Local discovery engine LivingSocial UK & IE has released its 2015 report into local restaurants across the UK and Ireland. Questioning diners across 16 cities on a range of topics from restaurant choice and alcohol consumption, to tipping and average spend, the report offers in-depth insight into diners’ attitudes and behaviours. Average price diners willing to … [Read more...]
Boom in speciality coffee outperforming UK coffee market
The nation’s coffee scene is radically transforming, due to a burgeoning wave of independent coffee businesses hungry to innovate and challenge existing standards of quality, taste and service. A new report published 24 August by Allegra World Coffee Portal and titled The Future of Coffee finds that Britain’s Third Wave coffee artisans are bringing high quality speciality … [Read more...]
First Chinese hot pot restaurant to open in London
This November will see the launch of London’s first specialist Chinese hot pot restaurant, Shuang Shuang, which will open in Chinatown at 64 Shaftesbury Avenue. Hot pot is a dish with over 1,000 years of Chinese history, thought to have originated in Mongolia before spreading to China during the Tang Dynasty. It comprises a generous pot of simmering stock, traditionally … [Read more...]
Diners demand more meat-free dishes this Christmas
Caterers are being urged to give more prominence to vegetarian dishes on Christmas menus as research reveals over half of diners feel there is a lack of choice when it comes to eating out over the festive period. The independent research, commissioned by Vegetarian Express – the UK's premier specialist distributor of vegetarian and vegan ingredients – reveals that 54% of … [Read more...]
Does a Chef’s Personality alter a Consumer’s Palate?
Can chefs curry favour with diners? Can hardboiled consumers be sweetened with some gourmet chatter? These are some questions answered in a study conducted by CatchOn, a Hong Kong-based strategic consultancy specializing in hospitality. The study invited 48 diners to Serge et le Phoque, a restaurant in Wanchai in Hong Kong, under the pretext that they were taking part in a … [Read more...]