All eyes are on the sale of beleaguered SFI
Slug & Lettuce operator SFI Group has been put up for sale, the Morning Advertiser has learnt. The company has set a deadline of mid-March for...
Archives for March 3, 2005
SAB Miller in talks to snap up Topvar
The Morning Advertiser has learnt that SAB Miller is in talks to acquire Slovakia's third-largest brewer Topvar. Privatised in 1994, Topvar, is now...
Search is on for super sarnie
PubChef has teamed up with Délifrance UK to launch a search for the UK's best pub sandwich. Chefs are challenged to create an extra special ham,...
Menu traceability takes centre stage
by Max Gosney Pub Chefs must log detailed records of all supplied ingredients for up to five years as part of new European Union (EU) rules to...
Hours is not to reason why
Phil Dixon marvels at the capacity of the chief constables of Great Britain to back track Now I do love my telly. The Midlands LVAs gave it to me...
Beautiful Beer points to cask challenge ahead
by John Harrington One third of the 340 pubs surveyed in the run-up to the launch of the Beautiful Beer campaign, which aims to improve beer's...
Smoke ban battle reignited by Hain
Minister adopts MA's Room For All campaign by Ewan Turney The smoking ban saga in England and Wales is far from over as evidenced by a senior...
Police hunt pair after pub killing
A man died after being stabbed in a north London pub following an argument with two men. Robert Elston, 45, was stabbed in the Curragh pub in High...
Subtle Scots makeover
Snifter is a committed pub man, happy to devote himself to the their homely, warm embrace. But every now and then his head is turned by something a...
Ban on chav-wear stamps out trouble
A Stourbridge nightclub that banned "chav wear" has seen violent crime at the venue reduced to almost zero inside seven months. The Enteramma-owned...
Diageo ups security after fake drink scam
Diageo has stepped up security measures in Northern Ireland after it emerged that the IRA is believed to be behind a professionally run distribution...
Tim Martin gets it right on customers' gripes
A new survey suggests that Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin is firmly in touch with the views that matter - those of his customers.Pub customers put...
Dispute breaks out over doorstaff date
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has come under fire for failing to ensure there will be enough registered doorstaff when new door licensing...
Licensees have grown dizzy over the years trying to keep tra
But if anyone's given up on trying to make sense of it all, now's the time to take note again. For the news this week that SFI is up for sale, as...
The dish: Braised pigs trotter stuffed with black pudding an
Description: A rustic French classic served in one of the UK's most successful, Michelin-starred gastro pubs. The trotter is braised for three to...
Time to ACT!: Get the most out of the Act
The Publican has teamed up with the BBPA and the BII to bring you Time To ACT!, offering guidance on the new licensing regime. This first article...
PRS holds key to folk music fees
I do not wish to jump in with both feet to the row over brewer Samuel Smith's decision to call time on a folk club after 30 years at one of its pubs,...
Signs can point to trouble
QLast year I took over this pub which has painted signs in various places, three of which say "food always available". What's the legal position on...
Pubs told: apply for licences or miss out
Councils across England and Wales are pleading for applications for new licences - in the wake of the revelation that many have yet to receive a...
Drink Talking: Audrey Lewis
The new licensing applications have proved to be too complicated says Audrey Lewis, cabinet member for community protection at Westminster City...
Licensing fees furore reaches boiling point
It is unusual for peers to get heated, but Lord MacIntosh of Haringey had a fine head of steam last week when he was called upon in the House of...
Passing up a possible job in the City for a pub popular with
Johnny "The Ferret" Ferrand has some characteristically controversial views on how to run the bar of his Berkshire pub. "I reckon you need a few...
Beer With Food Week updates:
l Restaurant sommelier turned pub landlord Mark Vandergoot is more qualified than most to offer beer with food matching tips. The Australian-born...
Chefs back Oliver's campaign
Top chefs have said that Jamie Oliver's campaign to make school lunches healthier should be widened to prompt pub operators into addressing the...
Welsh licensees unite under Butt Out! campaign
Licensees from across South Wales came together at a meeting last night (Wednesday) against the proposed blanket smoking ban in the country.Publicans...
Putting the taste to the test
How many of you list more than one New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc? Not many, I bet. I ask because there's quite a variation between the styles....
What do you think of the service you get from your banks?
Jim McNichol Exeter Inn Ashburton Derbyshire "They chargetoo much for cashing cheques and the small things. I am quite lucky as I don't have a...
Kalashnikov: Portman, don't ban my vodka'
by John Harrington The 85-year-old Russian military hero Mikhail Kalashnikov, who created the famous AK-47 rifle, wrote a personal letter to the...
Wylam eyes 24-hour Glass Spider licence
Wylam Leisure is to apply for a 24-hour licence for its 1,500-capacity Glass Spider venue in Sunderland. The company, which also runs city-centre...
Legal advice: Protecting your website
By Briony Edwards of thePublican.com's team of legal experts from London solicitors Joelson Wilson.By making your website accessible to the world at...
A marriage made
Stag and hen parties can bring a real boost to trade, but how do pubs handle the potential binge-drinking problems and is the extra business worth...
Trade fears cutbacks as minimum wage tops £5
by Ewan Turney Tony Blair has confirmed that the national minimum wage will break the £5 barrier for the first time, sparking fears that pubs may...
From public school to public house via the army
"I think running a pub is a natural progression for many ex-public schoolboys," says Andrew Freeland or Fruity to his friends and regulars at the...
BII gives full backing to Pub is the Hub campaign'
The British Institute of Innkeeping the professional body for the licensed retail sector has been in full support of the Pub is the Hub...
Scottish Licensing Bill set to abolish happy hour
Happy hours are on borrowed time in Scotland after plans to outlaw promotions which could encourage binge-drinking were outlined in the Scottish...
How to set up a Post Office in your pub
With the high amounts of cash and administration involved, setting up a post office is not as straightforward as just any old shop. First of all,...
Report says hosts fail in lease negotiations
by Ewan Turney A general lack of property awareness and a failure to seek legal advice mean that the vast majority of small business tenants, such...
DCMS forced to amend flawed' licensing fees
by John Harrington The fiasco surrounding licensing fees took a new turn last week, when the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) was...
Camra signs up 75,000th member
The Campaign for Real Ale signed up its 75,000th member during NationalPubs Week (NPW) and is now three quarters of the way towards reaching its...
Bristol brewing begins to bounce back
Signs outside the Wellington Hotel in the Horfield district of Bristol last week announced: "Beer seminar with Roger Protz". Even though I've been...
Bath: we want more powers'
by John Harrington Councillors in Bath are making their own bid to persuade the Government to give local authorities greater powers over licensing...
To the manor Sorn
Craig Grant may have travelled the globe honing his cooking skills, but he's never been more at home than now, running a village pub and turning out...
Finance: Tough choices
Smoking or food? If it comes down to it, you will need the right tools to make the decision, writes profitability expert Colin Marsters.Licensees...
The good toff's guide
Michael Turner and Anthony Fuller were at Eton, Mark Woodhouse at Marlborough, and Jonathan Neame at Harrow. But a book just out shows many public...
What companies told the pubco inquiry:
The pubcos have married monopoly of supply and its attendant price iniquities to a system of leases and rent reviews which are disadvantageous to the...
Licensees to be hit bySky double whammy
by Tony Halstead Pubs are to be hit with a double whammy price increase by Sky from August. The broadcaster has revealed it will combine new...
Tide now favours McQuater MBO at Barracuda
Barracuda chief executive Mark McQuater is hoping to lead a management buyout at the company after its owner, PPM Ventures, prepares to exit the...