitality

By Kunal Sawhney, CEO of Kalkine (www.kalkine.co.uk) The arrival of Omicron variant of the Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has categorically affected the enterprises operating within the hospitality industry in the United Kingdom as the government was left with no choice other than to reimpose partial restrictions to contain the spread of fresh strain, which is believed to be more contagious and highly transmissible as compared to the previously existing Delta strain.

European nations were already struggling to arrest the resurgence of cases linked to the Delta variant, the mass-scale emergence of Omicron variant and its ability to supersede the immunity obtained from the two-dose regimen have drastically unnerved the respective healthcare administrations with the businesses contemplating the scope of damage due to the unforeseen adversities of sharp increases in the cases.

Leading restaurants, bars, pubs, and other eateries have cumulatively received cancellations in thousands, with the cancellation count breaching mid-three digit figures as the so-called severe consequences of Omicron variant have effectuated a fresh wave of anxiousness among the individuals who were initially looking forward to celebrate the Christmas festivities with the minimum-possible restrictions after 2019.

Businesses are increasingly downsizing their commercial expectations with the total number of confirmed cases linked to the Omicron variant surpassing a mark of 3,000 as on Sunday. Following the unexpected consequences of the fresh variant, even after inoculating more than 80% individuals with both the doses, the

Downing Street administration, as well as the health security agency are apparently baffled after witnessing such a huge spike in cases.

Subsequent to the heightened tensions around the virus variant, the government has already moved to Plan B and is now exploring the possibilities of reintroducing some of the counter-protective measures that can help in minimising the rate of infection and hospital admissions.

The potential disruptions in the business activity is hampering the revival prospects for a large section of enterprises as corporations are yet to recognise a worthwhile portion of their pre-Covid revenues. With the resurgence of cases, businesses have already forgotten the prospects of taking their enterprises towards growth, or back to the pre-pandemic levels as they’re again poised to witness lacklustre earnings during the busiest trading period of the year.

All of this is happening, at a time when most of the small-to-medium scale enterprises involved in the food and accommodation businesses were already grappling with the challenges of broken balance sheets as debt levels have only mounted during the 21-month pandemic era so far.

The food and accommodation businesses, and other consumer-facing settings were already battling with the acute shortage of skilled workforce as a considerable number of businesses are unable to refill, rehire and deploy adequate workers, even as the number of vacancies in the UK continues to make and break record highs.

Alongside the industry-wide repercussions of limitedness of raw materials, malfunctioned state of supply chain and logistics systems and escalating input prices with the rate of inflation rising month-on-month have furthered the pain for hospitality businesses. As a result of increased procurement costs, they are forced to pass on the burden of soared prices onto the consumers, the factor that has also impacted the number of footfalls and the quantum of spends.

November’s Delivery and Takeaway Sales Double Pre-COVID-19 Levels Combined, deliveries and takeaways accounted for just over 28 pence in every pound of spending at managed groups in November 2021.

Growth in this sector continues to be much higher than in eating and drinking out, with the November edition of the separate CGA Coffer Business Tracker—which has a different cohort of contributing companies—indicating that managed groups grew their sales by just 2% from November 2019.

Hospitality groups’ delivery and takeaway sales continue to grow, the latest edition of the CGA & Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker shows— and with COVID-19 concerns and restrictions affecting the eating-out market, there will be a heightened focus on at-home sales through December.

The Tracker shows that November saw Britain’s leading managed restaurant and pub groups record a 97% increase in sales by value compared to the levels of November 2019. Sales were just 1% below November 2020, when businesses were subject to much tougher restrictions on eat-in trading than they are now.

Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “COVID-19 concerns threaten to badly damage the eat-in and drink-in sales of Britain’s restaurants and pubs this Christmas, but at-home sales could prove a lifeline to many fragile businesses. Deliveries and takeaways are now deeply embedded in consumers’ habits, and December is likely to give them fresh impetus. This sector is going to be a crucial battleground for all operators and suppliers as we enter 2022, and understanding consumers’ attitudes and preferences will be pivotal to success for all players.”

November’s research from CGA and Slerp shows delivery sales were 192% higher than in 2019—far outstripping the 25% growth in takeaways.

This reflects consumers’ switch from picking up food to having it delivered to their door, a trend boosted by lockdowns and the popularity of third party delivery providers.

While 2021-on-2019 growth has slowed since hospitality venues reopened earlier this year, deliveries and takeaways are likely to attract another wave of interest over the last few weeks of 2021. As anxiety about the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 mounts and people are working from home where possible, many consumers are likely to consider ordering food in instead of eating out.

Slerp founder JP Then said: “It is almost certain that Plan B is the start of a period of further restrictions.

Already we can see that pre-orders are on the rise, and online ordering will be an even more crucial channel in the coming weeks and months as people’s plans change. It is essential that operators ensure they are clearly communicating online purchasing options to their customers wherever possible.”

British Institute of Innkeeping Releases Devastating Results of Christmas Trading Survey The BII has has released the results of its survey of members since the announcement from the Prime Minister last week.

The country’s move to Plan B in England and the announcement of further measures for the devolved nations has had an immediate and devastating impact on the level of trade in our nations’ pubs with cancellations of bookings and a drop in footfall across the whole of the UK, at a time where operators needed to be building resilience back into their businesses ahead of the quieter winter months.

The survey, which saw over 500 licensee operators feeding in their experiences, shows trade falling dramatically for a large number of pubs in light of the caution urged by Government around the transmissibility of the Omicron variant.

Even without restrictions being placed on our vibrant pubs, vital for social connection and the mental health of communities across the UK, their businesses have been plunged into uncertainty once more.

78% of respondents reported trade as already being significantly down on 2019 levels with two thirds reporting that Christmas bookings have been cancelled and half seeing a reduction in size of bookings.

2 in 3 have seen a reduction in trade of more than 20% against 2019 levels and of those 1 in 3 are seeing revenue down by over 40%.

76% are having to reduce staff hours, but more worryingly, almost 1 in 4 are already saying they will be letting staff go. 53% are having to reduce their trading hours and half of respondents have seen significant levels of food waste with stock ordered in to cope with the seasonal demands, now useless.

Our professionally managed venues had already put in place a raft of measures to reassure their customers that they were safe places to socialise, with 47% saying staff were wearing masks and 30% already limiting the number of bookings they were taking.

Having built up an average of over £50k of debt per pub over the course of the pandemic, licensees are now facing a cliff edge for their businesses, with the trade that they were relying on to help them rebuild after the disruption and uncertainty of the past 2 years, now gone.

Even since the results of the survey earlier this week, members are now reporting huge increases in cancellations of 75% or more, leaving them with food they cannot sell and staff they cannot afford to pay.

Steven Alton, CEO of the BII said: “The immediate and devastating impact of the Prime Minister’s announcements over the past few days is now clear to see. Our members run welcoming and professional venues where people can safely socialise and reconnect in their communities.

“Often, these small businesses are run by families, who live in their pubs, and they are now facing a Christmas without the trade that they so desperately needed to begin their recovery. This presents an immediate cash flow crisis for our members who have invested heavily in the festive season and now simply won’t be able to pay their bills.

“Whilst most of these viable businesses have built up debts over the pandemic to ensure they can survive, many more have cashed in pensions, emptied their savings accounts and borrowed from friends and family on the basis that they can trade at pre-pandemic levels. These are people at the heart of their communities, but more than that, they are key employers in towns, high streets and rural locations across the UK, and have contributed huge amounts of tax to the treasury.

“They now need immediate support from Government to enable them to remain as those community pillars, providing that unique experience for people to come together and celebrate, commiserate and connect as human beings.

“We need support for these essential businesses, now, not in the New Year, as quite simply they will not survive without it. Our members have asked for vital support in the form of the reintroduction of grants, a continuation of the lower rate of VAT and a cancellation of business rates.

“The support and recognition that Government has given to them over the course of the pandemic was key to their survival, but without further and immediate support this Christmas, the investment in these businesses will be wasted and we will see widespread business failure.

“We are calling on the Chancellor to protect his investment and the unique heritage that pubs bring to the UK with an emergency package of measures in line with those seen at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis.”

The full survey results can be seen at https://bit.ly/3F1BDKP

Pubs Will Sell 37 Million Fewer Pints and Lose £297 Million this Christmas Issue 88

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“Pubs will sell 37 million fewer pints and lose out on £297 million in trade this Christmas. Over 3 million bookings in pubs were cancelled last week alone.

The British Beer & Pub Association has revealed that pubs will sell 37 million fewer pints and lose out on £297 million in trade this Christmas.

The stark figures come as the trade association also reveals that last week alone (Sunday 5th to Saturday 11th December) that over 3 million pub visits were cancelled.

“The Government’s message to avoid socialising is a hammer blow to our sector. It will shake public confidence dramatically to go out and visit the local.

The trade association says it expects cancellations to increase after the Government advised people to avoid events or plans in the days ahead of Christmas in the Prime Minister’s press conference on Omicron on December 15th. It says its members are already seeing a dramatic drop in footfall in their venues.

“Although no new restrictions have been announced, the message to not socialise is hugely damaging to our sector.

“This is one of the most important trading periods of the year for pubs and a time we should all be able to enjoy the local. Instead, pubs are in purgatory – allowed to stay open without restrictions, but with people essentially told to avoid them.

The BBPA says that although no new restrictions have been announced the message to the British public to avoid socialising is just as damaging for pubs.

In an urgent response to the advice, it has today written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak pleading with him to deliver financial support to pubs and the wider hospitality sector. It says the Chancellor must do this in recognition of the decimation the sector faces to its trade this Christmas because of the Government advice.

“The Government must take responsibility and step in to save pubs this Christmas. We’ve written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak as a matter of urgency to provide the vital furlough and grant provisions our pubs need, in addition to VAT and Business Rates support.

“Without support pubs across the UK have a real fight on their hands for survival.”

Punch Pubs & Co has been acquired by Fortress Investment Group, a US-based investor owned by Japan’s SoftBank, for an undisclosed sum.

Fortress Investment Group said it had acquired 100 per cent of the firm’s share capital on Wednesday.

The pub group comprises 1,300 venues in the UK, made up of wetled, community pubs. It is largely focused on a suburban and rural estate, which has helped it navigate some of the challenges of the pandemic.

Punch Pubs bought 56 pubs from Young’s Ram Pub Company in July.

Cyril Courbage, managing director, Fortress Investment Group, said the pub company had done an “exceptional job” at weathering the Covid crisis and the business was positioned “for long-term growth and value creation.”

He described the UK as “an extremely attractive investment environment,” and said the investment group would “explore other opportunities in this sector.”

Clive Chesser, Punch Pubs & Co. CEO, said Fortress would “work alongside the existing management team to invest in the business with innovation and capital to ensure our long-term success in what is a highly competitive market.”

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Let's Talk About Hygiene 8

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also an all-important decision maker – or breaker – for customers and getting the scores on the door can be the difference between business success or failure. Interestingly, though again perhaps not surprisingly, food hygiene ratings are of even higher importance to customers when ordering food for delivery.

This heightened awareness of health and hygiene, in general, has been more prominent in older generations during the pandemic. But when it comes to checking ‘food hygiene ratings’ in particular, it’s Generation Z

By KAM Media (www.kam-media.co.uk) and younger Millennials who are more actively ‘ratings aware’. Venues should be using positive Food Hygiene Rating scores as a footfall driving checks and Perspex screen dividers, masks and one-way systems will mechanism for these savvy consumers. When ordering online, from slowly be removed (assuming guidelines don’t change again of course.)

Deliveroo and Just Eat, for example, the food hygiene rating was more The main reason is the disruption they have on the ‘normal’ consumer likely to be used as a sorting factor for venues above the range of food experience in venue. We want to feel safe, and we absolutely want to feel like a venue is ‘on top’ of hygiene standards, but we don’t want it to and drink, delivery times and images of the food. be detrimental to the overall experience.

COMMUNICATION AND PERCEPTION NOW

The research found that two measures which customers would like to remain long-term are hand sanitising stations (69%) and adequate spacing of tables (63%). Measures that don’t dilute the customer experience but just give enough reassurance that their health and well-being has been considered and is important to the venue. This is, ultimately, what the customer is looking for.

BECOMES IMPORTANT

GET THE FUNDAMENTALS RIGHT

wonderful atmosphere will always be important, but it’s interesting to see the value that this generation place on hygiene and of course ratings of many kinds.

Astute operators should be looking at this and thinking about how they can use their high-ranking hygiene standards in a positive way to separate them from their competitors and influence the valuable 18-34year-old market. Of course, quality food and drink, great service and a

Rollback to pre-pandemic and hygiene probably didn’t weigh heavily on your mind as an operator. It was more about experience and ambiance.

Fast forward to 2021 and despite the initial flurry of high-visibility Covid measures hastily implemented in many venues, most operators have started to shift their focus to more ‘exciting’ things- whilst keeping standards high, of course!

But this month we finished a project at KAM, in partnership with Food Alert (www.foodalert.com), looking at how people’s attitudes have changed since COVID-19 when deciding where to go out for a drink or meal or order food for delivery. And guess what is still very much firmly on our customers’ minds? Yep, hygiene and also- food safety.

You can download the full whitepaper at www.kam-media.co.uk/resources/

HYGIENE CATAPULTS UP CUSTOMER DECISION DRIVERS Nearly 2 in 3 consumers agree that hygiene standards have become MORE important to them when visiting a hospitality venue since COVID-19 hit. This is consistent across all age groups and gender demographics.

Never before have we known hygiene to be so prominent in the British consumer’s mindset as it has been over the last 18+ months.

What was previously something most hospitality customers were only aware of when they had a particularly bad experience has been catapulted to the forefront of their minds. It seems to have moved from our subconscious to our conscious when we make decisions about which venues to choose, whether we have a positive experience and of course whether we return.

“Cleanliness & hygiene has moved from our subconscious to our conscious when we make decisions about which venues to choose.”

The research, which we carried out in partnership with Food Alert, found that there is now no room for error and that customers are incredibly unforgiving when standards fall; 1-in-2 said that if a venue falls short of their hygiene expectations just once then they will never return. To be crystal clear, that means you’ve got one strike and then you’re out, for good.

ONE STRIKE AND YOU’RE OUT Whilst we have seen numerous venues attempting to reassure customers and adhere to government guidelines during the height of the pandemic, it’s interesting to see the measures that most customers would like to see as permanent features in venues going forward. We are seeing some of the more ‘extreme’ measures, such as temperature

Eating and drinking out is a sensory experience. However, the holistic experience for a consumer can only be realised if it’s underpinned by delivering on the core factors that are critical to consumer satisfaction.

When visiting a hospitality venue, these core factors are now quality of food, price, and cleanliness standards. ‘Instagram-ability’, good music and good vibes will only lead to a monument of hospitality perfection if the fundamentals and foundations are properly looked after and maintained.

These foundations are built on delivering consistency when it comes to the cleanliness of tableware, tables, and food safety hygiene- and remember customer perception is as important as the reality here. Let’s not forget those all-important outside areas- which are essentially any venue’s ‘shop window’. It’s clear that, without delivering on basic hygiene, venues will struggle to achieve the optimal customer experience. Worst case, you’ll lose them forever.

FOOD HYGIENE RATINGS ARE NOW CRITICAL It comes as no surprise then that food hygiene ratings (FHR) are now

Driven by Generation Z, more and more consumers are looking for transparency from both brands and operators within all channels, and hospitality is no exception. In fact, when it comes to food and drink preparation and consumption the expectations around transparency are often heightened. And trust is a big part of the relationship that customers have with hospitality venues. Trust in the consistency of food quality, trust in the consistency of service delivery from staff and trust in the consistency of hygiene standards.

No, hygiene isn’t a particularly sexy topic, but ignore it at your peril.

You can consider this your ‘one-strike and you’re out’ wake-up call!

Download the full whitepaper at https://kam-media.co.uk/resources/ and sign up to receive regular consumer trends at https://kam-media.co.uk/blog/

Red Oak Taverns Acquires Free of Tie Pub Estate in Bristol Red Oak Taverns has completed the acquisition of eight free of tie pubs in Bristol from Euphorium Pubs Limited for an undisclosed sum.

This makes it the fifth portfolio acquisition this year by the independent pub operator growing their estate to 208 pubs operating on a range of flexible agreements.

Co-founder and Chief Executive for Red Oak Taverns, Mark Grunnell said, “We are delighted to add these eight free of tie pubs located across Bristol to compliment our already significant free of tie estate. There’s plenty of scope to build trade at each of them and we are looking forward to integrating the pubs into the

Red Oak business”.

Mark Grunnell and Aaron Brown founded Red Oak Taverns in 2011 and the pub estate comprises of a mix of free of tie and tied pubs.

Grunnell added, “Our ability to operate a range of agreements that are flexible and are specifically tailored to each pub and the operator rather than a rigid business model mean we have more options when considering pub purchases. We continue to seek out the right opportunities and are confident we can accelerate our plans and substantially grow the size of our pub estate with our ongoing acquisition strategy”.

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Fake Tripadvisor Reviewer Ordered To Pay Restaurant Owner £7500 A man who harassed a restaurant with a series of bogus negative reviews on Tripadvisor which claimed the food made his family ill has been ordered to pay compensation to the restaurant owner.

Martin Stewart Potts wrote 10 bogus reviews about Bispham Kitchen in Blackpool, Lancashire, claiming that the eatery’s haddock was in fact “catfish” and that their chips were “fried in burnt oil”.

Mr Potts was taken to court over his ‘campaign of hate’ and has since been ordered to pay £7,455 to Bispham Kitchen owner Steve Hoddy.

Potts posted a total of ten false reviews against the restaurant, however Steve Hoddy, a trained lawyer decided to take action.

During a hearing in July, Judge Sephton ruled that Potts was guilty of malicious falsehood and ordered him to pay the compensation sum to the owner.

ence’.”

After responding to the review, Mr Hoddy, who is the managing director of six restaurants and a takeaway, said this only seemed to provoke Potts into a spate of reviews over the next couple of weeks.

Luckily, the business owner knew what to look out for and noticed the same spelling mistakes made across several write-ups.

After realising Potts had written about a hundred reviews of other places using four different usernames, he decided to confront the troll.

He said: “I gave him a letter warning him that unless he apologised for the reviews, I would sue him for malicious falsehood.”

Speaking after the verdict, Hoddy commented on how trolling had become ‘rife’, adding: “It’s becoming a pandemic of its own. It wrecks businesses.

Potts denied involvement, “But when I presented him with incontrovertible evidence, he drip-fed admissions, but still resisted the case,” added Hoddy, “The case came up in Manchester Crown Court on July 19. I won and was awarded £7,455 in damages and costs.”

“I have owned Bispham Kitchen for 44 years now and my business is robust enough to withstand this sort of nonsense.

Hoddy said the case highlighted how easy it was for malicious trolls to hide their identities on websites like Tripadvisor.

“But particularly for hotels, it is a real problem because people really do take note of hotel reviews because they are spending larger sums of money. It is the scourge of modern society.”

A UK spokesman for Tripadvisor said: “Tripadvisor takes the issue of fraud extremely seriously and we use the best in technology and human moderation practices to fight it.

He went on to discuss Potts who ‘used eight different usernames’, explaining: “He put the first review on, and it said, ‘owner glares at you weirdly when you are trying to eat your fish and chips, not a nice experi-

“Our advice to business owners and consumers alike is simple: if you see a review that arouses suspicion or breaches any of our guidelines, please report it to us. Our team will then investigate, and act accordingly.”

Wales to Introduce Restrictions and Closure of Nightclubs from 27 December Wales will introduce new social distancing measures and close nightclubs from 27 December to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The new tougher restrictions will also affect businesses and services and include extra measures to protect customers and staff, such as one-way systems and physical barriers.

The rules will also be changed to include a requirement to work from home wherever possible.

The Welsh government announced that up to £60m will be made available to support affected businesses which will also include a twometre rule on social distancing in offices and putting extra measures in place to protect customers and staff, such as one-way systems and physical barriers.

First minister Mark Drakeford said: "We need a plan to keep us safe this Christmas and we need stronger measures to protect us afterwards, as we prepare for a large wave of omicron infections.

"Omicron poses a new threat to our health and safety. It is the most serious development in the pandemic to date.

