Caterer & Hotelkeeper articles from April 2005

Caterer & Hotelkeeper archives from April 2005

MWB earmarks [pounds sterling]100m to expand Malmaison and Hotel du Vin chains.(Marylebone Warwick Balfour)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Marylebone Warwick Balfour (MWB) is to spend [pounds sterling]100m on expanding its Malmaison and Hotel du Vin hotel brands to 25 properties by 2007. The latest project to be unveiled is Great Western House, a 69-bedroom Malmaison in Reading,...

Cash for Copthornes.
April 7, 2005... Millennium & Copthorne has revealed plans to deliver the kiss of life to its Copthorne brand. Copthorne managing director Grant Wilkins talks to Karl Cushing about the road ahead The changing fortunes of hotel brand Copthorne took another...

It's election time... ; get ready to swing.
April 7, 2005... Only hours after Tony Blair called the General Election, broadcaster Peter Snow was already hopping about on his latest revamped swingometer. It is a familiar election sight and it's reassuring that Snow will be there on 5 May to guide us...

Your shout.(Hotels and motels)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... by Philippa Bock, senior associate at hospitality consultant HVS International European hotel investment outlook The European hotel industry made a good recovery in 2004, although certain markets remain more challenging than others. London...

Advice Zone.
April 7, 2005... Tax relief on building alterations Hospitality operators may have lost money by not submitting their applications for tax reliefs on building alterations, undertaken to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), before the end of...

Seibu Railway forced into ; hotel sell-off.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... The near-collapse of Japan's top rail and leisure group, once run by Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, Japan's wealthiest man, is forcing the sale or closure of the group's 85 hotels and resort facilities. A scandal-ridden Seibu Railway Co has announced the...

NH Hoteles buys its first UK property.(Harrington Hall)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Spanish hotel giant NH Hoteles has made its first move into the UK market with the purchase of the Harrington Hall hotel in London for 72m ([pounds sterling]49.6m). The 240-strong global chain has joined forces with Spanish property group Losan...

Albannach.
April 7, 2005... The very best of Scotland's rich larder of ingredients are on the menu at Albannach, in the heart of London's tourist territory. Dan Bignold went along to sample the fare If you took away the ubiquitous Aberdeen Angus Steakhouses - which...

property of the week.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... This week's featured property is essentially two businesses in one. The Luncarty Inn, Howards Inn & Restaurant in the village of Luncarty, Perthshire, combines the village's only pub, the Luncarty Inn, with the catering business of the Howards...

Caterers want more to be spent on food.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Contract caterers gave a lukewarm welcome to the Government's school meals spending pledge last week. Most said they believed the 50p-per-head figure was not enough to produce the Jamie Oliver-style revolution promised by the Government, but...

Roll over, Tony - or pray for Daily Bread.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... The phoney campaign is over at last and the General Election will take place on 5 May. So prepare yourself for a month of political toing and froing. But just in case the real polls and John Snow's swingometer get too much for you, help is at...

Earthquake puts back post-tsunami recovery.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... The devastating earthquake that hit Indonesia last week has sparked fears that Asia will now face an even bigger battle to get back to normal following the Boxing Day tsunami. A Hotelbenchmark survey, conducted by financial services advisers...

Hospitality lags behind other industries over apprenticeship scheme.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Only 4% of employers are looking to offer hospitality apprenticeships, a survey revealed this week. The study - conducted by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) - revealed that just 920 employers from a total of 23,000 respondents were...

Living Ventures to give Est Est Est restaurants ; a [pounds sterling]17m makeover.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... High-street chain Est Est Est is to receive a makeover from its new owners in a bid to transform its fortunes. Living Ventures will instigate a complete visual overhaul of the struggling Italian chain, which has an annual turnover of [pounds...

'Fairer' business rates system leaves many out of pocket.(federation of small businesses)
April 7, 2005... As owners find themselves enmeshed in a newly spun business rates web, Paul Gander warns that the danger comes not only from dizzying increases in rateable values, but also from pitfalls in the new appeals system and from dodgy "advisers" ...

Has the Government done enough on the school meals issue?
April 7, 2005... Jamie Oliver's campaign to improve the quality of school meals won a significant victory last week, but does the Government's announcement go far enough? Jessica Gunn and Tom Bill investigate Mandatory nutritional standards will be the...

Industry unmoved by 10-year plan to end binge-drinking.
April 7, 2005... Pub and bar operators and industry representatives have criticised the latest report from a group of influential MPs on tackling binge-drinking. The findings of the Home Affairs Select Committee report, which was released on Tuesday (5 April),...

