News

Crussh launches new workplace catering concept store

The juice chain says that they want to promote wellbeing and healthy living in the area.

Wimpy's special sauce and ketchup goes retail

The move is said to be driven by customers asking to buy the sauces. Wimpy has announced that they launched their Wimpy Special Sauce and Wimpy Tomato Ketchup in the retail market last November 19. The sauces will be available in 500mL bottles in across all of Wimpy stores. “Our Special Sauce and Ketchup have added the proverbial ‘icing on the cake’ to our breakfasts, burgers and grills for decades. Customers are always asking why they can’t buy a bottle and we finally decided it was time offer them as an early Christmas treat,” Wimpy general manager Chris Woolfenden said. “We love the fact we’re extending the Wimpy brand into peoples’ homes and believe that with such a great heritage behind us, we’ll soon be a kitchen staple, giving everyone the chance to enjoy a taste of Wimpy whenever they want to.”  

IKEA offers limited-edition delivery services through UberEats

Meatballs, Veggieballs and Daim cakes are some of the offerings offered. UberEats has delivered IKEA offerings from November 16 to November 20. Three meal bundles were exclusively available on the delivery platform. First bundle included 20 pieces of Meatballs, Mash Potato or Chips, Cream Sauce , Lingonberry Jam and 2 Daim Cakes. The second one has 20 Veggieballs, Butternut squash, courgette and kale hash and 2 Sugar Donuts, while the third bundle features 20 pieces of Meatballs, 20 pieces of Veggieballs, Mash Potato or Chips, Butternut squash, courgette and kale hash, Cream Sauce, Lingonberry jam, 2 Daim Cakes and 2 Sugar Donuts.  

Five Guys' milkshake among menu items with more than 35 teaspoons of sugar, survey says

The organisation who conducted the survey is also calling for a ban of such drinks. Five Guys’ Banana and Chocolate Shake is discovered to have 37 teaspoons of sugar, more than seven times the recommended amount for 7 to 10-year old children, according to a survey by UK charity Action on Sugar. “Undoubtedly some of these milkshakes contribute to excess sugar and calorie intake, and it is shocking this information is hidden from the consumer, who would struggle to find it,” Kawther Hashem, researcher at Action on Sugar, said. The organisation also called out Family restaurant Toby Carvery for their Unicorn Shake, containing 39 teaspoons of sugar. “It is time the government introduced legislation to force companies to be more transparent about what is in their products by displaying clear nutrition information online and in the outlets, at all times,” he added.  

Starbucks, LEON, Burger King among brands to launch in Leeds Skelton Lake Services

Others food and beverage brands will also be announced soon. Starbucks, LEON, Burger King, KFC, Upper Crust, Harry Ramsden’s, Pizza Express, Chopstix, The Pasty Shop and Urban Express are the first lineup of QSR brands announced to open an outlet in the M1 J45 Leeds Skelton Lake Motorway Service Area development. The development will also house a Food Court Building with a seating area, that has a design composed of a contemporary style glulam timber roof structure as will also include extensive natural lighting. The site will also be featuring a 100 bedroom Ramada Hotel and the Regus Business Centre.  

McDonald's launches #ReindeerReady campaign

The news comes following the launch of their limited-edition Millionaire’s Latte. McDonald’s has launched their #ReindeerReady campaign for the Christmas season. It includes a new TV ad, carrot snack Reindeer Treats, a new interactive Snapchat game and giveaways which include McCafe Keep Cups, Chicken McNugget baubles and Reindeer Christmas jumpers. Two weeks ago, the fast food giant launched the the Millionaire’s Latte that has a shot of espresso with steamed milk, a caramel biscuit flavour syrup, topped with a swirl of chocolate cream and a caramel drizzle.

LEON, Shakeaway launch seasonal menus

Both chains will showcase classic and new offerings.

Pub and restaurant groups' like-for-like sales up by 0.2% on October, study says

Results rose by 2.6% as compared to the same month last year. Britain’s pub and restaurant groups have gained a collective like-for-like sales growth of 0.2% in October, according to a report by Coffer Peach Business Tracker. However, restaurant sales saw a decline of 1.4% whereas pubs and bars went up by 0.6%. London is reported to have a like-for-like sales growth of 2.5% while outside the capital saw a 0.5% increase. Restaurant chains in the capital and outside London had a 0.9% increase and a 0.7% decrease respectively. “People are still going out to eat and drink, but there is little or no growth in the market – and stronger London trading is making up for poorer sales outside the M25,” said Phil Tate, chief executive of business insight consultancy CGA, said. “Restaurants saw volume sales, measured by covers, down 1.4% for the month – which is worrying, although spend has remained essentially static. But the really big problem for the sector, and restaurant brands in particular, is continuing fierce competition, added to the burden of increasing business costs that are squeezing both margins and profits.”  

