Caterer & Hotelkeeper articles from June 2003

Caterer & Hotelkeeper archives from June 2003

Top team named for Dockgate 4.(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... Bar and restaurant Dockgate 4, which opens on 2 July in the Grade II-listed South Western House in Southampton, has finalised its management team. Jenny Wood, a joint partner in the project, has assumed the responsibility of restaurant and...

people On the move.(appointments and promotions in the hotel and restaurant industry)
June 5, 2003... Independent hotel group Best Western has expanded its marketing team by recruiting Kerry Wright as e-marketing manager, based at the company's York head office. She was an account director of digital media agency Internate New Media. ...

Budget is best...(budget hotels grow)
June 5, 2003... There's no doubt about it, budget hotels are a growing business... and the big boys are prepared to fight it out It's official: budget is the new cool. It seems that it's now trendier to get a flight to Europe for [pounds sterling]29 with...

German hotels in the doldrums as economy falters.(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... German hotels turned in a "dire performance" in the first quarter of 2003, and the prospects for the rest of the year are not promising, according to the latest HotelBenchmark Survey by Deloitte & Touche. In addition to the Iraq war, the...

New York bar owners ready to fight back on new smoking ban.
June 5, 2003... Bar and tavern owners in New York State are fighting to overthrow a tough new smoking ban which, they say, was rushed through into law with no trade consultation. A growing lobby of businesses is threatening to take the state's own...

Aromatic duck.
June 5, 2003... Andrew Fairlie is well known for his modern French repertoire, but here he shows Michael Raffael how Chinese techniques have a place in his cooking During the 1970s, Alain Senderens's signature dish was canard Apicius, a spiced,...

The turnaround of Mju.
June 5, 2003... A signature restaurant without its signature chef, a name no one could pronounce, a cooking style few understood and so little signage in the street it was impossible to find. So how did London's Mju get itself back on track? Alysoun...

in brief.(multiple briefs)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... SECC picks Leith's Leith's has been awarded the catering contract at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow for five years. Under the deal, Leith's will invest capital in refurbishing the catering facilities and...

Aramark at the Millennium Mayfair.(Aramark subsidiary Parallel; outsourcing with Millennium and Copthorne Hotels)
June 5, 2003... Setting up restaurants outside his usual food service remit is not new for Bill Toner. As managing director of Gardner Merchant, now Sodexho, he was involved in launching City Rhodes in partnership with Gary Rhodes seven years ago, followed...

Last supper.(Interview)
June 5, 2003... If you thought that Anton Mosimann would opt for a bit of classical cuisine for his last meal on the planet, you'd be wrong - the maestro wants a cornucopia of Japanese food for his final feast What's on the menu? An eight-course...

L'ATELIER DE JOEL ROBUCHON.(Restaurant Review)
June 5, 2003... French masterchef Jol Robuchon famously retired from the Paris restaurant scene seven years ago at the age of 50. Now he's back with a new venture To visit L'Atelier de Jol Robuchon, you have to stand in line. Literally. Whereas you could...

table talk.(multiple briefs)
June 5, 2003... Most unkindest cut of all for the mane attraction Shocking news reaches us from the pub world. JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin's magnificent mullet hairstyle is in danger of disappearing. Finding his usual barber unavailable, Martin made...

Rice... life after long-grain.
June 5, 2003... Rice used to be confined to Indian and Oriental restaurants, but these days you're just as likely to find it on a pub or restaurant menu as potatoes. And more varieties of the grain are being used as caterers explore new ideas. Matthew Batham...

Meyer tells Scots to love their customers.(New York restaurateur Danny Meyer)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... Looking after the customers and making them feel welcome is the only way to cushion hospitality businesses against the world economy's wobbles, claims New York restaurateur Danny Meyer. "Hospitality, hospitality, hospitality," said Meyer,...

Airport food gets friendly Aura.
June 5, 2003... Chef Brian Turner officially opened Aramark's new food service facilities at Southampton Airport last week. Aramark has invested [pounds sterling]500,000 in the refurbishment of the cafe, bar and brasserie, which design consultancy Tonik...

Portman hotel sues guest for card fraud.(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... The Radisson SAS Portman hotel in central London is suing a Middle Eastern guest who allegedly used someone else's credit card to settle his hotel bills. Businessman Ghazi Al-Saqabi paid hotel bills totalling [pounds sterling]201,363.44...

Welsh wizardry.
June 5, 2003... Over the last two years, Ynyshir Hall has won a Michelin star, a Catey, become a member of Relais & Chateaux and been named the AA Hotel of the Year for Wales 2002. A group of Caterer readers found out why a fortnight ago at the latest Chef...

