All articles by Finn Scott-Delany
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OpinionMarston’s closure signals dark days for British cask ale
The closure of Marston’s Burton-on-Trent brewery is the latest blow to Britain’s cask ale tradition, a category apparently being managed into decline by multinational owners
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OpinionThe more you explore, the more you learn
Leaders from Bill’s, Knoops and WatchHouse share how entering new markets has opened their eyes to new operational wisdom and challenged previously held assumptions
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OpinionGreggs workers treated like ‘numbers on a spreadsheet’
Spare a thought for Greggs factory workers in Penrith, Kelso, Seaham and Enfield who are now facing the anxious prospect of an uncertain future
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OpinionCould football’s alcohol ban finally be kicked into touch?
Allowing drinks within the seated areas of football stadiums could encourage more responsible, less hurried consumption, and avoid the problematic congestion in concourses before kick-off and during half-time
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OpinionCasual dining: the perennially squeezed middle
The causal dining segment continues to be face pressure from all angles from quick service, coffee and bakery shops, gastropubs and premium restaurants, with no clear end sight to its malaise
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OpinionVisitor levies may work in cities. The real test lies elsewhere
Jet-setting city-break visitors to English cities are unlikely to be put off by a tourist tax, with overnight levies already commonplace acorss Europe. The greater concern is for more price sensitive family staycations to coastal, rural and seasonal destinations which are already under pressure
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OpinionTuscany meets Devon in family labour of love
A summer holiday postcard from Devon, featuring a Tuscan-inspired agriturismo, battered hake and curried peas in Budlieigh, and hunger and disappointment in Lympstone on Bank Holiday Sunday
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OpinionWhat is our positive vision for the high street?
It’s all very well targeting vape shops, gambling operators and ‘rogue operators’, but how do we create the conditions in which world-class destinations can thrive?
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OpinionWestminster’s disdain of wet-led pubs is hostile and wrong
The licensing authority which oversees Soho, Covent Garden and St James believes more sitting down, food and table service will ease over-crowding at its busiest pubs. Be careful what you wish for
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Opinion‘The cavalry is coming’: vibes-minister looks to reclaim the pub from Farage
In an appeal to the voters who have defected to Reform, Andy Burnham has sent a strong signal of his support for the sector, positining pubs as intrinsic to British heritage and working-class culture
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OpinionCould Winston Churchill’s wartime public canteens be making a return?
Lord Jim O’Neill, the former Goldman Sachs economist and one of Andy Burnham’s key economic advisors, has backed a University College London reportrecommending creating around 9,500 government-backed community food centres
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Interviews‘We’re Not Chasing Trends’: Benugo’s Ben Warner on coffee, supporting cultural institutions and sustainable growth
From pioneering takeaway coffee to building a £200m hospitality business across museums, parks and travel hubs, Benugo’s co-founder explains why quality, sustainability and partnerships remain at the heart of the brand’s success
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NewsPeter Borg-Neal joins Hydes as chairman
Borg-Neal brings more than 40 years of high-level experience in multi-site hospitality and consumer-facing sectors, including Whitbread, Allied Domecq and latterly Oakman Inns
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Analysis & InsightPub leaders: ‘Naïve to think new PM will give us everything we want’
Pub leaders welcomed Andy Burnham positive tone towards the sector, but also cautioned that hopes around tax cuts should be tempered by the realities of public finances
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Analysis & InsightWorld Cup ‘way beyond expectations’ for pub leaders
According to MCA’s leader roundtable discussion, the pub sector is so far enjoying the spoils of the FIFA World Cup 2026, depsite navigating a heatwave, late kick-offs and an unpredictable England side
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NewsBrunning & Price delivers strong LFLs as growth outpaces market
The country pub operator said its strong performance was supported by investment in outdoor food and drink service pods and favourable weather in 2025 driving footfall and drinks sales
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OpinionAndy Burnham: ‘His record in Manchester is a very good one’
Now that the outgoing Greater Manchester mayor has seen off a lacklustre by-election challenge from Reform, attention turns to what his premiership might look like for the hospitality sector
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OpinionSummer VAT relief: ‘It’s not a lot really’
For a government that is desperately in need of some positive press, Rachel Reeves’ VAT relief for children’s meals and attractions is an attempt to seize control of the overwhelmingly negative narrative around the administration, and show it cares about the cost-of-living pressures on families
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OpinionPickled passengers shouldn’t be allowed to take flight
Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin argues his airport pubs are are responsible and that drink restrictions are unworkable - but he may need to share some accountability for rising incidences of on-flight drunkenness
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OpinionTrailblazing Beefeater faces the chop
With owner Whitbread long ago losing interest in branded restaurants in favour of more proftiable hotels, it was surprising Beefeater and Brewers Fayre lasted as long as they did, their dependency on Premier Inn maintaining the brands on terminal life support