Caterer & Hotelkeeper articles from March 2003

Caterer & Hotelkeeper archives from March 2003

Last supper.(Jason Atherton, executive chef, Hilton Dubai Creek)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Faced with the prospect of his last meal on earth, true to his northern roots, JASON ATHERTON, executive chef at the Hilton Dubai Creek, would opt for a full fry-up What menu would you choose? Full English breakfast with black pudding...

PERSONALS.
March 6, 2003... n Can anyone help me to find chef Gavin Young, nicknamed PG. He has previously worked at Gleneagles, Macdonald Hotels, a timeshare estate in Cornwall and, I think, Bermuda. If anyone knows where I can reach him, please contact me on 0793...

Initiative targets young hopefuls.(Academy of Food and Wine Service, Saturday Club)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Academy of Food and Wine Service (AFWS) has launched a pilot initiative called the Saturday Club, aimed at encouraging young people into the food service industry. The initiative, which started at the end of last month, focuses on...

people On the move.(multiple topics )
March 6, 2003... PHILIP MAHONEY, general manager of the Radisson SAS hotel, Glasgow, has been appointed chairman of the Greater Glasgow Hotels Association. Weston Park, the stately home on the Staffordshire/Shropshire border, has welcomed STEVEN...

Joe Teixeira on the Top Floor.(department store restaurants)
March 6, 2003... Department store restaurants can be predictable and staid. And that's how you would have described those at John Lewis until two years ago, when a review of the catering saw them revamped. We meet the man who's making a difference at one of...

Family food, but definitely not kids' stuff.(Family Food)(Book Review)
March 6, 2003... Bruce Poole reviews Family Food by Heston Blumenthal, and finds the title and cover rather misleading - this is food for grown-ups! Let's make one thing clear: this is not a children's cookery book. By deliberately eschewing the more...

the Wharf.(restaurant on the Thames)
March 6, 2003... Cosy intimacy seems to be the preferred ambience of diners these days, but Ray Neve, once group executive chef at Mosimann's, is busy trying to buck the trend Last October, 43-year-old Ray Neve set up shop at the Wharf, a two-tiered,...

table talk.
March 6, 2003... Whatever happened to Arabella and Tarquin? A fascinating press release hit the desks at Caterer this week. We were all intrigued to learn that PR people are more likely to be called David or Sarah than Edina or Torquil, banishing the...

Review of the reviews.(restaurant critics evaluated)
March 6, 2003... 1 March Matthew ForT on the Izakaya Tavern, Cardiff This might not be the most sophisticated cooking in the world, but they were big mouthfuls, animated and cheery - Japanese pub food, for want of a better description. If only more of...

Win [pounds sterling]1,000 - just for your view.(Caterer & Hotelkeeper and Withaview.com trying to find the best view in the industry)
March 6, 2003... The search is on to find the best hospitality outlook in Britain read on for full details... ... If you've got a fabulous view from your premises, then it could win you pound sterling1,000 and a specially commissioned painting in our...

Monkfish and huss.(preparing cartilaginous fish for the table)
March 6, 2003... Anyone who has ever tried filleting a cartilaginous fish such as monkfish or huss will find it involves more trimming than you think. But it's worth the effort. Food writer Michael Raffael gets some expert help from Ramon Farthing,...

Boost for Bedford.(Bedford Food & Wine Festival for chefs)
March 6, 2003... Entries to the salon at the Bedford Food & Wine Festival more than doubled this year, making it England's largest regional competitive event for chefs following the absence of the Heart of England Salon Culinaire at Hospitality Week this year....

Rewarding the good.(makes good Hilton employees better)
March 6, 2003... Incentive schemes needn't be restricted to shops and garages. As Chris Druce discovers, staff at Hilton have more than one reason to provide good service Talking the talk is one thing, but how many organisations actually deliver when it...

