Today’s news in brief 23/09/24

RedCat will be investing £8m in its portfolio of pubs across the next six to 12 months. The programme will focus on team training and upskilling, service, renovating the buildings and improving the offer of food, drink, rooms and entertainment. The company has already completed five projects.

Manchester Airport will be enhancing its F&B offering as part of the final phase of its £1.3bn Terminal 2 transformation. The line-up of food and beverage outlets will include The Great Northern Market, a new JD Wetherspoon pub, a Joe and the Juice and Greggs, as well as an extension to the Amber Alehouse by Salford brewery Seven Brothers. 

Stonegate Group has partnered with Reef, an app for remote workers, to offer more than 700 of its venues as flexible, laptop-friendly workspaces. According to recent studies, nearly 40% of UK employees now work from home at least part of the week, and 78% report an improved work-life balance due to remote working. 

Chef Sam Lomas’ debut restaurant Briar has opened in Somerset at Number One Bruton. Briar is a “neighbourhood restaurant”, with a menu that celebrates hyper-local produce, foraged ingredients and is dictated by the growing seasons of the kitchen garden – serving a daily changing blackboard menu of small plates, snacks, sharing dishes and puddings.