Latest news with #supportlocal
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cheap Eats: Top chef on why Rick Stein is the 'real deal' and how you should complain
Every week, our Money team interviews top chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks, views on the industry and more. Today, they speak to the co-founder of Genuine Restaurants Group, Sam Harrison... My favourite cheap eat is... Burnt on Askew Road in Shepherd's Bush, west London - it's a great spot for brunch or lunch. I can have breakfast and a coffee or a stunning sandwich and juice for lunch for under £15. It is independently owned and the owners work really hard. It's exactly the sort of place we should be supporting. I will always have a weakness for Pizza Express... I think it goes back to my childhood and how long the brand has been around. When I order an American Hot pizza, I know exactly what I'm going to get. We serve complimentary filtered still and sparkling water... as I think a lot of people are tired of being forced to drink expensive mineral water and then charged for service on top. It is very important for guests to say there and then if they are unhappy... or would like something changed. Mistakes can happen and any good restaurant will want to get it right there and then. I fully understand some people find it awkward or embarrassing to say anything, so restaurants should make it very easy and comfortable for them. It is about caring for your guests. Google reviews are very important but... there is nothing to stop false reviews. We have had reviews posted that weren't even for our restaurant and getting them removed is almost impossible. You have to work and strive every day to be the very best you can to survive in hospitality in 2025... It is as simple as that. A lot of restaurants are closing and more will. Those who deserve to will survive, but it's tough at the moment for everyone. If I were prime minister for the day... I'd lower VAT for a start, and also I'd want to open up the flow of workforce to make it easier to recruit and retain staff. I'd also look at tax incentives for entrepreneurs to help support businesses to grow and thrive. Each time we open somewhere new, we create jobs and boost the local economy and the government needs to support this and to make the reward more proportional to the risk. Rick Stein is... the real deal. Rick and his ex-wife Jill taught me almost everything I know about running restaurants. Every day they showed me the importance of hard work and how it never stops. If you want to be the best, then you have to be setting standards day in and day out. Obviously Rick is famous as a chef, but he is also a brilliant people person - he just really gets people. Rick and Jill always put their guests first, as all hospitality owners should. One thing I hate customers doing is when they... click their fingers… yes, it is still a thing. A good restaurant should have good wines at all levels and all price points... I am very proud of our house wine at £29, but I think the more expensive wines do reflect even better quality. More Cheap Eats: I like restaurants where the mobile reception doesn't work... It's fun to take photos to remember the occasion, but it's nice to see diners enjoying each other's company and chatting without a phone in sight too. Customers eat out a lot more now... and have so much choice in terms of restaurants and also delivery. So you have to work harder than ever to win them over as regulars. But I think that is a good thing. On the whole, we are very lucky because we have incredible guests who have been coming to my places for 20 years. They must like what we do!
Sky News
6 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Cheap Eats: Top chef on why Rick Stein is the 'real deal' and how you should complain
Every week, our Money team interviews top chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks, views on the industry and more. Today, they speak to the co-founder of Genuine Restaurants Group, Sam Harrison... My favourite cheap eat is... Burnt on Askew Road in Shepherd's Bush, west London - it's a great spot for brunch or lunch. I can have breakfast and a coffee or a stunning sandwich and juice for lunch for under £15. It is independently owned and the owners work really hard. It's exactly the sort of place we should be supporting. I will always have a weakness for Pizza Express... I think it goes back to my childhood and how long the brand has been around. When I order an American Hot pizza, I know exactly what I'm going to get. We serve complimentary filtered still and sparkling water... as I think a lot of people are tired of being forced to drink expensive mineral water and then charged for service on top. It is very important for guests to say there and then if they are unhappy... or would like something changed. Mistakes can happen and any good restaurant will want to get it right there and then. I fully understand some people find it awkward or embarrassing to say anything, so restaurants should make it very easy and comfortable for them. It is about caring for your guests. Google reviews are very important but... there is nothing to stop false reviews. We have had reviews posted that weren't even for our restaurant and getting them removed is almost impossible. You have to work and strive every day to be the very best you can to survive in hospitality in 2025... It is as simple as that. A lot of restaurants are closing and more will. Those who deserve to will survive, but it's tough at the moment for everyone. If I were prime minister for the day... I'd lower VAT for a start, and also I'd want to open up the flow of workforce to make it easier to recruit and retain staff. I'd also look at tax incentives for entrepreneurs to help support businesses to grow and thrive. Each time we open somewhere new, we create jobs and boost the local economy and the government needs to support this and to make the reward more proportional to the risk. Rick Stein is... the real deal. Rick and his ex-wife Jill taught me almost everything I know about running restaurants. Every day they showed me the importance of hard work and how it never stops. If you want to be the best, then you have to be setting standards day in and day out. Obviously Rick is famous as a chef, but he is also a brilliant people person - he just really gets people. Rick and Jill always put their guests first, as all hospitality owners should. One thing I hate customers doing is when they... click their fingers… yes, it is still a thing. A good restaurant should have good wines at all levels and all price points... I am very proud of our house wine at £29, but I think the more expensive wines do reflect even better quality. I like restaurants where the mobile reception doesn't work... It's fun to take photos to remember the occasion, but it's nice to see diners enjoying each other's company and chatting without a phone in sight too. Customers eat out a lot more now... and have so much choice in terms of restaurants and also delivery. So you have to work harder than ever to win them over as regulars. But I think that is a good thing. On the whole, we are very lucky because we have incredible guests who have been coming to my places for 20 years. They must like what we do!