Awards will highlight best practice among hospitality employers.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Next month sees the launch of Caterer & Hotelkeeper's inaugural Best Places to Work in Hospitality Awards, which aim to highlight and reward employment best practice in the industry. Entering the awards offers hospitality operators the chance...

Amaya wins two ITV London awards.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Indian restaurant Amaya swept the board at the Tio Pepe ITV London Restaurant Awards on Monday evening (4 April) when it was named New Restaurant of the Year. Amaya, owned by Masala World, the group that runs Chutney Mary, received both Tio...

Compass Group says Bailey's job is secure.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Compass Group has dismissed speculation that chief executive Mike Bailey's position is in jeopardy, after the world's biggest caterer issued its second profit warning in just seven months. The response comes after leading investors threatened...

OVER; TO YOU.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Do you think it is fair to fine bar staff for serving drink to drunk customers? You have to take responsibility for your punters, but if you have new bar staff who don't know the ropes and are a bit inexperienced, they shouldn't be held...

Scholarship is handed down.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Matthew Tomkinson, the 29-year-old junior sous chef at Michelin-starred Ockenden Manor in West Sussex, made history on Monday (4 April) by becoming the first protege of a Roux Scholar to win the prestigious competition. He has worked with 1989...

Disability discrimination.
April 7, 2005... Hilary Norris, head of employment at solicitors Kimbells, looks at the Disability Discrimination Act THE LAW The primary legislation in the UK concerning employment of disabled staff is the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), which...

How to...(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... ... deal with a grievance H First, the employee must send you details of the grievance in writing. H Second, you must invite the employee to a meeting, at a reasonable time and place, to discuss the grievance and give yourself reasonable...

Letters Caterer.(Letter to the Editor)
April 7, 2005... You're on your own, but thanks for the commission With regard to the letter "Being busy is no excuse for poor manners" (Caterer, 24 March, page 12), I must say I envy the experiences of the author. I am an experienced catering professional and...

REVIEWS.(restaurant)(Restaurant Review)
April 7, 2005... 2 April Tracey MacLeod experiences tapas-style eating at its worst when she visits Graze in London The words "fish and chips" were in inverted commas because the dish paid ironic tribute to the traditional fish supper. It comprised an...

Table talk.(Daily bread Ltd)(www.dailybread.ltd.uk )(food product)
April 7, 2005... Election predictions are on a roll Forget swingometers and cagoule-clad clipboard holders in the high street - at last there is a poll people can really get their teeth into. London sandwich maker the Daily Bread last week launched its...

The burning issue.
April 7, 2005... On the critical list Food writer and restaurateur Simon Wright So this is what it's like to be the one under scrutiny. Whether it's a plate of food or a book, the critical process is much the same. Somebody does the work, somebody else...

We love...(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... ... romance St Valentine's Day might be over for another year but that doesn't mean that romance is dead until next February. And, let's face it, an unscheduled outing e deux is bound to win more brownie points than sticking to the...

career clinic.
April 7, 2005... The expert panel Our expert panel comprises representatives from the Hotel and Catering Training Company (HCTC), MaydayExec, Bartlett Mitchell, Learnpurple, Conran, Admiral Group and Portfolio International. The question I'm studying for a...

how i got here.
April 7, 2005... Clare Smyth, senior sous chef, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay If you want to reach the highest level, you have to graft - that's the line Clare Smyth has followed as she has pursued a career in fine-dining. It means a 17- to 18-hour day, five...

inside track.(budget hotels)(Travelodge)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2005... Travelodge What business is it in? Budget hotels. What's its form? The company has 258 owned and managed lodges across the UK. Where is its head office and area of operations? Head office is in Castle Gate Way, Dudley, West...

on the move.(hires and promotions)
April 7, 2005... The Sheraton Park Tower hotel has promoted Franck Hardy to food and beverage manager. He was restaurant manager at One-O-One, the London Knightsbridge hotel's fish restaurant. Alison Styles has joined Langham Hotels International as...

stockwatch.
April 7, 2005... Hospitality companies had mixed fortunes on the Stock Exchange this week. Most hotel groups have had a quiet week, while pub and restaurant groups have seen some big swings in both directions. Shares for pizza and pasta chain Prezzo climbed...

stockwatch.
April 7, 2005... Hospitality companies had mixed fortunes on the Stock Exchange this week. Most hotel groups have had a quiet week, while pub and restaurant groups have seen some big swings in both directions. Shares for pizza and pasta chain Prezzo climbed...

