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All MCA Insight articles in December 2024 – Page 6
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Analysis & Insight‘Great food, value and service more important than ever’
Sixty-one percent of guests frustrated by issues before or during a visit are unlikely to return, Zonal’s latest GO Technology report found
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NewsPubs face rationed Guinness supplies in run up to Christmas
Venues are facing a potential shortage of Guinness in the run up to Christmas as demand threatens to outpace supply.
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Analysis & InsightFried chicken and the 'frankenchicken' dilemma
Fried chicken is booming, with KFC and newer entrants Popeyes, Slim Chickens and Wingstop growing at a rapid pace. But with a relatively affordable product comes accusations of an over-reliance on fast-growth ‘frankenchickens’. Megam Tatum explores what it will take for major restaurant brands to shift to higher welfare poultry
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InterviewsXP Factory sees more potential than ever
The Escape Hunt and Boom Battle Bar operator sees more opportunity for growth in the UK than previously assumed, with plans to accelerate expansion to 10-15 new openings per year
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InterviewsPho invests in driving delivery sales
Marketing director Libby Andrews told MCA’s Restaurant Conference that the Vietnamese restaurant group is working to raise brand awareness as it builds its presence around the country
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Analysis & InsightPub sector forecast to remain in structural decline
Mounting labour cost pressures is likely to result in an accelerated capacity exit in the UK pub sector, a new report from Morgan Stanley suggests, with large, well-invested estates best positioned
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NewsWhitbread takes on Joe Texeira as MD
Texeira, formerly CEO of Boparan Restaurant Group and MD at Greene King, will take responsibility for Whitbread’s Restaurants division
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NewsXP Factory grows revenue by 33%
The experiential leisure operator delivered continued underlying like-for-like growth in both its Escape Hunt and Boom Battle Bar brands, ahead of the industry
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NewsIberica poised to enter administration
Tapas chain Iberica is on the verge of entering administration after efforts to find a buyer for the business stalled, Sky News has reported.
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InterviewsWingstop UK continues to break sales records
The chain broke 147 individual sales records in November, “massively fuelled” by delivery, COO Matt Shepard told MCA’s Restaurant Conference
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InterviewsOttolenghi explores expansion outside central London
The premium restaurant group will open a site in Richmond and another in partnership with Mandarin Oriental Hotels, while growing its wholesale business and partnership with Waitrose
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InterviewsMarston’s: ‘2024 was a seminal year’
The pub group does not see pricing as its primary tool to mitigate labour cost increases, instead focusing on driving visit frequency and revenue, according to CEO Justin Platt
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Analysis & InsightHow retail ranges became an essential part of a restaurant group’s toolkit
As more casual dining chains launch products into supermarkets, Simon Brooke explores the strategic logic behind adopting an omnichannel strategy, what premium consumers place on such branded products – and whether there is a risk of cannibalising dine-in trade
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Analysis & InsightWhy the smallest details can make or break your restaurant’s guest experience
Great food, impeccable service and beautiful interiors are vital, but what really sets the best brands apart is their ability to elevate the seemingly mundane
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Analysis & Insight
Early festive socialising fuels hospitality in run-up to Christmas
The hospitality & leisure category was up 4.7% in November, with bars, pubs, and clubs seeing their highest growth since July, according to Barclays
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InterviewsThunderbird to take first steps outside London
The fried chicken brand has seen “incredibly strong” like-for-like sales and is working on securing new franchisees - as well as a new concept, CEO Paul Gilchrist tells MCA
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NewsSixes team launches baseball concept
Moonshot has opened in Westfield London with a vision to bring the “electrifying spirit of baseball culture” to the UK, with an Americana inspired hospitality offering and live sports
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NewsEmployment Rights Bill must reflect ‘unique circumstances’ of hospitality
As part of a four-part consultation into the Government Bill, UKH warned the legislation must reflect the distinctive circumstances of the sector compared to office jobs
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NewsUK travel sector performs well for SSP
In contrast, Continental Europe was disappointing, with strikes in the rail sector, weak Motorway Service Area trading and Olympics-related disruption
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NewsMarston’s ‘outpacing market’ under new strategy
CEO Justin Platt said 2024 had been “transformational”, with the sale of the remainder of its brewing operating giving it greater financial flexibility and strategic focus