CEO Rufus Hall selects Managers to visit Orchid's Project Fair charity initiative in Cape Town through a live draw:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_jA3FbNRUQ

Those selected are:

Dean from The Salt Cellar, Middlewich

Ann & George from The Hare & Hounds, Lowton

Mick from BRB The Junction, London

Tony from The Station, Guiseley

The Living Room restaurant and bar brand is getting a refurbishment across all 13 venues around the UK.

The exciting new look will retain The Living Room’s classic elegance but bring it up to date with a new lighter, brighter feel featuring the latest design trends.  The refurbishments are a key part of the continuing brand evolution to reinstate The Living Room at the forefront of the high street dining and drinking market. The investment follows its acquisition by the Orchid Group, as part of the takeover of Premium Bars and Restaurants at the end of 2009.

The Orchid Group is investing £100k a year in a new scheme designed to ensure that the hospitality offered in its food led businesses is the very best in the industry.

Since the company was founded in 2006, offering exceptional hospitality has always been at the heart of Orchid’s long term strategy.  As measures to address the UK’s financial problems hit consumer spending power, and ahead of the VAT increase in January 2011, Orchid will, now more than ever, focus on exceeding customer expectation.

The Orchid Group will raise funds to tackle male cancer after the pub group’s employees voted in an online poll to select the national charity the business will support for 2010.

After a close-run vote, Orchid’s people have overwhelmingly (26% of the vote) chosen to support a cancer charity which shares the company name.  Orchid Cancercare (www.orchid-cancer.org.uk) funds pioneering research and promotes awareness of male cancers which claim thousands of lives a year, including testicular, prostate and penile cancers.

The online poll was set up by Orchid and opened up to all employees, from kitchen porters and glass collector’s right through to the senior management team.  More than 1200 people voted in the online poll.

Rufus Hall has ranked at number 65 on Caterer Magazine’s ‘Power List’ of the 100 most influential people in the hospitality industry. You can find out more at www.caterersearch.com.

Restaurant Magazine has listed Orchid at number 3 in their Restaurant 200 club (www.bighospitality.co.uk/default.aspx?page=r200).  This well respected list ranks the biggest 200 operators in the industry.

Orchid goes from strength to strength

The Orchid Group has announced a 2.7% increase in like-for-like sales for the 14 weeks to 5^th June across all its trading pubs and restaurants*.

Orchid, which intends to aggressively increase its number of food led businesses, saw like-for-like food sales rise 5.5% and drink sales 0.6% over the period.  The company has also seen an increase in gross margins, re-affirming their decision not to enter into a strategy of deep discounting.    

Orchid’s Free House pubs saw over 175% like-for-like sales growth on Wednesday's England vs Slovenia Match.

Fresh Dining (Carveries and Dragons) saw over 40% like-for-like sales growth showing people want to eat and watch the match in nice surroundings.

How the Emergency Budget will affect UK pubs:

“No further duty increase and a reversal of the duty on cider has been welcomed by The Orchid Group.  The green shoots of recovery we and our sector are starting to experience should now, we hope, continue.  However, Orchid is strongly against the VAT increase from 17.5% to 20% which will be imposed on January 4th 2011.  Our recovery is fragile and the increase of 6p a pint in Jan 2011, followed by a CPI +2% in March 2011 (another circa 6-8p on a pint) could dramatically damage our recovery.”

Bringing the spirit of the World Cup to kids in South Africa

Orchid Group CEO, Rufus Hall, has this morning returned from South Africa where he visited the Orlando Children’s Home, an Orphanage in Soweto, Johannesburg.

As part of the Orchid Group’s Project Fair Play charity initiative, Rufus spent time with the children and handed out dozens of football shirts, all kindly donated by the British public.  He also took with him footballs and football boots as well as World Cup teddies for the toddlers.

Visitors to a Southend local will feel like they are pitch-side after the landlord Mark Wenn has turfed the entire pub!

The Parson’s Barn, one of Southend’s oldest pubs, now has wall-to-wall grass as a tribute to the start of this year’s World Cup.

The Living Room has launched its exciting new summer menu.  Packed full of seasonally inspired dishes, the new menu takes on board customer feedback and offers a wider range of dishes than ever before.