Cuba could teach us a few simple courtesies.
March 6, 2003... Just back from holidays and the telephone rings. "Hello Miss Pezzack, Caterer here, your diary's late (again)." Oops. Knew I'd forgotten something. Anyway, what a wonderful time we had in Cuba - a bit of culture mixed with a beach holiday....

Top hospitals rated low in food survey.
March 6, 2003... Some of London's top NHS hospitals are serving the worst food, according to the first set of food inspections to chart the progress of the Better Hospital Food programme launched in 2001. But the good news, announced last week by health...

Carter's on course.(hotelier Stephen Carter)
March 6, 2003... Continuing our occasional series on general managers, we catch up with Stephen Carter as he embarks on a second phase of development at St Andrews Bay Golf Resort & Spa Hoteliers in Scotland are a close bunch. They go to dinner with each...

Should chefs be taking the guidebooks this seriously?
March 6, 2003... To be at the top of the cooking profession demands dedication, passion, perseverance and years of hard graft, and the unfavourable verdict of a food critic or guidebook on your life's work can prove devastating. But are chefs becoming too...

done deals.
March 6, 2003... Oxfordshire's Bell rings changes Martin and Louise Lyall have bought the leasehold to the 17th-century Bell hotel, pub and restaurant in Charlbury, near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, from Simon Cowen and Christine Connor. The new owners...

The Seafood Restaurant.(at St. Andrews)
March 6, 2003... More delays with the building of the Seafood restaurant at St Andrews hasn't dampened director Craig Millar's spirits. He's got through to the finals of Scottish Chef of the Year and seen Dundee FC win a few games. Helen Adkins reports ...

RESTAURANTs and bars ROUND-UP.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Frankie & Benny's opens in Chingford The Frankie & Benny's chain opened its 73rd restaurant in the UK last week at Chingford, Essex. The group is aiming to open another 14 restaurants in the UK this year. The chain serves American-Italian...

stockwatch.
March 6, 2003... CAFFE NERO enjoyed the biggest percentage increase in its share price this week, after announcing its first pre-tax profit. Although the shares soared by nearly 22% to 25.5p, this is still well below its flotation value of 53.3p in March 2001....

Last call for Young Guns entries.(hospitality students can enter competition)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Those wishing to nominate a hospitality student for Richmond Events' Young Guns competition have until Friday 28 March to do so. The Young Guns competition recognises hospitality students who have excelled while on their placement and...

Six Continents franchisees anxious as takeover looms.(Capital Management and Investment formalized its bid )
March 6, 2003... Six Continents franchisees have threatened to cancel their agreements or demand renegotiated terms in the event of a takeover. "We believe this would be the absolute worst time for change of control with the company," said Jay Fisherman,...

Buyout uncertainty clouds Thistle future.(Thistle Hotels)
March 6, 2003... Ownership issues hung over the publication of Thistle Hotels' preliminary results on Monday. An anticipated pound sterling600m offer from principal shareholder Brierley Investment for the remaining 54% of the equity it does not control...

Now on sale - Ritzy, the definitive history of British hotels.(book by Derek Taylor)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Have you ever wondered about the man behind the myth of Cesar Ritz? Or how Auguste Escoffier organised his kitchen at the Savoy? Or what lay behind the rise and rise of the Forte empire during the 1960s? The answers to these questions and...

Marriott plans [pounds sterling]380m Florida resort.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Marriott is to open a vast "Vegas-style", $600m (pound sterling380.4m) resort in Orlando, Florida, in July. The Grande Lakes Orlando resort is the biggest non-gaming vacation project under construction in the USA, and will feature a...

Hilton offloads more Homewood suites for $40m.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Hilton Hotels Corporation has sold four more of its Homewood Suites by Hilton in two transactions worth about $40m (pound sterling25.4m) in total. The proceeds will be used by Hilton to reduce debt. Hilton retains long-term management and...

Binder lands MD's job at Chez Gerard.(Simon Binder, restaurant managing director)
March 6, 2003... Simon Binder, founder of the Cafe Med chain, has been named as the new managing director of Groupe Chez Gerard as the company reported trading improvements in the second half of last year. The entrepreneurial Binder, who for many years...

