Catering finance case study

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Dating back to the 15th century, The White Lodge originally stood as a coaching inn for travellers and their horses on the commute between Norwich and London. The Grade II building was passed through various owners before eventually closing in 2014, in need of some desperate renovation and TLC. Keen to restore the unique building to its prime condition, Enterprise Inns approached Grahame and Victoria MacDonald to become The White Lodge’s new proprietors.

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Although The Round O is a relatively new venture for Stuart and Lindsay, the couple are certainly no strangers to the chippy trade. In 1988, Stuart followed in family footsteps, and purchased the North Street Chip Shop in Forfar. He later became Scottish Regional Director of the NFFF (National Federation of Fish Friers), and runs several of their initiatives in his business. Before the grand re-opening of the Round O in April, the shop underwent a three-week refurbishment and modernisation process.

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L&L Bros Ltd was established in 2013, when the brothers embarked on a long life-changing trip across Northern and Central Italy to discover the food of their homeland. It was there that they mastered the art of making the perfect meatball, and experienced flawless Italian hospitality. The duo returned to the UK with the intention of opening their own business, keeping their new skills and values at the core of their practice.

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This week saw the very first trade expo specifically dedicated to the commercial kitchen industry; The Commercial Kitchen Show, supported by CEDA. The brilliant new event was hosted at Birmingham’s NEC, attracting 80 different exhibitors and hundreds of visitors. We sent Mark, Ian and David along to see what all the fuss was about…
The event had an incredible seminar programme, kicking off on Tuesday morning with an incredible panel of industry experts, discussing the real factors responsible for driving up the costs of the kitchen, and offering best practice tips to combat the hidden expense. The debate was followed by seminars from a range of different roles within the sector, including speakers Clare Nicholls (Editor of Catering Insight), Matt Rowlands (Director at CEDA), Peter Woods (Exec Head Chef of London’s Corinthia) and many, many more.

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The decline of the traditional pub is a growing concern for many operators in the industry, after The British Beer and Pub Association revealed last year that up to 29 pubs close every week in the UK. The BBPA attributed this decline to high beer tax, competition from supermarkets selling cheaper alcohol, and an ever-changing demographic.
The Crown in Hawk Green is just one example of how a pub has successfully adapted to survive and thrive in these circumstances. Operators, Simon and Claire Hood, took a new direction with their business, venturing down the gastro-pub route to reinstate great quality food and drink at the heart of the trade.

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Chocolate and Peanut Butter and Banoffee are just two of the mouth-watering recipes available from My Cookie Dough. The new chain of kiosks currently have bases in large shopping centres across the UK; Cardiff St. David’s, Birmingham’s Bullring and most recently, Leeds’ Trinity. If the menu of weird and wonderful creations doesn’t tempt you on your shopping spree then the smells of the freshly-baked dough will!
Cardiff’s kiosk in St. David’s shopping centre has recently just celebrated its first birthday, and despite opening up two more sites within the year, plans to expand the empire don’t stop there.  My Cookie Dough has received interest from other shopping centres in the UK, in London, Manchester and Glasgow- and no wonder! Across all three existing sites, My Cookie Dough has sold a total of 70,000 dough recipes alone since opening.

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Front-of-house, Charles, and head chef, Adam, make up the entrepreneurial partnership behind Palmyra Square’s new Spanish-themed Tapas and Wine Bar, Las Ramblas, in Warrington. Now, six months since the new restaurant opened its doors to the public, the business is booming, attracting a full-house most evenings. We’re delighted they turned to Johnson Reed for their catering finance needs.
The duo have a wealth of experience from their previous business ventures in the catering and hospitality sectors. Head chef & partner Adam, has previously worked with a North West chain of pubs owned by The Almond Family, long-term and highly valued Johnson Reed customers. Also at the Chester Grove North and for Michael Cain at Manchester’s Abode.

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For over 15 years Johnson Reed have been helping our suppliers to grow and do more business. We are not content with just simply processing finance; we want to actively help them secure their orders.
Through our “Just Lease It” business plan we support our suppliers with dedicated account managers for each sector. We also offer a single point of contact from the initial enquiry to final payout, which increases the speed of acceptance and provides a smooth, easy transaction.

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Johnson Reed will be meeting up with the key decision makers in the Hospitality Industry for the annual Catering Equipment Distribution Association (CEDA) conference in Oxfordshire.
Our Managing Director Mark Johnson, National Accounts Manager Dave Gadsden and Lease Manager Ian Gage will be networking with top consultants, distributors, representatives and manufacturers over the two-day event.

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Brand new, on-the-go desert brand My Cookie Dough has opened its first site at St. David’s shopping centre in Cardiff. The business offers their freshly baked cookie dough with a choice of toppings that are made order, along with fresh milkshakes made with ice cream and much more.
Their open plan layout means the customers can watch their products being made and have the unique option to collect loyalty points by the use of the fingerprint scanner.