The launch is part of the continuing evolution of The Living Room brand under the Orchid Group, which acquired the business through its takeover of the Premium Bars & Restaurants operation at the end of 2009.

A toast to Sex & The City 2!

The Sex & The City girls will be right at home at The Living Room with its delectable new summer cocktail menu.  Carrie & Co’s favourite ‘the Cosmopolitan’ remains but is joined by new creations including ‘Mexican Rose’, ‘Blackberry Sidecar’ and the ‘Kokonut Daiquiri’ amongst other delights. 

Coinciding with the long awaited movie sequel, the bar and restaurant brand has revamped its drinks menu to feature a tempting range of more than 90 classic and contemporary cocktails.

The Orchid Group is stepping up its acquisition programme after strong quarter one sales across Orchid’s 292 pubs further demonstrating the success of the Orchid model - great individual pubs backed by a strong management team. 

Previously called 'The Red Lion', the pub is in the heart of Kidlington located on Oxford Road.  Landlords Adam & Emma made the move in support of Fabio’s favourites and to back England’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Orchid has announced a brand new line up of spirits on the back bar of its 292 pubs, clubs and restaurants.

This new pouring deal, which encompasses all of the major spirits categories, sees Russian Standard vodka line up alongside Beefeater gin and The Famous Grouse whisky in a bold move to re-invigorate the spirits category.

Rufus Hall appeared on BBC's Working Lunch programme today.

Quick to follow were press articles including the link below from the Morning Advertiser: http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/87000

The Living Room bar and restaurant brand has launched an ambitious plan to broaden its customer appeal and build market share in the intensely competitive town centre food and drink market.

The brand-building strategy has been activated following in-depth detailed market research.

Orchid pubs are turning the UK footie mad in the run up to this year’s World Cup, with the help of well known faces including Justin Lee Collins and Bianca Gascoigne.

Each pub has signed up for ‘Project Fair Play’ a football themed charity campaign that embraces the passion for football that exists amongst locals in pubs up and down the country.

Vedett Extra Blond available on draught in UK exclusive

Customers at The Living Room will be the first UK beer drinkers to enjoy Vedett Extra Blond on draught.

The acclaimed Belgian beer spearheads a range of Europe’s finest beers on draught at the 13-strong bar and restaurant group. Vedett Extra Blond is a UK exclusive for The Living Room, heralding a complete revamp of its draught beer line-up, the first step of brand development being implemented by pub & restaurant operator the Orchid Group.

The managed pub operator is throwing down the gauntlet to rival operators who have cut back on quality in order to maintain menu prices, by investing in even better quality food across the business, including its value-for-money Free House Dining pubs.

Orchid’s menu development team has once again triumphed at the MIDAS Awards (Menu Innovation & Development Awards).

Scooping the award for best desserts, the new Contemporary Carvery Menu won the coveted award for the second time.  MIDAS recognises the outstanding creative talents of development managers within food service industry.

In aid of the Haiti and Tsunami disasters

Adrenaline junkie Landlord Richard Jennings and his team at Solihull's Olton Tavern took part in a charity bungee jump last night (17th March).  

Those brave enough to take part plunged a staggering 200ft all for a good cause!

Orchid’s Independent Local Pubs finished their latest charity drive by introducing CEO Rufus Hall to his namesake ‘Ruffie’!

Fifteen of Orchids pubs took part in a charity campaign raising a staggering £22,000 in just under 5 months, funding two new Canine Partners. 

The Orchid Group is celebrating being placed at number 20 in the Sunday Times Best 25 Big Companies to work for.

Praised for its clear communication and strong team spirit, 84% of staff members said they had fun working together.  Placed 5^th overall for wellbeing, staff reported a real sense of family amongst colleagues. 

- Arsenal vs Manchester United: the world’s first live sports 3D TV broadcast -

Manchester’s Sawyer’s Arms was selected as one of only 9 pubs nationwide to launch 3D TV on Sunday 31^st January.

Thanks to Sky’s brand new technology, the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester United was filmed in 3D and broadcast over the Sky platform with customers becoming the first audiences anywhere in the world to experience live Premier League in 3D.