Room rates slump pushes Jarvis into profit warning.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Increased business from the leisure market has boosted occupancy levels at Jarvis, but room rates are down, it said in its latest trading statement, issued last week. The company's marketing and sales efforts over the important Christmas...

Stick to your own script.(Six Continents and Hugh Osmond's takeover bid)
March 6, 2003... Both parties are squaring up to each other and the future is clouded by insecurity. One side wants to see a change of regime; the other is being guarded and defensive. A battle is in the making and, however it turns out, there are certain to be...

News round-up.
March 6, 2003... Blue Apple wins badminton contract Blue Apple, the Berkshire-based independent caterer, has won a three-year contract at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The centre has opened a pound sterling1.2m residential...

McDonald's UKHappy Meals are healthy too.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... McDonald's in the UK will start selling fruit as part of its Happy Meals for children from April, it announced last week. The UK is the first market in which the burger giant is trying the fruit, as it tries to shake off its junk-food image...

Whitbread sales are up ahead of full-year figures.(hotels)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Whitbread has seen total sales rise by 4% in the 51 weeks to 22 February, promising further improvements in operating margins when it reports year-end results. Its Marriott hotels, which saw like-for-like sales growth fall by 0.4% in the...

My career.(Concierge manager George Murray)(Interview)
March 6, 2003... Concierge manager George Murray tells us about his working life at the Four Seasons hotel in London Q What does a concierge manager do? A I have two roles really. Fifty per cent of my time is spent being a concierge, looking after the...

Merged group offers one-stop-shop for staff.(Mayday Group and AbbeyExec merged to become MaydayExec)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Catering recruitment specialist Mayday Group and facilities management company AbbeyExec have joined forces to form MaydayExec. The new national company, based in London's Soho, has a pool of 2,500 temporary and permanent staff at its...

Initial aims for 5% rise in sales.(Initial Catering)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Initial Catering has set a target of 5% sales growth for the coming year. The company's current turnover stands at about pound sterling95m. The target represents a 7p increase in spend per head per meal. In the education sector, where the...

Droughts may bring basmati price rises.(rice crop ravaged in India and Pakistan)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Restaurateurs can expect the cost of supplies of basmati rice to rise after droughts in north-west India and Pakistan ravaged this year's crop. With the harvest down by 25% against last year, a spokesman for Tilda, one of the biggest suppliers,...

conference: work permit lowdown.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... A new Government scheme to be launched this year will mean that an additional 20,000 work permits will be granted for low-skilled temporary employees taking jobs in the hospitality industry. The work permits, which will go to workers from...

QMH looks to Holiday Inn rebranding ; for upsurge.(Queens Moat Houses)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Queens Moat Houses (QMH), which made a pound sterling3.7m loss last year, is hoping to pull itself out of the doldrums by extending its Holiday Inn branding to more hotels in Germany. The group has extended an existing agreement with...

Centre Island entrepreneur plans hotel at Cadbury House leisure club.(Simon Matthews-Williams to create a Best Western Badge-standard hotel near Bristol)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Simon Matthews-Williams, the former managing director of Merseyside's Centre Island Hotels, has re-emerged as the new owner of the Cadbury House leisure club and conference venue at Congresbury, near Bristol. The millionaire entrepreneur...

Caffe Nero quells doubts with first pre-tax profit.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Caffe Nero announced its first pre-tax profit last week, confirming it as one of the more successful coffee shop operators. In the six months to 30 November, the group made a pre-tax profit of pound sterling155,000, which is up from a loss...

Regional refocus keeps Hilton on right lines.
March 6, 2003... A tactical focus on the domestic and regional leisure market helped the Hilton Group partly offset declines in international and business travel last year, albeit at the cost of lower hotel room rates. The drive, which included themed...

