Scottish catering and hospitality news in Scotland

The annual Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland's Christmas party raised over £8,500 at Glasgow's Crowne Plaza Hotel on 5th December.

All money raised will be put towards the charity's bursary and scholarship programmes, to encourage young people and individuals looking to develop their careers.
HIT Scotland's next event, the Emerging Talent Conference, takes place on 11th February at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow.

Visit www.hitscotland.org for more information.

Revenue and occupancy levels in Scottish hotels fell in October, albeit at a lower rate than in the rest of the UK, according to PKF Accountants. During October, rooms yield in Scotland fell by 4.2%compared to a UK fall of 6.5%. Meanwhile, occupancy levels fell by 3.7% compared to a fall of 5.2% for the UK as a whole. The rate of decline in both occupancy and rooms yield appears to be slowing in Scotland over the third quarter of the year.

However, whilst all three of Scotland's main cities experienced falls in occupancy, Aberdeen's hotels managed an increase of 3.3% in rooms yield during October.

Alastair Rae, a partner at PKF, explains: 'Given the difficult economic times we live in, this drop in occupancy and rooms yield for Scottish hotels is perhaps better than might have been expected.
'Indeed, Aberdeen hoteliers are showing considerable resilience in being able to increase their rooms yield at a time of declining occupancy, indicating that there are still revenues to be made in this difficult market.'

Aside from hunger and a constant need for shelter, muscular problems also continue to inflict pain on Edinburgh's homeless population.

Now, StreetSmart Physio, part of the Streetsmart organisation which works in partnership with the restaurant industry to raise funds for homeless charities, has been launched to provide physiotherapy treatments to the capital's homeless citizens.

A team of qualified physiotherapists have set up a voluntary clinic within a homeless hostel while aiming to provide an outreach street service.

Rosalind Johnstone, Director of StreetSmart Physio, introduced the idea after she identified a need for a dedicated physiotherapy service for the homeless in Edinburgh:

'Homeless individuals are particularly vulnerable to physical and mental ill health as a result of factors such as sleeping rough, poor diet, drug and alcohol addiction and violent crime,' she says.

Martin Irons, who manages StreetSmart Scotland, said: 'StreetSmart is committed to providing funds to local Edinburgh charities which address the problems associated with homelessness to bring about real change. It's about much more than simply providing food and shelter.
'I have been impressed by Rosalind's energy, compassion and commitment to this cause, and these values will be at the foundation of StreetSmart Physio.'

StreetSmart Edinburgh has enabled restaurants to raise over £150,000 since its launched in 1998. The organisation benefits from the support of over 80 leading restaurants, including The Atrium and Blue, Restaurant Martin Wishart, The Kitchin, The Witchery Group, Montpeliers and Harvey Nichols.

www.streetsmart.org.uk

Masterchef: The Professionals is searching for the best young professional chefs in the UK for one of the toughest cooking competitions on TV.

The competition aims to find a culinary genius in the making by testing skill, commitment and ability to cook the very best food at the highest end of the culinary spectrum.

Prospective competitors should:

-Be aged 20 or above by February 1st 2009
-Be a resident of the UK (including Northern Ireland and Channel Islands)
-Have at least two years' experience as a chef in a professional kitchen and/or have passed their NVQ level 3, or their 706/1 and 706/2 or equivalent. Northern Ireland must have NTCB Certificate in Professional Cookery

If you are a focused and driven professional chef who believes you have what it takes to achieve world-class excellence, visit www.masterchef.tv or call 0871 210 8882.

Restaurants, pubs and fast-food outlets need to tempt consumers with discounts, set-price meals and value-added offers to boost footfall during quiet periods in the run-up to Christmas, according to market analyst Peter Backman of Horizons.

Backman warned that as the public gets used to sales and discounts on the high street they are becoming reluctant to pay full price for anything, including meals out: 'Almost every non-food retailer on the high street has slashed prices to encourage consumers to spend,' he says. 'Restaurants, pubs and fast-food outlets have to do the same to raise throughput of customers at quiet times.

'Consumers now have a massive amount of choice when it comes to eating out. Pubs and restaurants have all raised their game and are competing for the same consumers. Clever operators are now offering discounts that encourage people through the door.'

Last week Pizza Hut announced a VAT-free weekend, while Whitbread is passing on the VAT reduction to customers by cutting prices across its Premier Inn, Costa coffee and restaurant brands Beefeater and Brewers Fayre.