Caterer & Hotelkeeper articles from January 2002

Caterer & Hotelkeeper archives from January 2002

Events.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... January 21-22 January HOTEL GENERAL MANAGERS CONFERENCE Savoy Hotel, London. Organised by the Master Innholders Tel: 01883 653286 24-25 January CIR INTERNATIONAL CATERING CONVENTION 2002 Four Seasons Hotel The...

Action man.(restaurateur)
January 3, 2002... For Gary Witchalls, the slogan would read: "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt - what's next?" Tessa Fox found him enthusing over his new pub-restaurant, but already planning his next venture IF THERE were a prize for versatility, Gary...

Tales of Tanaka.(chef Jun Tanaka)
January 3, 2002... Politeness, calmness, a happy and well-balanced kitchen team - these are the hallmarks of Jun Tanaka's work. And underneath it all, a steely determination to create the best food and gain the respect of his peers. Janet Harmer finds the inner...

Ambassador of taste.(chef Garry Hollihead)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Once again cooking "my kind of food", Garry Hollihead is enjoying his new venture, Embassy, in the heart of Mayfair in London's West End. Janet Harmer reports AS HEAD chef and co-owner of the newly opened Embassy restaurant in the heart of...

Get a life - in hospitality.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Our industry can offer young people more than a job, says Ian McKerracher AT THE finals of the Young Chef/Young Waiter competition last October, John Torode, from Smiths of Smithfield, quoted a saying: "If you find a job you enjoy, you...

Spreading the word.(Hospitality Action charity)
January 3, 2002... The industry's charity has a new chief executive who wants his name - and that of Hospitality Action - to be on everyone's lips. Sara Guild meets a man with a tough job ahead - Tony Allen TONY Allen wants to raise his profile in the...

In their elements.(descriptions of unique hotels in Peru, Sicily, Swedish Lapland, and Key Largo)
January 3, 2002... British hoteliers may think that they have their fair share of challenges at the moment, but not many have to contend with the elements. Jenny Webster and Ben Walker report on four international hotels that do just that IMAGINE a hotel...

Info zone.(handling maternity leaves)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Changing working hours for new mothers Stephanie Slanickova, employment law specialist at solicitors Tarlo Lyons, examines the potential pitfalls of refusing to allow a woman to change her working hours following maternity leave The...

The old year is dead - embrace thrill of the new.(introduction of the euro)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 3, 2002... LAST year is gone: 2001 is dead, long live 2002. After all, 2001 wasn't the best year ever, so let's give a warm round of applause to the arrival of 12 new months. Like getting a new hand in a game of cards, or a new exercise book at...

On the move.(recent appointments and hirings of the hotel and catering industries)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... DAVID SHELLY has been appointed general manager of the Grand hotel in Margate. He was working as a consultant, after spending time as operations director with New Oasis. His wife PATRICIA SHELLY joins him at the Grand, as guest services...

Shop till you're top.(a day in the life of contract caterer Julia Holden)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... As stylist for contract caterer Houston & Church, Julia Holden spends her time with architects and designers, breathing life into clients' caf? and restaurants, and shopping for anything from cruets to flapjacks My day starts with an alarm...

Drinks news.(several brief article concerning the wine industry)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... What a load of rot The UK may be a dab hand at nobly-rotted sweet wine yet. The Meopham Valley Vineyard, near Gravesend in Kent, harvested its first botrytised grapes this winter, after one of the warmest, driest autumns on record. Owner...

Premier crews.
January 3, 2002... Wine service in the modern restaurant is much more democratic than it was. Douglas Wregg reports on a story for our times NIGEL Sutcliffe, general manager of the Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, recalls an experience in a posh restaurant...

Onwards, upwards - and watch the storm.(tourism in Cornwall, England)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... NEW Year, new face, new diary - at least, it will be by the time this is being read. I hope your reflections of the year-end are of a boom nature rather than a boot - mine, too. A happy ending means morale and enthusiasm will be high and we can...

Table talk.
January 3, 2002... Just give up and call her "McDonald's" WHAT'S in a name? Quite a lot, according to chef Gordon Ramsay and his wife, Tana, who have just five days in which to end an amicable dispute and decide on a name for their baby daughter. The girl,...

VATstatistics show industry is shrinking.(United Kingdom hotel industry)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... The UK has 3,000 fewer hotels and restaurants than it did seven years ago, according to the latest VAT registration statistics. The latest Small Business Service figures on VAT registrations and deregistrations (which occur at ?54,000 and...

