Today’s news in brief – 04/04/24

Food price inflation in hospitality is more than double the rate seen in the retail sector despite steady easing over the last 12 months, the CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index has revealed. In March 2023, the level of food inflation in hospitality and retail briefly converged at 19%. However, while inflation in retail as measured by the Consumer Price Index has eased since then to 5%, wholesale price inflation for hospitality operators has only fallen to 12%. 

Starbucks UK will open an additional 100 new sites in FY24, as total revenues rose 21.9% to £547.7m for the year to 1 October 2023. This comes as the group has reached its target to open more than 100 stores during FY23. In addition, Starbucks invested in Drive Thru stores and digital channels, and improved its loyalty programme, which saw a 100% increase in 90-day active membership going from 600k to 1.2m. 

Gecko Hospitality has expanded into the UK through franchising. With over two decades of experience in providing hospitality recruitment services, the company is now poised to bring its services and opportunities to aspiring entrepreneurs and hospitality professionals in the UK.

The benefits of displaying calorie information on menus does not outweigh the risks, according to a new report from Public Health Scotland. As a result, the body has warned Scottish hospitality businesses against using the practice. The report also cited the potential harm the policy could inflict on those in recovery as a result of the “triggering effects of calorie information”. Mitigations, such as only providing calorie information on request or via QR code, were also suggested in the report.