News.com.au
02-08-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Locavores: IGA owner's local produce initiative
A fresh food movement is currently sweeping Aussie supermarkets with its founder focused on sharing the homegrown message with shoppers. Locavore's is a fresh produce initiative aimed at 'shortening the distance between plate and paddock' by giving local producers shelf space in nearby supermarkets. It was founded by Roz White, who owns six IGAs across Queensland's Sunshine Coast and wanted to use her reach to support the local industries. 'We've been practising locavorism for many decades, which basically means we're just buying local products and produce from a local region,' she told NewsWire. Ms White came across the 'locavore' term on Wikipedia and created a program around it to 'showcase all of our fabulous, talented, diverse, unique, beautiful, bespoke, handcrafted products from within a 200km radius'. 'We bring all those products and the producers into our stores through the locavore program and their products are identified in store with a tractor emblem, which is the locavore little tractor. 'It's got whites on it and 'supporting local producers,' 'join the locavores'. That helps our customers to identify local products, where the origins of the fresh food comes from and the story behind it.' Ms White said after seeing first hand the work that goes into making our produce she wanted to celebrate the families who were responsible for it. 'I grew up on the land. I'm a farm girl, farmer's daughter, a primary producer's daughter. I grew up on a farm with cattle and agriculture,' she said. 'I just have a great respect for food and where our food comes from. Seeing first-hand the hard work, that goes into producing it and the blood, sweat, and tears, the highs and lows and the droughts and the good times and bad times. 'That had a big influence on being able to recognise (local work), bringing it into the store and celebrating the families who create our food that we enjoy.' Ms White has been running the initiative for 13 years, with some local suppliers going on to become multimillion-dollar brands after getting their start in Roz's stores. However, not content to rest on her laurels Ms White has set the ambitious new goal of growing the number of local suppliers to 200 by the end of the year. 'It's important to a lot of people. There are conscious and mindful shoppers and this is for the conscious and mindful shopper, but it's also about inspiring and igniting interest and engagement of other people that's sort of bringing them in because people do really care about where their food comes from and people care about our planet,' she said. 'If they can enjoy something that is quality freshness, that is good for the planet and good for the community, I am finding that there are more and more and more people that want to be a part of that.' The renowned Mooloolaba prawns are among personal favourites, however, Ms White says just because it's local doesn't mean it'll be any more expensive than supermarket standards. 'There's so much here to enjoy. It's particularly the fresh produce, the lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, pineapples, strawberries, avocados, it's truly endless. I can walk in and I go, 'yep, that's local, local, local'. I don't even need a sign because I know where it all comes from,' she said. 'Don't be hoodwinked into thinking that you can just walk into a store and get a product that's cheap just because that's what they're known for. 'Think about the taste, think about the quality and freshness of that product that's going to last longer in your fridge and think about the enjoyment of being able to nourish your family and nourish another family at the same time when you're having that.'
CBC
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Abbotsford Berry Festival celebrates 42 years of farming heritage
Abbotsford Berry Festival celebrates 42 years of farming heritage News Duration 2:09 The City of Abbotsford is marking 42 years of the annual Berry Festival. The street festival celebrates the city's deep-roots of farming tradition. As CBC's Baneet Braich reports, community members say the event highlights the growing importance of supporting local growers.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Majority of Canadians plan on travelling domestically this summer: survey
The majority of Canadians plan to travel across their home country and support local businesses this summer, according to a new survey by TD Bank Group. The survey, which was conducted by The Harris Poll Canada in May, found that 89 per cent of Canadians feel it's important to support small businesses this summer. Sixty-four per cent of survey respondents plan to travel within Canada in the coming months. 'It's particularly welcome news, as many of our small business customers have been concerned about consumer spending slowing down,' said Julia Kelly, vice president of small business banking at TD, in a news release. The survey says 63 per cent of Canadians will research shops, restaurants and attractions at their destinations before going there. Trips to cottages seem to be on the upswing as 46 per cent of Gen Z and 42 per cent of Millennials planning on visiting cottage country this summer. The survey randomly selected 1,531 adults. More to come…
