The Capitalist: US tipping and doggy bags infest London restaurants Opinion The scourge of US tipping culture, a Pitbull lookalike competition and the world's longest tiramisu; catch up on the latest London shenanigans.
Franco Manca shuts 16 restaurants, blaming ‘disproportionate’ taxes Hospitality Franco Manca has taken aim at “disproportionately high” taxes facing the hospitality sector after the pizza parlour shut 16 restaurants in a structural overhaul. The privately-owned restaurant chain said it is suffering from high VAT and “significant” hikes to national insurance and minimum wages, with the site closures to cost hundreds of jobs. The move [...]
‘I fired the board that fired me’: TGI Fridays boss on restaurant turnaround Hospitality TGI Fridays had its heyday in the 1980s but slumped into administration last year. Its new boss Ray Blanchette tells Felix Armstrong the nostalgic chain can win back Britain after a period in turmoil. “I land at Heathrow and jump in a cab. The plane got in late,” says Ray Blanchette, recalling the day he [...]
Liverpool Street Chop House: Should you go over Hawksmoor, Boisdale? October 20, 2025 The closure of Threadneedle Street’s M Restaurant earlier this year, after a decade slinging the capital’s finest steak, was a genuine blow. One of the restaurants that helped the Square Mile shake off its stuffy reputation, it combined a meticulous, scholarly appreciation of meat with a sense of fun, even whimsy. Robot waiters, wine vending [...]
Coco di Mama boss: ‘Extreme’ tube strikes pressuring hospitality at crucial time September 11, 2025 Coco di Mama’s boss has said that the significant tube strikes this week have put pressure on the sector at a difficult time. The strikes, which began on September 7, have caused mass disruption in the City as Londoners attempt to find other ways to get to work or opt to stay at home. “It’s [...]
Bleak ‘hospitality zones’ will make London nightlife even worse July 31, 2025 Proposed ‘hospitality zones’ for alfresco dining are little more than top-down attempts at vibrancy which will move nightlife away from where it’s already thriving into sterile Boxpark clones, says Tom Jones It is a Saturday night. Your exhaustion from a week of open-plan purgatory – the train delays, the Slack pings, the passive-aggressive tone of [...]