London top choice for good value food.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... London has a better choice of value-for-money restaurants than any other city in the UK, according to the latest Harden's guide. Harden's Good Cheap Eats in London 2002 features more than 500 restaurants, from East End canteens to big-name...

New Deal keeps no data to track hospitality staff.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... THE Employment Service has admitted that it does not know how many hospitality workers have dropped out of a revamped New Deal scheme that it co-ordinates with the British Hospitality Association (BHA). In spring 1999, the Employment...

Cracker Barrel denies racist treatment.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... A US restaurant chain is facing a $100m (?69.2m) civil rights claim over alleged racism towards black customers. The lawsuit, filed by 21 people, accuses Cracker Barrel restaurants of widespread racism. The company is accused of...

Cranks may spring up again outside London.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Cranks, the vegetarian and wholefood restaurant chain which shut down its London restaurants just before Christmas, may yet be revived. Its owners admitted after the closure that "in the medium to long term" it may reinvent the restaurants,...

Understand and deliver.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Is the meals-on-wheels service still a caring part of the community or has the drive to cut costs and time reduced it to a clinical delivery operation? Jane Baker looks at why providers are insisting that improved efficiency doesn't have to...

Few will predict after year of uncertainty.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... The hospitality industry is bracing itself for a challenging 2002 even though the unprecedented events of this year have made business leaders shy about making specific predictions. Michael Gottlieb, president of the Restaurant Association,...

May the Loyd be praised.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... A fly-on-the-wall TV programme tracking the development of the new NHS menu will be shown on Channel 4 this month. The menu was devised by Loyd Grossman (above) and chefs John Benson-Smith, Shaun Hill, Michael Caines, Anton Edelmann, Eugene...

Little Chef pays up at long last.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Little Chef, the roadside restaurant chain owned by Compass Group, has paid a worker the ?248.90 it owed her - one year late. Jenny Fowler, 22, of Sittingbourne in Kent, earned the money working at a Little Chef restaurant in Whitstable,...

in brief.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Open verdict An inquest into the death of Jane Bartle, 31, of Batley, West Yorkshire, who was found submerged in her bathtub at London's Royal Garden hotel on 14 November, failed to determine the cause of her death. Drowning was ruled out,...

Recovery expected to be slow.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... UK hotels are unlikely to see their occupancies and room rates return to 1999 levels until 2003, hotel consultancy firm PKF has warned. It expects the first half of this year to be particularly tough, with average room rates and occupancies...

[0] in brief.
January 3, 2002... Continental divide Tom Oliver, chief executive officer of Six Continents Hotels, was the highest earner in the group last year, taking home ?1.267m. Sir Ian Prosser, chairman of Six Continents Plc, saw his earnings rise slightly to...

Concorde crash still dogs hotel sale.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... The memory of the Concorde air crash in Paris in July 2000 is still hampering the sale of one of the hotels damaged in the accident. Christie & Co's Paris office had hoped to find a buyer by the end of 2001 for the 72-bedroom Les Relais...

UK hotels unmoved by coming of euro.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Major hotel chains in the UK have made no big changes to prepare for the New Year introduction of the euro as hard currency in Europe. Marriott, Travel Inn, Le M?ridien and the Savoy Group all said they would accept euros just like any...

US hotels recovery not likely until 2003.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... HOTELS in the USA cannot expect to recover until 2003, says the latest hotel industry briefing from consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). PWC said the time it would take the US hotel industry would depend on the length of the...

London likely winner in Jubilee cash hunt.(commemoration of Queen's accession to the throne)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... The Queen's Golden Jubilee in June will be one of the biggest events of 2002. But how far will it bolster business for hotels and restaurants? Angela Frewin finds out Many hoteliers believe that London is set to be the main beneficiary of...

Lists open for Chef of the Year.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... THE organisers of the National Chef of the Year 2002 competition are calling for entries for its forthcoming contest, which will take place at the Restaurant Show at London's Olympia next September. The competition, which is run by the...

Bhatia takes on New Delhi consultancy.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... VINAY Kapoor, owner of designer hotel the Manor in New Delhi, has taken on Vineet Bhatia, chef-proprietor of the Michelin-starred Zaika in London, as a consultant. Bhatia will advise on the hotel's new 36-seat restaurant, Mushq, which...

