The Americas
Marsia Taha Mohamed is winner of Latin America’s Best Female Chef Award 2024
The former head chef of Gustu and co-founder of Sabores Silvestres, Marsia Taha Mohamed, has been announced as the winner of Latin America’s Best Female Chef 2024. The Bolivian advocates for greater understanding and preservation of Bolivia’s food heritage and is preparing to open her own restaurant, Arami, imminently. She will be presented with the trophy at Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 awards ceremony on 26 November, held for the second time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Taha headed up the kitchen at Gustu since 2013. It was co-founded by renowned restaurateur Claus Meyer, one of her mentors, who also co-founded legendary restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. Gustu has won the award for The Best Restaurant in Bolivia at Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, numerous times, and currently ranks at No.23 in the 2023 list.
Marsia Taha Mohamed
McDonald’s USA helps communities in the Southeast impacted by Hurricane Helene
McDonald’s USA has written to its employees this week, via its McDonald’s USA System to “thank every person who has mobilized in recent days to support crew, owner/operators and our local communities” since the impact of Hurricane Helene in the US. In particular, the chain wanted to thank “owner/operators across the Atlanta, Bethesda, Columbus, and Nashville Field Offices who have stepped up in major ways to help with meal deliveries to local communities and collect relief funds for employees.”
McDonald’s Corporation announced that employee relief funds have been activated in the region to provide grants to impacted restaurant employees, while it also donated $1 million to the American Red Cross and Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves communities in times of disaster and crises. “These funds will support both organizations’ efforts to provide critical on-the-ground relief in response to Hurricane Helene and other disasters that may emerge,” it said in a statement.
Asia Pacific
JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group announces findings of inaugural 2024 Pubs Investor Sentiment Survey
JLL Hotels and Hospitality Group, rhe asset manager of 146 hotels with approximately 37,000 rooms valued at more than $10 billion, has released the findings of its inaugural Pubs Investor Sentiment Survey for 2024. In findings concurrent with the recent uplift in market movement, the survey revealed that two-thirds of the respondents expressed interest in purchasing a pub asset within the next 24 months. However, 83% of respondents cited finding the right opportunity was highlighted as the biggest hurdle in securing new acquisitions.
Only 19% of respondents showed interest in selling a pub in the next 18 months, with more than half (53%) feeling “neutral” regarding selling. Those that are, are largely doing so as a form of capital recycling (25%.
“We are certainly seeing deal flow and transaction momentum building in the market as we head towards the final months of the year. In the last 8 weeks our national team has sold close to $300m of assets which shines a light on the ‘dry power’ which has been sitting on the sidelines,” said JLL Hotels executive director Ben McDonald.
KFC Singapore’s new marketing director announces tech-focused strategy
In an interview with QSR Media Asia, Jaslyn Lam, KFC Singapore’s new marketing director, has will focus on enhancing brand development, improving operational efficiency, and driving business growth. According to Lam, this refers to leveraging technology and committing to enhancing the omnichannel experience for the brand’s customers.
“The massive transformation in the QSR sector has been driven primarily by digital disruption, and technology will continue to be a key growth driver for us,” she told the website. “For example, the shift to mobile ordering, and reliance on delivery apps have changed consumers’ mindset of what fast food is and shifted the focus to convenience. Technology, with the use of data and analytics, has also created more opportunities for hyper-personalisation and developing deeper relationships with customers, versus mass-market campaigns with a one-size-fits-all messaging,” she added.
Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA)
85% of UK hospitality employees report they have experienced poor mental health in last 12 months
Ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10th October, Planday – the shift planning software by Xero – has released survey results surrounding mental health in the UK hospitality industry and why staff retention is so low. Key findings include 85% of hospitality employees reporting they have experienced poor mental health in the last 12 months, while 67% stated having more notice of shift patterns would improve their life.
The survey results – dissecting the habits and work priorities of over 2,000 UK shift workers – were turned into a white paper report in association with The Burnt Chef Project. Off the back of these learnings, Planday launched The Single Biggest Shift campaign, promoting actionable solutions to the hospitality employment crisis and creating happier, healthier teams who are more likely to stay in the industry for longer.
TGI Fridays in the UK secured following successful sale. 2,000+ jobs saved
TGI Fridays he original American cocktail bar and restaurant, has been acquired by Breal Capital and Calveton UK following completion of a successful sale process through its acquisition vehicle Liberty Bar and Restaurant Group Limited.
The deal announced on 7 October will see TGI Fridays continue to operate across the UK and serve its millions of loyal guests. The sale, which is based on 51 restaurants, should secure the future of more than 2,000 jobs across those restaurants. The brand is hopeful it will be able to secure further locations following discussions with the landlords. Julie McEwan, chief executive of TGI Fridays UK, said: “The news today marks the start of a positive future for our business following a very challenging period for the casual dining sector as a whole. We look to the future with confidence that the TGI Fridays brand will continue to attract loyal and new guests.”
Michael Jones
