Welcome to this week’s News Bites, where we chomp and sip our way through the latest news stories that have caught our eye this week!
Wendy’s takes a trip across the pond
Great to see our new client Wendy’s has big rollout ambitions with plans for 20 sites over the next few years here in the UK! The US fast food chain known for its square burger patties has already lined up sites in Oxford and Reading and is planning to test out its franchise model here in the UK as part of its plans for a larger European expansion.
Budget for Britain’s pubs!
Recognising the vital role that our pubs play as the heart and soul of local communities, Rishi Sunak set out new plans to revive the economy this week, which included a £150m fund to help British pubs on the brink of closure. The new policy aims to put more power in the hands of local people, with communities able to bid for up to £250,000 to support their pub. Cheers to that!
A toast to women in hospitality
A chef and restaurant owner is shouting out chefs, sommeliers and hospitality business owners across the country as part of a month-long celebration to mark International Women’s Day this coming Monday, 8th March. Alixis Noble, the chef behind Stoke Newington’s modern Australian restaurant Wander, is partnering with chefs and female-led businesses across the UK for events, pop-up meal kits, at home deliveries and wine kits, driven by Noble’s desire to show that hospitality “is an incredible industry for women to work in”.
Industry welcomes furlough extension
Keep calm and carry on furloughing was the message from the government this week as plans for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to be extended to the end of September were revealed. UK Hospitality’s chief executive, Kate Nicholls, said it was “welcome news” that will help to keep more jobs secure as the industry trades its way back to prosperity in the years to come.