Soho launches Brew Bar in Westfield with a new menu

The site offers prepared lunch choices, breakfast pastries, mini tarts, juices and smoothies. Soho has opened their Brew Bar concept in Westfield, London with a new look and new menu offerings last November 13. Aside from their classic coffee offerings, they added Nitro Cold Brew, Botanical Coffee & Tonic, and cold-brewed Apple and Rosebud & Mint tea over ice. Also included is their golden campagrain muffin that is composed of Scottish smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber. Their vegan brioche features tomato, roquito peppers and sweet potato.  

Greggs trials delivery services with Deliveroo in London

The food aggregator promises to deliver the chain’s items under 30 minutes. Greggs has announced that they have partnered with Deliveroo to trial delivery services in their Newcastle and Bristol stores in London. Customers can now order the bakery chain’s breakfast options, sandwiches, coffee, sausage rolls and salads through the delivery platform’s app and website. “We’ve been working on our delivery services over the past year and, following a successful trial in Birmingham, we’re excited to launch a Deliveroo trial for our customers in London. This will enable customers to enjoy our great tasting, good value food wherever they are, offering them the ultimate convenience,” Roger Whiteside, chief executive at Greggs, said. “Greggs is an icon of the British high street, so we know Deliveroo customers are going to love getting their favourite bakes and bites delivered to them in under 30 minutes,” Joe Groves, head of consumer communications at Deliveroo UK & Ireland, added.  

Papa John's launches new mobile app

The pizza chain said that this enables them to further encourage buying behaviour. Papa John’s has announced that they launched a new mobile app, aiming to make ordering more accessible and convenient. Customers will be able to see their record of previous orders and create their own pizzas. There will also be reward points given where they can redeem various offers. “Online orders have increased dramatically in the past few years. It is now important to ‘be where our customers are’ and so better mobile access means we are now more open for business than ever before,” Neil Swanston, senior manager for digital product, said. The chain also said that they are seeing higher conversion rates and increased sales volumes since launching the app. “The technology enables us to push marketing notifications and special offers plus information about new products to encourage buying behaviour which will feed into our sales strategy in both the short and long-term,” Swanston added.  

Tonkotsu to open new outlet in Ealing

This is their tenth opening in the UK. Tonkotsu has announced that they will be opening a new site in Dickens Yard, Ealing on December 1. The 50-cover store has two floors that both feature open kitchens as well as a bar top created from recycled chopsticks. “It’s staggering to think we’re opening our tenth site here – home to thousands of Japanese people and in the heart of a beautiful new development. Ealing is our most neighbourhood site to date, and there is already so much support for our arrival,” Ken Yamada, co-founder of the group, said.

Sustainability, convenience among focus of 2019 food and drink trends, study says

Consumers are demanding for better quality and service across the sector.

Migrant worker restriction to impact hospitality sector, UKHospitality warns

The trade body stressed that restricting potential applicants will be a “disaster” for the sector. Restricting migrant workers will likely impact businesses in the hospitality sector, UKHospitality has warned. The trade body is against the further consequences of restricting the number of migrant workers in the UK after non-UK-born workers decreased by 58,000 during April to June from the same period last year. Concerned with the shrinking numbers before Brexit, they stressed that the country’s low unemployment rate drives them to hire workers from other areas. “We have already voiced our concerns about the ability of employers to recruit post-Brexit, but the worrying reality is that numbers of non-UK workers are dwindling, and we haven’t even left the EU yet. If the talent pool continues to shrink, then businesses will be unable to invest and grow their businesses,” UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said. “Even more concerning for hospitality businesses is the Government’s intention to implement an immigration policy that favours higher-skilled technical jobs at the expense of others. Restricting potential applicants into the hospitality sector further, when the number of non-UK workers is already shrinking, will be a disaster for the sector.”  

Weekly Global News Wrap Up: Burger King's Whopper Shopper; Dunkin's coffee upgrades; second Nutella Cafe opens in New York City

Here is a summary of the most interesting QSR news stories of the week from around the world.