News

How are food-led pubs dealing with the energy crisis?

The MA Energy Focus in partnership with Heineken

How food-led pubs are fighting rising energy costs

By Nikkie Thatcher

Operators have been taking a number of steps to reduce energy consumption around their food offer including changing kitchen equipment, menu adaptions and a focus on sustainability.

Different world: Warwickshire pub forced to change opening hours and concept amid soaring costs (Credit: Getty/mauro_grigollo)

'Different world' forces pub to axe hours

By Rebecca Weller

Rocketing food and energy costs on top of staff shortages have forced a Warwickshire based pub to reduce its trading hours and food service.

Price hike: the oils and fats category reported a 47% inflation rise year on year (image: Getty/Yuji Kotani)

Food inflation exceeds 20%

By Nikkie Thatcher

Foodservice price inflation has reached inflation of 21.5% – a record rate and the 10th consecutive month of double-digit inflation.

Star restaurateur: Andrew Pern warns customers not to give out their details

Phishing scam at Andrew Pern’s York site

By Gary Lloyd

Andrew Pern-operated site the Star Inn The City has warned customers not to give their credit and debit card details to anyone after falling victim to a phishing scam.

Online feedback: the pub responded to the one-star review, suggesting the guest should have brought up issues when they were at the site (image: Getty/Marko Geber)

Pub hits back at ‘watery gravy’ review

By Nikkie Thatcher

A London pub has responded to a one-star TripAdvisor review that criticised its ‘watery gravy’ and the fact it served cabbage rather than “a decent green vegetable”.

Very challenging: food inflation making planning and pricing Christmas menus tricky for pubs (Credit: Getty/Ross Woodhall)

Inflation makes pricing xmas menus 'tricky'

By Rebecca Weller

Managing soaring food prices is going to be “tricky” for operators this Christmas as festive menus announced months ago no longer reflect current costs.

Adapt accordingly: NFU president warns UK food supply chain is under threat due to rising energy costs (Credit: Getty/Instants)

'Communication' key as supply chain 'under threat'

By Rebecca Weller

Hospitality businesses need “clear lines of communication” from suppliers to remain “prepared” as the National Farmers Union (NFU) warned British food supply was “under threat”.

No signs of slowing down: Avian flu unlike anything seen before (Getty/ E4C)

Bird flu outbreak ‘worst in years’

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The outbreak of avian flu wiping out Christmas turkey stock is the worst seen in recent years, according to the British Poultry Council.

Bleak winter ahead: food inflation continues to rise (Credit: Getty/fcafotodigital)

Winter looks 'bleak' as food prices rise

By Rebecca Weller

Winter looks “increasingly bleak” as food inflation accelerated to 12.4% in November, the highest inflation rate in the food category on record, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) index.

Up-to-date: Revised hygiene guide launched (Getty/ 10'000 Hours)

New catering hygiene guide launched

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

An updated version of the industry guide for catering hygiene standards has been launched by UKHospitality (UKH), the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

Bird flu: 60k free range turkeys culled in the Christmas runup (Getty/ E4C)

Bird flu: Half of Xmas turkeys culled

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Half of the free range turkeys produced for Christmas in the UK have been culled or have died due to avian flu, an industry official told MPs.

Get guests onside: responding to more reviews can turn neutral or negatives into positives (credit: Getty/Hispanolistic)

Guest satisfaction rises but pubs can do more

By Gary Lloyd

Customer satisfaction is on the rise at hospitality sites but businesses could still do more when it comes to responding to online reviews, according to a Reputation study.

No respite in sight: food and drink inflation has risen by more than 10% for eight months in a row (credit: Getty/Muhammad Farhad)

Food and drink inflation rises to record-high 18.8%

By Gary Lloyd

Inflation in food and drink prices hit a record high of 18.8% in September 2022 – the eighth consecutive month of double-digit rises – according to the latest CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index.

We're stuffed: Avian flue wreaks havoc for turkey farmers (Getty/ Monty Rakusen)

Avian flu means turkey prices could soar

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Turkeys are expected to rocket in price as avian flu forcers farmers to cull livestock and freeze birds for the festive season.

Going Green: Consumers want to make sustainable decisions when dining out (Getty/ FG Trade Latin)

Brits want sustainability when dining out

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Brits want to make more sustainable choices when eating or drinking out, but according to new research, two-thirds of UK consumers are not able to.

Enormous cliff edge: food inflation made biggest upward contribution to rising inflation in September (Credit: Getty/ fcafotodigital)

Inflation leaving sector on 'cliff edge'

By Rebecca Weller

Soaring food inflation has left many hospitality businesses facing a “cliffs-edge” as food costs push inflation up 10.1% in the 12 months to September 2022.

Strike action: Disputes over pay could cause Christmas chaos for drink firms (Getty/ Luis Alvarez)

BrewDog packaging firm faces strike action

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Some of Britain’s best-known drink brands, including BrewDog, Pepsico and Diageo, face Christmas logistics problems as DS Smith workers vote over industrial action.

Rising inflation: Climbing fruit and veg costs put pressure on operators (Getty/ Thomas Barwick)

Fruit & veg prices soar by 35%

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

September seasonal fruit and vegetable prices have climbed by 35% versus the like-for-like period in 2019, adding to the “dangerous cocktail” of soaring costs threatening the sector.

Company news: the deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions for McCain Foods (image: Getty/10'000 Hours)

McCain Foods acquires Scelta Products

By The Morning Advertiser

Manufacturing business McCain Foods has bought Netherlands-based frozen foods producers Scelta Products for an undisclosed sum.