Butchery centre needs support.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... SUPPORT is being sought for plans to establish a dedicated centre of excellence for the teaching of formal butchery skills in Welshpool. The Cambrian Training Company, which specialises in work-based training for the tourism industry, is...

Entries flooding in ; for Salon Culinaire.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... PETER Griffiths, salon director for Le Salon Culinaire de Londres at Hotelympia, which takes place 4-8 February at Earls Court in London, has reported an overwhelming entry response to the classes taking place during the show. More than...

Letters.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Please send letters to: The Editor, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. They may be faxed on 020 8652 8973 or e-mailed to forbes.mutch@rbi.co.uk. The opinions expressed on this page are not necessarily...

What's new.(food equipment and products)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Bob Gledhill rounds up the latest food and equipment products for catering professionals Br?l?e on standby Cr?me br?l?e remains an enduring dessert favourite, and Macphie has made its production a lot simpler by launching Tetra-Paks of...

Events.
January 10, 2002... January 21-22 January HOTEL GENERAL MANAGERS CONFERENCE Savoy Hotel, London. Organised by the Master Innholders Tel: 01883 653286 24-25 January CIR INTERNATIONAL CATERING CONVENTION 2002 Four Seasons Hotel The...

Don't wait until the bomb drops.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Start your emergency planning before the crisis hits you, says Stephen Evans ONE of the best pieces of advice I've ever had is to think about the worst possible outcome in a particular set of circumstances and decide what you would do it...

All systems Yo!(Simon Woodroffe of Yo! Sushi)(Interview)
January 10, 2002... For Simon Woodroffe, the founder of Yo! Sushi, life really did begin at 40. Interview by Rosalind Mullen IT'S a crisp morning but Simon Woodroffe hasn't dodged his regular swim in the Serpentine. He arrives at his Yo! Land headquarters in...

Mark up.(chef Mark Dodson)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... For more than a decade, Mark Dodson was Michel Roux's right-hand man. But, in a move that surprised even himself, he took charge of his own kitchens at historic Cliveden. Gaby Huddart reports LAST summer, Mark Dodson took what he...

Unity of purpose.(tourism in Ireland and Northern Ireland)
January 10, 2002... With the recent launch of Tourism Ireland, the job of promoting the whole island is one of the sweeter fruits of the Belfast Agreement. In an exclusive interview with Caterer, chief executive Paul O'Toole talks about the organisation's plans to...

Drinks news.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... A day in D?sseldorf A date for your diary - ProWein 2002, 24-26 March, in D?sseldorf. This big wine fair features wines from nearly every producing country, and more than 1,000 exhibitors from 27 nations. A perennial feature of ProWein is...

Info zone.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Resisting compulsory purchase orders Timothy Pugh, head of planning and environment at law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner, looks at the options for businesses threatened with compulsory purchase orders on their land The problem Your...

Surviving September.(Regent Wall Street Hotel, New York, NY and Sept 11, 2001)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... At 34, Chris Knable is president and managing director of the 144-bedroom Regent Wall Street hotel in New York, located six blocks north of Ground Zero I GET up about 5.30am, partly because we have a five-month-old daughter, Zoe. I go for...

Mine's a Pinot.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Customers being served a decent glass of wine in a pub? Believe it, says Susan Low, who finds that the tide is finally turning in favour of better wines and wider choice Not so long ago, finding decent wine in a pub was like the quest for...

Special K.(hotel construction)
January 10, 2002... Why open a trendy hotel in a tired part of London? Tessa Fox found out ALMOST exactly a year ago, on 4 January 2001, the Lancaster Landmark Hotel Company took ownership of an office block-turned-hotel in a shabby corner of west London. ...

The Wai ahead.(chef Wai Ho, Shi Hon Mei in London, UK)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... After taking over the premises of Michelin-starred restaurant Zaika, London's newest Chinese, Shi Hon Mei, has set its sights high. Tessa Fox reports INNOVATIVE new dishes sit alongside traditional Chinese favourites at London's Shi Hon...

openings.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... S&J adds five pubs Barracuda Group opened five new Smith & Jones pubs last month, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire; Banbury, Oxfordshire; Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire; Dewsbury, West Yorkshire; and Boston, Lincolnshire, bringing the total...

Morning glory.(breakfast and nutrition)
January 10, 2002... More and more people are forsaking breakfast these days, blaming lack of time. Amanda Marcus looks at ways to convince customers that breakfast really is worth fitting into today's hectic lifestyles Breakfast is commonly acknowledged to be...

