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As London and other cities around the country prepare for another night of rioting, many pubs and restaurants are tweeting that they plan to close tonight. Already, several restaurants in London and beyond have come under attack from rioters , including the Ledbury in Notting Hill, where several diners...
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I just spotted a tweet by @thepubgeek that said there's a pub in St Leonard's and a bar in Hastings that have been allowing smoking inside over the last couple of days. While I completely sympathise with smokers not wanting to get their hands cold while they feed their habit, Is it really wise...
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I've just seen on twitter that this week is London Cocktail Week. What's the secret to making a great cocktail? What's your favourite cocktail and why? My favourite has got to be the Lycee martini I was very lucky to have at the Swissotel The Stamford in Singapore and in London, I have had...
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Tonight's the night. The nation has gone to the polls, and in the coming 24 hours we'll discover the political make-up of the new Government. Are you staying open late to allow guests to watch the results roll in over a beer or a bite to eat? Are you laying on election-themed cocktails or nibbles...
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I would say that the design, decor and offering of your business need to match your target clientele. A canny marketeer once told me about a trip she took to a wine bar she was doing some consultancy for. "What's your target market?" she asked the owner. "Ladies who lunch, and want...
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Radio 4's resident Rottweiler John Humphrys has been out on the streets of his native Cardiff in a special report for the Today programme on binge drinking. The report painted a pretty gloomy picture of the way young people - men and women - drink in pubs. While he didn't come to any firm conclusions...
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Aaah, mad, magnificent Tom Waits. Any bar he namechecks is a-okay in my book. Me? I'd like a sharpener in the bar he describes in The Piano has Been Drinking: The piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep And the combo went back to New York, the jukebox has to take a leak And the carpet needs...
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In late 2004, Caterer and Hotelkeeper polled more than a thousand hospitality professionals for their views on the effects of smoking in the workplace. The poll revealed that 95% of respondents said they believed working in a smoky atmosphere damaged their health; and that more than half, 57%, had already...
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Richard, Earl of Bradford, proprietor of Porters English Restaurant in Covent Garden and vice chairman of the Restaurant Association, has emailed to point out the loss of trade caused by the government's decision to hold last week's G20 summit in London: "If Gordon Brown was really serious...