Welsh firms losing out.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Welsh food and drink companies are failing to win a significant share of the pound sterling60m spent each year on food by the region's hospitals, schools and local government, partly because they are unaware that the contracts have come up for...

Reforged Sheffield wins hotel suitors.(Travel Inn and Macdonald Hotels in Sheffield city centre)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The regeneration of Sheffield city centre has proved an attractive prospect for two major hotel groups. Travel Inn, part of Whitbread, has invested pound sterling8m in what will be the city's largest hotel when it opens next month, while...

Yo! Sushi seeks US franchise partner for 100 new outlets.
March 6, 2003... Yo! Sushi, the chain of conveyor-belt sushi bars founded by Simon Woodroffe, is in talks with potential franchise partners with a view to tackling the USA. The group, which is also in talks with a venture capital firm over funds to double...

Irish restaurateurs cut the cost of eating out.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Restaurants and hotels in the Irish Republic, under fire from locals and tourists for the high cost of eating out, are planning a fightback with the introduction of "special value menus". The initiative, put forward by the Restaurants...

Restaurant chains grow despite war rumblings.
March 6, 2003... Terrorism and international conflict have done nothing to dampen the business strategies of midmarket restaurant groups, which say the threat of war has not deterred them from their expansion programmes. Despite tourist bookings down 7% on...

Hot prospects.(serving refrigeration equipment customers in Middle East)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... A new sales office in Dubai has been opened by Williams Refrigeration to support the company's customers, distributors and dealers in the Middle East. The company has been supplying refrigeration equipment in the area for more than 15 years.

A showcase for Irish microbrews.
March 6, 2003... Think Irish beer and one name leaps to mind, but now the Republic's small brewers are starting to carve their own niche in the UKmarket Beer sales may be falling, but the microbrewing industry is on a roll. Ten years ago there were 96...

Tudor Hopkins.(K-West hotel's director of sales)
March 6, 2003... As director of sales at the trendy K-West hotel in London, Tudor Hopkins, 28, has to drive sales in the UK and abroad, schmooze clients and occasionally test spa products I get up at 6.30am and start the day with a filter coffee and a...

improving lease conditions.
March 6, 2003... Nigel Ball, a partner in property consultant Fuller Peiser, examines the Code of Practice for Commercial Leases in England and Wales and looks at its implications for hospitality If this happens, the restaurant owner should look at how the...

PERSONALS.
March 13, 2003... n Can anyone help me to find chef Gavin Young, nicknamed PG. He has previously worked at Gleneagles, Macdonald Hotels, a timeshare estate in Cornwall and, I think, Bermuda. If anyone knows where I can reach him, please contact me on 0793...

salary watch.(Berkeley Scott Group survey )
March 13, 2003... Food service The uncertainty caused by world events over this past year, and the impending threat of war in the Arabian Gulf, have caused larger contract catering companies to reduce costs through reorganisation, leading to an increase in...

Drinks Caterer.( Lavinia wine shop )
March 13, 2003... The biggest wine shop in the world With more than 6,000 wines and spirits from across the globe, one Paris wine shop has 15 sommeliers on hand to help customers make their selection Paris restaurants must be a tad miffed at the loss of...

keep the customer - and the staff - satisfied.(Sodexho UK & Ireland completing audits )
March 13, 2003... It's that time of year again, when a holiday is just what's required - as the new budget is just around the corner. Within Sodexho as a whole, and in my district of Devon and Cornwall, the focus is on compliance. This has involved...

table talk.(multiple topics)
March 13, 2003... And to finish, maybe a 'waffer-thin' mint? You've heard of a truffle menu, but chocolate? That's what the London restaurant Mju (say "mew") is putting on from 10-16 March to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of King's Road chocolate shop...

A weighty taste of Thai recipes.(Book Review)
March 13, 2003... Peter Gordon of the Providores restaurant in London drools over the delicious Thai recipes in Aussie chef David Thompson's new book If there are any readers out there who haven't heard of Australian chef David Thompson, they haven't been...