"It is one we must take seriously. We will continue to put in place proportionate measures to protect peo-

ple's lives and livelihoods.

He added: "This year a smaller Christmas is a safer Christmas. The fewer people we see, the less chance we have of catching or passing on the virus.

"Please enjoy Christmas with your nearest and dearest – and think about meeting up with wider circles of friends when the threat posed by the omicron variant has passed over."

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) said: "We are astounded at the actions of the Welsh government this evening, the consistent targeting of the nightclub and late night economy sector has gone too far."

"It is very clear that the Welsh government have purposefully placed restrictions on an industry with no supporting evidence.

"Nightclubs and the late night economy have been at the sharpest end of the pandemic, and have upheld the public heath strategy within Wales for over two years, with closures and mounting debts.

"We have been placed in an untenable position and will now have no choice but to come out fighting.

"The sector will be considering its legal options following this announcement."

Research Shows UK Hospitality Workers are Amongst Most Likely to Show Up for Work Issue 88

British hospitality workers took the seventh lowest number of sick days in Europe last year, according to new research that identifies the countries most and least notorious for pulling a sickie.

The research from workforce management solutions provider, Mitrefinch, found that workers in the UK are in the top ten in Europe for taking the fewest sick days. UK hospitality workers took an average of 5.8 days, despite the fact that many worked overtime to make up for the losses faced by the events industry during lockdown.

Switzerland and Sweden shared the top spot when it came to high attendance, with their workers taking just 2.4 days sick leave on average over the course of a calendar year. Ukraine (3.7 days) and Malta (4.2 days) made up the rest of the top three.

While the stats for Swiss and Swedish workers are impressive, it’s important to note that these two countries are notoriously generous when it comes to annual leave entitlement. In particular, Sweden is known for having more holiday time than any other country in the world – 41 days of paid leave, to be exact!

However, recent figures suggest that more than two thirds of UK workers avoid taking sick days and still go into work despite feeling unwell. Adding to this, it’s been revealed that 238,000 (16%) hospitality workers do

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not qualify for statutory sick pay because of the lower earnings limit rule.

Bulgarian employees were found most likely to call in sick, taking on average 22 days off per year according to the most recent figures available. Workers in Germany didn’t fare too much better taking 18.3 days, with those in the Czech Republic also taking off the equivalent of more than three working weeks with sickness (16.3 days).

Commenting on the figures, Mark Dewell, Managing Director at Mitrefinch, an Advanced company, said: “Workplace absences cost the UK economy a whopping £18 billion a year through lost productivity, with this figure expected to creep up to £21 billion in 2022 – causing significant losses for the hospitality industry as a whole. On top of the dip in productivity, employees who are renowned for calling in sick can put extra strain on other staff members who have to pick up their workload as a result.

“But, that’s not to say that taking a sick day should be viewed as a weakness or a lack of commitment, and it’s clear that this mentality is unhelpful for the wellbeing of its workers. Taking time out of work to recover from injury or illness (be that physical or mental) is important for productivity and growth.”

CAMRA Urges ‘Extreme Caution’ from Government Over Warning Consumers Away from Pubs In response to reports of booking cancellations and a downturn in trade, CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona said: “Over the weekend, we have heard reports from various quarters of the beer and pub world of booking cancellations and a downturn in trade.

“The UK Government needs to understand the severity of the situation for pubs, social clubs, brewers, and cider makers. Before the announced move to Plan B restrictions in England, the sector was already facing an employment, supply chain, and cost of goods crisis, as well as trade remaining below pre-pandemic levels.

“It is imperative that Governments across the UK exercise extreme caution and understand the impact of any statements that they make about cancelling social plans.

“This risks a return to the situation in March 2020 where the public were urged to stay away from pubs without the necessary financial compensation and employment support for businesses being in place. This would be devastating for licensees, brewers, and consumers alike, and destroy any progress made to rebuilding our once-thriving beer and pub sector.”

Tim Martin Hits Out at ‘Lockdown by Stealth’ Issue 88

Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin, has hit out at restrictions designed to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 as “arbitrary”, warning that the pub chain’s first half profits could be wiped out by what he describes as “lockdown by stealth”

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and trade. In effect, the country appears to be heading towards a lockdown by stealth.” He said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week introduced new restrictions including widespread mandatory mask wearing and advice for people to work from home if they can. Pubs and other hospitality venues are still permitted to open but many businesses are facing a drastic fall in trade as people voluntarily reduce contact for fear of catching the Omicron variant.

In an update to the stock market, JD Wetherspoon told investors that “uncertainty, and the introduction of radical changes of direction by the government, make predictions for sales and profits hazardous”.

Tim Martin said said concern among customers and the new restrictions were hitting its business. The company warned it was likely to make a loss or, at best, be “marginally profitable” when it reports half-year results.

The company, which constantly reported increasing sales before the pandemic, suffered a £105.4m loss in the year to July 2020 followed by a record £195m deficit the year after, as coronavirus restrictions took their toll.

Tim Martin has been an outspoken critic of restrictions and measures affecting pubs, contending that people are more likely to catch the virus at home than at a pub.

“The repeated warnings and calls for restrictions, mainly from SAGE members and academics, combined with random changes of direction from the Government, always at short notice, affect customer sentiment

“The company will continue to concentrate on providing high standards of service, reasonable prices and regular, small upgrades to the business.” He said.

He said today: “There have been no outbreaks, as defined by the health authorities, of Covid-19 among customers in Wetherspoon pubs. The typical British pub, contrary to received opinion in academia, is usually a bastion of social distancing.”

Unpaid Carers Enjoy Family Time at Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels Thanks to Respitality Initiative

More than 100 unpaid carers in Scotland have enjoyed time at Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels since it pledged its support to Shared Care Scotland’s Respitality initiative six months ago.

The leading hotel group is supporting the project by donating bed and breakfast stays at all eight hotels in its portfolio, 50 family passes to Action Glen Adventure Park at Crieff Hydro Hotel and a group two-hour Gin School experience at 1881 Distillery in Peebles.

Since June 2021, over 100 unpaid carers have visited Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels for some much-needed fun and recuperation as part of the programme.

One of the unpaid carers, who took a short break from her caring role with her family, has praised the organisations who made it happen.

Vanya Zaczek is an unpaid carer for an older family member and had the chance to enjoy family time at Action Glen at Crieff Hydro Hotel.

Vanya said: “I was delighted when I was offered this short day break – I juggle single parenting as well as my caring role, so it allowed me the quality time to not only focus solely on my children, but also make special and fun memories with them. We decided to make it a celebration for my son’s sixth birthday, which

made it that extra bit special.

“Short breaks like these are so valuable to unpaid carers like myself – it’s so important we prioritise self-care, and initiatives like these mean we can slow down and make the time for ourselves. My local carers organisation PKAVS are a Respitality partner, and they arranged the voucher on my behalf, so it meant I didn’t have to even worry about arranging anything, making it even more of a treat.

“We cannot thank everyone involved enough – it allowed us to have some very precious and quality family time together, and made our son’s sixth birthday one to remember.”

Nic Oldham, Head of Customer and Commercial at Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: “We were delighted to partner with Respitality and feedback like this demonstrates the difference this initiative can make to the unpaid carers it supports by offering the opportunity of some quality family time or a chance to unwind and relax at one of our hotels.

“Unpaid carers so often go unrecognised for the support and care they give to others but it is important they can take time to care for themselves too. We would encourage others in the hospitality industry to get behind this fantastic cause.”

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Urgent Support Needed for Nightclubs says NTIA Trade body the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) is calling on the government to deliver financial aid to venues aid as they face massive cancellations.

The body says that the sector is facing “12 days of Christmas misery”, as cancellations mount and operators losing thousands of pounds of revenue.

From tomorrow (15 December), subject to parliamentary approval today, people will need an NHS Covid Pass or negative lateral flow test to enter nightclubs and other large-capacity venues.

Michael Kill, CEO of NTIA, said: “It is now clear that the government have left the sector facing 12 days of Christmas misery, with no mandatory restrictions on trade but still a significant drop off – just as the prime minister did initially back in March 2020 before he eventually forced a lockdown.

“Night-time businesses are particularly reliant on the festive period to get them through the rest of winter – without this, the result is a threat to the very survival of thousands of businesses and jobs.”

The trade body warned that most businesses have vast unpaid pandemic debts and are now facing reduced revenues and ‘spiralling costs’.

The NTIA is calling on the government to avoid a ‘pseudo-lockdown’, whereby venues are not told to close

but are incapable of trading profitably.

The NTIA is calling for several measures to help venues, including keeping VAT at 12.5%, rather than moving forward with the planned increase to 20% on April 1 next year Additionally, the NTIA is urging for sector-specific grants and the return of the furlough scheme for the first quarter of next year.

Kill added: “It is vital that the government and in particular the chancellor recognise the impact of the government’s public health messaging and swiftly implement proportionate financial support to ensure businesses and jobs are protected during this extremely challenging period.

“The chancellor may be wary of stumping up the cash but this will be better for the economy in the long run than putting businesses at risk of failing. Night-time economy businesses are social hubs in the heart of communities across the UK – you simply cannot ‘level up’ the country if a swathe of them are lost to this pandemic.

“Throughout the pandemic, our members and their staff have done their bit to support the national effort, often at enormous personal and professional cost. But the government needs to hold up their end of the bargain. It is economically illiterate and morally wrong if they do not.”

Natasha’s Law: Remembering This Christmas The festive season is upon us, which means a busy time of the year for the food industry and hospitality businesses. With customers preparing for Christmas and prepacked food more likely to be bought by customers, it can be easy to overlook the importance of allergen labelling in foods.

Food allergies, the prevailing yet less understood enemy, had been until now largely dismissed or overlooked. That is, until the tragic event brought this back to the fore when we learned the circumstances that surrounded the cause of Natasha’s death as she suffered an anaphylactic reaction to an undeclared ingredient in a pre-packed meal. The food industry had to recognise the need for change in the allergen information labelling process to battle against the growing epidemic of allergies. Recent studies have estimated that there are now 1 in 4 people living with allergies in the UK. With the unprecedented rise in food allergies, it is crucial for businesses in the food industry to comply with the new and stronger laws in efforts to avoid the reoccurrence of allergy fatalities and adapt to the positive change.

In September 2019, Natasha’s legacy was laid in Parliament with The UK Food Information Amendment, also referred to as Natasha’s Law, that came into effect in October 2021. The law applies to businesses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and is introduced to impose stricter requirements for food businesses to provide a full ingredients list and clear

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allergen labelling on food that is Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) on the premises.

PPDS food can include the food customers pick by themselves from a display, as well as food kept behind a counter or food sold at mobile or temporary outlets. Food labelling is mandatory for PPDS food and can be a complex and confusing area for businesses, yet it is vital that they fully understand their obligations in not only safeguarding their customers, but protecting their business too. That’s why the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have developed Business Companion.

The new requirements must be adhered to in order to maintain trust and confidence for businesses in the food industry and this free and easy-to-use regulatory compliance tool aims to help businesses in educating them and assisting their understanding of trading standard law and how it applies to them.

A full explanation on the labelling information required on packaging to ensure businesses remain complaint and their customers safe can be found in 'Labelling of prepacked foods: general' Business Companion free and impartial legal guidance for business. www.businescompanion.info

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Issue 88

Education Key To Combating The Rise In Drink Spiking in the UK CPL Learning has released free learning resource for hospitality operators to raise awareness of drink spiking within their teams As the hospitality sector re-opens after months of uncertainty, there has been an alarming increase in the reports of drink spiking in late-night venues across the UK. Recent spiking incidents have been featured heavily across the news and on social media, and operators are looking for solutions to tackle these incidents in their venues.

To support operators, CPL Learning, an Access Hospitality company, has released a free learning resource to help operators raise awareness of drink spiking across their teams, what it is, how it happens, and the consequences it can have on victims.

As the hospitality sector works toward recovery, it is imperative to support guests in feeling safe and secure in visiting venues, by helping staff to know what they can do if they witness a tampered drink or suspicious activity. ‘’Both CPL Learning and the wider Access Group are committed to supporting operators as they work tirelessly to keep their guests safe amid reports of drink spiking,’’ said Jamie Campbell, Director of Learning, CPL Learning. ‘’Education is a vital step in this process, and we work closely with our clients in the hospitality industry to design learning solutions that meet their needs as the industry rapidly evolves in the post-pandemic world.’’

To learn more about this free CPL Learning course, visit: https://cpllearning.com/online-courses/drink-spiking-awareness/

70% of Beer Consumption Set to be Premium or Super-Premium by 2025

Budweiser Brewing Group is forecasting that by 2025, 70% of total beer consumption will be of brands in the premium or super-premium category.

Covid-19 cemented the trend towards premiumisation as shoppers sought out known and trusted brands. As a result, super-premium is now the number one growing segment in the overall beer category, growing two times ahead of the total category. The premium and super-premium category now equates to 61.7% of total of beer value in the Off-Trade.

Key to the success of the premium and super-premium category will be World Beer, which is currently worth £1.1bn and has grown in value by £0.5 billion since 2017. The segment presents a unique sales opportunity for retailers with two thirds of World Beer spend coming from shoppers with two or more beers in their repertoire. Popularity of the segment is evident through the UK’s number one World Beer, Corona, which saw its rate-of-sale grow 25% last year.

The trend towards premiumisation is also replicated in the no-and-low category. The premium no-and-low beer category grew 23% YOY6 as consumers sought to treat themselves whilst moderating their alcohol consumption.

Brand is the most important factor for consumers when deciding which noand-low product to buy - ahead of calories, ingredients, taste claim and ABV,3 cementing the opportunity around premium no-and-low options. Budweiser Zero and Stella Artois Alcohol Free are premium options that build on the success of their parent brands. Both beers have proven a hit with consumers, growing significantly ahead of the total no-and-low category and showing triple digit growth across both volume and value.

“Covid-19 had massive long-term implications on how Brits consume beer.

As we look ahead to 2022 and beyond, premiumisation is our big bet,” said Mark Wingfield-Digby, Off-Trade Sales Director at Budweiser Brewing Group.

“Combined with the increased momentum for at-home beer consumption, there’s a huge opportunity for retailers to drive sales through a robust premium line-up.”

Commercial Microwave Ovens – Ideal For The Environment

In most of the large brewery and restaurant groups, the commercial microwave oven has become a useful tool helping to regenerate previously cooked food plus a great help in cooking vegetables quickly keeping them full of their goodness – let alone the help with preparing sauces and melting chocolate.

Not only does a microwave oven use less power than conventional cooking methods, it saves a great deal of time! Chef know that as long as the correct power level and timing is used then the product being cooked is completely up to the required standard for health and safety.

and food partials will penetrate the afore mentioned parts causing break downs – break downs mean delays in food preparation and lack of service until an engineer can attend to rectify the faults. Unfortunately the engineer will see that the neither the parts or labor are covered by the warranty and therefore would be chargeable which is often well over a hundred pounds (and in some cases in the two hundred pound region!

This unfortunately this is also happens when the base plate or seals get damaged and the operator is in the same situation – this is where the invention by Regale Microwave Ovens in Hampshire comes in! The directors of the company saw the problems and spent over two years researching and developing the now sought after Microsave® Cavity Liner. The Microsave protects the entire of the microwave’s oven cavity – the ceiling plate – the base plate and lens light cover! All the operator has to do is take the Microsave Liner out, wash quickly in the pot wash, dry and replace and that is the microwave oven interior clean, hygienic and protecting the parts in the matter of two or three minutes – saving hundreds of pounds in repairs yet costing less than one engineer service call!

In most kitchens however, the interior (cavity) of the microwave can suffer from splashes and spills which means that food particles can be left on the ceiling plate, base plate, sides, back, base and lens light cover which, unfortunately, if not cleaned off can become stuck hard and every time the microwave is used the old food can start to deteriorate the cavity causing burning and damage which intern can cause break downs of parts not included in the manufacturer’s warranty.

After several years of success in the UK market mainly with the major groups such as Whitbread and Stonegate, to name but two, plus of course, smaller groups and individual restaurants and pubs, great interest is being made for similar groups in the USA and already orders for several thousands are in the pipe line to be fulfilled.

On all good high powered microwave ovens there is a ceiling plate (sometimes known as a roof liner), is protecting a stirrer system and electric motors and if burning occurs on the ceiling plate then grease

Regale are proud that in the UK the Craft Guild of Chefs have tested and approved the Microsave Liner and that Panasonic have also endorsed it as an official spare part to be used in their brand of

microwave ovens.

Since then, Amana and Menumaster have also endorsed the Microsave Liner CPS2A for use in their range of heavy duty microwave ovens which adds to the list of manufacturers who appreciate it is a great help to the end user keeping their products clean and hygienic. The Microsave can also help to extend the life of the microwave oven which is great news for the environment!

The range of Microsave® Cavity Liners include the CPS1A which is suitable for use in the current (and past range) of the Sharp R22AT, R23AM and R24AT models.

The CPS2A (the most versatile Microsave Liner) was originally designed for the Panasonic NE1800w range (both past and present) NE1843, NE1853 and now is suitable for the new Merrychef 1800w, the Marren 1800w, the Valera 1800w which is all based on a copy of the Panasonic range.

The CPS3A was designed in particular for the Panasonic NE1878 only which is their latest model sporting not only the new ‘inverter’ system which is less expensive to run, but weighs less than 20 kilos.

Following on, the CPS 4A is for the Samsung Heavy duty range and finally the CPS6A which is exclusive to Regale’s WINIA brand.

For full information of the entire range of microwave ovens and Microsave® Cavity Liners, please contact Regale on 01329 285518 or email microwaves@regale.co.uk or see page 10.

Prospect Pubs & Bars Takes on Third Star Lease – The Cambria in Camberwell Multiple operator, Prospect Pubs & Bars has taken on the lease of The Cambria in Camberwell and is undertaking a £600,000+ upgrade of the pub with Star Pubs & Bars. It is the third Star Pubs & Bars pub that Prospect Pubs & Bars has taken on in 16 months taking its estate to six sites in total.

Closed since December 2019, building work has started at The Cambria with a reopening date scheduled for late March 2022.

The Cambria will undergo a full top-to-toe revamp to bring the much loved pub back to life. Alongside the necessary updates to expand the kitchen, the pub will also benefit from a number of structural changes to enhance the pub’s layout, creating new and areas to drink, dine and entertain. The eclectic design reflects the pub’s colourful, up-and-coming neighbourhood, whilst providing the warmth expected of a neighbourhood local.

Mark Draper, director of Prospect Pubs and Bars says: “This is now our third site operating with Star Pubs & Bars, following the successful re-opening of The Victoria and The Blue Ball in Surrey. We value the support they offer us in terms of helping us expand and drive our business, whilst they can be assured the sites they work with us on are in safe hands operationally, with a shared vision of embedding them back to their right-

ful place at the heart of the community.

“In spite of the pandemic, we’re on track with our expansion plans.

We’re excited to bring The Cambria back to life and back into the heart of its vibrant community. These last couple of years have demonstrated the strength and value of a good local community pub, one that customers can call their own and where they can feel at home.

“My business partner, Dan Shotton, and I follow the same simple philosophy when opening new sites. We aim to create authentic, timeless, quality pubs that are as well-known for their friendly welcome and independent spirit as they are for their great food and drink at fair prices. In a nutshell, they are pubs that we ourselves would want to drink and eat in.”

Colin Coogan, Business Development Manager said: “We’re delighted that operators of Mark and Dan’s calibre are taking on The Cambria and taking it to a whole new level. They are very experienced pub operators and have a clear vision and a great track record of creating fantastic popular neighbourhood pubs, places where all ages can come together. This investment together with Mark and Dan at the helm will ensure it stands out from other pubs and becomes a favourite local.”

Colliers Calls for More Government Support for Hospitality and Leisure Sectors 20

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Calls from Chris Whitty for people to scale back their Christmas plans after Britain hits its record 78,000 Covid cases a day has had a massive knock-on impact on the retail, hospitality and leisure sector, which now urgently needs Government support says Colliers.

calls to work from home as much as possible and to reduce socializing yet again, the retail/ hospitality industry is losing custom at a rate of knots, costing billions of pounds. This should surely be accompanied by some sector specific financial support from the Treasury.”