Table talk.(various articles on hotel services)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Somewhere to get your teeth in, too A Scottish hotelier has set up a laboratory in his back garden to provide hospitality far beyond most run-of-the-mill room-service requests. Guests staying for a short break can leave with a brand new...

On the move.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... KIERAN HAYES has been appointed senior restaurant manager at Vama restaurant in Chelsea, London. He joins from the Portrait restaurant in the National Portrait Gallery, London, where he was restaurant manager. MYLES DORAN has been...

New blood for La Parade des Chefs.(cookery competition)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... One of the highlights of Le Salon Culinaire at this year's Hotelympia - to be staged at London's Earls Court between 4 and 8 February - is certain to be the ever-popular La Parade des Chefs, which this year sees 20 teams battling it out for...

Lynch to receive [pounds] 43,000 compensation.(Rod Lynch)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Rod Lynch, the man whose job as chief executive of VisitScotland was withdrawn days after his appointment, is to get ?43,000 from the Scottish tourism agency. VisitScotland, formerly the Scottish Tourist Board, is to pay Lynch ?25,000...

New Year honour for toastmaster Spencer.(Ivor Spencer)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... VETERAN toastmaster and butler IVOR SPENCER was one of the few representatives of the hospitality industry named in the Queen's New Year's Honours List. Spencer, founder and life president of the Guild of International Professional...

UK greets the euro with mixed feelings.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... The arrival of the euro has met with a mixed response from the UK's restaurateurs. City Centre Restaurants' chief executive Andrew Guy said last week that although updating cash tills was relatively straightforward, the group has only...

New Year bonus.(restaurant management)(Hogarth's)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... The first Christmas at the new-look Hogarth's was a success, but business in January is turning out to be the most surprising present. Andrew Davies reports CHRISTMAS at Hogarth's 30-seat...

Passing of a pioneer.(hotel keeper Brian Sack)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Tim Hart, owner of Hambleton Hall in Oakham, Rutland, regarded Brian Sack as a "service genius". He said: "He was always out there talking to people, making a fuss of them. His speciality was to listen. It was the caring concern which, together...

SFIrecords a 30% rise in sales over festive season.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Pub group SFI enjoyed an upbeat start to 2002 as it posted a 30.2% increase in net sales in the three weeks to 31 December when compared with the same period last year. During the three-week Christmas period turnover at the group rose to...

Worldwide; briefing.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... ducasse flying high Alain Ducasse (pictured), the French chef with more Michelin stars than anybody in the world, has devised a menu for Air France on its Concorde flights to New York between now and 14 February. Ducasse did a similar...

Chef remanded on terrorism charges.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... A London chef with alleged links to Osama bin Laden pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey last week to training others to make or use weapons. Sulayman Balal Zainulabidin, 43, worked as a chef for the in-house catering team at the Royal...

Keeping up with the Joneses...(retired hotelkeeper Ron Jones and wife Eve)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Former Claridge's general manager and director Ron Jones (right) and his wife Eve spend five months of the year as guest speakers on cruise ships or on assignments in Europe and the USA. Just before Christmas they embarked on a trip to the...

stockwatch.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... The hospitality sector traded well last month, with most companies experiencing increases in their share prices over the Christmas and New Year period. The buoyant trading reflected the general optimism felt by investors, who were cheered...

High divorce rate points to stress among managers.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Hospitality industry managers in London and the South-east work an average 50-60 hours a week and the divorce rate among them is higher than the national average, according to a survey. A lifestyle questionnaire carried out by recruitment...

Chez G?rard closes Chelsea Livebait after poor trading.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Groupe Chez G?rard has closed one of its Livebait restaurants after poor trading during the year, which failed to pick up over Christmas. Overall, said the group, total sales from continuing operations in the first half were slightly down...

Sharrow Bay owner Sack dies, aged 78.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... The funeral of Brian Sack, the man who pioneered Britain's first country house hotel with his late partner Francis Coulson, is being held at the weekend. Sack, owner of Sharrow Bay in the Lake District, died of a stroke on New Year's Day....

?105m hotel sale plan falls through.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... The planned ?105m sale of London's Strand Palace and Regent Palace hotels to London & Regional Properties has collapsed. The failure means that global caterer Compass Group has still to sell the unwanted hotels it acquired when it merged with...

