UK economy recovered half of GDP lost since the start of the pandemic lockdown, amid faster rate virus spreading with the R number rising from 1 to 1.2, as the government faces backlash on new curbs. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the UK “ has still only recovered just over half of…
Pizza Express chain owned by Chinese firm Hony Capital is to close 73 of its UK restaurants with the potential loss of 1, 100 jobs in a deal to reduce rent costs. Zoe Bowley, Pizza Express’s managing director for the UK and Ireland said: “Unfortunately, the impact of the global pandemic has meant that we…
Ritz Hotel in London have been targeted by scammers posing as hotel staff to steal payment card details. The scammers were extremely convincing when they phoned with accurate details of their restaurant bookings, asking them to confirm card details . Thye then tried to spend thousands of pounds at the catalogue retailer Argos. According to Ritz,…
Associate sociology professor and former model, Ashley Mears’s entertaining study of the elite nightclub scene revealing the truth behind nightclubs from New York to Miami and the Riviera. Mears reveals how beautiful young women are used to boost the status of men million-dollar birthday parties, megayachts on the French Riviera. She conducted an ethnographic study…
From Friday 24 July, face coverings are mandatory in England in confined public places. New guidance on face masks and coverings issued for England Complete guidance on wearing face coverings in shops in England has been released less than 12 hours before the new rules come into force. Coverings will be mandatory in enclosed public…
A $4bn cut in VAT has come into force, allowing firms in the food, drink and hospitality sectors to slash prices. Starbucks and McDonald’s are the latest firms to promise reductions after the chancellor ordered a temporary VAT cut from 20 per cent to 5 per cent. The treasury estimates households could save £160 a…
The COVID-19 lockdown inspires some individuals to think outside the box. Anastasia who was working in hospitality for three years, wanted to engage lockdown local Hampstead Heath community by opening a coffee shop in a red old British Telecom phone booth at the end of Pond Street. There is a need for a coffee shop…
When Sommelier Victoria James (13) spilled a drop of wine on the tablecloth of a Michelin –starred restaurant in New York, she was publicly punished and warned her next mistake would cost her, her job. From then on her hands would tremble every time she poured. Aged nineteen, Victoria was serving sugary Cosmopolitans…
The Chancellor Rishi Sunak says the hospitality sector has been particularly badly hit and announces a Temporary cut to VAT on food, accommodation, and attractions from 20 per cent to 5 per cent from next Wednesday until January 12th, 2021. He also announced a new job retention bonus for employers to bring back furloughed staff,…
Mike Sonko, Kenya’s Nairobi Governor’s COVID-19 essential care packages include a few small bottles of the cognac, Hennessy and typical food staples. The governor justified the inclusion of alcohol as a very good “throat sanitizer”. Sonko said in a video “I think from the research conducted by the World Health Organisation and various organisations…