As the public is heeding government advice to rein back from going out to limit the spread of the virus, restaurants have been losing bookings-with some now closing- in what has traditionally been their busiest time of the year.

This time last year, businesses in this sector were receiving subsidies via the furlough scheme, a 100% business rates relief on the properties they occupied and were in receipt of substantial government grants. Now with the furlough scheme ended and the sector only receiving a capped two thirds discount to their business rates bills, financial support is much more sketchy. The £2 million cap on rates relief per business that came in after June has meant relief is very limited for the larger chains- the ones responsible for the bulk of employment in the sector.

Colliers says the Government must step in to financially support the sector, which is only just getting off its knees following the extremely difficult 18 months since Covid-19 first struck.

As John Webber Head of Business Rates at Colliers said, “It is ironic that on the day the Act of Parliament outlawing rating appeals became law, the Government through its announcements has damaged businesses in cities throughout the country who rely on visitors – this includes not only restaurants / bars and retail but also serviced offices.”

He added, “Although we are not yet in an official Lockdown such as we saw at the beginning of the year, we might as well be for the impact the Government’s public health messaging is having on public behaviour. With

According to research one tenth of British restaurants closed their doors permanently due to the pandemic and 1000 pubs/restaurants closed in the 3 months, July to September 2021, after the restrictions were lifted- that’s 16 per day.

“The industry was only just starting to recover,” says Webber, “And now it’s being hit for six again. The Chancellor needs to come out of the shadows and announce some key reliefs and he needs to do it now. “

High Profile 2022 Master Chefs Lunch To Raise Funds For MND Scotland The Master Chefs of Great Britain will host their prestigious annual 4 course lunch next year at the exclusive five-star Prestonfield House in Edinburgh on 29th March.

This event provides an opportunity to dine with top chefs from around the UK from an impressive menu, created using only the finest and most sustainable produce from the region, compiled by Executive Head Chef John McMahon.

Guests will be enthralled by guest speaker Arlene Stewart who will give insight with plenty of humour into her more than 20-year broadcasting career that has seen her report from some of the most amazing places in the world while interviewing “A” list celebrities, politicians, and world leaders.

Making this year’s even extra special is the superb raffle raising funds for MND Scotland that offers support for people with MND, their families and carers as

well as funding vital research into finding a cure.

Master Chefs of Great Britain Chairman George McIvor said “All told, this fabulous lunch will be a combination of great people eating amazing food in an amazing setting with a superb guest speaker while raising funds for a cause many people can relate to ”It’s a superb opportunity to catch up with friends throughout the hospitality and catering industry at what we consider one of culinary events of the year.”

Tickets are available from www.masterchefsgb.co.uk and cost just £95 per person or £75 for Master Chef members - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/themaster-chefs-of-great-britain-annual-lunch-tickets-198325104727?ref=eios More information: https://www.masterchefsgb.co.uk

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Enjoy Your Port or Sherry This Christmas – Prices Set to Increase in Proposed Tax Changes The Government’s proposed overhaul of the UK’s clunky alcohol taxation system will see prices rocket for port and sherry drinkers.

Whilst some alcoholic beverages can be adapted to bring down their abv, there are strict production rules for port and sherry that do not allow producers to tamper with strength.

Consumers are being encouraged to enjoy their favourite festive drinks this year as producers predict price rises of around 13% if Treasury plans go ahead.

Although port and sherry have a higher abv than wine they are traditionally enjoyed in smaller measures on special occasions as an aperitif or at the end of a meal.

At the Autumn Budget the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a new taxation model which unfairly penalises fortified wines, and which would push the price of a bottle of port or Oloroso sherries up by £1 or more.

Miles Beale, Chief Executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: ”If you like a glass of port or sherry at Christmas we suggest you make the most of it this year it might be priced out of your Christmas shop in the future.”

If the proposals are passed by Government port and sherry producers fear that hundreds of years of British tradition will be under threat.

“Port and sherry producers and importers are incredibly concerned over proposed tax changes which would unfairly put the highest tax rises on their products – literally overnight. We are mystified by a proposal that embeds unfairness between products meaning that beer and cider will be taxed at much lower rates than sherry and port which will force up the duty paid on some fortified wines by as much as £1 or more.”

Producers are completely at a loss as to why politicians are targeting the fortified wine sector which is steeped in British history and was specifically created in to suit the British palate.

Steve Moody, Managing Director & Chairman of Fells, importers of Cockburn’s, Graham’s, Dow’s and Warre’s Ports produced by Symington Family Estates, Blandy Madeira, Pellegrino Marsala, Barbadillo sherries: “It makes absolutely no sense to target the fortified wine category and penalise drinks which are enjoyed in moderation by friends and families often on special occasions. I do believe that the politicians drawing up these proposals have no intention of damaging the fortified category, but if the proposals remain unchanged it will result in the retail price of a bottle of port increasing overnight by £1.09. That’s an immediate increase of more than 13%.

This seems to be unnecessarily damaging and could hit port consumers’ pockets at a time when their discretionary spend is being challenged very significantly due to inflation and the widely increasing costs of many everyday items.”

Melissa Draycott from Gonzalez Byass said: “Sherry has been enjoyed in moderation by British consumers for hundreds of years. But it’s more than that. Our company was a joint endeavour between two families – one in the UK and the other in Spain. Our origins can be traced to 1835 when it was founded by Manuel María González Angel and his English agent, Robert Blake Byass.

As passionate producers we have been working hard to pass on the sectors rich heritage and introduce a new generation to the joys of a beautifully crafted sherry, through its use in lower alcohol cocktails or served alongside food, however the proposed duty rise would create a significant barrier to purchasing this festive favourite which has enjoyed a strong role in British culture for centuries.”

“Government needs to ensure that we aren’t left with a new system that is demonstrably less fair and more administratively complex, which were the tests the Treasury set itself.”

A glass of sherry or a port with cheese have long been treasured Christmas traditions but the sector faced a steady decline in UK sales in the first half of this decade.

However, the UK market has recently seen a rise in sales after fortified wine makers have found a new following through trendy Fino bars and innovations in new cocktail servings.”

This has helped the category see a steady rise in sales. Sales of port in UK shops and supermarkets saw a major boost in 2020 with some 8.4 million bottles sold. In 2021, the category has continued to show a strong performance with around 8.8 million bottles forecast to be sold by the end of the year, up 4%.

Sales of sherry in the UK off trade have also increased with over 10 million bottles sold in 2020 up by 13% year on year.

The Government looks set to destroy the port and sherry revival with their punishing tax rises.

The origins of port and other fortified wines, recalls our history as a great trading nation and the WSTA is calling on government to rethink targeting the fortified wine sector to ensure the UK remains the key player in the international wine trade.

Snacking Sorted with Tayto

“Conserving cash and maximising sales have never been more important to the on-trade! Bar Snacks offer a brilliant opportunity to increase sales through the ‘double whammy’ of generating incremental sales AND boosting dwell time. 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’. Prompting a purchase by displaying snacks prominently and getting staff to offer them, can make all the difference.” explains Matt Smith, Marketing Director for Tayto Group owners of the UK’s top pork snacks brands – Mr. Porky and Midland Snacks – as well as the award-winning hospitalityexclusive REAL Hand Cooked Crisps.

pork snacks to suit every pub:

• Midland Snacks Traditional Scratchings is our best-selling pubcard - Great Taste awardwinning hand cooked scratchings using a recipe that has stood the test of time.

• Mr. Porky Hand Cooked Scratchings – from the most recognised name in scratchings, this Great Taste award-winning scratching is set to become the new benchmark for a premium scratching.

• Mr. Porky Crispy Strips – a lighter bite, akin to crispy bacon rind, for those who want all the taste of a scratching but a less hard texture, and another Great Taste award-winner.

Given that snack sales increase by up to 80% when they are more visible5, 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 for REAL crisps - available at www.realcrisps.com/POS

Scratchings really are the ULTIMATE PUB SNACK! In a recent poll, they topped the list when 2,000 pubgoers were asked to name their favourite pub snack.3 This comes as no surprise as 83% of pork snacks are consumed with a drink4. 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!

Premium crisps are another essential bar snack given 82% of pub goers eat them1 and consumers are willing to pay up to 30% more for premium over standard products2. Having products that aren’t regularly on promotion in supermarkets, such as REAL Hand Cooked Crisps, also enables venues to justify their premium pricing.

With concerns rising again about the impact of Covid on the hospitality sector, snacks can help publicans navigate these challenging times as Smith explains, “Given uncertainties over Festive footfall, it’s reassuring that snacks’ long shelf life and ease of storage mean that venues can stock up without worrying about wastage down the line.”

MERCHANDISING TIPS Pub consumers look for brands they can trust and it’s important to stock proven sellers! Not all scratchings are the same and Tayto has a range of award-winning

We’re thrilled to announce a recipe refresh for our British-made hospitality exclusive brand REAL Hand Cooked Crisps. The whole range is now gluten free, with no added MSG and all flavours are suitable for vegetarians with six also suitable for vegans. PLUS, we’re proud to have won yet more Great Taste awards including our Jalapeno and Sweet Chilli flavours, as well as the classic, Sea Salt.

We’ve also launched a new flavour, Smokin’ BBQ. As BBQs have grown in popularity during the last 18 months the timing is perfect for this new smokier flavour.

To launch our Smokin’ BBQ, we’re running our first ever on-pack promotion. The campaign gives consumers the chance to become the face ‘with bags of character’ of this exciting new flavour. The campaign kicked-off at the University of West London in October and those who tried our new BBQ flavour rated it over 8/10 commenting…

“Loads of BBQ flavour and salt. Nice and crisp!”

“The BBQ flavour is excellent and it gives a real smoky flavour. Fabulous aftertaste!”

“Really nice, smoky BBQ flavour and great texture! Really good crunch to them. Good, strong flavour too!”

By not offering a range of premium snacks, pubs could be leaving money on the table as Smith explains, “Our 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 pack. All it takes is for staff to ask “Do you want some snacks with your drinks?”

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.

THE NEW FACE OF REAL

The campaign is being supported through ontrade social, POS and digital activity.

CLOSE THE DEAL Snacks offer a simple route to incremental sales - if customers are prompted to buy them with their drinks. Thankfully there are a few simple tips for venues to achieve this: • Stock a range of proven, premium snacks that have been developed for the licensed sector o Award-winning pork scratching pubcards from Midland Snacks and Mr. Porky o Premium REAL Hand Cooked Crisps - which are exclusive to the hospitality sector • Get your team to prompt purchase o ‘Would you like some crisps or pork scratchings with your drinks?’ is all it takes!

• Put your snacks where customers can see them o Pubcards behind the bar o A full range of crisps on the bar o Bar runners and coasters are great eye-catching prompts SOURCES: 1. Norstat, March 2019 2. CGA Strategy Research 2016/2017 3. Perspectus Global Poll, March 2021 4. Norstat | Jan 20 5. HIM! Foodservice Research 2016

Real Smokin’ BBQ is available now. POS for the whole range is available to order FREE from our website www.realcrisps.com/POS

Dry January Doesn’t Mean Empty January 24

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“Change is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. Survival is not the goal, transformative success is.”

Often described as the bane of the on trade, “Dry January” is on the horizon!

drink in pubs, bars and restaurants rather than stay indoors or stick to ‘The usual.’ An initiative to beat those January blues!

Dry January, which started as a bit of a PR stunt by the charity Alcohol Concern six years ago, has now become something a national bloodsport. When it first started in 2013 5000 people took part January this year an estimated 4.2 million took part, an increase of 23,000%!

It all began in 2014, following a meeting with cocktail chain Be At One, who had launched a marketing initiative called “Try January” to encourage people to order its new cocktails through the bar’s app, after which an idea developed to encourage people to try new things in pubs across the entire trade, helping boost pubs during the quiet spell, and also helping lift people’s mood at the start of the year by getting experimental with food and drink.

So, it will come as no surprise to any licensee that January is often a tough month!

But it needn’t be! In fact, it could be seen as an opportunity. Those who temporarily take a break from drinking alcohol are here to stay.

Campaigns like Dry January and Sober October, are only part of the shift towards people drinking less as they become more health-conscious. According to studies 1 in 5 adults do not drink alcohol at all, and pre-pandemic 72% of people were taking 3 days and 62% avoiding work nights.

This shift presents challenges for pubs and bars who do not evolve, not only for January and October, but also in the long-term. What’s good for livers isn’t necessarily good for business, and the decline in trade can hit businesses hard.

With people look to a healthier lifestyle, operators need to embrace this growing trend to make sure that when guests do venture out, they can offer them a variety of options to ensure they visit you rather than the pub down the road.

This can include:

in Dry January (and this is consistent across the last 3 years). Moreover, 64% of people who hadn’t yet participated said they never would.

Furthermore, a study published in the journal Adaptive Human Behaviour and Psychology a couple of years back, found that people who drank regularly at their local pub were happier, more satisfied with their lives, and had more friends.

Over the past five years, the level of abstinence has grown to over 5.5 million adults in the UK said Jerry Shedden category and trade marketing director of Heineken UK he says; “one of the findings reported within Heineken’s the green paper is the live better trend, which incorporates low and no alcohol alternatives. Predicted (pre-pandemic) to add £58 million to the channel this year, more and more people are trying to lead healthier and more sustainable lifestyles, whether by watching what they eat, or moderating their alcohol intake. It’s clear the market is in demand, with 50% of people now moderating the alcoholic intake and 15% claiming they would visit pubs more often if they were better non-alcoholic drinks available”

Don’t forget-nine out of 10 people who set out on Dry January have already fallen off the wagon half way through the month

NOT ALL “DOOM AND GLOOM”

MAKE DRY JANUARY A “TRY JANUARY”

That’s true! Although these figures are slightly out of date, according to Kantar Worldpanel, 86% of the adult population had never participated

“The study showed that frequenting a local pub can directly affect peoples’ social network size and how engaged they are with their local community, which in turn can affect how satisfied they feel in life,” said Professor Robin Dunbar of the University of Oxford’s Experimental Psychology department, which conducted the study.

“Try January”? Yes, Try January, an initiative to spark positivity at the start of the year and encourage people to come out, try new food and

• Maximising your alcohol free offering by getting creative, maybe include alcohol free tastings or a festival • incentivising customers a free offer to drink • promoting food pairings with non-alcoholic drinks • focus on health. Tap into the mindset by promoting your January venue as a health friendly pub or bar.

• Host a special January party, with the country facing festive restrictions January might be a better month to put some cheer back • entertainment whether it is a pub quiz, pool table or boardgames add a new angle to the day or evening. Again, with the country facing restrictions, and the government encouraging people to stay at home this festive season give them a reason to come out!

Of course, there are no rules that suggest you have to drink alcohol when you go to the pub and while it’s understandable that people who are not drinking might choose to avoid anywhere that serves alcohol, there’s nothing stopping operators enticing non-drinkers in with a good selection of alcohol-free beer and other non-alcoholic drinks – not just in January but all year round.

Menabrea Announces Launch Of First Alcohol Free Italy’s oldest brewery, Menabrea, has announced the launch of its first ever alcoholfree beer, Menabrea Zero Zero.

Initially available exclusively through the on-trade, the premium alcohol-free lager beer has a finely balanced taste and excellent, compact foam. Dealcoholised rather than brewed to be 0%, the latest addition is made using the same unique brewing process and 170-years of family expertise that makes Menabrea so remarkable.

Research undertaken by IWSR signalled that the low and no alcohol boom is showing no signs of slowing, with a predicted sales increase of 31% in volume by 2024.

A first for Menabrea, the team has worked hard on the development on Zero Zero to ensure it meets the high-quality credentials customers have come to know and love,

delicate yet full-bodied.

Angus Lawrie, Head of Premium brands at C&C Group said: “We are delighted to now be able to offer an alcohol-free alternative, for those who want to enjoy the great taste of Italy’s most stylish serve, but with 0% ABV. Menabrea has been the superior beer of choice in bars across the world for many decades and the arrival of Zero Zero sets a new benchmark of quality in the non-alcoholic beer category.”

The 330ml bottles are available now from distributors in the UK, including Delitalia, Bibendum, Matthew Clark, and Tennent Caledonian Breweries.

Find out more www.menabrea.co.uk.

How Pubs Can Cater To The Post-Covid Pub-Goer In 2022

By Jean-David Thumelaire, On-Trade Sales Director at Budweiser Brewing Group (www.budweiserbrewinggroup.co.uk) With Brits pouring back into pubs post-pandemic, we could be forgiven for thinking that things might just be starting to return to normal in the On-Trade. Yet we mustn’t overlook the fact that Covid-19, and the periods we spent in lockdown, have had a huge impact on consumer drinking habits - many of which we expect to turn into long-term behavioural changes. Here’s my top tips to help publicans adapt their strategies to keep pace in 2022.

PRIORITISE PREMIUM LINES Premiumisation is a long-standing and well-established trend which has only accelerated during the pandemic as pub-goers seek out known and trusted brands. For the first time ever, the premium and superpremium category is the biggest in absolute volume, making up 40% of total beer consumption in the OnTrade compared to core lager (31%) and ale and stout (27%).

Pubs must consider altering their line-up to cater for the growing number of consumers who wish to trade up. It’s clear that the traditional offering of two core lagers, four premium beers, three ales, one stout and two cider options needs updating. For 2022, we’re recommending pubs and bars dial up their premium draft options, offering one core lager, six premium lagers, two ales, one stout and two cider options.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Food is now the biggest occasion for beer consumption, with three out of five beers consumed with food across both the On and Off-Trade. And it will become increasingly important for pubs post-Covid, as consumers look to enjoy the premium dining experiences in pubs that they missed during lockdowns.

Smart promotion of beer and food pairings in pubs will also help drive revenue. Our most popular beer, Stella Artois, is now enjoyed by consumers more often with food than as a standalone drink and experiences a 44% uplift in sales when paired with bites across the full trade.

SPORTING EVENTS The Euros last summer was huge for the On-Trade, with estimations that pubs across England would sell 13 million pints on the day of the final alone. TV sporting occasions in general are massive sales drivers. Sports fans spend 90 minutes longer in the pub than the average customer, boosting the rate of sale by 10%. The FIFA 2022 World Cup next year is therefore another huge opportunity for pubs.

Stocking tournament sponsor brands is a smart way for pubs to drive revenue - 55% of beer drinkers have said they would choose a brand if they knew it was the official beer sponsor of England. As the official sponsor of the England team, the Budweiser Family experienced a 29% ROS uplift across the full trade during the Euros last summer. And we have big plans to help our customer pubs make the most of our sponsorship during the FIFA World Cup in 2022, watch this space!

MODERATION IS FOR LIFE, NOT JUST DRY JANUARY January, while traditionally a slower time for pubs, is a great opportunity to bring new consumers through the door by offering an exciting range of no-and-low alcohol drinks.

Yet the opportunity around no and low alcohol products extends beyond January. Moderation has become a lifestyle choice for many, and this plays out in the drink they’re choosing. One in 10 beer drinkers now regularly opts for an alcohol-free alternative. This has contributed to the no-and-low category growing to a worth of £101.6m, increasing by 58% since 2019. While a relatively small driver of revenue for pubs, stocking and promoting a strong no-and-low offering all year round can punch above its weight in terms of driving customer loyalty.

Hospitality Industry Launches New Net Zero Methodology For Hotels 26

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tourism and hospitality sector when it comes to net zero, with many commitments being made by companies large and small. The challenge now is how to realize those commitments and this methodology represents a critical tool in supporting actual progress being made. The challenge is significant, but by following the guidance set out in this methodology hotel companies can start to plot their own pathway, in a way which is aligned with global frameworks and, importantly, in line with climate science.”

A new methodology to guide hotels on how to set a net zero pathway has been released by a group of global hospitality, travel and tourism sector organizations.

The Net Zero Methodology for Hotels provides detailed guidance on how hotels can approach the technical aspects of net zero, such as what should be included in Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, milestones to be reached by target years such as 2025, 2030 and 2040, and how to approach decarbonization through renewable energy.

The methodology also provides guidance on alignment with frameworks such as the Science Based Targets Initiative, Race to Zero and the Glasgow Declaration.