BaxterSmith wins M&S London head office contract.(Marks & Spencer catering contract)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... BaxterSmith has beaten off competition from Charlton House, Wilson Storey Halliday and Avenance to win its most lucrative contract yet - the [pounds sterling]3m deal for Marks & Spencer's London head office. Caterer predicted that M&S...

'Room service? I'm ready for my liposuction now'.(Brookstreet hotel to offer cosmetic surgery procedures)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... The first hotel in the world to offer guests cosmetic surgery procedures such as facelifts and Botox injections opened in Canada this week. The Brookstreet hotel in Ottawa, which took 18 months to build, has 285 bedrooms, including 36...

Moving in the; right direction.(London Wine Fair)
June 5, 2003... South Africa and France are singled out at the recent London Wine Fair To say that a lot has been happening in the South African wine industry is a bit of an understatement. It has come a long way fast (which is not to say that it doesn't...

Plan to recruit non-EU staff is 'too complex'.
June 5, 2003... The long-awaited Government scheme to plug the unskilled worker shortage by recruiting people from outside the European Union has come under fire from lawyers and the hospitality industry for being far too complex to administer. Under the...

Caines and Marriott team up to win back Bristol's Michelin star.
June 5, 2003... Devon-based chef Michael Caines has teamed up with the UK's second-largest hotel group in a bid to regain a Michelin star for Bristol. The 33-year-old chef has signed an agreement with Whitbread Hotel Company's Marriott Hotels UK division...

Review OFTHEREVIEWS.
June 5, 2003... 31 May Matthew Fort enjoys some seriously yummy food at Tom Aikens in London SW3... Tom Aikens is a terrific place... And the food is fabulous, or well on its way to being so... When I last ate Aikens's cooking, lunch was a form of...

...while restaurants see business boom.
June 5, 2003... Seaside restaurants have also enjoyed a welcome boost to business thanks to the hot weather. "The weather has a key part to play," said Martin Williams, owner of the 100-seat seafront Sea Chef restaurant in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk....

Global report.
June 5, 2003... Europe Le Meridien still expanding Despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, the group announced an agreement with Bajja Investments to manage a new five-star hotel in Balluta Bay, Malta, last...

Late bookings rush at resort hotels...
June 5, 2003... The industry has recently gone through one of the toughest trading troughs of the past 20 years. But perhaps we're coming out of it! Jessica Gunn and Angela Frewin speak to restaurateurs and hoteliers in our coastal towns and discover that the...

News Round-up.(multiple briefs)
June 5, 2003... [pounds sterling]130m Mayfair sale unlikely to go ahead The sale of the Mayfair InterContinental hotel, previously under an exclusive agreement to a consortium including Cola Holdings, now looks unlikely to be completed, according to...

Letters Caterer.(Letter to the Editor)
June 5, 2003... Management information is IT investment priority Further to the letter from Alex Ventura (Caterer, 22 May, page 21) I fully endorse his call for the Government to publish a standard and encourage the move to electronic document management....

stockwatch.
June 5, 2003... The Leisure and Hotels index enjoyed a small rise last week, finishing at 2706.7p at the close of play on Monday, up by 3.08% on last week. This increase was in line with the index at large, which saw a similar boost of 3.83% to 2006.2p....

Hotel du Vin chain reveals next new site.(Henley-on-Thames)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire is the next venue for expanding hotel chain Hotel du Vin, chairman and managing director Robin Hutson confirmed this week. The 42-bedroom hotel, which will be the seventh in the chain after its hotel in...

What you see on the packet.(budget hotels, market analysis; United Kingdom)
June 5, 2003... Just when you thought that the budget hotel market had reached saturation point, with every motorway junction seemingly guarded by a sentry outpost from one of the big three operators, along comes a recession that forces business travellers to...

My career.(Paul Covell, Hurlingham Club secretary)(Brief Article)(Interview)
June 5, 2003... Paul Covell, club secretary of London's Hurlingham Club tells us about his role Q Who do you work for? A I am employed directly by the Hurlingham Club as secretary and chief executive. Q What do you do in the role of club...

Malay hotels suffer badly in Sars scare.(Malaysia, disease's economic impact)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... The Sars scare cost members of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) M$185m ([pounds sterling]29.5m) in lost revenues in April and May. The association's 307 members represent 20% of the country's 1,500 hotels. MAH vice-president Ivo...

in brief.(Tragus Holdings opens chef training center)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... Tragus opens its own chef training centre Independent restaurant group Tragus Holdings has opened a dedicated training centre to develop menus and teams across its portfolio of 153 sites. The owner of the brands Cafe Rouge and Bella...