Potential to grow: more than a quarter of consumers placed fish and chips in their top three dishes when eating out (Credit: Getty/Stela Vulpe)

Fish and chips nation's favourite pub meal

By Rebecca Weller

Fish and chips has been crowned Britain’s favourite pub and bar meal with more than a quarter of consumers listing it as one of their top three dishes when eating out, new data from CGA by Nielsen IQ has revealed.

Ongoing shift in buying habits: delivery and takeaway sales double pre-covid levels but down year-on-year (Credit: Getty/Dimensions)

Delivery and takeaway sales double pre-covid levels

By Rebecca Weller

Restaurant and pub groups’ delivery and takeaway sales have doubled compared with pre-covid levels but drop year-on-year, the latest CGA Hospitality at Home Tracker has revealed.

Mounting cost pressures: food inflation hit its highest level in 14 years during August (Credit: Getty/carlosgaw)

Food inflation hits 9.3%

By Rebecca Weller

Food inflation soared to its highest level in 14 years during August as pubs continue to “feel the squeeze from every angle”.

Skyrocketing prices: Energy bills at Kendal inn set to soar (Getty/ image source)

Historic inn’s energy bill set to soar by £80k

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

A South Lakeland inn, whose annual energy bill is set to rise by £80,000, is bracing for “long-term problems” at the operator says he will do all he can to protect staff’s jobs.

Rising costs: business leaders are also planning to increase menu prices by a further 6% over the next 12 months, according to the CGA and Fourth survey (image: Getty/NatashaPhoto)

Firms push up menu prices by 9%

By Nikkie Thatcher

Business leaders have increased prices by 9% on average over the past 12 months with plans to hike them by a further 6% in the next year, research has found.

Consumer data: Brits are looking to reduce spending in pubs, bars and restaurants according to research from Barclaycard (image: Getty/Hispanolistic)

Consumers looking to cut spending at pubs

By Nikkie Thatcher

British consumers are looking to spend less on social occasions at pubs, bars and restaurants as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, research has found.

Foodservice inflation: rates reach double-digit percentage for fifth consecutive month (Credit: Getty/neiljlangan)

Drought 'latest in long line of global food supply threats'

By Rebecca Weller

Inflation in the foodservice sector rocketed to 11.5% in June in the fifth consecutive month of double-digit percentage inflation with drought outside of the UK posing the latest threat to supply, the latest edition of the CGA Prestige Foodservice Index...

Warning: supply of poultry will stay tight into 2023 (credit: Getty/Anchiy)

Poultry supplies to remain tight

By Gary Lloyd

Poultry supplies are expected to remain tight as feed and energy prices are expected to stay high into 2023, according to a new report from catering butcher Birtwistles.

Difficult period: BRC warns businesses to prepare for difficult period (Credit: Getty/Luke Chan)

Businesses warned to prepare for 'difficult period'

By Rebecca Weller

Businesses must prepare for a difficult period as fresh food inflation soared to 8% in July 2022, the fastest rate of increase since April 2012, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Hospitality at Home Tracker: CGA and Slerp data reveals restaurant and pub groups’ delivery and takeaway sales plateau after Covid lockdowns (Credit: Getty/10'000 Hours)

Delivery and takeaway sales plateau

By Rebecca Weller

Restaurant and pub groups’ delivery and takeaway sales have continued to plateau after booming during Covid lockdowns, the latest CGA and Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker has revealed.

Help for Households: businesses urged to sign up for new Gov campaign in bid to tackle inflation (Credit: Getty/sturti)

Gov urges pubs to sign up to cheap meals campaign

By Rebecca Weller

The Government has announced the launch of its Help for Households campaign, urging businesses to offer discounts over the summer holidays in a bid to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

Research revealed: Lumina Intelligence's Menu Tracker looks at the prices of dishes across the hospitality sector (image: Getty/Luke Chan)

Average pub dish price up 2.3%

By Nikkie Thatcher

The average cost of a dish on a pub and bar menu has risen by 2.3%, according to data from Lumina Intelligence.

Price hikes: Sector suffers with soaring food costs due to supply chain disruption (Getty/ Henrik Sorensen)

Operators’ food costs soar by up to 40%

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Spiralling costs and supply chain disruption are having a dramatic and unprecedented impact on hospitality operators’ food and drink bills, new research from Fourth has revealed.

Relentless pressure: CGA data shows foodservice sector inflation hit 10% in May (Credit: Getty/Zorica Nastasic)

Inflation in foodservice sector tops 10%

By Rebecca Weller

Inflation in the foodservice sector topped 10% for the fourth successive month in May, the latest edition of the CGA by NielsenIQ and Prestige Foodservice Price Index has revealed.

Ongoing rise: 'All dairy products are seeing high levels of price increase and operators have to expect that to continue,' says Lynx Purchasing boss Rachel Dobson (image: Getty/Adam Gault)

Pubs warned ‘dairy isn’t cheap any more’

By Nikkie Thatcher

Amid reports of a potential dairy shortage, on-trade operators have been urged to shop around when purchasing and make sure they make the most of such goods to ensure their spend is not wasted.

Gen Z driving sector's recovery: 16-24-year-olds spend almost £70 a week in the on trade (Credit: Getty/Henrik Sorensen)

Gen Z spending the most in the on trade

By Rebecca Weller

Those aged 16-24, commonly referred to as Gen Z, have been driving the recovery of the hospitality sector, new research from guest experience platform SevenRooms has revealed.

Follow us

Property of the week

KENT - HIGH QUALITY FAMILY FRIENDLY PUB

£ 60,000 - Leasehold

Busy location on coastal main road Extensively renovated detached public house Five trade areas (100)  Sizeable refurbished 4-5 bedroom accommodation Newly created beer garden (125) Established and popular business...

Pub Trade Guides

View more

Headlines