Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

The fast supper: The new pace of casual dining

Published: 26 October, 2021

Jo Gilbert reports from last month’s Casual Dining Show, where the FutureFoodservice report, The Rebuilding of Hospitality, predicted the shift of the sector towards faster, ‘social re-fuelling’ occasions

GBK follows Carluccio’s to Boparan following Covid squeeze

Published: 14 October, 2020

Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), owner of Carluccio’s, has acquired burger brand Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), saving 35 trading sites national-wide.

Pubs lead uneven on-trade reopening

Published: 10 August, 2020

The on-trade still has a long way to go before it is fully re-opened as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions ease, according to new research.

Casual Dining Group remerges from administration as The Big Table

Published: 03 August, 2020

Casual Dining Group (CDG), the failed restaurant group that owned the Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Café Rouge chains, has been rescued by private equity firm, saving 4,000 jobs across the UK and over 150 outlets.

Casual Dining Group to close 91 restaurants

Published: 03 July, 2020

Casual Dining Group (CDG), the company that owns Bella Italia, Café Rouge, Las Iguanas and Belgo, has announced 91 of its 250 sites will remain closed permanently, resulting in the loss of 1,900 jobs to the on-trade sector.

Carluccio's bailout saves under half of its restaurants

Published: 22 May, 2020

Italian restaurant chain Carluccio’s has completed its bailout deal with Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), saving 30 of its 71 restaurants and costing 1,000 furloughed workers their jobs.

Casual Dining cancelled as venue converted to hospital

Published: 30 March, 2020

This year’s Casual Dining and Commercial Kitchen events are the latest to be cancelled in the wake of coronavirus (Covid-19).

Casual Dining turns focus on wine with new dedicated area

Published: 28 November, 2019

The Casual Dining show is gearing up to launch a dedicated wine area as part of a bigger overall focus on alcoholic drinks.

Wet-led businesses helping high street to recover from “poisonous cocktail” of regulatory costs

Published: 19 July, 2019

Renewed investor interest is improving the health of a malnourished high street – driven mostly by wet-led venues, a group of suppliers and industry leaders were told this morning.

Carluccio’s boss calls out casual dining operators for aggressive expansion plans

Published: 04 March, 2019

Carluccio’s CEO has criticised the UK restaurant sector for focusing on “capex-heavy investments” – the same focus which almost brought the chain to brink of collapse last year.

Gaucho brought back from the brink by investors

Published: 05 September, 2018

Ailing Argentinian steak chain Gaucho has been saved by its lenders, after falling into administration back in July.

Gaucho on brink of collapse

Published: 18 July, 2018

Fine wine and steak restaurant Gaucho has become the latest casualty of the high street after administrators were appointed to deal with the ailing business.

End of the casual dining bubble?

Published: 04 July, 2018

Jo Gilbert explores the biggest challenges to the high street as we know it

Heineken launches “plug and pour” dispenser for casual diners

Published: 11 October, 2017

Heineken is releasing a new countertop draught beer dispenser, which it says could help to capture growth of on-tap in the unrepresented casual dining sector.