Who's who: ; Shearings Holiday Hotels.
March 13, 2003... A pound sterling65m refinancing deal has recently been negotiated by Shearings Holiday Hotels to fund its expansion plans. Angela Frewin takes a look at the chain that caters for the older holiday-maker who wants to be entertained...

Contaminated spirits found in Berkshire warehouse.(counterfeit Johnny Walker Black Label whisky)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Health authorities are urging operators to be especially vigilant following a raid on a warehouse in Berkshire that unearthed thousands of bottles of counterfeit Johnny Walker Black Label whisky contaminated with dangerous levels of methanol....

people On the move.
March 13, 2003... Moat House Hotels has selected ELAINE HASSAN to be its food and beverage and leisure clubs product manager at its headquarters in Romford, Essex. She was previously an account manager at London marketing agency Mediator. Contract...

Last supper.(Antonio Carluccio answers what he would eat for his last supper)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Faced with the prospect of your last meal on earth, what would you eat and drink, and with whom? We asked antonio carluccio to share his hypothetical moment What menu would you choose? Anchovies in green sauce, with bread and butter;...

First graduates at Forte school.(corporate business school of Rocco Forte Hotels )(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Six managers from the five-star Lowry hotel in Manchester have become the first graduates of the Rocco Forte Hotels corporate business school. MURRAY THOMSON, director of marketing and business development at the Lowry, received a...

Behind the scenes at Northcote Manor.(Northcote Manor hotel food and wine festival is a chef's festival)
March 13, 2003... This year's annual food and wine festival at Nigel Haworth's Northcote Manor hotel attracted a glittering array of chefs - and the Square's Philip Howard. Here's the inside story... Northcote Manor: the chef's festival This is the...

Worldwide slowdown puts a crimp in Accor's figures.(Accor S.A.)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... A slowdown in business in major cities across the world dented Accor's 2002 sales and profits. Its business and leisure hotel brands - Sofitel, Novotel, and Mercure - boosted turnover by 0.8% to g2.72b (pound sterling1.86b) but earnings...

Ladenis cuts ties with his London restaurants.(Nico Ladenis fully retires, Incognico and Deca restaurants)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Nico Ladenis, the well-known chef who formerly held three Michelin stars, has decided to have no further direct involvement with his London restaurants Incognico and Deca. Ladenis has been in semi-retirement since 1998, when he told...

can pubs put off closing time?(Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) survey, less people going to pubs )
March 13, 2003... Finding a formula for success Fewer people are going to pubs, but operators such as Chris and Alison Davy (right) have the answer. See pages 28-31 Is the cherished cornerstone of British society in terminal decline, or can landlords...

Kids can't be forced to eat healthy food, say caterers.(school caterers )
March 13, 2003... School caterers should ensure every menu choice meets nutritional standards because children will nearly always opt for chicken nuggets and chips rather than a salad. The call for overall healthier meals comes from the Consumers'...

Hotel to open on former prison site.(Malmaison, Oxford)
March 13, 2003... Malmaison, the group of boutique hotels owned by property company Marylebone Warwick Balfour (MWB), is to open its eighth UK site in a former prison in Oxford. The hotel is the first in the group to be operated as a management contract. A...

M&Cboosts profit in year of tough trading.(Millennium and Copthorne Hotels PLC)
March 13, 2003... Reducing its dependence on the London and New York hotel markets, along with cost-cutting measures, has helped Millennium & Copthorne (M&C) weather tough conditions in 2002. Nevertheless, chairman Kwek Leng Beng predicted that the prospect...

SUPPLIER news.(multiple topics)
March 13, 2003... 3663 buys chilled and fresh food business Wholesale distributor 3663 has added a chilled and fresh food division to its business by buying Bradford-based supplier Swithenbank Foods. Swithenbank, which has a presence in London's New...

Hotels Round-up.(multiple topics)
March 13, 2003... Oriental Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced it will manage a new 118-bedroom hotel development opening in 2005 in Hong Kong. The new property, owned by Hongkong Land, will be called the Landmark Mandarin Oriental and...