Corus chef school to find new talent.(Corus Hotels, chef vocational training program)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... Corus Hotels plans to tackle the perennial shortage of skilled chefs by unearthing some home-grown talent with its new vocational training programme, Chef School. The group, which has 73 midmarket hotels employing more than 1,000 catering...

OVER; TO YOU.
June 5, 2003... This week we ask you whether or not Lollo Rosso should have had its day! Yes. It's rubbish. It's bland, its leaves are naff and it doesn't look good on the plate. I would never buy it again. Better to buy radicchio. Aldo Zilli ...

in brief.(hospitality industry news)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... Derby institute wins recognition The Institute of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of Derby College has been formally recognised for the quality of its training by representatives of the hospitality industry. It joins an elite...

BOOKREVIEW.(Book Review)
June 5, 2003... BY Jason Atherton This new book of who's who in the chef world scores on three fronts. Not only is it a good read, it also brings to your attention chefs from different parts of the world who you might not otherwise know - from Singapore...

Salt sellers in grinder as FSA goes against grains.
June 5, 2003... The food industry has come under pressure after senior Government officials last week called for public sector caterers and their suppliers to join the campaign to reduce Britain's salt consumption. Sir John Krebs, chairman of the Food...

The Seafood Restaurant.(Seafood Restaurant St Andrews, United Kingdom)
June 5, 2003... Wine sales at Tim Butler and Craig Millar's restaurant at St Monans have gone through the roof, thanks to the Americans and golf. That's good news for the pair's St Andrews restaurant, since it's still waiting for its walls. Helen Adkins...

Avoiding payment disputes.(hotels, hospitality industry)
June 5, 2003... Hans Lindh, of American Express Establishment Services Group, highlights ways to avoid payment disputes and invalid credit-card transactions Compared with other industries, the hospitality sector suffers from more customer disputes due to...

Scots Executive disorders.(Forum of Private Business, Scotland; tourism industry)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2003... The Forum of Private Business (FPB) in Scotland has condemned the Scottish Executive for ignoring the views of the tourism industry. The FPB's survey of more than 100 hotels found that 84% wanted a new role for a minister with sole...

Spain's pastry paradise.(Espai Sucre, restaurant; Barcelona, Spain)
June 12, 2003... A cookery school by day and a dessert-only restaurant by night, Espai Sucre in Barcelona is fast becoming a Mecca for pastry chefs. Food writer Michael Raffael talks to owner Jordi Butron about the inspiration behind this unique operation ...

News Round-up.(hospitality industry news briefs; United Kingdom)
June 12, 2003... Tourism declines The number of visits from overseas made to Britain between February and April dropped by 4% to 4.97 million from 5.16 million in the same quarter of 2002, according to the latest figures from the Office for National...

David Campbell to head London Tourist Board.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The London Tourist Board and Convention Bureau (LTB) has appointed David Campbell (left) as chief executive. He took up the post last week and will work with Mayor Ken Livingstone's economic arm, the London Development Agency, to promote...

people On the move.(hotel industry, news briefs)
June 12, 2003... Sarah Bestwick has joined the Watford Moat House hotel as general manager. She was customer sales manager at the Nottingham Moat House hotel. Hilton Hotels Corporation has announced a couple of appointments. Keith Hass has joined the...

The roots of Wren's Hotels.
June 12, 2003... You may never have heard of it, but the Wren's Hotel Group is already established in the Thames Valley and wants a presence in the Alps, the tropics and the Mediterranean over the next five years. And then the company will be floated on the...

The rebirth of cool.(Atlantic Bar & Grill aims to become cool again)
June 12, 2003... It's been a while since the Atlantic Bar & Grill lost its attraction for London's fashionistas. Not that that's worrying owner Oliver Peyton, who's back with renewed enthusiasm for his business. The question is, says Phil Pemberton, can he make...

Gerald Krischek.(director of marketing at the Grande Bretagne hotel in Athens)(Interview)
June 12, 2003... Austrian-born Gerald Krischek is director of marketing at the newly reopened Grande Bretagne hotel in Athens, where Olympic Games arrangements are already under way I like to have my life very ordered, so I usually get up about 6.30am to...

BOOKREVIEW.(Book Review)
June 12, 2003... BY MARC WILKINSON Before starting this review, I would like to thank my two Spanish waiters, who are fed up with my constant questioning and calls for assistance as I read my latest book acquisition, El Bulli 1998-2002. Why? Because it's...

