All Opinion articles – Page 29
-
OpinionHold your Italian stallions
This weekend Carluccio’s became the latest business to come under the spotlight. The wider press is smelling more CVA blood and before we talk another sector business down that route, Mark Wingett asks whether we should hold our horses a minute on this one?
-
OpinionSector must rally behind new apprenticeship platform
With Apprenticeship Week approaching, Brewhouse & Kitchen executive chairman Kris Gumbrell takes aim at overpriced university courses, and calls for the industry to rally behind an apprenticeship platform to solve the skills gap
-
OpinionCDG looks to spread the risk
Experience counts and judging from the latest trading update from the Casual Dining Group (CDG) it is helping the business combat the current nervousness spreading across the market. Its latest trading update paints a picture of a resilient business diversifying to spread the risks thrown up by a soft market and producing an impressive EBITDA performance when put up against the barrage of costs it has had to absorb. Mark Wingett looks at what else it has up its sleeve.
-
OpinionOff the hook
Loch Fyne never delivered the returns Greene King hoped for when it paid £68m for the business. With the pub operator and brewer trying to off load the brand again, Mark Wingett ask if it is worth casting the net out for
-
Opinion
How the Sethi siblings have changed the London dining landscape
Whether it’s property, concepts, market segments or choosing the best partners, the now 10-strong JKS Restaurants is yet to put a foot wrong. Restaurant magazine deputy editor Joe Lutrario explores what gives the sibling trio the running formula.
-
Opinion
Gamble with consumer trust at your peril
The new NFU president used her maiden speech to attack pubs and restaurants for misleading diners about where their food comes from. Oakman Inns chief executive Peter Borg-Neal and MCA director of insight Steve Gotham give their take on the intervention
-
OpinionBuilding a brand, not a chain
M Restaurant founder and former Gaucho MD, Martin Williams, has been outspoken of late about the root cause of the poor performance of many casual dining giants. He has accused them of offering customers a “mediocre offering in a soulless environment”. He talks to James Wallin about his belief in building a brand rather than a chain.
-
Opinion
Food hall trend steps up a gear in the US
In the US, food halls are already an established trend in the major cities, but are now starting to make major in-roads in territories across America. Kerstin Kühn investigates
-
OpinionMitigating the fallout from supplier problems
With the recent press attention given to KFC’s supply issues, and product withdraws from Russell Hume and Fairfax Meadow, Sian Edmunds, partner, head of food and drink at law firm Burges Salmon LLP, discusses what operators can do to limit the negative impact of issues with suppliers.
-
Opinion
A collective voice
Today sees a crucial vote on the creation of one trade body representing the whole of hospitality. James Wallin talks to Kate Nicholls, the CEO-elect of UKHospitality, about the reasons behind the new body and why the sector needs to speak with one voice
-
Opinion
KFC: 'Supply chain is a complex science'
KFC’s failure to supply chicken to its restaurants has forced it to close hundreds of sites. Following a switch of suppliers from Bidvest to DHL, MCA asked experts in the industry what could have gone wrong
-
Opinion
People drinking better not more: an opportunity, not a threat
Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes talks about the opportunities presented by increasingly moderate and responsible relationships with alcohol around the world
-
Opinion
Follow the moneyball
As trading conditions get tougher, the winners are likely to be those who adapt fastest to a shifting environment. Yumpingo’s Gary Goodman looks at how operators can harness the Moneyball formula of using big data to give themselves the edge.
-
OpinionSomething to chew on
EAT has become the latest sector operator to come under the restructuring spotlight, and although the business may have to lose a significant number of sites, there are signs of some positivity, writes Mark Wingett
-
Opinion
Managing the data deluge
The way hospitality businesses capture, store and use data is changing, with the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation set to have a wide-reaching impact on the sector. The Hostech conference, held last month at London’s Ham Yard Hotel, looked at how the sector is managing these technical challenges.
-
OpinionAn Honest Approach
This year is set to be significant for Honest Burgers as it gears up to expand its offer into the regions. Its co-founders explain how, in a crowded and unpredictable market, they see honesty as the best policy.
-
OpinionExpansion on the front burner
With major projects in its hometown of Leeds, and expansion on the high street across a number of night-time brands, Burning Night Group continues to punch above its weight
-
Opinion
Gene-ius: how DNA is dishing up personalised meals
Food Spark examines how restaurants and supermarkets are turning to genetic testing to offer consumers a unique shopping and eating experience
-
Opinion
Amazon Go is a 'game changer'
Amazon has elicited round-the-world interest in the launch of its long-awaited supermarket model, MCA asks what the implicatioins of the technology could be for foodservice.
-
OpinionFox foots bill for lack of exit
Mark Fox yesterday became the latest sector head to leave his post, as the shareholders of Bill’s, the Richard Caring-backed chain, seemingly lost patience in their search for an exit and looked to ex-Punch chief executive Duncan Garrood to lead the c80-strong business