Chris Imbsen, Director of Sustainability at WTTC, said “At the COP 26 meeting in Glasgow last month we launched our Net Zero Roadmap for the Travel & Tourism sector. In it we identified the opportunity for the hotel industry to decarbonize more quickly than some other industries in our sector, such as cruise and aviation, and this methodology provides the details which they can follow in order to achieve this.”

The Methodology is authored by Greenview, a global sustainable hospitality consultancy, in partnership with Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). It was developed through a collaborative process with industry experts, including an Advisory Group of over 20 hotel companies, and after a wide stakeholder consultation.

Eric Ricaurte, Founder and CEO of Greenview said “As more and more hotel companies make net zero commitments, it is important to document how the specific challenges faced by this sector should be addressed. All too often existing guidance relates to commercial real estate which does not take into account issues such as the particular owner / operator / franchisee relationships in hotels, ongoing changes in portfolio, or the differing status of renewable energy in countries around the world. The methodology provides comprehensive and detailed guidance on all the topics which will need to be addressed by a hotel owner or operator wishing to achieve net zero by 2050.”

“The methodology is not only for those in the hotel sector wishing to set a net zero pathway, but also aims to provide additional insights for the wider climate change and net zero community so that the specific challenges and opportunities faced by hotels can be better understood. Furthermore, as hotel stays are included in Scope 3 Business Travel for companies in all sectors wishing to achieve net zero, this methodology aims to provide a consistent approach to net zero for hotels which will support these ambitions.”

Jeremy Smith, founder of Tourism Declares added “We are seeing a great momentum now within the

Patrick O’Meara, CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance said “The Net Zero Methodology for Hotels is a significant innovation which will enable hotels to make credible and achievable net zero commitments. The Methodology helps hotels to set boundaries, to measure and report emissions in a consistent way, and to make appropriate use of carbon offsetting in the short to medium term. It will help those hotels who have yet to make significant progress to start immediately on their net zero journey. We are looking forward to reflecting the guidance set out in this methodology in our Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality which will be launched early next year.”

Graham Harper, PATA Sustainability and Social Responsibility Advisor, said “We are delighted to have supported the development of this new Net Zero Methodology for Hotels. Although many parts of Asia are still suffering significantly from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as we gradually reopen it is clear that sustainability is top of the agenda. This methodology will help hotel companies understand the steps they need to take to get on the path to net zero.”

The Net Zero Methodology for Hotels is available for download from the Greenview website along with a Summary and Practical Guide to Getting Started at http://greenview.sg/services/netzerohotels/

Registration Opens for Hotel, Restaurant & Catering 2022 events for an unparalleled gathering of the food, drink, hospitality and foodservice industry.”

Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC), the UK’s largest and most prestigious business event for the hospitality and foodservice sector, has opened visitor registration for its 2022 edition, taking place on 21-23 March at ExCeL London.

The industry has welcomed the return of HRC, with Philip Shelley, Chair of NHS Food Review, commenting: “Hotel, Restaurant and Catering is one of the showcase events of the year for leaders in public sector catering. The opportunity to have competitions and skills theatres for chefs, provides evidence and confidence in our chef development – looking forward to continuing our involvement.”

A wide range of innovative industry suppliers will be on show, covering categories such as food & drink, catering equipment, hospitality tech and, newly rebranded for 2022, design & décor. The event is also partnering with The Pub Show to cater directly to the UK’s pub and bar professionals, with insightful trend trails and content from OnTrade Consultancy.

Visitors will have free access to over 100 talks, competitions, chef demonstrations, panel discussions and trend trails over the three days of the event covering some of the most vital challenges and opportunities for pubs, restaurants, hotels, catering businesses, public sector and more. The event will also be continuing its partnership with Staff Canteen as some of the industry’s most respected culinary experts cook up a storm at The Staff Canteen Live demo area.

A major change for 2022 is the news that HRC will be co-located with IFE, International Food & Drink Event, IFE Manufacturing and London Produce Show at ExCeL London, welcoming retailers, wholesalers, importers and exporters to the event along with the food & drink processing, packaging and manufacturing industry.

Cumulatively, the shows will welcome more than 30,000 key industry

“Hotel, Restaurant & Catering is brilliant chance to learn and to connect with so many ideas and people from across the industry,” added hospitality leadership coach and Hawksmoor Head of Culture Madeleine Geach.

HRC will once again host historic chef competition International Salon Culinaire, which celebrates its 120th year in 2022. The competition will see talented chefs putting their skills and knowledge to the test across a wide range of categories throughout the three days of the show.

buyers and highlight more than 1,500 innovative suppliers.

“HRC was the last industry event to take place before the Covid-19 lockdown began in March 2020 and we’ve been supporting our industry throughout the pandemic with a wide range of webinars and virtual events hosted on HRC Connects, a new digital platform for the industry,” said Event Manager Ronda Annesley. “We’re thrilled to be welcoming our community back to ExCeL London to meet and do business face-to-face, and excited to be joining forces with our partner

Consultant Chef Steve Walpole said: “HRC is the go-to event for the hospitality industry. More than ever shows like this help to give visitors an insight into what’s happening in our industry from innovation and trends to food and equipment. It’s an Aladdin’s cave for chefs.”

Register for your complimentary ticket to HRC, including access to all partner events, at www.hrc.co.uk

Tune In This Christmas and Play Music from Just 80p Per Day Whether it’s serving up a concoction of festive drinks, decorating the bar with your favourite Christmas trimmings or finalising your specialised menus, creating a seasonal atmosphere could enhance the experience and ensure businesses get the most out of the festive period.

With this in mind, playing seasonal Christmas music could help to lift the mood and give businesses that perfect festive feel.

It could help to create a welcoming environment, make customers feel more upbeat and could help to create an atmosphere which is both enjoyable and memorable.

You could even use a mixture of music that includes some non-Christmas tracks and a variety of genres and styles that could help to give your business a modern,

fresh and unique feel and help to make it stand out.

Playing a range of music that your staff enjoy, particularly during set up and clean down times, could help to make them feel more valued and involved. It could help to ease them into their day, create a more collaborative environment and could help to boost team morale by creating a more positive and collaborative space.

So, whether it’s the carols, the classics or something more contemporary, tune into Christmas and discover your mojo this festive period! https://pplprs.co.uk/tune-into-christmas/ 0800 0868 798

Small Firms Warn of “Nightmare Before Christmas” as Input Costs Surge 14% 28

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With inflation soaring, FSB warns that more targeted support is needed to help small businesses

Responding to new Office for National Statistics figures which show 14.3% growth in the headline rate of input prices in the year to November, and a 5.1% rise in the consumer prices index over the same period, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) National Chair Mike Cherry said: “It’s not only Plan B restrictions that small firms in England are having to grapple with as we commence the 10-day countdown to December 25th.

“It should reinstate the Covid sick pay rebate so smaller firms can recover the cost of supporting those who need to isolate and relaunch the workplace testing initiative – enabling test and release in scenarios where staff are pinged at work.

“To directly assist firms with the spiralling costs of doing business, the current 66% business rates discount for hardest-hit firms should be increased to 100%.

Coupling that adjustment with an increase in the targeted Employment Allowance to £5,000 would make a real difference.

“Policymakers also need to accelerate delivery of the £1.5bn business rates relief fund. It was launched many months ago, but is yet to pay out a penny.

“Surging operating costs, labour shortages and supply chain disruption are adding to the nightmare before Christmas being experienced by millions of small business owners.

“The imposition of Plan B means a new set of rules for small firms to get across, and a further hit to already suppressed consumer demand for festivities, in an environment where high prices are already eroding returns.

Despite that fact, business support measures have not been adjusted to reflect new realities.

“Many small businesses – especially those in the hospitality sector – which were thriving at the start of last year are now struggling to make ends meet because of a coalescing of factors beyond their control. This supposedly pro-enterprise government needs to step up.

“Firms need greater clarity – both in terms of exactly what’s expected of them in relation to Plan B as well as transparency around what Plan C would look like – so they can plan ahead.

“Small business confidence dropped every quarter this year, and we’ve lost 400,000 small businesses over the pandemic to date.

“As we hurtle towards the introduction of import checks in January and a hike in the jobs tax that is national insurance contributions in April, the government needs to act now to prevent further long-term scarring of the small business community.”

New Clink Kitchens Project Helps Prepare Prisoners For A New Life knowledge to prisoners involved in the scheme, so they know how to use Rational cooking systems, how to get the most out of them, how they can improve the quality and consistency of the food made in them, how they can reduce waste, and all the other benefits they bring.”

Rational is partnering with The Clink Charity to help deliver training that will help prisoners to get jobs in the foodservice and catering industries once they are released.

Founded in 2009, The Clink Charity reduces reoffending rates of Clink Graduates (ex-offenders) by working in partnership with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to run projects that train prisoners and provides them with practical skills and qualifications.

Currently, the charity runs four Clink Restaurants in prisons across England and Wales that offers prisoners real experience of working in a professional kitchen, providing free training, support and mentoring to their students on the inside. Trainees on this programme have shown a significant 65.6% drop in the rate of re-offending post release from prison, helping them to find suitable jobs in the industry.

In April 2021 The Clink Charity launched the Clink Kitchens training project with the aim of expanding this scheme to 23 additional prisons by the end of 2021, with another 36 planned for 2022.

In order to ensure the training provides up to date and relevant realworld experience, The Clink Charity has partnered with Rational to arrange training sessions for its instructors on Rational’s cooking systems.

Gregg Brown, The Clink’s Director of Training and Operations, understands the importance of providing training for these modern cooking systems. “Throughout my career, Rational has been a constant presence in the kitchens I worked in,” he says. “In order to offer prisoners, the best chance of getting a job after release it’s vital that they know how to use these systems.”

Furthermore, Rational is committed to supporting this initiative not just by holding future training days in Luton but also by sending the company’s regional managers to prisons for onsite training sessions as required. “Our aim is to have thirty graduates of the programme per prison per year,” says Gregg. “It’s an ambitious project, and we are immensely grateful for the enthusiasm and support Rational is showing.”

The first training session was held at Rational’s head office in Luton on the 25th of November. Ten trainers, who will each work at two sites, were given training on the full range of Rational’s product line.

The training covered not just the latest iCombi Pro combi steamers and iVario Pro multifunctional cooking systems, but also previous models, to allow them to provide accurate information for whichever units are installed in each prison’s kitchen.

“The past few years have seen the industry struggling with staff shortages,” says Adam Knights, Rational’s UK marketing director.

“Rational is committed to find solutions to issues affecting the sector, and initiatives like this have enormous potential not only to help the Clink Graduates move on with their lives in a positive direction, but to have huge benefits for catering as a whole.”

“Rational’s training programmes have a great reputation in the industry,” says Gregg. “These sessions will help our staff communicate this

For more information on The Clink Charity and its work, visit its website https://theclinkcharity.org/ More information about Rational’s cooking systems and the training it provides can be found on the Rational homepage.

RATIONAL is the leading provider in hot food preparation cooking systems and, with the iCombi Pro and the iVario Pro multifunctional cooking system, the company delivers 95% of all conventional cooking applications. Rational’s ConnectedCooking allows operators to monitor, manage and update their Rational appliances remotely, from a PC, tablet or smartphone. iKitchen is the combination of the iCombi Pro, iVario Pro and ConnectedCooking – iKitchen delivers the best kitchen management and the best cooking solutions. For information and brochures, or to find out about free Rational Live online demonstrations, call +44 (0)1582 480388, freephone 0800 389 2944 or visit www.rational-online.com

Beer & Pub Industry ‘Cautiously Welcomes’ Delay to Deposit Return Delay The Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) cautiously welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement to delay the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) to 16 August 2023, but the new timeframe remains a significant challenge.

The SBPA, which is a founder member of Circularity Scotland Ltd – the government appointed scheme administrator – also warned that challenges remain in implementing DRS including putting infrastructure in place ahead of the scheme being rolled-out, as well as renewed pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Commenting, Scottish Beer & Pub Association Chief Executive Emma McClarkin said: “The beer and pub sector cautiously welcomes this delay, which now allows Circularity Scotland additional time to deliver a successful roll-out of the Deposit Return Scheme and for brewers and publicans to prepare for such a huge change in operations. Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors, it would have been impossible for the scheme to be ready any time before the new date. Indeed, even

the new date will be a major challenge for our sector.

“There are still a significant number of challenges which will need to be overcome between now and introduction, as well as significant additional costs for producers, retailers and customers which the pandemic has worsened. There is also a tremendous amount of infrastructure required to deliver a scheme of this magnitude and it is imperative we get it right.

The rise of the omicron variant has also impacted at the worst possible, with every month being critically important to business.

“The industry strong preference was for a UK-wider scheme.

Introducing a DRS in Scotland effectively creates a separate market for all products captured by the scheme. This changes the logistical operations of all producers based domestically, but also those who sell products into Scotland from the rest of the UK and internationally and increases costs and complexity.

“Giving industry and the scheme administrator this additional time was the only workable option and we’re pleased the Scottish Government have listened.”

Restaurants Only Have Enough Cash to Survive 10 Weeks as Another Lockdown Looms Issue 88

If a lockdown is avoided, restaurant owners predict that 20 million orders will be made over the festive period compared to usual months.

This won’t be easy to achieve as 85% of those surveyed are struggling to hire staff.

This comes as the latest independent analysis by industry expert Peter Backman estimates Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, are capturing more than £2.5bn in annual fees from UK restaurants, a rise of £1bn since 2019.

When asked, nearly a third (30%) of owners felt angry the aggregators took so much commission during a challenging 12 months for the industry. However, some are fighting back: the data suggests 60% of owners have broken up with an aggregator since the pandemic first started and 21% say breaking away from Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats is a top priority for 2021.

When asked about other priorities for 2022, the top responses were improving the takeaway service (28%), building a new website (27%) and boosting marketing efforts (24%). In addition, one in five (20%) plan to invest in new technologies like table ordering and digital kiosks.

This comes as 40% of UK restaurant owners feel it will take between two and 10 years to fully recover financially from the pandemic - less than one in five (19%) will have recovered this year. Worryingly, the average restaurant owner only has 10 weeks of cash in the bank should another lockdown strike.

Fionn Hart, UK Country Manager at Flipdish says: “2021 has been

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“We are up against it this year. Staff shortages have been severely impacting the business when we’re open and the threat of closure from Omicron is hanging over us too. In fact, we had 194 cancellations in the first three days since the announcement of Omicron. That’s why it’s been so important for us to protect our margin this year and one way to do so is to avoid the aggregators. Our average order value is around £45.

But given the 30% commission I give to the aggregators like JustEat and UberEats they're taking an average of £13 per order. Compared to the £3 Flipdish charge, for us it’s the clear choice to ask customers to order direct.”

UK restaurant owners could only last 10 weeks if the UK went into another lockdown, according to new research by Flipdish. The data from 200 UK restaurant and cafe owners and decision makers shows more than two in five restaurants (42%) feel this is the most important Christmas the industry has ever faced.

The top reasons owners think the hospitality industry is facing a tough recruitment market are: employees don’t want to work long hours (42%), candidates don’t have enough experience (38%) and there simply aren't enough people available (36%). Whilst nearly half (47%) of restaurant and cafe owners are having to work longer hours themselves, 44% are deploying technology like table ordering systems to bridge the gap.

16% of owners said hiring more staff is a top priority going into next year.

CLH Digital

another tough year for restaurants. VAT rises, lockdowns and low cash reserves have given many owners sleepless nights. Christmas is usually a time to celebrate and enjoy a festive windfall but with staff shortages, the Omicron variant and the HOGO (the hassle of going out), crippling hospitality businesses, it's proving even harder than last year. With thousands of businesses at risk of going bust, the UK’s exciting restaurant industry is being threatened. In contrast, the aggregators will be enjoying big bonuses at Christmas having made more revenue than ever before.”

Japanese restaurant, Samsi in Manchester says: “Christmas is a crucial time for the restaurant. We are still reeling from the pandemic and the best way to recover is capitalising on the opportunities around the festive period and serving as many customers as possible. We have eased the pain by using table ordering and putting QR codes in place. Relying on aggregators would put the business only further in danger.”

Martin Lovell, Managing Director at Thaidee restaurant in Cheshire, said: “I used to be a Just Eat flag bearer but the aggregator was directing my customers to my competitors. I like to have a close relationship with my customers but don’t like knowing the big tech company is doing so.

Any gains we made during the pandemic have been lost in commission.

Now, we turn off Just Eat when we can to avoid paying such high fees. In 2021 alone, by using our own direct ordering system we have saved over £30,000 that would otherwise have gone into the pockets of the aggregators.That’s why we’re planning to leave Just Eat in 2022.”

Rahul Sharma, Director at The Regency Club in London, commented:

Jusnah Gadi, co-founder of Hot 'n Juicy: “Some of the aggregators who we work with at the moment like Deliveroo and Uber Eats charge huge commissions to employ their services as well as having limited control on the back-end for restaurants to deal with customers directly which sometimes frustrates the customer journey. Since partnering with Flipdish we have been able to build a streamlined ordering system for HNJ, this was a bespoke process which meant that we were able to address all the feedback we received from customers while Flipdish technology allowed us to tailor it to those needs. It only makes sense that the near future would entail transferring all customer operations inhouse at Flipdish, which would include delivery services, giving us maximum control as a company over the entire operation which would in turn also mean being able to retain maximum revenue as a business.”

Peter Backman, international restaurant and delivery analyst, said: “Many operators, who have previously steered clear of delivery, added a delivery and click & collect offering during the pandemic. As a result, the tech giants have seen revenues from commissions surge. For restaurants, giving up to 30% of revenues to middlemen is not ideal for the bottom line.”

Tanisha Broady, owner of small independent Caribbean restaurant, Rock of Virtue, in Cambridge said: “Christmas is critical for our business following another difficult year. We have money in the tills but with the new variant lowering footfall it could disappear quickly. Digital ordering both takeaway and click and collect - have been instrumental in keeping us afloat this year. But we need to keep as much of the revenue as possible rather than handing it over to food delivery companies like Just Eat and Deliveroo. The public don’t quite realise how much money we lose when they order from these tech companies. All independent restaurants want for Christmas is for customers to order direct.”

Riso Gallo Young Risotto Chef of the Year 2022 Now Open for Entries Italian Grain Experts Riso Gallo have launched the fifth Young Risotto Chef of the Year competition, aimed at budding chefs aged 17 -23 years who are either in education or starting out in their professional careers, with entry open until the 31st December 2021.

The regional finalists will have their dishes evaluated by professional chefs at the top of their game and then perhaps to compete at the Grand Final in London, where the winner will be named the Riso Gallo UK & Ireland Young Risotto Chef of the Year The winner will receive an all expenses paid three day work experience with renowned judging chef Fabio Pisani and his team at the 2 Michelin starred Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan, Italy.

Entrants are asked to produce and photograph their dish, and regional heats will take place across the UK and Ireland.

Regional heats will take place in; South at North Herts College, Midlands at Loughborough College, North at Middlesbrough College, Scotland at West Lothian College, Northern Ireland and Ireland at SERC College and Wales and the South West at Exeter College.

The final judging panel will include; Consultant Chef Paul Gayler MBE; Danilo Cortellini, Executive Chef at The Italian Embassy; Adriano Cavagnini, Executive Chef at the Bvlgari Hotel; Fabio Pisani from Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan; Davide Degiovanni, and Fransceco Dibenedetto, Head Chef at Bibendum in London.

Fuller’s Continues to Bring High Culture to the Pub with a Season of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol The runner up will win a stage at a prestigious restaurant in the UK.

Fuller’s is delighted to be hosting a Dickensian spectacular throughout December as the Open Bar Theatre Company takes over 16 Fuller’s pubs and gardens with a four-person adaptation of A Christmas Carol, the much-loved festive classic by Charles Dickens.

High culture and the pub are not the best known bedfellows, however Fuller’s is on a mission to change that perception, by bringing the performing arts and the general public together, in one of the nation’s most treasured environments – the great British Pub. Far from seeing the arts as something removed from the licensed retail sector, Fuller’s sees it as the perfect partnership, and a great way to invest back into the communities it serves.

