Christmas party bookings sour

Hospitality operators look set to benefit from the return of the Christmas party, with reports from one bookings firm that bookings are up more than 70% on last year.


Online booking service BookaTable said it had registered a 73% rise in bookings, with Friday 10 December as the most popular day for celebrating.

But the traditional Christmas meal seems to be losing popularity, with an increased number of Brits choosing dishes like tagliatelle and tiramisu over turkey and Christmas pudding, according to the sites. The most favoured food for Christmas party meals this year is Italian with 62% of revellers choosing this cuisine, compared with French (12%) and British (6%).

Jemima Bird, marketing director from Tragus Group, which includes Strada, Bella Italia and Café Rouge, said: "We've seen a significant rise in group bookings for Christmas parties, especially compared with last year. Interestingly, it seems our customers are not only ordering from a Christmas menu, but plenty are requesting Italian menu options instead. It might be that they are happy to wait till Christmas Day for their turkey with all the trimmings."

A spokesman for the British Hospitality Association said: "It's great for our industry that consumer confidence has returned to the extent that Christmas party bookings have seen such an increase. Restaurants rely on being full in December to cover the quieter times so this should stand them in good stead for the New Year."

Celia Pronto, managing director - consumer marketing for BookaTable, added: "The Christmas party is back with a bang in 2010 as it seems businesses are able to begin rewarding their employees again. Although many places are now fully booked, those still looking can find some fantastic deals."

Northcote unveils Obsession Food line up

Nigel Haworth and Craig Bancroft (pictured) have announced the line-up of the 2011 Obsession Food Festival at their Michelin-starred Northcote in Lancashire.


The 10-day gastronomic celebration, which will run from 24 January to 2 February 2011, will feature some of the UK's most talented chefs, who will each cook an exclusive "one night only" menu.

The line-up of participants includes Michelin-starred chefs Martin Wishart, Martin Burge, Simon Rogan, Lisa Allen and Sat Bains, as well as Kenny Atkinson, James Martin, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Claire Clark and Vivek Singh.

Bancroft, Managing Director of Northcote, commented: "The event develops its own momentum, in a way it's a thank you to our customers for supporting us. It is also an opportunity for the staff to gain invaluable experience from some of the greatest chefs in the industry."

Tickets for the event, priced £100, are available on 01254 244508.

For more information please visit: http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/11/23/336026/Northcote-unveils-Obsession-food-festival-line-up.htm

Hospitality expected to benefit from royal wedding

Prince William's wedding to long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton is expected to boost business for the hospitality industry.

Due to take place in London in the spring or summer of next year, the wedding will mark the start of an unprecedented period in which the world's eyes will be focused on the UK, with the event being followed by the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics in 2012.

Visit England chief executive James Berresford said he was thrilled for William and Kate, and for tourism as well.

"The wedding next year will mean that once again the eyes of the world will be turned to our nation. We will have a wonderful opportunity to showcase all that is best about the country," he said.

VisitBritain research shows that the monarchy and associated places, events and history generates directly and indirectly more than £500m a year in revenue for the British tourism industry.

Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the number of visits made to the UK by overseas residents in the first nine months of this year totalled 22.48 million - a 2% dip on the same period in 2009. Spending by overseas residents during UK trips so far this year has reached £12.57b - 1% down on the January to September 2009 figure.

For more information please visit: http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/11/16/335929/Hospitality-expected-to-benefit-from-royal-wedding.htm

Excellent British holidays are boosting domestic tourism

"Excellent" holiday experiences and concerns over job security will help boost the popularity of the staycation in the future, VisitEngland has said.

According to UK Tourism Survey figures releases yesterday by VisitEngland, 4 per cent fewer domestic holiday trips were taken this year compared to 2009, although the UK saw an increase in 13 per cent on 2008.

The figures, says James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland, reflects not only consumers’ increasing desire to cut back on leisure spend, but the quality of British holiday being offered.

“Our research shows that the England holiday experience remains an overwhelmingly positive one,” he said. “84 per cent of English break-takers rated their holiday experience as excellent or very good.
“69 per cent of people who had switched from an overseas holiday to one in England agreed that in the longer term, beyond 2010, they will take more domestic breaks than they did previously, which demonstrates that last year’s uplift in tourism has fundamentally changed perceptions of holidaying at home for the better.”

VisitEngland will next February launch a multi-media advertising campaign to help boost domestic travel figures during the Easter holidays.

For more information visit: http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/?page=articles&ID=205850

Paul Heathcote sells five restaurants to Living Ventures

North-west-based chef-restaurateur Paul Heathcote has sold the majority of his restaurant portfolio to Living Ventures, owner of the Gusto, Blackhouse Grill and Est Est Est brands.

The former two-Michelin-starred chef has sold five of his nine remaining restaurants to the group, which was founded by Tim Bacon and Jeremy Roberts, for an undisclosed sum. They include three Olive Press sites in Manchester, Liverpool and Cheadle Hulme as well as Grado in Manchester and London Road in Alderley Edge.

