news
New series to highlight
struggling businesses
Hospitality operators finding it difficult to
survive in the current economic climate
are being sought for a new television
series. Independent TV production company Twofour Broadcast is looking for people worried about the future of their business to take part in an as-yet unnamed
programme. Participants will detail the difficulties they have faced, and will also be
offered advice from the company's experienced business advisor.
Raymond Blanc offers
new apprenticeships
Raymond Blanc and London Mayor Boris
Johnson have called on the capital's
hospitality sectors to take on more
apprentices. The news came as Brasserie
Blanc announced that it was taking on 21
new apprentices, aged 16-19, across the
UK. Blanc believes that, "it is vital that
the restaurants and hospitality sector has
home-grown talent to develop the necessary skills for the future."
Skilled chefs
on migration
shortlist
The UK’s thriving specialist
world cuisine restaurant sector appears to have received
good news as the Home
Office has been advised to keep skilled
chefs on the Shortage Occupation List.
This move will allow restaurateurs to
continue to employ non-EU chefs.
The report passed to the government
suggests that leading chefs with more
than five years’ experience should still
be considered in shortage as long as
they are being brought into the country
to work in non-takeaway or fast food
restaurants.
The Migration Advisory Committee has
been asked to review occupations considered to be in short supply within the
UK. Currently, employers are only able
to hire chefs from outside the European
Economic Community because of their
position on the list. A growing concern
was that chefs would be removed from
the list, putting the future growth of various restaurant brands in severe doubt.
MAC has announced it is advising the
UK Border Agency to keep the following occupations on the list: executive
chefs, head chefs, sous chefs and specialist chefs. It is expected the Home
Office will back MAC and make an
announcement by this summer.
The ethnic restaurant sector is one to
gain from this, as the removal of many
occupations from the list has essentially halted all migration of non-EU personnel travelling to work in many other
sectors.
BHA's new marketing
and sales director
The British Hospitality Association has
appointed Grace Chung as its first marketing and sales director. Chung, excited for her
new role, said: “Our corporate partners such
as Coca-Cola, E.ON Energy Solutions, Nestlé
Professional and DLA Piper provide members with a wide range of benefits and I will
be looking at how we can extend these benefits to even more members to save them
money and valuable time.”
51 Buckingham Gate's
new general manager
51 Buckingham Gate, Taj Suites and Residences has announced the appointment of
Digvijay Singh as new general manager.
Singh will replace Prabhat Verma, who will
take up the role of chief operating officer of
the Gateway Hotel Division of the Taj group.
Singh has been with the Taj group for 18
years, and is “delighted to join the Taj London team of accomplished hoteliers who
have enhanced a unique brand through its
guest-centricity."
Wetherspoon’s to open
first motorway pub
JD Wetherspoon looks set to open its first pub
in a motorway service station within the next
six to seven months. Founder Tim Martin predicted the group's climbing sales would make
this move a success. "These days in our new
pubs, 35-60% of our sales are food, coffee
and tea. It is not too extravagant a move to go
to that sort of position and we are obviously
on a lot of roads around the country already,"
Martin said. The motorway pub is expected to
serve alcohol, as in any Wetherspoon's.
June / July 2013 T A N D O O R I
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