Originally starting with a few pubs hosting Shakespeare In the Garden back in 2013, Fuller’s investment in the arts has grown year on year with an ever-increasing number of performances and pubs involved. The naturally jovial and sociable environment of a pub proves to be the perfect place in which to entertain. Fuller’s acts as executive producer of sorts, by paying for the theatrical package including everything from writing, casting and production, allowing the theatre groups they support the opportunity to invest their time entirely on the performance.

Jane Jones, Marketing Director says: “We take a real pride in the events we offer

For entries and Terms & Conditions visit www.youngrisottochef.com

across our estate. We have always seen pubs and hotels as going beyond just being a place to simply eat and drink, and more of a place that brings communities together. We also have some amazing event spaces and gardens, so offering our customers an engaging theatrical experience seemed like the ideal way connect with our communities and support the arts.

“Since partnering with Open Bar 10 years ago, the performances have gone from strength to strength and we have no intention of slowing down. Last year we introduced Comedy on Tap with The Comedy Store and next summer you can expect an operatic spectacular with Rogue Opera performing Carmen in the Garden throughout the summer season. All of this is, of course, running alongside that Fuller’s favourite, Shakespeare in the Garden.

“The culture might be high-brow, but the ticket prices are most certainly not, and we are passionate about keeping it that way, with all of our tickets sold for far less than would cost in a traditional theatre setting. However, the quality of performance is still exceptional. There is, of course, the added bonus of being in close proximity to the bar too – so whether it’s a mulled wine while watching A Christmas Carol or a chilled glass of rose during Shakespeare in the Garden, we’re confident our guests will find the combination of pub and theatre the perfect one.”

Products and Services Haviland Presents Portofino Fry More For Less with OilChef

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Issue 88

Haviland presents Portofino, a dinner set that masterfully combines Italian taste and French know- how. For this edition, the porcelain Manufacture offers a new take on mosaic, drawing inspiration from the colours of Portofino, a stunning village known for its golden reflections and shades of blue. Since the Middle Ages, mosaics have been used to adorn the most beautiful houses, and have over time become a staple of Italian heritage.

The Haviland Manufacture unveils a collection rich with Mediterranean influences and a prestigious decor made of more than 20 different mosaics.

Each square is embossed and illuminated by beautiful reflections that reveal the finest details of exceptional craftsmanship.

With this collection, Haviland highlights the richness of Mediterranean know-how and bears witness to a profound heritage of international influences.

Through a succession of ever more refined decora-

tions, the serving plate sets the tone for the whole dinner set, creating flawless harmony between the various mosaic motifs.

Portofino also features two versions of the gastronomy plate to choose from or combine according to one’s desires, and a dessert plate that highlights the whole set.

The collection features distinguishing characteristics, including elegant and finely assembled decors.

Every piece showcases a perfect harmony of mosaics, transforming each item into remarkable and unique jewels.

Modernity, authenticity and a skilful blend of craftsmanship are the essence of this Limoges porcelain dinner set.

With Portofino and its elegantly embossed decor a hallmark of the Manufacture for nearly 180 years the Haviland Manufacture takes you on a marvellous journey to the heart of the Mediterranean. www.haviland.fr

New! Easy-Fold Cardboard Hampers Cost-effective, space-saving, great quality, and unique to Candi Gifts! A fabulous alternative to traditional wicker, our clever hamper boxes were designed to hold as much as their counterparts but with the benefit of size consistency, maximising storage space, and minimising shipping costs.

Each cardboard hamper is shipped flat and individually wrapped. To secure into shape, remove the backing from the sticky corners and press the walls together - simple! They all have magnetic buttons hidden under the front flap to ensure they remain neatly closed, and an attractive brown faux leather handle finished with firm-

Shanty Spirit

ly attached gold rivets making a handsome, top-quality hamper box.

This design has a printed wicker effect and is available in four sizes.

Coloured accessory kits are also available. Each kit is tailored to include the correct volume of shredded paper, closely fitting cellophane bag, gift bow and tag. Colours available are red, gold, green, pink, blue and cream. Prices start from £4.22 + vat per hamper box, or £5.59 + vat with accessories. www.candigifts.co.uk 01502 501681 salesdesk@candigifts.co.uk

Each Botanical isseparately vacuum distilled to extract and retain the freshness that nature intended.

Finally we add a pinch of Dorset sea salt to remineralise the purest of water with which the spirit is cut.

Let your taste buds take the plunge and transport yourself directly to the water’s edge. As well as being enjoyed as a “Sipping Vodka” or a “Shanty on the Rocks”, Shanty Seaweed Botanical Vodka breathes new life and adds delicious dimensions to some old classics. It also pairs beautifully with seafood.

SHANTY MARY 50ml Shanty Seaweed Botanical Vodka, 125ml tomato juice, 5ml lemon juice, pinch of sea salt, pinch of white pepper, 4 drops of Green Tobasco, 2 dashes Worcester Sauce, Seaweed powder.

Pour all ingredients into tall glass with ice, mix. Garnish with celery and lemon wedge. contact@shantyspirit.com (+44) 7979-237-649 Facebook- @shantyspirits Insta- @shantyspirit www.shantyspirit.com

Keeping Food Hot? We Have All The Answers First of all, you will want one of our world beating Kanga boxes and a Carbon Heater. You can then keep food hot indefinitely and fully comply with HACCP regulations.

Sounds too good to be true? Well we only supply premium German manufactured products from stock at incredibly low prices. The insulated box manufactured from top quality expanded polypropylene is a dense closed cell insulation material but incredibly light to handle when empty for example the GN insulted box with a 117 mm internal depth only weighs just over a kilo and yet holds a massive 21 lts capacity. Now combine the Kanga box with a Carbon Heater and the magic begins, hot food all the time!

Our range of Carbon heaters offers two voltage

DMS Graphics Ltd DMS Graphics Ltd, based in Maidstone Kent is a well established Graphic and Display company providing a wide range of services to many sectors including Exhibition, Hospitality, Retail and Construction.

DMS was initially formed in 2006 as the graphics production arm for Datateam Business Media, providing signage and exhibition graphics to Datateam and selected customers. Due to the success of this venture DMS Graphics was tasked with developing the external customer Database and increasing commercial sales.

This led to the creation of DMS Graphics Ltd in late 2020. During the Pandemic DMS concentrated on the development of the customer database which meant that they were ready to resume service once the restrictions were lifted.

Since restrictions have been lifted DMS Graphics Ltd have been

is a catalytic convertor for deep fryers!

It keeps the cooking oil in a fresher condition, by slowing down oxidation, stopping polymerizations of the oil molecules and by retarding the buildup of free fatty acids, peroxides, total polar materials and most importantly of all the carcinogenic acrylamides in frying oil.

The OiLChef device is not a filter, it is not a chemical, it adds nothing to the oil, it takes nothing out of the oil, it is an inorganic device that helps you keep your oil alive for longer.

A simple 3 second self-installation which is virtually maintenance free, and only needs replacing every 3 years.

OiLChef is a dream come true for professional kitchens that operate deep fryers. OiLChef is in thousands of deep fryers around the World and comes with a full 3year warranty and saves you up to 50% on oil purchases every month. Check them out at www.OiLChef.com Contact their CEO direct: sean.farry@oilchef.com

working with many companies providing exhibition and event stands all over the UK. Recently DMS designed produce and installed the Exhibition Stand for the launch of the new Diamonbrite Ceramic Polish at Automotive live which was held at the Birmingham NEC on the 11th of November.

This stand was a modular aluminium frame with rollable graphics attached using magnetic tape which allows maximum impact at a lower cost than a totally bespoke approach.

Contact DMS Graphics Ltd or check out the website www.dmsgraphics.co.uk for all our services.

Our product range includes.

• Pavement Signs • Café Banners • Banners • Retail Display • Exhibition and event signage • Vehicle graphics and branding • Pop Up Displays and roller banners We look forward to hearing from you, to discuss your requirements.

New Moretti Forni S50E Promises Small But Mighty Performance A big bake from a small space is promised with the new high-speed Moretti Forni S50E professional electric oven for pizza, bakery, and pastry, available from Pizza Equipment Ltd.

This evocative small batch Organic Botanical Vodka offers you an experience like no other.

An expertly crafted intricate blend of five hand-foraged organic British seaweeds create stunning undercurrents of Umami flavour. This subtle depth of flavour is further enhanced by ripples of Wasabi, Galangal, Yuzu, Bergamot and Sea Buckthorn dancing on the surface.

The foodservice and hospitality industry have suffered greatly since the shutdowns started in 2019.

Since then, there have been gradual re-openings of hotels, bars, restaurants, and takeaways.

However, the cost of food has risen greatly. One food group – cooking oil – has more than doubled in price and is set to rise even further. Some of the reasons are weather related which has reduced crop yield and other reasons are economic. Supply chains have been hit with rising costs of fuel, distribution, and labour. In addition to this, farmers are being offered a higher price for their crop seeds to make biofuel instead of edible oil and this impacts supply.

How can the food service and hospitality industry protect against these risings costs? One way is to make the cooking oil last longer. In fact, the award-winning accessory for deep fryers, is doing just that. The OiLChef device

options 12 volts for car operation using the cigarette lighter socket or 230 volt mains voltage for internal or external mains use. The big advantage of the Carbon Heaters they are absolutely fool proof just insert them in the bottom of the box turn on and forget, there are no consumer controls the temperature is pre-set at the factory at 75 deg C. The Carbon Heater is very light at only 700 grammes and does not take up much room only being 10mm thick. Dishes can be place on the Carbon Heater straight out of the oven up to 120deg C. Finally quick and easy to clean just wipe over with a damp cloth.

Contact Catering Equipment Limited on Tel: 0121 773 2228 or visit www.clickonstore.net or www.kangaboxuk.com or see the advert on page 7.

Perfect for pubs, bistros, and cafés, as well as pastry shops and bakeries looking to expand their business, the S50E may be one of the most compact ovens on the market but its small size belies its big performance.

Packing all the power and advantages of the larger models in the S series into a unit measuring just 890mm(w) x 1210mm(d) x 360mm(h), the small but hardworking oven reaches a maximum temperature of 450°C and promises energy savings in excess of 35% thanks to patented Eco-Standby™ and Half-Load™ functions, plus the special Adaptive-Power® technology

that regulates energy output according to the workload to produce a perfect bake without waste.

Super-efficient insulation and versatile programming options add to the oven’s solid eco credentials, while the auto cleaning function that uses only heat and no chemicals also saves time and resources.

All S series ovens come with a wide range of accessories and can be customised with specific baking chambers for pizza, bread, and pastry to suit the outlet.

For further information on the Moretti Forni S50E, or other lines in the Pizza Equipment portfolio,please visit www.pizzaequipment.ltd.uk, contact Daniel Phillips on 0208 424 9483, email daniel@pizzaequipment.ltd.uk or see page 7.

Pump Technology Ltd. Pumping Systems for Commercial Kitchens NEW

For everything from a replacement pump to a kitchen refurbishment, specialist wastewater pumping provider Pump Technology Ltd. can assist.

Pumping from Sinks to Combi Ovens, even hot wastewater to 90 deg. C, can be achieved.

The DrainMajor range offers a choice of pump and tank sizes providing a wastewater pumping solution for all commercial kitchen drainage requirements.

The DrainMinor C (Combi Oven Pump) incorporating a specialist submersible pump with robust mechanical shaft seal, rigid float arm external to the pump body, low level inlet and full width inspection lid is perfect for reliable Combi Oven cleaning cycle operation.

See the advert on page 13.

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Chefs' Buyer's Guide

Bake It Real For Christmas. Littlepod Is German Sausage Sales Surge For Xmas Sending Seasons Greetings To You All! like duck and pork, use it in your cakes and bakes, or as a marinade for fish! Sweet and savoury alike, LittlePod products are gluten free, suitable for vegans and kosher certified.

Are you squeezed for time? Why not try our quality Vanilla Bean Paste in a tube.

It has been specially created to provide top-quality vanilla in an easy and versatile form, with no wastage and less flavour bake-off. Each tube has a two-year shelf life and contains the equivalent of 20 pods, seeds and all.

Put it in coffee, porridge, smoothies and ice cream, rub it into meats

LittlePod’s responsibly-sourced product range includes our innovative, easy-to-use natural vanilla paste and organic vanilla pods, as well as our extracts of vanilla, coffee and chocolate. These ingredients not only support each other in the rainforest, but are also perfect flavour partners in the kitchen.

The perfect gift for any secret Santa!

Visit www.littlepod.co.uk

Introducing Katana Saya, a New Knife Range by Grunwerg inside a Sheath, or Saya.

Our individual knives come in a deluxe gift box, complete with their own Saya or 'Sheath' to protect the blade. There's a stylish wooden Saya for the eastern knives and sleek leather Sheath for the western knives.

VG-10 steel is one of the most premium steels in Japanese culinary products. This high-quality stainless steel is hard and unbreakable and can reach a Rockwell hardness rating of up to 63HRC. The exquisite craftmanship in these knives can be seen in the elegant, layered pattern on the blades.

Introducing Katana Saya, a brand-new premium knife range by Grunwerg. Available in Pakkawood and Olive Wood, the scope of the Katana Saya range is to blend culinary traditions from both Europe and Japan.

The 'Katana' was the prized sword of the Japanese Samurai with its extra sharp blade fashioned from folded Damascus Steel. It was traditionally always protected

The handles are available in Pakkawood and Olive Wood. The deep black finish of the Pakkawood handles strike a balance between opulence and hard-wearing durability. Lightweight and soft in the hand, the Olive Wood handles offer a more natural look, elegantly balanced against the pattern of the steel.

This collection is a long-awaited range and is a perfect gift for any passionate cooks out there.

SHOP NOW: https://grunwerg.co.uk/katanasaya

The Sausage Man has seen a huge spike in demand for German food and Drink in Q4 2021 – from both Retail and Commercial customers.

After a relatively quiet festive season in 2020, with Covid uncertainty leading to the cancelation of Christmas Markets all across the UK, hospitality businesses are bouncing back in 2021 and they’re bringing the Bratwurst with them!

Bratwurst and Currywurst stalls are what give your local Christmas Market that mouth-watering scent of sausage and caramelising onions. As important to building the yuletide atmosphere in your town as Christmas lights and carolling concerts, traditional German sausage is central at every winter festival and event.

German Sausage is so easy to store, heat and serve in absolute safety. Traders love to work with Sausage Man products because they’re almost all gluten free, exclud-

ing Vegan Seitan options, and often free of allergens completely.

They’re great for creating a quick inclusive menu that truly appeals to all. It doesn’t hurt that German sausage practically sells itself this time of year too!

There’s nothing better to warm you up on a brisk winter’s eve than a tasty Bratwurst in a bun.

With more focus on keeping safe and a drive to enjoy more outdoor winter events than ever before, German sausage could be the culinary solution you’ve been searching for this festive season.

Find out more and set up your Commercial account now with The Sausage Man. New and existing customers get 5% off their next order over £200 on wholesale.sausageman.co.uk with code CATER5 until 28 February 2022. Want to find out more about selling Engel German Craft Beer or Mozer’s Spirits? Call +44 (0)1322 867 060 or email sales@sausageman.co.uk

Primrose Herd Expands with New Processing Facility Primrose Herd, a family business which has been supplying the Cornish pork to retail customers and the hospitality trade for the past 20 years, has expanded to a new site in Newham on the outskirts of Truro.

The large new processing facility will allow Primrose Herd to keep up with demand as online sales soar, with many of Cornwall’s renowned South-West chefs, hotels, pubs and restaurants offering Primrose Herd award winning pork on their menus..

The expansion has been overseen by Sally Lugg, an award-winning farmer and business leader, who has grown the family operation from just two pigs in 1999 to the nationally recognized producer of quality pork it is today.

Sally commented: “There’s a lot of uncertainty and change in farming and food production right now, but our supply chain is short and luckily we’ve got loyal, skilled staff, so we’ve avoided the worst of the recent upheaval.”

She continued: “Despite the challenges of the pan-

demic, demand continues to grow so it feels like the right time to expand into a new facility.”

Ms Lugg said they chose Newham due to its location close to customers in Truro and easy access to the road network, and the large facility has everything Primrose Herd needs to help it expand The butchery in Newham will be the hub of the operation allowing Ms Lugg and her team, which includes Head Butcher Jake Gregory, to continue to meet the demand from their discerning hospitality customers and ethical food lovers.

She added: “We’re increasingly being sought-out by consumers who eat less meat and opt for non-intensive, outdoor-reared pork, knowing that it will be of the highest quality and provenance. Consumers are more aware of where their meat comes from, and what the ethical and environmental implications of that are.”

If you are interested in purchasing Primrose Herd products or have any questions regarding the wholesale side of our business please do get in touch at primroseherd@tiscali.co.uk

Chefs' Buyer's Guide

GLOBAL Knives & Michel Roux Jr Exclusive Offer for Chefs & Hospitality Over the last year, we at Global Knives have been actively supporting the hospitality industry, whether it be through donations to Hospitality Action, support and equipment for professional chefs, or training for catering students. We've also been working with our long-term friend and renowned chef Michel Roux Jr, to come up with new ways to support chefs and students during such a difficult time.

Are you a chef, studying to become a chef, or work in hospitality? We’re providing you with an exclusive one-off discount on knife sets for a LIMITED TIME ONLY. The G-ROUX/3 3-Piece Knife Set includes the G-58 General Purpose Cook's Knife with a 15cm blade, the GS-3 Small Cooks Knife with a 13cm blade and the GSF-46 Peeling/Paring Knife with an 8cm blade, and is

CLH Digital

www.primroseherd.co.uk

priced at just £100.

The G-ROUX/6 6-Piece Knife Set includes the G-55 General Purpose Cook's Knife with 18cm blade, the G-73 Carving Knife with 22cm fluted blade, the GS-5 Vegetable Knife with 14cm blade, the GS-38 Paring Knife with 9cm blade, the G-74 Ceramic Sharpening 'Steel' and the GS20/B Fish Bone Tweezers. This set is available for £200.

The G-ROUX/9 9-Piece Knife Set includes the G-2 Cook's Knife, G-65 Ham/Salmon Slicer, G-20 Filleting Knife, GS-3 Cook's Knife, GS-5 Vegetable Chopper, GS-38 Paring Knife, GS-21 Palette Knife, G-74 Ceramic Sharpening 'Steel' and GS-29 Fish Bone Tweezers. You can buy it now for only £300!

To take advantage of this exclusive offer, visit https://globalknives.uk/supporting-chefs

Riso Gallo Commit To Sustainable Program

Riso Gallo is the first international brand in the sector to have undertaken the production of rice from sustainable agriculture, making their premium best-selling risotto rices Gallo Traditional Risotto, Arborio, Carnaroli - fully Sustainable.

The Gallo Risotto Traditional, Arborio, Carnaroli, and the Carnaroli Rustico are now in packs using FSC certified cardboard outer to protect the grains.

All Riso Gallo plastic vacuum packaging is now suitable for recycling, following the launch of a new eco-sustainable, low environmental impact plastic. Riso Gallo are the first company to adopt this sustainable packaging. The excellence of the products and the high quality standards of the Riso Gallo chain are also guaranteed by the BRC and IFS certifications, and by the intense activity of the company's Research and Development centre. The focus is on the development and experimentation in the field

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of new Italian rice qualities, not genetically modified and aimed at minimising the impact of cultivation on the environment and its resources.

G

Guaranteed - 100% Sustainable

100% of our sustainable rice has been produced at FSA Silver level or higher.

A

Authentic - 100% Premium Quality

Riso Gallo guarantees the origin of the rice.

L

At Primrose Herd we know how important quality is to you and your customers. We supply the finest pork individually prepared to a wide range of customers throughout Cornwall and beyond. These include pubs, hotels, restaurants, farm shops delis, cafés, and box schemes.

Customers can buy in confidence knowing they are dealing with a family business that is dedicated to them.

So whether its belly pork, dry cured bacon or even a bespoke sausage you want for your menu our dedicated and experienced team are here to help.

Local – 100% Italian All our sustainable rice has been cultivated in 2019 exclusively in 14 selected farms.

L

Loyal Lowering environmental impact. Using plastic packaging that is suitable for recycling and FSC certified paper packaging for sustainable forest management. Reducing waste and CO2 emissions and usingenergy from renewable certified sources.