War threat hits Egyptian tourism.(war against Iraq)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Egyptian hoteliers are experiencing a drop in bookings of up to 50% as a result of the threat of war against Iraq. Adel Bibars, general manager of the 300-bedroom Sheraton Sharm El Sheik on the tip of the Sinai peninsular on the Red Sea, one of...

Competition Round-up.(Martina Halligan wins 2003 Springboard UK FutureChef title; Steve Walpole joins 2003 Roux Scholarship final)
March 13, 2003... FutureChef A 15-year-old pupil from St Ciaran's High School in Ballygawly, County Tyrone, has won the 2003 Springboard UK FutureChef title. Martina Halligan scooped the top prize following a cook-off at Westminster Kingsway College,...

Put us in the recovery position.(economic aspects of pubs)
March 13, 2003... If proof were needed that the economy remains hesitant, the interim results of pub chain JD Wetherspoon last week made it clear that operators in some sectors are finding it tough (see page 7). A modest 3% profit increase in the six months to...

stockwatch.(multiple companies)
March 13, 2003... Share prices were boosted at THISTLE HOTELS by more than 10% last week, from 112p to 123.5p, after it received a pound sterling555m hostile bid from majority shareholder Brierley Investments. The offer, at 115p a share, has been rejected by...

Review OFTHEREVIEWS.(multiple restaurants)
March 13, 2003... 8 March Matthew Fort gives Sketch, London W1, nought out of 20 Would I spend pound sterling143 of my own money? Unquestionably - but for one final caveat. I am a curious and greedy fellow. I like to spend my money on great food. But...

Former Landmark chef takes charge at Whatley Manor.(Martin Burge)
March 13, 2003... Martin Burge, the former head chef of two-Michelin-starred John Burton-Race at the Landmark, in London, has taken over the kitchens of converted Wiltshire country house hotel Whatley Manor. The 31-year-old chef, who first joined Burton-Race...

Compass cuts 93 staff jobs after Travelodge sale rejig.(catering giant Compass Group UK & Ireland )(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Catering giant Compass Group UK & Ireland has axed 93 senior positions. In a statement this week, the company said the losses would be in management and administrative support. Following its sale of Travelodge and Little Chef, Compass found...

Wetherspoon's high salaries stem departure of key staff.
March 13, 2003... Salaries 15% to 25% higher than elsewhere in the industry have resulted in the number of managers leaving pub company JD Wetherspoon reaching its lowest ever level. The figures were revealed last week as Wetherspoon posted a 3% rise in...

Blackpool maps out 21st-century vision.(seaside resort)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Seaside resort Blackpool, best known as Britain's most popular stag and hen night venue, is to be "reinvented for the 21st century", it was announced today (13 March). The town's borough council has mapped out a vision to give the resort a...

NEWS ROUND-UP.
March 13, 2003... Restaurateurs and hoteliers fear slump Business confidence among hoteliers and restaurateurs is at its lowest ebb since 11 September, according to a survey by the CBI. The hospitality trade was the least confident about its prospects...

New campaign aims to reverse London slump.(marketing travel and tourism)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... As nearly 50% of London Tourist Board members reveal that they are experiencing a downturn in business, the city's mayor, Ken Livingstone, has launched the LTB's largest-ever marketing campaign, Totally London, in an effort to strengthen...

Gleneagles adds 70 covers in restaurant overhaul.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Gleneagles's two-rosette Strathearn restaurant is being overhauled and extended as part of a pound sterling1.5m refurbishment of the 275-room hotel. Building work began on the restaurant at the start of this year. When it is completed in...

Liverpool looking for Culture cash bonanza.(in the contest to be named European City of Culture 2008)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Liverpool, one of Britain's poorest cities, could attract an extra 1.7 million visitors and increase tourism spend by pound sterling200m, should it be the victor in the contest to be named European City of Culture 2008. A report by ERM...