More catering news from the foodservice and hospitality industry…
FSB: ‘Come On Party Poopers’
The Office Party
Restaurants are likely to be hit this Christmas with figures from the Forum of Private Businesses (FPB) claiming that one in five companies has cancelled its festive bash this year, taking about £350m out of the £1 billion party market.
The FPB, a coalition of small businesses, has said that chef and caterer members face bankruptcy, and their position will be aggravated as more and more business cut the Christmas Party budget.
“To combat this situation, we have launched a Say Thank You At Christmas campaign to bring back the office party,” said FPB chief executive Phil Orford.
“Staff Christmas Parties are about the recognition and appreciation of workers, not indulging fat cats.
“These events are a valuable way of saying ‘thank you’ to employees for their hard work during this turbulent time. In turn, good employee engagement delivers bottom-line results.”
Diners List Top ‘Bugbears’
Dining out
By borrowing ideas from the country’s leading restaurants, many UK eateries risk losing customers and have been urged to scrap excessive charges.
That’s according to new research on the nation’s eating habits from Livebookings, the online restaurant marketing company.
Half of Brits (47%) are being put off returning to restaurants due to the rising trend of ‘optional’ service charges being added to bills. Other top bugbears include being provided with a limited booking slot (31%) and being billed for bread they didn’t ask for.
In better news for the catering industry, 38% say they haven’t cut back on eating out and that they are just choosing to spend their money more wisely – 10% visiting less expensive restaurants and 56% being fans of special offers.
Coffee Shops Boom
Cup of Coffee
The popularity of coffee shops continues to defy the recession, registering a 7% growth in numbers in the UK’s top 10 cities, according to the Local Data Company.
The top chains of coffee shops, dominated by Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Caffe Nero, increased outlets by 47pc in the last 12 months.
Image by Lady Jayne ~