O

Original – No.1 in Italy

To see the full foodservice range from Riso Gallo visit www.risogallo.co.uk

If you are interested in purchasing Primrose Herd products or have any questions regarding the wholesale side of our business please do get in touch at primroseherd@tiscali.co.uk

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

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The Source Trade Show Preview

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The Source Trade Show is Back in February South West. It will be one of the first trade shows for food and drink in 2022, and no other event serves up such a rewarding and valuable mix of comparative tastings, innovative ideas, networking opportunities and inspirational experiences. The show will have Covid-19 measures in place to ensure a safe environment for both buyers and exhibitors. It's the perfect opportunity to get back up to speed and kickstart your business for the year.

The Source trade show, at Westpoint, Exeter on Wednesday 9th & Thursday 10th February, is a great opportunity for you to restock, discover new products, and make the most of an influx of tourists to the

After a very difficult couple of years, this is your opportunity to reconnect in person, network with existing and potential customers, and be inspired by the latest in food, drink, and services. Finally you can get out from behind the computer, and taste and test products in person, as well as meeting the producers that made them. You’ll meet artisan producers that you won’t find anywhere

Free Your Spirit with Mermaid Gin Mermaid Gin is hand-crafted on the Isle of Wight using ten ethically sourced botanicals. A small batch spirit, it delivers a smooth yet complex blend of fresh organic lemon zest and peppery gains of paradise, with a hint of sea air from locally foraged, fragrant rock samphire – for a refreshing and invigorating serve.

Working with column stills for a smoother spirit, the process is tightly controlled capturing only the hearts of each batch – the sweet spot of any distillation. This avoids the hasher elements found in the heads and tails to create a pure gin that is perfectly balanced.

else, including more Taste of the West exhibitors than at any other trade show. Not to mention brand new to market companies and exclusive show offers!

Attracting buyers from retail, hospitality and catering, the Source trade show brings out the best the South West region has to offer, from artisan food & drink to essential goods and services. If you have a serious interest in speciality foods, quality drinks, profitable catering and inspired hospitality, you cannot afford to miss it. Compare and contrast offerings and negotiate the best deals!

For more information about the show, to book a stand, or register to attend, please call 01934 733433, follow @sourcefooddrink on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or visit www.thesourcetradeshow.co.uk

CLH NEWS - SERVING THE INDEPENDENT HOSPITALITY SECTOR FOR 21 YEARS!

We preserve the environment of mermaids by supporting marine conservation projects and working with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to restore seagrass meadows around the Solent. Our bottle is also completely plastic-free and made of 100% natural materials, with the seal around the cork being made from corn and potato starch.

See the advert on the facing page for details or visit www.isleofwightdistillery.com Alternatively call 01983 613653 or visit Stand B16

See us at The Source Tradeshow 2022 www.catererlicensee.com

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The Source Trade Show Preview HS French Flint - The Glass Container Specialists HS French Flint Ltd are very pleased to be exhibiting at the Source Trade Show again this year and are looking forward to seeing Old Friends as well as New Contacts on STAND H16.

range and have even more wonderful glass jars and bottles to show you this year. Please have a look at our website www.frenchflint.com or give us a call on 020 7237 1750.

Having moved into a new and larger showroom overlooking the River Thames near Tower Bridge we have continued to expand our

HS French Flint Limited, The Gallery, Springalls Wharf, 25a Bermondsey Wall West, London SE16

South West Labels

South West Labels 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

Barton Reed & Co Barton Reed & Co is the leading supplier of quality furniture to hotels, restaurants, public houses and leisure facilities in the South West. We can supply beautiful leather sofas, stylish high bar stools, comfy tub seats, elegant restaurant tables and chairs, and relaxing beds.

From laid back, seaside charm to cutting-edge design our extensive product range will suit your style and give your business the look that you want to achieve.

We have a huge choice of colours, fabrics and finishes and all our furniture comes with a two-year warranty.

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

Barton Reed & Co is a familyrun business and we have been involved in the furniture industry since 1945. Over the years we have forged strong relation-

known by 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 autoincrementing 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.

Visit us on stand H4 to view our products. ships with our suppliers to give you the best furniture available with a service that goes above and beyond our customers’ expectations.

Seven reasons why you should choose Barton Reed & Co to supply your contract furniture: • Wide range of styles • Easy ordering and re-ordering • Single point of contact • Short lead times • Direct delivery • After sales service • Two-year warranty on every item Get in touch to discuss your furniture requirements or to order our new brochure – we’re here to help.

Call us on 01409 271189, visit www.bartonreed.co.uk or email info@bartonreed.co.uk

SEE US ON STAND H33

Cleaning, Hygiene & Infection Control

Why Tailoring Your Products Will Revolutionise Your Cleaning Routine The pandemic has shone a harsh spotlight on venue hygiene and cleanliness. It can be tempting to cut corners when it comes to your cleaning routine, but ensuring you have the right products for the right job can save you time and money in the long run.

Hance McGhie from Chemisphere UK tells us about the science behind the products that will leave every aspect of your venue sparkling...

THE RIGHT PRODUCTS FOR...

CLEANING SURFACES...

A good surface spray should be food grade but food safe, and the ingredients should eat into biofilm removing any areas of residue that harbour pathogens. We have developed our independently-tested surface sanitiser to be extremely effective against bacteria, yeast and 99.999% of microbes, and - to ensure it’s easy to use - there is no need to rinse and it continues working for up to 14 hours when dry.

CLEANING NOZZLES, CONNECTORS AND SPARKLERS All nozzles, sparklers and connectors should be soaked overnight using sanitising tablets that are effective against bacteria, mould, spores and fungi. Using a tap and keg sanitising spray is also a good idea, as this can be used as and when to target bacteria and fungi, and remove any build up of yeast.

CLEANING BEER LINES Beer lines need to be cleaned by alkaline solutions which contain Potassium Hydroxide - a chemical used

in the food industry because it's an excellent detergent with strong antimicrobial properties. Your beer line cleaning products should be effective at emulsification and saponification of fats, protein peptization, and efficient at removing soils, greases and oils. Beer lines can get clogged up with yeast, so it’s crucial that your line cleaners stand up to the test - time and time again. Our Purple Pipeline Original is well known within the industry and is one of our top selling products, as it changes colour if your lines are dirty and doesn’t contain any caustic soda.

CLEANING GLASSWARE The best detergents for glassware include potassium hydrochloride but no caustic soda. Alkaline cleaning agents such as potassium hydrochloride are incredibly effective at emulsification and saponification of fats, protein peptization, and are efficient at removing soils, greases and oils.

CUTLERY AND CROCKERY Crockery and cutlery should always be put through a hot commercial grade dishwasher to ensure it’s hygienically clean and ready to be used again straight away.

Using a highly concentrated bactericidal dishwashing and sterilising powder should totally eliminate egg, protein, starch deposits and tannin stains, meaning that your customers can be confident of spotless cutlery and crockery.

Call us now on 0800 0188 062 or visit www.chemisphereuk.com

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Cleaning, Hygiene and Infection Control Issue 88

Taking Care of Safety During Challenging Times Kate Thompson, Director Wales, The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) shares some tips for busy, preoccupied independent hospitality operators.

• decide how likely it is that someone could be harmed and how seriously (the risk) • take action to eliminate the hazard, or if this isn't possible, control the risk There is lots of information available, including templates, to help you carry out a health and safety risk assessment and record it on the Health and Safety Executive’s website https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-healthsafety/risk/

Hospitality operators are facing challenging times with cancelled bookings, staff shortages, supply chain problems and other pressing issues. While these challenges will understandably be the ones they will want to tackle, there’s one operational aspect that must be top-of-mind at all times – health and safety, including food safety.

Every business has a legal obligation to protect their employees and customers from harm, but when health and safety is upheld to the highest standards, it can also help reassure both your staff and customers that you value them.

When staff feel they are valued they are more likely to stay – and recommend others join – which can help solve any recruitment and retention problems, while customers who feel secure and looked after will be more likely to return to your establishment.

Sounds simple, but if you’re busy fighting fires elsewhere, how do you make health and safety a priority? And where do you focus your attention to ensure you are getting everything right?

ASSESS AND MANAGE THE RISKS The minimum you must do is: • identify what could cause injury or illness in your business (hazards)

the floor and serve customers. Refresher training should also be considered for staff who have been with your business for a while, especially when new legislation is introduced, such as Natasha’s Law. Choose courses wisely. The flexibility offered by online training, like that offered by CIEH, works particularly well when time is short or you need to work around shifts, for example.

GO THE EXTRA MILE

Don’t forget about food safety. Wherever food is served, it is important to demonstrate the highest standards of food preparation, handling, storage and service. This is not only to ensure the safety of those who will be consuming the food, but also to comply with the law and to be assured of a food hygiene rating you can be proud of. Falling foul of the rules not only has the potential to put the public at risk but the success and reputation of your business. It is therefore essential that you, and the people that you work with, are equipped with the right skills and knowledge. You must put in place food safety management procedures based on the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP).

COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, but the virus is still in circulation and many consumers are still nervous about its potential spread. Reassuring staff and customers that you take these concerns seriously will have many benefits and show you are going the extra mile to keep everyone safe.

HACCP is a system that helps you identify potential food hazards and introduce procedures to make sure those hazards are removed or reduced to an acceptable level. The Food Standards Agency has resources to help you on their website https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/managingfood-safety

With this in mind, you need to assess the risk of poor ventilation to help you identify spaces with poor ventilation and take action to improve it.

Opening a window, even for just a short time, so fresh air can disperse and blow COVID-19 particles away helps to reduce the risk. Make sure you aren’t overcrowding spaces and if you can’t get enough natural fresh air, consider introducing a mechanical system.

CONSULT THE EXPERTS Businesses who are unsure or need support should consult an environmental health professional, who can advise on best practice as well as legal compliance. Understanding the law and how it affects your business, as well as ensuring that staff are trained correctly will enable you and your staff to adhere to relevant regulations designed to uphold food and workplace safety.

TRAINING, TRAINING, TRAINING Training staff in health and safety and food safety, including allergen requirements, will improve awareness and ensure compliance. Providing training at induction means staff will have the knowledge before they hit

As the weather gets colder customers will naturally want to dine indoors. In enclosed spaces, infectious coronavirus particles can build up over time, remaining suspended in the air and increasing the risk of transmission, especially if there is no ventilation or fresh air helping to refresh the air being breathed.

With coronavirus still spreading, remember that the risk of infection is reduced when social distancing is maintained. Where staff cannot keep their distance, for example in small kitchens and staff rooms, transmission risk can be managed by wearing face coverings.

Other things to think about include cleaning more often, especially surfaces that people touch a lot. Staff and customers should be asked to use hand sanitiser and wash their hands frequently.

Guidance changes continually so keep up with the latest rules so you can filter this down to staff and customers. Government and the Health and Safety Executive websites are good sources of up-to-date information.

Dreaming of Covid-Free Celebrations? Here’s How to Make it a Reality…

Minoo Patel, Head of Technology at BonaCaeli, explains how hotels, pubs, bars and restaurants can protect staff and customers and prevent another lockdown Christmas and the New Year are special times of the year in the hospitality industry.

But, as revellers flock to hotels, pubs, bars and restaurants, how will you protect staff and give guests a worry-free experience?

DON’T LET THE GRINCH DAMAGE YOUR PROFITS AND RUIN CELEBRATIONS. We’re all hoping that Christmas and New Year won’t be derailed by a last-minute lockdown. But many in hospitality are also worried that a surge in Covid-19 cases could lead to staff shortages in an already stretched industry. We know that masks, extra ventilation, and social distancing measures can help – but there’s another solution that could be a game changer.

Covid-19 is primarily transmitted through air-borne mists of exhaled particles, which can remain in the air for up to three hours. By simply installing a custom designed airpurifier, you can actively remove virus-carrying particles from the air and dramatically reduce transmission rates.

MAKE YOUR AIR AS CLEAN AS YOUR PLATES BonaCaeli’s AirVSAFE 2000 air purifier will remove 90% of airborne pathogens in your venue after just six minutes of running time. Run it continuously for seven hours or more, and it will remove 99.999% of pathogens – better than any other air purifier on the market.

Give your staff and your customers the gift of a safer festive season with a BonaCaeli AirVSAFE 2000 air purifier. To learn more visit https://www.bonacaeli.com/hospitality

Encouraging Better Handwashing with Hand Hygiene, Anywhere… Anytime!

Intellimix from Ideal Standard With the Hallco RHAMHWS+ Mobile Hand Wash Station Ideal Standard, one of the world’s leading providers of bathroom and washroom products, has launched Intellimix, a smart, cost-effective solution to support better hygiene in spaces as the commercial world reopens.

Designed to dispense both soap and water with every use, Intellimix is completely touchfree, guaranteeing improved hygiene standards in public washrooms. Ideal for offices, leisure facilities and other high-traffic environments, such as shopping centres, hotels and restaurants, and airports, the fitting significantly lowers running costs while being sustainable and reducing waste.

Despite delivering an optimum volume of soap with every wash for improved hygiene, Intellimix actually reduces the overall amount of soap and water typically used in washrooms with traditional fittings, minimising waste and generating cost savings of up to 80 per cent on soap and 85 per cent on water.

Maintenance and cleaning is also hassle-free, with less frequent and faster soap replacement compared to traditional dispensers, and reduced cleaning required with all soap directed into the bowl.

Bluetooth enabled, Intellimix also offers parameter settings which can be easily controlled by facilities managers via a smartphone. From the palm of their hands, they can conveniently change a variety of settings on all taps in a building, including how much soap is dispensed, how long water should flow and how often anti-stagnation flushing should occur. Intellimix also sends notifications when soap is running low to avoid unnecessary physical checks.

The fitting is available in Chrome and Black Onyx versions, while panel mounted models will launch later in 2021. What’s more, the screen can also be set to display a company logo or any advertising image during idle times.

As well as the fitting, Ideal Standard has also developed Intellimix Mild Antibacterial Foam Soap, a unique formula to ensure flawless performance and optimal hygiene. Irritant-free and with a rich, thick texture, it is gentle on skin and offers a luxurious experience every time.

For more information, visit: www.intellimix.co or see the advert on page 19.

With hygiene remaining high priority for operators, the Hallco Mobile Hand Wash station is perfect for any operation needing to introduce additional hand washing facilities. Utilising an easy to use manual foot pump – with no electrical or water connections required - this unit can simply be wheeled into position, filled and used immediately. Easy to maintain, the 20 litre freshwater container provides around 115 hand washes per fill, with a separate container for waste water. A handy paper towel dispenser, soap holder and integrated waste bin are all included as standard. Also available is a reduced height version for junior or assisted use.

TO ORDER: Contact the R H Hall Sales Team on 01296 663400 or sales@rhhall.com Full details available at www.rhhall.com Product video available on You Tube – search

‘rhhallcatering’ EXCLUSIVE BEST EVER OFFER! £329 + VAT – Quote CLHDEC2021 with all enquiries.

PLUS – Exclusive to readers is a FREE 20 Second Hand Wash Timer with every unit purchased!

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Hospitality Technology

How to Improve Digital Ordering as a Bar or Restaurant

By George Ioannou, Managing Partner at Foolproof, a Zensar company (www.foolproof.co.uk) critical as hospitality has taken a real hit with many struggling to survive and revenues expected to fall by around 33%.

For safety reasons - predominantly social distancing many local pubs and high-end restaurants alike have become reliant on digital shortcuts to capture and process orders. In many instances, these are hacks, quickly introduced, with time being of the essence, and therefore lacking the data and insight that can be captured from testing with real users.

ordering from employees.

want me to sign away my life.”

Yet ordering via conventional means erodes the opportunity to provide a more streamlined experience by automating processes. Perhaps even more importantly, it also doesn’t free up employees to offer a more premium service in other areas, and create the experience diners are craving. Two potential areas of cost optimisation or value creation.

Another idea is to form alliances with other bars/restaurants (five major groups own most of the pubs in London for instance) and agree to fund a shared platform. Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo are exploring new avenues and partnerships too.

WHAT CAN BARS AND RESTAURANTS DO TO IMPROVE DIGITAL This means the digital experience of ordering at table, ORDERING EXPERIENCES? now very much a part of the overall dining out experi-

The appetite to eat out and socialise again gained momentum when lockdown restrictions were lifted in England. But with yet more uncertainty around the festive season and bookings in a state of flux, how can restaurateurs ensure they are in the best possible shape to navigate their way through?

Adding the wow factor and engaging with guests is

ence, is laden with friction, causing untold frustration for customers. A piece of recent research* we commissioned indicated that over 40% of people prefer to place an order via an app in a restaurant, yet very few people want to download applications or set up new accounts to order a drink without an exchange of value e.g. sign up for an account with us and you’ll receive ten percent off your round.

Unless these experiences improve, customers won’t continue to adopt them. If a digital ordering experience is too difficult to navigate and fails to enhance, or complement the overall dining or drinking experience, customers may go elsewhere, simply stay at home or maintain their reliance on the age-old convention of

European Hotel Consultancy Everguest Launches in the UK to Help Hoteliers Through Critical Recovery Period Hoteliers must shift their focus from ‘survive’ to ‘thrive’ if they want their businesses to succeed as travel and tourism pick up pace once more during 2022. That is the view of European hotel consultancy Everguest, which is announcing its launch in the UK. Everguest has appointed hospitality business development professional Neil Middleton to lead its UK growth.

Founded in Hungary by experienced hotel GM and marketing agency head Miklós Belán, Everguest takes a guest-first approach to handle the three most decisive factors in the accommodation selection process – guest reviews, pricing and online appearance. The circumstances of the past two years have caused many hotels to retract resources and operate without a full complement of staff, so outsourcing these core capabilities to Everguest’s team of experts ensures that hotels remain competitive, visible and appealing.

Many hotels have survived the pandemic by regularly pivoting to fulfil short-term needs, but according to CEO Belán, now is the time for UK hoteliers to double down on attracting future guests. “The opening up of international tourism means travellers once again have a world of choice when it comes to booking a hotel,” he comments. “As the guest’s mindset shifts, so must the hotel’s strategy. It is no longer enough to keep the fire burning – it is time to fuel the flames; and Everguest has chosen now to expand to the UK because we can provide the manpower and expertise to deliver the right results for UK hoteliers.”

Partnering with hotel owners and managers, Everguest provides services in three key areas:

Reputation Management – Hotels can miss out on potential business if not reacting to the experiences of past customers, so Everguest ensures all guest reviews are responded to, providing reports and analysis to the hotel that will improve its future performance. Crucially, as hotels welcome back international guests, the Everguest team is capable of responding in 10 languages Revenue Management - Everguest implements dynamic pricing based on market trends, competitor analysis and the hotelier’s own insights to maximise a hotel’s revenue. As this service is tailor-made and managed by people rather than software, solutions can be found to accommodate hotels whatever their situation; including introducing dynamic pricing for the first time or optimising current strategies Online Marketing - A hotel’s online presence is essential for enticing potential guests and driving valuable direct bookings. Everguest’s expertise includes managing a hotel’s social media platforms, running PPC advertising campaigns and providing professional web design to elevate the visibility and attractiveness of the property’s owned channels Everguest’s research shows that enhanced online marketing and strategic pricing have the ability to deliver revenue increases of 15-20% for hotels and that bookings can be improved by up to 24% through greater responsiveness to guest reviews.

With a successful track record of growing business for independent hotels in mainland Europe, Everguest has recently appointed Neil Middleton to bring on new partners in the UK. Middleton has 18 years’ experience in tourism and hospitality, having worked in senior sales roles for brands including Booking.com, OYO, Expedia and Orbitz.

“Hospitality is a ‘people’ industry so people are at the core of the Everguest philosophy,” says Neil Middleton, Director of Sales at Everguest. “Our offerings consider what matter most to guests and our approach centres on the needs of the individual hotelier. Our team prides itself on going beyond data and dashboards to tailor a service appropriate for the hotel type and guest base the owner aspires to; and with labour shortages an ongoing issue in the hospitality industry, we give hoteliers the support they need to help their business thrive.”

To find out more about Everguest’s services see www.Everguest.net, watch this short video, or contact Neil Middleton on Neil.Middleton@Everguest.net or 07587 114030.

Having run an external poll* and conducted pieces of insight and strategy for leading restaurant and bar chains on their ‘at table’ digital ordering solutions, we’ve put together our top tips for brands wanting to nail the digital ordering experience.

