In this week’s round-up we give a thumbs up to extended opening hours for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, celebrate the signs of hospitality sales returning to pre-Covid levels in our cities, applaud the best of the best in hospitality and shine the spotlight on a Food Alert client who has added a touch of Hollywood glamour to its business…
Pub opening hours extended to mark Platinum Jubilee
We are all looking forward to a four day bank holiday weekend to mark the Queen’s 70th anniversary jubilee. But now we have even more reasons to be cheerful as parliament has agreed to extend opening hours for pubs and bars across England and Wales from 11pm to 1am covering Thursday 2 June to Saturday 4 June. Under Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003, the home secretary can make an order relaxing licensing hours to mark occasions of “exceptional national significance”.
Hospitality sales rise in Britain’s city centres
It seems there is a glimmer of light for the nation’s city centre pubs, bars and restaurants with visits returning to pre-Covid levels, according to new research from CGA and Wireless Social. The latest Top Cities Vibrancy Report, which provides a ‘vibrancy’ ranking of the 10 most populous cities, found that while London’s trade remains just below the levels of March and April 2019, sales and check-ins rose in correlation to the return of office workers and tourists. Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester also saw sales growth.
Cateys 2022 shortlist revealed
Food Alert is delighted to be sponsoring this year’s prestigious Catey awards and the shortlist has just been announced. The biggest awards of their kind in the hospitality industry, the Cateys recognise the strongest performers, latest emerging brands and highest flyers in the sector. The winners, representing British hospitality at its best, will be revealed at a glittering event on 5 July at JW Marriott Grosvenor House London. The Caterer’s editor James Stagg said: “We were overwhelmed by entries to this year’s Cateys, so the judges had an incredibly tricky task to refine so many incredible submissions. Those who made this years shortlist should be rightly proud of their achievements and we can’t wait to celebrate them at Grosvenor House in July.”
Leonardo DiCaprio backs Neat Burger
Food Alert client Neat Burger, which is backed by Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, is adding to its star status with Hollywood actor, Leonardo DiCaprio joining the UK-based burger group as a ‘strategic investor’. The proceeds of the latest fundraise, which were not disclosed, will be used to kick-start plans to grow the company from eight London sites to 436 locations worldwide within four years. As well as plans to launch in the US, the group is also planning expansion in Italy and the Middle East this year. Further UK restaurants are planned to open on London’s King’s Road and at the O2 arena. DiCaprio said: “Disrupting our food system with sustainable alternatives is one of the key ways we can make a real difference in reducing global emissions. Neat Burger’s pioneering approach to alternative-proteins is a great example of the type of solutions we need moving forward.”