Net profits.(Fish stock)
April 14, 2005... Fish is the choice of more and more diners, but the survival of some of our most popular species is now in question. In our second look at the UK supply chain we sort the facts from the fanfare and offer alternatives for the varieties that are...

Advice.(audit)
April 14, 2005... Save money through energy audits Conducting an energy audit ahead of a refurbishment programme can help find ways to cut costs and boost bottom-line profits while doing something to help the environment. One organisation which carries...

Better, but room for improvement.(provision of food)(Better Hospital Food)(Apetito Healthcare)
April 14, 2005... Rosemarie Hoyle, divisional manager of Apetito Healthcare, talks about the future of Better Hospital Food and asks whether, four years on, the programme is in danger of losing momentum Better Hospital Food (BHF) was launched in May 2001,...

JUst OPENED.(Silk, Courthouse hotel Kempinski)(Deep, Imperial Wharf)(Yi Ban, Imperial Wharf)(The Martindale restaurant, North Lakes Hotel & Spa)
April 14, 2005... All the latest openings! Silk, Courthouse hotel Kempinski, London Lit by a huge glass-vaulted ceiling, this infamous former court number one, where the likes of the Rolling Stones and John Profumo stood trial, has retained many of its...

property of the week.(www.rose-in-vale-hotel.co.uk)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... This week's star buy is a classic country house hotel near the north coast of Cornwall. The Rose-in-Vale Country House Hotel (www.rose-in-vale-hotel.co.uk) is a Grade II-listed, late-18th century property that stands in 10 acres of grounds...

Your shout/Advice zone.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... by Jonathan Smith, partner at licensing law specialists Poppleston Allen Don't fall foul of the licensing authorities Here at Poppleston Allen we are concerned that some licensees will be caught out by the new licensing system, convinced...

Table dressing.
April 14, 2005... Your plates, glasses and cutlery have to match your target market just as closely as your food offering. Matthew Batham reports You'd get a few odd looks - and it wouldn't do much for your reputation - if you turned up at a black-tie event...

Last ; supper.
April 14, 2005... It might look like an Elvis convention, but really it's the balcony scene from SIMON YOUNG's last supper - the one where Marilyn Monroe first meets Bill Clinton What's the grub? Cornish crab or Scottish scallops to start; roast rib-eye of...

IHG brings Staybridge Suites to UK.(InterContinental Hotels Group)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is to open two London hotels in 2006 to cater for long-stay travellers. IHG currently operates 79 Staybridge Suites in North America and believes the time is right to bring the brand to the UK. A spokesman...

Hotels don't recognise their business guests.(business travellers survey)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Hotels may have to work harder to keep the loyalty of business travellers, according to a survey by consultancy firm Accenture. More than two-thirds of business travellers surveyed believed that the hotels they stayed in did not recognise them...

Amuse bouche.(Ollie Couillard)(Interview)
April 14, 2005... OPINION ADVICE innovations A minute on the clock Ollie Couillard has been head chef at La Trompette in Chiswick, west London, for four years. Next month he will start as head chef at the Grill Room at the Dorchester hotel. He talked...

BOOKREVIEW.(Book Review)
April 14, 2005... The End of the Line Charles Clover Ebury Press, [pounds sterling]7.99 ISBN 0-09-189781-5 Some books change the way we think about the world in which we live - and this is one of them. That's because Charles Clover's book with the...

Mystery over 'sale' of Stapleford Park hotel.(Stapleford Park)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Rumours surrounding the future ownership of country house hotel Stapleford Park are circulating after Caterer received tip-offs suggesting it was being sold. Caterer was told by an anonymous source that the Leicestershire hotel was about to be...

salary watch.(restaurant managers)
April 14, 2005... Restaurants/Fast Food This sector is still growing, led by the non-branded outlets, with some strong independent restaurants proving extremely successful. The skills shortage at the junior end of the market continues to be a factor and the...

Industry seeks a lighter touch from Government.
April 14, 2005... The hospitality industry usually provides politicians with venues rather than policies - witness Granita and the Loch Fyne restaurant in Aberdeen. But as the General Election approaches, Paul Gander discovers that the hospitality sector is...