PROVIDE OPTIONS Many consumers have been forced into gaining experience with technology since the pandemic hit.

Although unsettling at first, repeated use has built a level of newfound confidence in basic processes when using both the device and platforms.

However, for those still adjusting to the digital shift, anything outside of two to three user journeys and an experience can become overwhelming. In our experience, it’s all about providing options and not solely relying on digital.

To avoid excluding those who may struggle to navigate a digital experience, or the guests who simply prefer to talk to the front of house team, there has to be an alternative in place. Businesses must leave a place for table service, or ordering at the bar. More and more pubs, including London’s famous Blind Beggar in Whitechapel have introduced “Request service” buttons to overcome this issue and serve those with confidence or capability issues.

A CENTRALISED PLATFORM The most common source of annoyance for those heading out to bars and restaurants is having to download (yet another) app. With a centralised platform to consolidate digital ordering at the table, you can provide a cohesive experience while developing something of your own.

This could come in the form of browser-based pages, progressive web apps (smaller, lighter, and downloadable versions of web pages), or full-blown iOS/Android applications.

Each of these approaches work well for chains who have the ability to develop their own centralised platform. White-label platforms also exist that can benefit smaller players, but are often basic.

Your Round appears to be getting it right, with one poll respondent saying: “The best in-app ordering experience I had was using Your Round. Of all the apps I’ve used, it’s by far the most straightforward and doesn’t

DO RIGHT BY YOUR CUSTOMERS In a social setting, ordering through digital can be inherently anti-social, and often stunts a conversation.

That’s complicated by it not working at all, or forcing people to follow a convoluted process.

One poll respondent said: “...QR codes that take you to static pdf menus are not user friendly and the design isn’t equitable. The text is tiny, doesn’t appear all at once and requires a high level of dexterity to navigate.

These menus have served a purpose during the pandemic, but need to adapt quickly to account for all user needs.”

Another said: “There’s lots of really poor apps/sites, I guess a consequence of having to rush out solutions whilst being inexperienced in doing so.”

The right ordering experience won’t cost your business the earth, yet the wrong one might. Start by asking your customers what they want from an experience.

What will best suit their needs? And take a look at your competition as well as other adjacent experiences e.g. what does the world of online grocery, or ecommerce get right? Using this insight to form a strategy for your experience means you won’t stray far from the perfect solution.

You also don’t want to overload your experience (browser-based or app) with features. While in a pub, ordering drinks and food is often all your customers will want to do. Unless you’re introducing a loyalty scheme, or an exchange e.g. discounts, don’t make your customers sign up for anything that is not providing value to the experience.

THE BOTTOM LINE If bars and restaurants push for a fully digital service, loyalty will be lost. Customers want and, for those without the confidence or ability to navigate current experiences, need an alternative. Without options, you’re going to marginalise large segments of your customer-base.

Novel “service” buttons akin to Bob Bob Ricard’s famous “press for champagne buttons” provide a lowcost alternative. Whereas introducing self-service screens at tables, like McDonalds, could work for others. Regardless of the solution, now is the time to think carefully about the future of ordering as a bar or restaurant.

Digital is likely to play a part in future dining and drinking experiences. Try not to think of it as a handicap or fad. It could be the making of your brand, and something it will become renowned for.

New Products from SAM4S SAM4S, a leading manufacturer of store automation products, is happy to introduce you the brand new products in 2022.

We are going to launch New CPU based on mainboard 7th generation Elkhart Lake J6412 for PC POS lineups. It is 2.5 times higher in benchmark score comparing to 4th generation Baytrail J1900 CPU. We will apply new mainboard to our current main POS products, TITAN-S series and Forza series. We also plan to introduce new style stand on TITAN-S model to offer various options for customers.

With the growing demands on self-ordering KIOSK products, we are offering diverse choices to customer for different working environment.

To start with, we have SK series KIOSK in 15” & 21.5” PCAP Touch screen with J1900/Elkhart J6412/Core i3 & i5 CPU supported. It is equipped with 3” printer, 2D barcode scanner &WIFI available.

We have also slimmer type of SK series which fit better for compact and confined environment.

Secondly, we are newly introducing Compact KIOSK using our POS system. You can have various options in screen size of 15”, 15.6” and 18.5” with low-end CPU Celeron N2807, N3160, J1900 and Elkhart J6412 to high-end CPU Core series. It is All-in-one KIOSK with 3” printer integrated in compact size and small foot

Stand allowing space flexibility. In addition, it has price competitiveness than general type of self-ordering KIOSK. Lastly, we are preparing completely new design of 21.5” KIOSK with user-friendly shape which is to be launched in 2nd half of 2022.

Due to global pandemic, the demand for contactless product such as Kiosk for self-ordering & self-checkout has increased rapidly. SAM4S KIOSK would be the perfect solution for your choice.

See the advert on the facing page for details.

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Issue 88

Hospitality Technology

Empowering Your Ambition with Xledger or drilling-down to source transactions for a 360° overview at the press of a button. With no requirement for new IT infrastructure, you can grow your business without interruption.

How often do you find yourself needing to update your POS, ticketing or booking systems to keep up with what customers want?

Adapting to the pandemic-enforced restrictions put in place for venues and hospitality settings only added to the on-demand nature of distributed ordering and payment capabilities.

Connecting these ever-adapting external systems with your back-end finance software shouldn’t be a factor holding you back.

It can be achieved seamlessly with Xledger’s advanced cloud-based finance software that allows for effortless custom integrations with external systems. It helps over 10,000 organisations in 60 countries streamline, digitise and automate their finances.

With Xledger, you’re always in control, whether that’s comparing actuals against budget, forecasting year-end

As a cloud software with an open API, Xledger can integrate with any other system to empower your organisation with one version of the truth. It automates financial tasks by up to 75% allowing you to spend less time processing transactions and more time analysing the result of them. From automated workflows to recurring billing, Xledger allows you to improve efficiency and streamline operations. Automated, configurable reports and real-time dashboards allow you to slice and dice data from every angle.

Ultimately, the 100% cloud solution helps you to reduce costs, run a leaner, more efficient finance function and understand key financials in real-time. This gives you the opportunity to add real value to your organisation and frees up your time so you can focus on tasks that grow the business.

If you would like to find out more about Xledger or to book a demo you can contact them by emailing mail@xledger.co.uk or call 0117 457 3293.

New Labour Scheduling Tool To Juggle Student’s Working Hours Across the country, many towns or cities depend on a level of student labour across a number of sectors, particularly hospitality. As operators gear up to welcome new and returning student employees in September, workforce management specialists Bizimply are launching new features designed to help businesses make the most of these valuable team members.

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

Most operators recruit students for their flexibility, enabling them to fill the gaps in their staff rotas. Juggling students’ availability around their lectures can be a challenge for whoever has to create the staff rota. This is why Bizimply’s ‘Unavailability’ and ‘Deactivate/Reactivate’ features are being welcomed by their customers.

Bizimply CEO Conor Shaw said: “So many of our

hospitality customers rely to some extent on students and it’s a relationship that brings benefits to employer and employees. Managing a team where some members are unavailable for certain shifts and not able to work for months at a time, was clearly making staff rota creation more time-consuming than it needed to be.

The Unavailability feature allows managers – or the team members themselves, via their employee portal – to mark students as unavailable for work around their weekly lectures, eg every Monday and Thursday mornings. A second Deactivate/Reactivate feature makes it easier for operators to manage students’ longer-terms unavailability, eg returning home for the holidays.

Visit Bizimply at www.bizimply.com

How often do you find yourself needing to update your POS, ticketing or booking systems to keep up with what customers want?

Xledger is an advanced, cloud-based finance software that allows for effortless custom integrations with external systems, so you never need to worry about your finance software holding you back.

Our powerful automation and real-time reporting tools support a live consolidation across the group, enabling venues to compare actuals against budget, forecast to year-end and drill-down to source transactions for a 360° overview at the press of a button. With Xledger, you’re always in control.

We provide venues & hospitality with: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

One, live version of the truth In-system, real-time reporting with role-based dashboards Flexible and bespoke integrations OCR to eliminate costly data entry errors A paperless workforce with automated digital workflows Consolidated reports in seconds rather than weeks Accessible from anywhere, all you need is an internet connection

To find out how Xledger can help your hotel or catering business, simply email: mail@xledger.co.uk or call 0117 457 3293.

Book a demo today!

Hospitality Technology

Issue 88

CLH Digital

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Sustainability and Personalisation Will Prevail in 2022 Peter Moore, Lolly CEO, offers his predictions for a year of further change in hospitality – underpinned by technology (www.itslolly.com) 2021 has been another year of highs and lows for hospitality, with the joys of reopening shadowed by enduring challenges, including staff shortages, no-shows and supply issues.

As we move into a New Year, there will be several priorities we need to consider as we navigate our way through these turbulent times. We must not neglect the core values of sustainability and personalisation, as well as the duty of care we have to our customers in terms of safety and security. Hospitality technology will play a big part in the hospitality sector facilitating and embracing these values.

REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION Sustainability will be ingrained within every part of our lives moving forward. Technology companies should be reviewing the power consumption within their organisations, as well as assessing and strategising on how they can support clients in managing and reducing their power usage.

This relates to both hardware and software. Investing in and providing products that have lower power consumption, or building into software code hibernation modes, which allow for power cycles and automatic updates before opening every day, will help ease power usage reduction.

KEEPING CUSTOMERS INFORMED - SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY Allergen management will continue to be a big topic and there is an ongoing process to develop the most seamless and effective processes to

keep customers safe. As personalisation and data collection in the sector grows this will improve. For instance, automatic allergen alarms built into apps or software could support hospitality providers in safeguarding themselves and their customers.

As well as allergens, consumers are expecting more from hospitality providers in terms of detailed nutritional information and the carbon footprint of their products. They are interested in the whole supply chain, product origins, and what companies are doing to cut back on their carbon footprint.

Environmental information that visually flags products with a high carbonfootprint, or shares the product origin, could begin to appear alongside allergens and nutritional data on app and self-serve unit menus, as well as on PoS software. Carbon-footprint calculators could be built into apps to allow users to calculate the environmental impact of their meal or drinks, down to the type of milk they choose for their coffee.

APPS HAVE PEAKED As predicted, apps have been prominent in 2021. Yet, we are now in the early stages of maturity and subsequent diversification in the tech life-cycle of this product. Their use will settle and solidify, particularly playing a big role for larger hospitality organisations and corporate caterers.

However, consumers don’t want to download an app for every visit or experience. Web-based ordering, particularly in-house will remain a big trend. Tableside ordering, with QR codes, browser-based menus, ordering and payments software will continue to be popular in 2022. Technology providers need to ensure a secure, seamless process and complete integration with back office and kitchen, as well as loyalty and payments.

place and create more seamless payments. New products will also improve accessibility by reducing payment costs for merchants.

Direct bank transfers (via QR codes and pay-by-link) are currently free, but at some point this will be commercialised by banks etc., as revenue is lost from other payment methods. Ensuring consumer protection should be a priority for technology providers, and hospitality businesses need to understand merchant liability.

THE NEW-LOOK Windows 11 operating system was launched in October 2021, and with most hospitality tech operating on Windows software, in 2022 we will see a hardware refresh, as companies who are upgrading systems change their hardware to be compatible with the new OS. Alongside pin-on-glass and other more streamlined PoS and payments methods, this change will result in hospitality environments evolving to look slightly different and more modernised. This will happen slowly, but there are many bigger sites and companies with legacy systems that are going to need to start investing in upgrading their systems, so this will speed up the shift.

In line with sustainable practices, technology providers should only be advising hardware updates only where it is necessary or beneficial from both a business and environmental standpoint.

CONTINUED TECH ADOPTION AND ACCEPTANCE CROSS-GENERATIONS

PAYMENT METHOD EXPERIMENTATION

The older generations are still using tech and adopting new ones, which means that hospitality providers have even more reason to embrace technology - they can be confident the majority of their customers are ready.

New products and entrants to the market will continue, as the industry and consumer habits shift and experiment in the ‘new normal’. In 2021 we saw the extensive rollout of QR codes, and on a lesser scale pin-on-glass and e-wallets. These products are going to continue to change the market-

Generation Alpha are coming into the marketplace. They have fewer reservations about sharing their information, and this openness with data will impact and improve the hospitality experience, leading to greater personalisation.

3R - Your Edge in Payment & Business Management 3R offer industry leading EPoS Solutions with integrated countertop or wireless payment solutions.

Ordering, Booking and Reservations; extensive stock control; intensive operator management; Hotel Link, ResDiary. Resident Pro, High Level, Guest Master, Guest Line and in-depth financial reporting.

Coupled with durable, secure hardware, is our signature EPoS software: CES Touch.

We give you the edge in business and payment management. Above all 3R provides best customer service to all their customers 24x7x365 from UK served Office.

Touch boasts a variety of features such as: a complete Stand alone or Multi Lane, Cloud Management, Online

See the advert below or sales@3rtelecom.co.uk, 01992 574 650 or www.3rtelecom.co.uk

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CLH Digital

Outdoor Spaces

Issue 88

Stylish Luxury Gazebos From White Pavilion Hi, I'm Tim Burdekin, and I've designed and built the White Pavilion Garden Gazebo to be your perfect, all-weather gazebo for all the seasons.

I designed the White Pavilion Garden Gazebo range to be combined with a variety of lighting, heating, coloured canopies and side screen options to help create the perfect gazebo for your outdoor space, garden, patio or hot tub area. They're 100% waterproof and designed to withstand the very worst the British weather can throw at them. And they're guaranteed to survive 100 Mph Winds - see 100 Mph Windproof.

Our stylish hospitality gazebos Generate More Income from your outdoor space. Keeping your customers comfortable outdoors, the more time they will spend with you…. which means more money they will spend with you.

A White Pavilion Gazebo gives 100% Waterproof Protection...100 Mph Windproof Guaranteed...100%

Sun Protection......and comes with a 5 Year Guarantee - Your gazebo choice doesn't get better than this.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to get in touch. Give our team a call - 01653 695 285 or visit www.whitepaviliongazebos.co.uk We're here to help you get the very best from your outdoors.

The Bio Climatic Pergola from CambridgeStyle Canopies products on mainland Britain. We have a chain of partners that can assist you locally.

The Bio Climatic Pergolas are a modern aesthetically pleasing addition to Pubs, Clubs, Restaurants, Hotels and many more commercial outlets.

We have even installed on roof of new eight storey city centre students accommodation building for relaxing area.

Solisysteme are the inventor and historical leader of manufacture of the Bio Climatic Pergola Cambridgestyle Canopies is a long established provider of outdoor covered areas to commercial clients within the UK With clients such as BBC, Landrover Jaguar, Tesco and many more. We are very proud to be the sole distributor of Solisysteme

Designed to your specification Protects from the sun and inclement weather Provides natural ventilation Regulates the temperature in adjoining rooms Adjusts the brightness of the light by remote control Side walls, Heating and lighting options Up to 7m between structural support columns How can we help your business ?

Cambridgestyle Canopies 01353 699009 office@cambridgestyle.org www.cambridgestylecanopies.co.uk

Solisyteme is the inventor and historical leader of the Bio Climatic Pergola.

Since 1998 Solisysteme has designed and manufactured pergolas and innovates every day in order to provide customer with tomorrow’s Solar protection solutions.

• Protects from the sun and inclement weather • Provides natural ventilation • Regulates the temperature in adjoining room • Adjusts the brightness of the light by remote control • Heating and Lighting options

Cambridgestyle Canopies is a long established provider of outside covered areas to the commercial market sector and proud to be the sole distributor of the Solisyteme products throughout the UK.

We have trade partners in your area that can provide a full installation service if required.

Beer Gardens, Roof Tops and much more

Example: 4000mm x 3000mm remote controlled Bio Climatic Pergola with LED lighting supplied for less than £6,000 ex vat

Also a vast range of aluminium or steel canopies to your required specifications Enquire today!

CambridgeStyle Canopies Ltd 01353 699009 | office@cambridgestyle.org | www.cambridgestylecanopies.co.uk “WE’VE GOT IT COVERED - NOBODY DOES IT BETTER”

Previous Clients Include:

Outdoor Spaces

Issue 88

Café Culture - Pavement Profit We are an independent supplier serving the outdoor restaurant trade with supplies for outdoor seating areas. We have some large clients including Gondola group along with many smaller cafe bars, restaurants and public houses.

We design and manufacturer our own windbreaks and use the best materials available.

For anyone looking long term that saves you money as you won’t be replacing cheap internet imports next season. It’s one area where it doesn’t pay

to buy budget as the continual bumps and scrapes outdoor goods

receive combined with the harsh British climate really needs something tough enough for the job.

We also supply Markilux awning which are some of the best made in the industry and Uhlmann parasols another top rated German brand.

Bespoke goods are also a speciality with custom made menu holders, waiter stations and planters all to you requirement.

If we can help you do drop a line to sales@cafeculture.biz

Keeping Food Hot? We Have All The Answers First of all, you will want one of our world beating Kanga boxes and a Carbon Heater. You can then keep food hot indefinitely and fully comply with HACCP regulations.

Sounds too good to be true?

Well we only supply premium German manufactured products from stock at incredibly low prices.

The insulated box manufactured from top quality expanded polypropylene is a dense closed cell insulation material but incredibly light to handle when empty for example the GN insulted box with a 117 mm internal depth only weighs just over a kilo and yet holds a massive 21 lts capacity.

Now combine the Kanga box with a Carbon Heater and the magic begins, hot food all the time!

Our range of Carbon heaters offers two voltage

options 12 volts for car operation using the cigarette lighter socket or 230 volt mains voltage for internal or external mains use. The big advantage of the Carbon Heaters they are absolutely fool proof just insert them in the bottom of the box turn on and forget, there are no consumer controls the temperature is pre-set at the factory at 75 deg C. The Carbon Heater is very light at only 700 grammes and does not take up much room only being 10mm thick. Dishes can be place on the Carbon Heater straight out of the oven up to 120deg C. Finally quick and easy to clean just wipe over with a damp cloth.

Contact Catering Equipment Limited on Tel: 0121 773 2228 or visit www.clickonstore.net or www.kangaboxuk.com or see the advert on page 2.

Design and Refit Carbon Savings with Adveco FUSION Hybrid Hot Water Systems Commercial hot water specialist, Adveco, introduces the FUSION FPH-S range of low carbon, all-electric, packaged hybrid hot water systems. Designed to meet the daily needs of restaurants, cafés, public houses and other small to medium sized business, FUSION harnesses Adveco’s FPi32 air source heat pump (ASHP), a high-pressure ATSH calorifier with electric immersion, controls, and metering. Packaged together this provides a reliable, high-temperature, sustainable and cost-effective system for new build and refurbishment projects.

“For organisations with small to medium basin and sink led hot water demands and a desire to embrace a more sustainable business model, the FUSION FPH-S range provides a single, easy to accommodate, highly effective response,” says Bill Sinclair, technical director, Adveco. “By choosing one of these packaged hybrid

water systems you gain optimum efficiencies, lower your carbon emissions and can be assured building regulations are being met for your commercial project.”

FUSION is available in 16 pre-specified variants with 6 or 10 kW preheat and 9 or 12 kW electric top-up which support continuous capacity hot water demands from 257-377 litres/hour. The physical design, dedicated controls, and integrated metering ensure the ASHP preheat, and immersion work seamlessly to deliver the highest operational efficiencies. This enables FUSION’s heat pump to supply 50°C for system preheat and offset much of the electric immersion top-up in the calorifier to deliver up to 53% carbon emission savings when compared to an identical direct electric only system. When compared to an equivalent gasonly system carbon savings of 50% can be demonstrated. www.adveco.co

Saniflo Macerator Pump Gives New Lease of Life to British Treasure The Saniflo Sanicubic macerator pump is breathing a new lease of life into a highlyacclaimed piece of British heritage – a replica of the famous ship, the Golden Hinde, known for circumventing the globe during the 16th century under the command of British explorer Sir Francis Drake. Sitting in dry dock, the replica ship, which has also sailed the seas worldwide, is now a stunning floating museum and events’ venue near London Bridge.