City Centre picks Stephen Evans to head up Chiquito.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... City Centre Restaurants has appointed Stephen Evans as head of its Mexican restaurant chain Chiquito. Evans will take over next month. Andrew Guy, chief executive of City Centre, refused to give any details of changes planned by Evans but...

GMB names London chief.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Sam Gurney is the new GMB union organiser with responsibility for hotel, catering and leisure services in the London region. He takes over from Robert Badlan, who continues to work as a senior organiser. Gurney, who has been with the union...

Amjad Ali buys Queens hotel in Pontefract.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... The Queens hotel in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, has been sold to Essex-based businessman Amjad Ali for ?425,000. The 23-bedroom hotel, close to Pontefract racecourse and the M62, was formerly owned by Malcolm Ripley, whose company Mitre...

Complaints at Travel Inn up by 17%.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... The number of guests making complaints to Travel Inn staff has risen by 17% since the hotel chain started offering full cash refunds to unsatisfied guests one year ago. The chain has paid out nearly ?1m as a result. Travel Inn refunds...

We must make more of our industry heroes.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... As commander of two Antarctic expeditions, Captain Robert Falcon Scott became one of the most famous heroes of the British Empire. His exploits in the icy wastes around the South Pole at the turn of the last century were well documented in...

in brief.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... competition winners The five winners of our Baby Face Competition, which ran in the 20 December 2001 issue and attracted more than 500 entries, have been drawn. Each wins a meal for two at one of five leading UK restaurants. Alan Crowest,...

In brief.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Northcote Food Festival Northcote Manor's second Festival of Food and Wine, which takes place at the Yorkshire hotel between 21 and 27 January, will be an international affair this year. The festival, which is structured around a series of...

Hotel shooting: man accused of murder.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... A man has appeared in court in the Irish Republic charged with the weekend murder in Limerick of a night manager with the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group in the city. Grainne Dillon, 24, was found dying from gunshot wounds in the kitchen of Jurys...

What's new.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Bob Gledhill rounds up the latest food and equipment products for catering professionals Burgers of Bavaria Bavarian Grill Steaks from Artland are seasoned pork burgers which are made with a coarse texture and non-symmetrical shape to...

Letters.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Please send letters to: The Editor, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. They may be faxed on 020 8652 8973 or e-mailed to forbes.mutch@rbi.co.uk. The opinions expressed on this page are not necessarily...

On the move.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... ADAM SMITH has joined the Angel hotel in Midhurst, West Sussex, as general manager. He moves from the Washbourne Court hotel in Gloucestershire, where he was general manager. KAREN LINKLATER has been appointed restaurant manager at...

Events.
January 17, 2002... January 21-22 January HOTEL GENERAL MANAGERS CONFERENCE Savoy Hotel, London. Organised by the Master Innholders Tel: 01883 653286 24-25 January CIR INTERNATIONAL CATERING CONVENTION 2002 Four Seasons Hotel The...

Willing and able.(employment of handicapped people in hospitality sector, UK)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Employers should already be giving disabled people a fair shot at jobs in hospitality. As Caterer counts down to October 2004, when the Disability Discrimination Act will be enforced, Sara Guild looks at how ignorance and lack of understanding...

Warm fellow feeling may spark recovery.(Pride of Britain Hotels)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... IT IS just over a year since I took up my job at Pride of Britain Hotels, after nearly 13 happy years with Johansens. There are therefore very few people left who can remember seeing me behind a bar, waiting at table or roaring away from the...

Drinks news.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Red alert About 45 Burgundy producers hit London last week to present their wines to the UK. The annual event, called Burgundy Terroirs & Signatures, concentrates on the "near perfect climatic conditions" of 1999 and 2000. A separate...

Parkinsons' lore.(Nicholas Parkinson and Michael Parkinson open Royal Oak pub in Berkshire, England)(Interview)
January 17, 2002... Chat show host Michael Parkinson's son may have grown up with the stars, but Nicholas Parkinson's passion is catering. Rosalind Mullen talked to them about their joint pub venture ARGUABLY, chat-show hosts and publicans require similar...

Leave customers calling for more.(hospitality sector, UK)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... Get out on to that hospitality stage and break a leg, says Stuart Harrison HOSPITALITY is the real theatre of life. After all, we are on stage all of the time and, to adapt the old London Windmill Theatre slogan, "we never close." We...