Sat Bains to reopen Hotel des Clos as ; restaurant with rooms.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Nottingham's Hotel des Clos is set to reopen as a restaurant with rooms under the chef-patronage of Sat Bains this week following a four-month refurbishment. Bains, who won the 40-seat restaurant a Michelin star in 2003 and has been running it...

Managers accuse Little Chef of bullying staff out of jobs.
April 14, 2005... A group of Little Chef managers has accused the company's owner, Permira, of bullying staff and setting unrealistic budgets. The four employees, three of whom still work for the company, suggest that the venture capital company may be doing...

Confusion still reigns over licensing rules.(Grange Hotel)
April 14, 2005... Councils remain unclear about the rules governing personal licences with just months to go before the new alcohol licensing regime takes effect in England and Wales. Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) minister Lord McIntosh stated...

Royal couple share 'afternoon tea' with 800 reception guests.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... A traditional British afternoon tea was the culinary centrepiece of Saturday's royal wedding of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles. Miniature sandwiches of smoked salmon on brown bread and roast venison with Balmoral redcurrant and...

OVER; TO YOU.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Which town do you think should get the UK's one licensed supercasino? Blackpool, of course. There is so much support from the town for it. It is all about regeneration and Blackpool needs that. We have done a lot of work towards it, and...

In Brief.
April 14, 2005... New format for Trophees Celebris Champagne Gosset has unveiled a dual prize structure for this year's Trophees Celebris to highlight the growing importance of the UK Champagne market. Now in its sixth year, the competition will follow the...

A question of waste.
April 14, 2005... Food waste is costing the NHS [pounds sterling]18m a year - or an average of [pounds sterling]55,000 for each hospital trust. Bob Gledhill looks at what hospital caterers can do to keep wasted food and unfinished meals to a minimum When...

Good, plain English.(menu)
April 14, 2005... The language on restaurant menus can be challenging to those of us not fluent in a variety of foreign tongues. Should hospital menus be as equally colourful? Bob Gledhill finds out Eating while lying in a hospital bed, with pipes and drips...

Graze.(restaurant)
April 14, 2005... The critics have not been kind to Sebastien Gagnebe's new restaurant, but he's determined to pursue his experiments on the plate, as he tells Dan Bignold Sebastien Gagnebe, head chef at new Maida Vale project Graze, is reeling. He has just...

HCA conference.(Hospital Caterers Association)
April 14, 2005... The Hospital Caterers Association's (HCA) annual conference takes place next week (21-22 April) at the Grand hotel in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Lord Hunt, president of the HCA, will give the keynote speech. He will address the issue of how to...

Langoustines four ways.(about the chef)
April 14, 2005... This four-part dish from French master chef Pierre Gagnaire gives diners a guided tour of the possibilities of langoustines. He talks Michael Raffael through its detailed preparation To understand how Pierre Gagnaire cooks, you have to know...

Medirest trials steam-cook meals.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Medirest, the largest private provider of NHS catering, is trialling a new steam-cook product. The Compass division is trialling the new form of packaging, also used by Marks & Spencer, that allows fresh food to be steamed in a microwave. Meals...

Office romances.(advice)
April 14, 2005... Andy Williams, an employment and pensions lawyer at Charles Russell, advises employers on the potential perils and pitfalls of office romances The law Unless there is a total ban on office relationships at your office, it's unlikely that...

Training scheme for hospital chefs.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... By Ben Walker A new apprenticeship for NHS caterers is expected to be launched next year. The Hospital Caterers Association has nominated a working group who are in the process of designing the course, which will be delivered throughout the UK....

career clinic.
April 14, 2005... The expert panel Our expert panel comprises representatives from the Hotel and Catering Training Company (HCTC), MaydayExec, Bartlett Mitchell, Learnpurple, Admiral Group, Conran and Portfolio International. The question Starting in food and...

how i got here.(David Buttery)
April 14, 2005... David Buttery, the Griff House Beefeater, Nuneaton David Buttery, 35, had done the washing-up and occasional spot of silver service as a youngster, because his mother worked at a contract caterer in the West Midlands. Being a handy sort,...

inside health.
April 14, 2005... Welcome to Inside Health Next week's Hospital Caterers Association conference comes hot on the heels of the Government's announcement of [pounds sterling]280m of new money to improve the quality of state school meals. Hospital caterers will no...

inside track.(company profile)(Company Profile)
April 14, 2005... Shepherd Neame What business is it in? Family brewer and pub operator. What brands does it operate? The company doesn't have pub brands but brews well-known ales such as Spitfire and Bishop's Finger. It also produces Holsten Export and...

on the move.(appointments)
April 14, 2005... Ian Mackley has joined City Inn as arts and event manager and will oversee a new arts strategy for the group, which has hotels in London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Bristol. He was a senior executive at the Ministry of Sound nightclub. John...