The move comes just weeks after Heathcote was forced to close his Liverpool flagship Simply Heathcotes and the Leeds branch of his Olive Press group of restaurants.

The deal leaves the chef with four sites including his former two-Michelin-starred Longridge Restaurant in Preston, Heathcotes Grill & Bar in Clitheroe, which opens next week, and two Olive Press sites in Preston and Bolton. Heathcote is currently looking to sell the Bolton site.

Heathcote said the deal would allow him to concentrate on gaining recognition for a small group of restaurants.

"I have always said that at 50 I would change the way I worked. After nearly 35 years in the business I still have ambitions, including gaining Michelin recognition for Longridge," he said.

"I have known Tim Bacon, CEO of Living Ventures, for many years. He is a very good operator and has had great success in growing his two brands - Gusto and Blackhouse Grill - so I know the restaurants are in good hands."

Heathcote and Living Ventures have entered a licensing agreement over joint continued use of the Olive Press brand, with both parties set to decide on future branding of these outlets in due course.

"There is every chance that I will look to rebrand the Preston restaurant in the New Year but a final decision has yet to be made," added Heathcote.

For more information please visit: http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/11/05/335850/Paul-Heathcote-sells-five-restaurants-to-Living-Ventures.htm

Women leaving hospitality costs industry £3bn finds reports

Every year, over 300,000 female workers leave the hospitality industry, a turnover that comes at a cost of almost £3bn to businesses, according to a new report.

Released yesterday by the hospitality skills council People 1st, the report also presented research findings that show how a company’s business performance increases when women form part of the senior management team.
“Employers in the industry are losing a valuable resource when talented women are unable to achieve their career ambitions,” said Martin-Christian Kent, director of policy and research at People 1st.

“If we are able to develop and retain more women in the industry, it would help ensure that we have the number of skilled managers we need for the future,” he said at the launch of the group’s awards for women in the hospitality industry.

The Top 100 Most Influential Women in hospitality awards – set up the council’s development programme, Women 1st – aim to recognise women for their achievements in the hospitality sector. Yesterday’s launch involved a call for nominations, which can be submitted via the People 1st website.
Barriers to the top
According to findings in the new report (‘Women 1st – the case for change: Women working in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism’) the sector loses £2.8bn per year in replacement recruitment and initial training directly as a result of 310,000 women leaving the industry. This compares to 224,500 men who leave the industry every year.
Although the sector continues to grow – with an additional 290,000 managers expected to be recruited over the next seven years – the percentage of female workers has been declining over the past six years, from 61 per cent in 2004/5 to 56 per cent in 2010.
Out of those, only 18 percent are employed in management or senior positions, compared to 25 per cent of men.
The report highlights the key barriers that prevent women from advancing to senior management roles in the sector. These are:
• The difficulty of combining work with caring responsibilities

• A dominant macho culture

• Preconceptions and gender bias

• A lack of networking

• A lack of visible women in senior positions

Business benefits of women

Women 1st also highlights research findings from various sources, which demonstrate a link between women’s representation in senior management and business performance indicators – such as financial performance and shareholder value.

For example, a Leeds University Business School study found that having at least one female director on the board cuts a company’s chances of going bust by about 20 per cent.

In addition, research by the New York-based group Catalyst found that the Fortune 500 companies with three or more women on the board showed a 73 per cent higher return on sales, an 83 per cent higher return on equity and a 112 per cent higher return on invested capital than those with the fewest female board members.

For more information please visit: http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/?page=articles&ID=205824

National Restaurant Awards 2010 to be announced next month

Next month we will reveal the 100 best restaurants in the UK as part of this year’s annual National Restaurant Awards.

Voting by the National Restaurant Awards academy – comprising some of the UK’s best known chefs, restaurant critics, restaurateurs and food writers – is now over with votes cast across 15 categories, including the Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales; Gastropub of the Year; Hotel Restaurant of the Year; Wine List of the Year and Best New Restaurant.

The results will be announced at an exclusive event on 11 October, after the first day of The Restaurant Show, and will be followed by a must-attend party.

The Fat Duck
Last year's winner of the ultimate accolade of National Restaurant of the Year 2010 as well as the Best Restaurant in England in 2009, was Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck in Bray.

Other winners last year included The Walnut Tree, named the Best Restaurant in Wales; Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, which picked up Restaurateurs’ Choice; Sat Bains, who was named Chefs’ Chef of the Year; and The Sportsman, which scooped Gastropub of the Year.
The awards this year, sponsored by Llanllyr Source Water, Martell Cognac, Nestle Chef and Nespresso, promise to be the most interesting yet.

To be among the first to find out how new high-profile openings this year, most notably Bar Boulud, Koffman’s, Bistro Bruno Loubet, Viajante, Kitchen W8, and Dean Street Townhouse have fared, and to see wether there are any major upsets, you’ll need to come along to the event.

For more information visit http://www.nationalrestaurantawards.co.uk/