Family values.(Corse Lawn hotel is run by the Hine family)(Interview)
June 12, 2003... You can choose your friends but not your family - so why would you want to work with them? In the second of our occasional series about families that work together, Christina Golding goes to Gloucestershire to meet the Hine family Denis...

stockwatch.
June 12, 2003... Close of play on Monday revealed another good week for the pub sector with increases in share prices across the board. ENTERPRISE INNS grew for the eighth week in a row, rising by 7.48% to 797p. Their continuing progress reflects a...

Age before beauty.(employment discrimination)
June 12, 2003... Think twice before consigning older members of staff to the "has-been" pile. They are the answer to an even greater skills shortage waiting around the corner, and it will soon be illegal to discriminate against them. Rosalind Mullen reports ...

Last supper.
June 12, 2003... A penchant for bygone chocolate bars and Boddingtons is revealed by Cotswold House head chef Simon Hulstone, who would also like the chef from South Park to provide music What's the grub, then? Something nice and light, got to consider...

table talk.(hospitality industry briefs)
June 12, 2003... Swedes' flakey approach for football fans Sometimes you think you've seen it all - then up pops nothing less than Sven P Kebab Flakes from Sweden. Apparently they are Sweden's best kept secret - alas, if only they could have stayed that...

Last chance to halt stamp duty changes.(hotel and restaurant industries, United Kingdom)
June 12, 2003... Time is running out for the industry to steer the Government away from controversial new plans that could increase stamp duty on hotel, restaurant and pub leases tenfold. The changes outlined in the April Budget (Caterer, 17 April, page...

International boost baffles Best Western.(Best Western hotel consortium, international revenues)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Members of the Best Western hotel consortium believe they have bucked the general trend with increases from the domestic corporate sector and from international business and leisure visitors this year. The consortium of 321 hotels remains...

Stoke Park club.
June 12, 2003... After nine years with Jean-Christophe Novelli, Chris Wheeler has taken charge of his own kitchens - at a private members' club in Buckinghamshire Chris Wheeler is probably best known for his role as Jean-Christophe Novelli's right-hand...

adult parties are found to be getting smaller.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The average size of Christmas parties is getting smaller, according to new research revealed last week. The number of parties with 250-1,000 or more attendees will drop by 45% this year compared to 2002 according to a survey of over 600...

contract catering Round-up.(several food service industry news briefs)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Compass welcomes further funding Compass is celebrating a [pounds sterling]750,000 boost for its NVQ training programme in partnership with training provider HCTC. The new award, from the Government-financed National Contracts Service...

Young & Co displays a spirited performance.(financial results)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Brewer and pub operator Young & Co boosted sales and profits in its past financial year, despite a "challenging" year of reduced tourism, job losses in the City, economic uncertainty, and higher minimum wage and national insurance costs. ...

news Round-up.(multiple briefs)
June 12, 2003... Key brands boost City Centre sales City Centre Restaurants told shareholders last week that its key brands - Frankie & Benny's, Chiquito, Garfunkel's, Caffe Uno and Est Est Est - boosted like-for-like sales by 4% in the first quarter of...

Receivers put Dukes hotel up for sale.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Dukes, the Bath hotel that went into voluntary administration earlier this year, is for sale. The joint administrative receivers, Nick O'Reilly and Maurice Moses of chartered accountants Numerica, are selling the property through agent Knight...

Care caterers object to take-away plans.(proposal to give the elderly take-aways instead of a traditional meals-on-wheels dinner)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... A Government proposal to give the elderly take-aways instead of a traditional meals-on-wheels dinner has caused outrage amongst care caterers, who believe the elderly would lose an important source of care and could lose out nutritionally. ...

Coventry students will find drinking is now just part of the course.(degree course in wine launched at Coventry University)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Coventry University has launched a degree course in wine, the first of its type in the UK. The four-year degree, which can be combined with foreign language studies or marketing and tourism, is designed to equip students with a detailed...

Jurys Doyle sells Dublin property.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Jurys Doyle hotel group is selling one of its hotels in Dublin and opening another in Southampton. It is selling the Jurys Tara hotel to property group Woodmead for g14.2m ([pounds sterling]9.86m). Woodmead is owned by Bernard McNamara and...

the cottage in the wood.
June 12, 2003... May has proved to be the best month so far for newcomers Liam and Kath Berney, suggesting that their investment and willingness to take advice from the guides are paying off. Chris Druce reports As you read this, the Berneys are probably...

OVER; TO YOU.
June 12, 2003... What do you think about a degree course in wine? I think it's a great idea, although I've learnt enough about wine by drinking lots anyway. Maybe it would mean we get more British wine waiters. We might even start improving English wine,...