"We must maintain the momentum".(Lord Philip Hunt in hot seat)(Hospital Caterers Association)(Interview)
April 14, 2005... Former Labour health minister Lord Philip Hunt of King's Heath became President of the Hospital Caterers Association last May. Ross Bentley met him for tea and crumpets at the House of Lords to find out his plans for promoting the good food...

stockwatch.(hospitality)
April 14, 2005... The seven days to close of play on Monday spelt good times for hospitality companies on the London Stock Exchange. ALPHA AIRPORTS, the in-flight caterer and airport retailer, saw its shares climb 5.26% to 100p. Full-year results on 31 March...

Smoking ban worry will burn itself out.
April 21, 2005... A pint of Guinness and a fag. For years, I would struggle to have one without the other, particularly in Ireland, where it seemed that most people agreed with my way of thinking. I am now a non-smoker - although I guess I still have my learner...

Airline caterer Gate Gourmet hopes ; for rescue deal as bankruptcy looms.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Troubled Swiss and US airline catering company Gate Gourmet is pursuing a rescue plan with creditors. Gate Gourmet missed debt payments in December and has been plunged into further crisis after an agreed three-month freeze on a bankruptcy...

C&C takes top catering equipment prize.(C&C Catering Equipment)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Chester-based C&C Catering Equipment was named overall winner in the 2005 Grand Prix Awards held at the Catering Equipment Distributors Association's annual conference. The awards, held at the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott hotel on Friday (15...

Hilton plans shake-up for reservations system.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Hilton is to phase out hotel reservation desks in favour of its own branded internet booking sites and call centres, despite recent research which indicates that online hotel services are failing to deliver. Tim Davis, Hilton's senior...

What can Ireland's smoking ban teach UK hospitality?
April 21, 2005... Just over 12 months after the Irish Government banned smoking in the workplace, the UK hospitality industry is watching the Emerald Isle to see how a ban might affect trade. Caterer's Tom Bill travelled to Dublin to find out Legend has it...

Which? opts to drop pub and hotel guides.
April 21, 2005... By Lottie Lumsden The Which? Pub Guide and Which? Guide to Good Hotels may no longer be hitting the bookstands following a decision to revise the titles. Which?, part of the Consumer Association, has been reviewing the frequency of the two...

InterContinental is still the world's number one.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has maintained pole position as the largest international hotel group, according to a recent report. Despite disposing of 2,116 rooms last year, IHG was the only British company to make the list, which was...

McDonald's marks 50th anniversary.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Fast-food giant McDonald's celebrated its 50th anniversary last week with the opening of a state-of-the-art 24,000sq ft restaurant and 60ft golden arches in its home town of Chicago. McDonald's now has 30,000 restaurants in 119 countries across...

Industry hesitant on chip and PIN uptake.(Personal Identification Number)(hotels)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... By EMILY MANSON Hotels, restaurants and bars are dragging their feet when it comes to installing chip-and-PIN technology because low levels of fraud have not triggered a rush for the new technology. Even though the industry is now liable...

Aitken buys Whitely Ridge.(Alex Aitken,)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Alex Aitken, chef-proprietor of the New Forest's one-Michelin-starred Le Poussin at Parkhill in Lyndhurst, has purchased the three-AA-star Whitely Ridge hotel and restaurant in nearby Brockenhurst. Aitken bought the property for [pounds...

Heathcote Presses on with expansion.(Paul Heathcote's Olive Press restaurant chain introduces Royal George hotel ballroom)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Manchester's Royal George hotel ballroom is the latest addition to Paul Heathcote's Olive Press restaurant chain. Building work began six months ago on the 3,800sq ft Grade-II listed site, which is due to open as a 100-seat venue in March next...

River restaurant to reopen in Savoy refurb.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... The River restaurant at the Savoy will reopen next year with the long-awaited refurbishment of the London hotel scheduled to start this autumn. New owner Fairmont is expected to invest $40m ([pounds sterling]21m) in the first stage of...

Pub groups take councils to court over licensing.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... BY Chris Druce Leading pub associations are taking three councils to court over their licensing policies, which they believe overstep the mark under the new alcohol licensing laws. The British Institute of InnKeeping (BII), the British...