The owner of the Golden Hinde, Roddy Coleman, who has ensured the ship remains faithful to the original, first installed a Sanicubic a couple of years ago in

the dock beneath the ship to take the waste from two WC cubicles used by visitors and staff.

It discharges waste up and along the dock walls through 35mm pipes to connect to the sewers above at street level.

Located underneath the floorboards in the bow of the ship, it is perfectly positioned to take waste from two new WCS cubicles and basins as well as a new kitchen area in the galley. A dishwasher, sink and icemaker are all plumbed into the Sanicubic thanks to its multiple outlets.

Visit www.saniflo.co.uk or see the advert on page 13 for further information.

CLH Digital

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Design and Refit Space Saving Solutions Without Compromising On Performance 46

CLH Digital

Issue 88

By Tim Charlton, managing director of Euro Catering Equipment, UK distributor for Giorik.

What are the latest and greatest features chefs should look out for when it comes to this equipment?

Space is one of the biggest limitations in any pub kitchen, as operators try to strike the right balance between maximising space for paying customers whilst providing enough room back of house to serve them. Whether it’s a historic building or a new-build, ask any pub chef and they’ll tell you they’d like more space in the kitchen.

Of course, space constraints don’t just pose logistical challenges for staff, they also impact what equipment can be installed. That’s why slimline ovens are proving increasingly popular and manufacturers are working incredibly hard to deliver the same performance from a smaller footprint.

Giorik offers a number of slimline models across its Kore and Movair combi oven ranges, including a choice of ten countertop Kore ovens (6 or

10 x 1/1gn) which are just 520mm wide and can be stacked two high to get the most capacity from the smallest footprint.

Unique to Giorik, a gas slimline model is also available in both 6 and 10 x 1/1gn format, as well as models with an internal boiler.

Or for complete flexibility, the Movair MTE523W from Giorik is a 13amp countertop 5 x 2/3gn model - universally popular in pub kitchens because it can be plugged in anywhere. And still just 637mm wide.

The most important thing with any slimline model is that they don’t compromise on performance or functionality. All of Giorik’s slimline combi ovens are fitted with touchscreen programmable controls, an automatic wash system, multi-level shelf timers and a core probe – for maximum performance from a minimum footprint in smaller kitchen spaces.

Visit www.euro-catering.co.uk/shop/brands/giorik or www.giorik.com/en/home.html

MST Auctioneers

MST AUCTIONEERS Ltd specialise in handling & auctioning a wide variety of goods.

We act for Insolvency Practitioners, Receivers, Bailiffs and Solicitors as well as large PLCs. We are members of The National Association of Auctioneers and Valuers (NAVA).

For the past 25 years, we've provided a unique disposal service tailored to suit, liquidators, banks, receivers as well as private and corporate vendors. We carry out probate valuations and conduct complete house and commercial clearances.

We have the largest Auction venue in the South of England. Our regular monthly Auctions occupy 45,000 sq.ft. of undercover space, selling over 2500 lots from 3 rostrums over two days.

We have storage and removal facilities. In addition we have forklifts for machinery up to 5 tons.

We also hold regular Auctions ”On Site” and "On Line" See the advert on this page for further details.

Choose the Classically Chic Curves of Bentwood Chairs To advertise in the

Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier Tel 01202 552333

The technique of bending wood using steam to create the elegant curves of bentwood chairs was invented in 1850s Vienna by cabinet maker Michael Thonet and has been synonymous with timeless European café style ever since.

This style of chair’s enduring success in hospitality settings owes as much to its practicality and durability as it does its good looks. As the wood is bent rather than joined, there are fewer joints that will need future maintenance. Trent Furniture supply small and tall Bentwood Stools, an elegant Loopback Side Chair

and a Fanback Armchair and side chair available in small and tall options.

All these chairs are available in a choice of light oak, dark oak and walnut with the option to upholster the seat, although the chairs’ curved lines are designed for comfort even without padding. Whichever finish you choose, this chair is equally at home in a pub, bar, restaurant or café setting.

Trent Furniture’s Bentwood Table is the perfect partner for bentwood chairs, however, this attractive yet unassuming style of chair works with many table styles. For more information on Trent’s fantastic range of bentwood chairs, please visit www.trentfurniture.co.uk or call 0116 2864 911.

Bar Station Design Has Never Been So Flexible: fleXtations fleXtations also helps bartenders work on an ergonomically designed station, as well as having a wide range of functional modules that are designed for bartenders’ use.

Who’s behind fleXtations?

Innovator of fleXtations is a manufacturer and contractor called F&D Proje. Based on 25 years of business experience in Turkey and having accomplished numerous projects in Europe, Asia and Africa, F&D Proje launched its branch in the UK in 2019.

Despite being pretty new in the UK local market, F&D Proje has rapidly gained solid references mostly in London bar scene. World-wide recognized venues such as Nightjar, Bar Swift, Gibson and Amaro have their kitchen and bar systems set up by F&D Proje.

Further info is available on Instagram accounts: @flextations and @fdproje Everybody in kitchen and bar design would agree that there is no perfect design that works for every user in every occasion.

Especially, when it comes to bar design. Every inch needs to be precisedly taken care of. But, bar operation is always dynamic. In some hours, the bar station would need to be suitable for prep hours, while in the following hours it may need to have space for a number of bartenders preparing cocktails for the guests and the floor.

F&D Proje has come up with an innovative system that allows end users redesign their bar layout any moment they need to.

The system is basically composed of different functional modules sitting on top of a giant well. All these modules are interchangable to redesign according to the end users’ needs.

Design and Refit

Issue 88

CLH Digital

After Successfully Launching The ILF Chairs New Comprehensive Website, ILF Have Now Added A Stock Product Range ILF's new online website offers both indoor and outdoor seating and table solutions.

Divided into Contemporary seating, Barstools, Lounge Seating, Period Seating, Outdoor seating and tables plus Indoor Dining & Coffee height tables, offering a great selection of products to view at your leisure. They have also now added a range of stock chairs and barstools.

Most 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.

Also included is a link to priced chairs and table bases plus a selection of priced made to order seating in a selection of Faux Leather upholstery colours and wood frame colours. These products can also be supplied to customer specification, just ask for details.

Enquiries can be sent to them directly from the website and they will reply within 24 hours. They 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.

www.ilfchairs.com

Perfect Refrigeration Performance, Outstanding Energy Efficiency

German engineered appliances from Liebherr provide exceptional refrigeration and freezing performance for your business.

Ergonomically designed with efficiency in mind, our spacious refrigerators and freezers allow you to store fresh food and ready-to-serve dishes in a well-arranged, easily accessible manner.

Manufactured in Europe using robust, high-quality materials to meet the demands of a busy commercial catering environment.

The fronts, compartments, and containers are all conveniently designed for easy cleaning making Liebherr appliances ideal for bars, bistros, and restaurants.

Liebherr's under-worktop

appliances for the food industry offer generous storage space while taking up little room. They can easily be integrated below a worktop as a space-saving option and provide a highly appealing presentation platform for drinks etc. The interior lighting, with its own on/off function, further enhances the display of your products for optimal effect.

The beverage industry also requires perfect refrigeration performance. Drinks are deliciously chilled and ready for sale even after a short storage period. The combination of modern refrigeration components, powerful and climatefriendly coolants, and precise control systems ensure low-cost energy efficiency.

To find out more information please see that advert below.

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

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CLH Digital

Property and Professional

Issue 88

Weathering the Financial Storm It’s undoubtedly been a difficult time for many within catering and foodservice. With the combination of Brexit, COVID-19 and pinches to the economy, it’s no wonder many are looking to diversify or change to stay afloat.

Rick Smith, MD of Forbes Burton (www.forbesburton.com), a business advisory firm specialising in insolvency, suggests how businesses can make the most of their situation.

It’s often the small changes that make the most amount of difference. If firms within catering and food are concerned with the state of their business, they should take steps to remedy this as soon as possible. For example, taking a look at your current strategy could work wonders. Is there anything that could be changed easily? It’s best to make a point of this, speak to professionals who may be able to identify weak areas and help strengthen your offering as well as your finances.

Restrictions have taken over the past few years, with many in the catering industry suffering from a lack of live events, cancelled plans and a general recruitment problem that is yet to be solved. All these things can compound to make what is usually a lucrative, seasonal business a success into an unstable, fraught experience.

If you don’t have a business plan to hand, then make sure you review or create one. Are there any areas of your business where costs could be cut? Could you plan for different scenarios of problems and how they can be overcome?

If you are struggling to find areas to save cost, looking at your suppliers could be a great start too. Just because you’ve been with the same one for 10 years and they’ve always been good doesn’t mean you have to stick with them forever. Do the research on any new suppliers beforehand though, reliability and fulfilment needs to be balanced with cost. An unreliable supplier can ruin your business, especially in a time where supply chains have been weakened overall.

You should also look at your marketing plan – has your niche market changed? Are you still using the right messaging and communications channels? Marketing shouldn’t be the first thing that gets cut when looking to save money, but making sure you are on the right platforms for your audience is essential. Otherwise you risk shouting into a void where nobody is engaged. Follow where trends dictate and learn to regroup and reuse content to get the maximum value from your marketing.

Cash-flow is a common problem within catering, from clients not paying on time to the rise in material costs and labour making their mark felt in a very real way. It should be an area that is closely watched. Quick fixes such as short-term cash injections may help, but is it just kicking the can further down the road if the business is actually no longer viable? It may seem obvious, but borrowed money has to be repaid. That piece of equipment you are thinking of purchasing might make you money in the long run, but what does it mean for your short-term cash flow? Could such a purchase cost you more than you think?

It’s always a good idea to take the time to negotiate too, there’s a real chance you might be able to talk to suppliers or clients to review terms or arrange payment structures. Could you arrange a retainer structure for fair use of materials or equipment? The possibilities are endless.

Whatever you do, there is always room for improvement and specialists out there to help. Burying your head in the sand is simply not an option.

Are You Struggling to RUN PROFITABLY Your Restaurant, Pub or Hotel Business?

If so, our bespoke Hospitality Mentoring & Consultancy service can help. Our Managing Consultant, David Hunter, has been a recognised Management Consultant specialising in the Hospitality sector for over 30 years.

So … instead of just getting our own well-established, tried and tested and very popular, weekly figures reporting system, you can now access David’s KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE and EXPERTISE via INCLUSIVE, and AT NO EXTRA COST, four half-day on-site Mentoring & Consultancy visits every year (or two full days, depending on your location).

David’s mission is to provide practical advice, knowledge and expertise that will help your business to reach its full FINANCIAL POTENTIAL.

You get even more than that … David is always available to you at the end of the phone or via Email, and always on-hand when you need advice or guidance.

Our bespoke Mentoring & Consultancy service focuses on the key areas of your business, such as PROFITABILITY, MANAGING PEOPLE, MARKETING and OPERATIONAL STRATEGY. As part of his Mentoring-driven service, David has always provided ‘’free-of-extra-charge’’ key weekly figures, analysis & reporting so that your finger is always on the pulse of your business’s finances and performance.

The GOOD NEWS is that David has now made this service even more accessible, with a lower ‘’entry level’’ ongoing Mentoring arrangement that is ‘’strapped on to’’ our providing those vital weekly figures to you.

There is MORE. You would also get access to “tried and tested” experts through our Bowden Group Alliance, where our fully approved colleagues are ALSO at your disposal for advice on areas such as legal advice, saving money on Utility bills, Marketing and more. OUR BOWDEN GROUP ALLIANCE MARKETING COLLEAGUE MATTHEW WILL EVEN GIVE YOU A MARKETING REVIEW … COMPLETELY F.O.C. … to help you to get your business going.

Without cost or obligation, David will also take a look at your figures and discuss what could be ACHIEVED … again COMPLETELY F.O.C. …

If your business is struggling with financial or operational challenges, then get in touch today.

MAXIMISE YOUR FULL POTENTIAL by calling David Hunter confidentially on 07831 407984 or 01628 487613, or message us via our website at: www.bowdengroup.co.uk

The Five HR Hurdles For The Hospitality Industry To Prepare For In 2022

By Charlotte Ashton, senior solicitor and head of immigration at ESP Law (www.esphr.co.uk) The hospitality sector, while trying to recover from the pandemic, has been hit with a significant shortage of workers. Brexit, combined with the displacement of many people during the COVID crisis, means employers are struggling to fill tens of thousands of vacancies.

HR teams can work with hospitality managers to ensure that policies and procedures around recruitment, training, retention, and promotion are clear and understandable so anyone joining a business can see there is a long-term future.

One appealing proposition for potential new recruits is the opportunity for individuals to complete apprenticeships – this also has a positive effect on employee retention. Government incentives are available for businesses who take on new apprentices too, which makes this an attractive option.

In addition to these issues, the industry acknowledges the need to ensure it is an attractive proposition for future employees by promoting potential career paths.

Therefore, when facing these challenges, HR professionals must be creative to ensure that any recruitment difficulties are mitigated, and hospitality can start to thrive following a period of extreme difficulty.

Many hospitality businesses have had to evolve their offer to keep going throughout the pandemic, which naturally results in a change in how staff work. This could mean that fewer front-of-house staff members are required, with more roles available for workers with particular skills – especially in kitchens.

Here are five concerns currently facing sector organisations, and the legal guidance and employee relations (ER) advice on how to tackle them…

HR teams can work with their managers to look at upskilling opportunities for staff to help boost motivation and morale. Development programmes can be planned too, with a view to long-term talent retention who make up a multi-skilled workforce.

3. WHY ORGANISATIONS MIGHT WANT TO FOCUS ON PROVIDING RETRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

1. THE BREXIT EFFECT

4. THE IMPORTANCE OF PRIORITISING WELLBEING

Much has been made of the impact of Brexit with many industry positions – normally held by EU workers – now being left open due to workers leaving the UK, and the need for new EU workers coming to the UK to hold a visa.

The pandemic has highlighted the need to focus on staff welfare with many individuals suffering mental health issues due to the distress and confusion of the pandemic. HR managers should review existing policies and focus on Employee Assistance Programmes and other benefits to ensure workers are fully supported.

When hiring from outside the UK, an employer requires a sponsor licence and the role will need to be considered skilled enough for the individual to obtain a visa.

The ‘skilled worker’ visa is intended to be a simpler process than its predecessor, the Tier 2 visa, however it still poses a challenge for the hospitality sector. The main issues centre on many roles not being considered skilled enough and those which are, may fall short on the required minimum salary.

Positions which may be sponsored include head chefs, speciality chefs, and sous chefs as well as hotel managers. Employers considering this option will need to take specialist advice to ensure the jobs they are trying to fill, will allow them to sponsor workers from outside the UK.

2. PROMOTING HOSPITALITY AS A CAREER In order to attract new recruits into this sector, the potential career paths available should be highlighted.

Additionally, engaging them in the implementation of wellbeing initiatives can prove to be meaningful and have a positive effect.

5. REVIEWING PAY AND BENEFITS In a competitive recruitment market, employers will need to consider if the package they offer applicants is still attractive. Benchmarking should be carried out to ensure pay on offer is appropriate in the current climate. HR managers should also think creatively around non-pay benefits and consider what they can offer which truly appeals to the people they want to recruit.

There are clearly challenges ahead, but also opportunities for HR professionals to help shape long-lasting and rewarding career paths within the hospitality sector. Now is the time to position their business as an ‘employer of choice’ as organisations look to grow and thrive beyond the pandemic.

Property and Professional

Impressive and Beautifully Restored 17th Century Character Inn and Restaurant for Sale The Rock Inn is a substantial and imposing property,built out of local stone, character country inn with origins reputedly dating back to the 17th century.

Presented to an exceptionally high standard throughout having been the subject of a fastidious programme of refurbishment and improvement by our clients during their 8 years of ownership, the inn is renowned for its ambiance and character, retaining original charm within a superior trading environment.

This high quality destination inn and restaurant is highly regarded for its food and letting bedrooms and briefly comprises:- Main Bar (24+), Dining Room (20+), Snug (10), Commercial Kitchen with Ancillary Facilities, 8 High Quality Letting Bedrooms (all with private bathroom facilities) and a flexible One Bedroom Owner’s Apartment. Externally, the inn has an Alfresco Seating Terrace directly to the front for around 14 customers, Private Customer Car Parking Areas and an Additional Area of Land opposite.

The Rock Inn is a highly regarded and exceptionally well-presented quality country inn with strong trading figures and a viewing is highly recommended in orderto

fully appreciate the exceptional quality and standards inherent throughout all aspects of the property. The potential exists to reconfigure the letting accommodation to provide additional owner’s bedrooms, if so desired. £465,000 for the valuable freehold interest as a going concern business and full trade inventory. Wet and dry stocks to be additional at valuation.

Strictly by appointment with the vendors Sole Selling Agents.Tel: (01392) 201262. Email: info@stonesmith.co.uk

Help Is At Hand For Businesses Devastated by the Covid–19 Virus The Government is backing a new lending scheme that is aimed at getting funds out to struggling businesses that have seen profits impacted by coronavirus and whilst hotels, restaurants and public houses along with B&B’s and other hospitality businesses all struggled through the lockdowns we are pleased to let you know help is at hand.

Repayments will be anything up to a 25 year profile, meaning repayments will be low and give the best chance for business recovery.

Loans will normally be secured against the freehold, or long leasehold value, but can be used for any purpose including refinance, debt consolidation, providing additional working capital and even purchasing of another business.

Professional brokers, Global, have 31 years’ experience in introducing business owners to helpful and competitively priced banks, often not on the High St. but based in The City, with regional offices and a fresh modern way of working and providing business loans nationally.

Global will help you with the funding options and chat to the lenders to obtain the best terms before presenting them too you. Once you choose a loan option, Global will work to obtain an approval from the lender prior to any business valuation, so you know the bank is supportive and wants to take the process forward towards a loan pay out.

Email mvhwiddows@aol.com

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

EAST DEVON COAST

SOMERSET TOWN

CORNISH COASTAL TOWN

Desirable 10 Bedroom Guest House

Well Presented Free of Tie Pub

Character Licensed Cafe & Bistro

2 Bed Chalet & Owner’s Accom.

Wet Sales Only, Good Trade & Profits

Trading 7 Months Of The Year Only

Prominent & Visible Trading Position

Character Bar Areas (50+), Games Room

36 Seats Inside and 48 Seats Outside

Trading On a Bed & Breakfast Only Basis

2/3 Bed Owners Accommodation

Strong Profits With Low Overheads

Impressive Levels of Trade

Free of Tie Lease Opportunity

LH £95,000

6011

LH £35,000

4810

Potential to Increase Trade Levels

LH £135,000

2134

DEVON VILLAGE

SOMERSET VILLAGE

DEVON COASTAL TOWN

Country Village Destination Inn

Substantial & Deceptively Spacious Inn

Quality Delicatessen & Coffee Shop

Set in Around 0.6 Acres

Main Bar (35+), Restaurants (50)

Equipped To Extremely High Standards

Bar Areas (32+), Dining Room (43)

4 Quality Ensuite Letting Bedrooms

Prominent Town Centre Trading Position

4 En-Suite Letting Rooms, 3 Bed Private

3 Bed Owner’s Accom. & Sep. Flat

Unique & Profitable Business

Car Park (50) Patio & Beer Garden (50+)

Strong Trade & Profits

Alfresco Seating For 24 Customers

FH £495,000

4758

FH £597,000

4811

LH £89,950

2131

DARTMOOR DEVON

SOMERSET VILLAGE

EAST DEVON COAST

Day Time Only Café & Restaurant

Inn & Restaurant With 8 Letting Rooms

Award-Winning Tearoom & Restaurant

Excellent Reputation With Potential

Character Bar & Dining Areas (54+)

38 Covers & Commercial Kitchens

30 Covers & Commercial Kitchen

Patio Trade Terrace & Customer Car Park

3 Bed Owner's Accom. & Roof Terrace

2 Bedroom Owner's Accommodation

Owner's Accommodation & Land

Sought After East Devon Coastal Town

Quality Business In Sought After Town

Impressive Business & Property

Garage, Parking & Close To Beach

LH £89,950

2133

FH £465,000

THINKING OF SELLING? CALL FOR A FREE VALUATION

4804

LH £89,950

2129

01392 201262 www.stonesmith.co.uk

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