Culture victory brings Liverpool new hope.
June 12, 2003... The City of Liverpool hopes its new status as the European Capital of Culture 2008 will bring it an extra 1.7 million visitors and boost tourism spend by as much as [pounds sterling]200m. Liverpool beat stiff competition from other UK...

Furlong to buy Lygon Arms?(Furlong Hotels Group)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Speculation was mounting this week that Furlong Hotels Group is looking to buy the Savoy Group's Lygon Arms hotel in the Cotswolds. The Savoy Group is understood to be in exclusive talks to sell the property, in Broadway, Worcestershire, to...

Ramsay wants employee drug tests.(Restaurateur Gordon Ramsay)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Gordon Ramsay has said that he would like to introduce urine sampling to determine signs of drug taking among new employees. This follows the tragic death last month of his head chef, David Dempsey, who police suspect may have been on a...

Hadden sells Priory House.(Martin Hadden sells restaurant to Peter Brooks)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The one-Michelin-starred Priory House restaurant in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, near Yeovil, Somerset, served its last meal under the ownership of former Roux scholar Martin Hadden on 7 June. Hadden and his wife, Michele, who ran front of house, have...

ECA conference highlights threats to catering industry.(European Catering Association)
June 12, 2003... Intense competitiveness, cost cutting and inadequate training are threatening the future of the UK's catering industry. That was one of the messages to emerge from last week's annual European Catering Association (ECA) conference held in London...

Review OFTHEREVIEWS.(Restaurant Review)
June 12, 2003... 7 June Jan Moir at World Service, recently awarded the title of Nottingham Restaurant of the Year Turbot is a magnificent fish; to douse it in creamy vermouth sauce and surround it with fussy, carved baby vegetables of premature taste...

Chewton Glen sees departure of Chevillard.(hotel loses chef Pierre Chevillard)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Head chef Pierre Chevillard has left Chewton Glen after nearly a quarter of a century at the pioneer country house hotel in New Milton, Hampshire "Sadly we have parted company with Pierre after almost 25 years and we wish him well for the...

Blackstone eyes up Le Meridien venues.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... US investment company Blackstone has confirmed this week that it is interested in Le Meridien's flagship London hotels, Le Meridien Waldorf and Le Meridien Grosvenor House. Speculation is now mounting over whether Blackstone might sell the...

Industry divided over chancellor's decision on euro.
June 12, 2003... The hospitality industry is divided on the pros and cons of Chancellor Gordon Brown's statement on Monday that although the Government was in favour of joining the euro, the time was not yet right. "Not joining the euro has to be...

Euro could be a distraction.(from important issues of tax policy)
June 12, 2003... It's in the news and is currently taking up the country's attention in an all-consuming frenzy. Euro, Euro, Euro. Well, I suppose it's an important subject and not one to brush aside. However, Chancellor Gordon Brown's latest proclamation has...

Pubs miss out on wine sales.
June 12, 2003... A new survey into wine-drinking habits in pubs makes uncomfortable reading for the trade. It seems they're not giving customers what they want Selling wine in pubs shouldn't be easier. Wine is now the most frequently drunk alcoholic drink,...

Disability Discrimination Act.
June 12, 2003... Alison Mould, a partner at Fladgate Fielder, looks at Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act and its potential impact on the hospitality industry Tenants of commercial premises might think that the DDA does not apply to them....

For hands that do dishes.(how to choose restaurant dishwashing equipment)
June 12, 2003... There's more than just price to consider when you're buying a new dishwasher, energy saving for one thing. Bob Gledhill reports Chefs may not gaze in admiration at their dishwashers in the same way they might a gleaming bespoke island...

Letters Caterer.(Letter to the Editor)
June 12, 2003... Your business could star in documentary series The BBC is making a documentary series with Gerry Robinson, one of the most acclaimed businessmen in the UK. Gerry has run companies including Coca-Cola, Granada, Compass and Allied...

Christmas comes early for Lancashire hotels.(Lancashire, England, hotel pre-bookings)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... While summer holidays are probably uppermost in most people's minds, a hotel near Blackburn in Lancashire is already raking in record bookings for Christmas parties. The Macdonald Dunkenhalgh hotel in Clayton-le-Moors has taken over 3,000...

open for business.(several new restaurants open in England, Scotland)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Second Haandi for London Haandi Restaurants is set to open its second North Indian restaurant in London, following the purchase of the former Ryan's Cafe Bar in Edgware from Tragus Holdings. The group, which is well-established in Kenya...