Company Cases

Grossi Restaurants

www.grossi.com.au/

Florentino History

In the year 1897, a wine cafe was established at this address and became known as the Colonial Wine shop in 1918 when Samuel Wynn took ownership. The Wynn family operated what was one of only a few wine shops in Melbourne at the time and did this whilst living upstairs until the conversion to Café Denat. This was run by Calexte Denat, the uncle of Jimmy Watson of the famous Jimmy Watson’s Carlton.In 1926 Jimmy Watson’s sister, Grace Watson married Rinaldo Massoni, a young Italian surgical instrument maker from the town of Lucca near Florence. It was through Grace’s family connections that Rinaldo became a part of the hospitality industry of Melbourne.

In 1928 Samuel Wynn encouraged Rinaldo Massoni to take over the helm of Café Denat and it was Rinaldo who changed the name to Café Florentino. The combination of Italian culinary expertise and Wynn’s well-chosen Australian wines began the foundations of what was to become Melbourne’s foremost Italian restaurant.

In the 1930's the Café Florentino suffered extensive damage from a fire and was refurbished by Rinaldo. Hereafter, he commissioned the well renowned artist Napier Waller to paint a series of murals depicting the grandeur of life in Florence. Four of Waller’s students were actually responsible for the painting of these great works under his supervision. How much Waller actually contributed is unknown. The nine panels still adorn the walls in what became known as the Mural room, displaying much of his general colouring, style and technique.

In 1935 the property adjoining the Florentino was purchased and the upstairs dining room was extended and reopened in time for Australia’s 150th birthday celebration. The renovations offered a grandeur dining room to house the completed mural works. Each wall table had its own telephone but prices were a shilling higher when the doors reopened. The ceiling plaster work was created by Picton Hopkins and softly lit by hand forged wrought iron lighting by a young Emilio Gavotto. The examples of his fine craftsmanship can still be seen as the lamps still grace the walls positioned over each wall table in the mural room.

In 1941 Rinaldo Massoni passed away and Rinaldo’s son Leon took over the restaurant. Leon maintained the traditions his father’s establishment and in 1950 he approached a man named George Tsindos to form a partnership. George had previously been employed as a waiter for Rinaldo. This partnership lasted until 1963.

In 1954 the license of the Florentino changed from being an Australian Wine License to a restaurant license, which meant the illegal selling of imported wines, spirits and cognacs that was reputed to have taken place could now be sold openly.

During the Massoni and Tsindos partnership, the business expanded to include The Cellar Bar and Bistro Grill on the ground floor.

The cellar” introduced a new level of dining to Melbourne. It leaned towards a more informal style of eating. Leather backed stools were ranged along a counter on one wall and wine was dispensed from a long bar and the food was dispensed from an opening in what looked like the top of a gigantic wine vat. A no booking policy was implemented at the time, and the idea caught on.v

Leon sold his share of the Florentino business to his partner George Tsindos in 1963. Tsindos successfully ran the restaurant until 1979.

Leon went on to own many successful businesses in his own right and none more so than “Ristorante Massoni” in St Kilda with his partner in business and Chef in the kitchen Pietro Grossi.

Pietro Grossi brought his family to Melbourne in 1960 after being recruited and helped by Mario Vigono to work at Mario's hotel on Exhibition Street, beginning an Italian culinary legacy.

Meanwhile at Florentinos, In 1979 Branco Tocigl was the proprietor until the late 1980’s when the restaurant was taken over by Floyd Podgornik. Floyd’s wife Lorrain ran The Florentino until 1999 when it was sold to father and son Guy and Pietro Grossi.

Today

Today the restaurant is known as Grossi Florentino and is run by head chef Guy and the rest of his family.

This is a family business that operates as a company and family trust.

The Grossi family are three generations in the hospitality industry and prior to owning Grossi Florentino, Guy and his father simultaneously ran separate food venues.

They formed a partnership in 1988 and began a business together. This business employed family and approximately 5 other staff. Soon after Guy’s sister Elizabeth and her husband joined the family business.

In 2017, the business now employs approximately 150 staff and runs the flagship venue – Grossi Florentino as well as 2 other venues and a third and fourth opening later in the year.

The business focuses on product quality from the fine dining venue to the most casual.

Quality produce, the cost of compliance and it being a labour intensive industry means that operational costs need to be constantly monitored and controlled.

This is done on a weekly basis and then more thoroughly on a monthly basis.

Although the business has grown to employ approximately 150 people, the recruitment process is still very personal and involved. It requires a series of interviews, trials and checks and balances and induction that ensure the new employee is suited to the role and is given the right level of support needed to succeed.

Professional development is encouraged and provided to enable ‘standout’ employees the opportunity to progress in their career and obtain maximum job satisfaction.

The family provide an annual internal scholarship available to a successful employee which involves travel to an overseas venue for professional knowledge sharing.

The restaurant does not advertise but instead relies heavily on recognition through awards and editorial.

Its main focus is on building a reputation of quality, maintaining relevance and by delivering exceptional experiences to its guests and relying on this word of mouth as its primary form of relationship building.

Building relationships with guests, the industry and community is an essential way to market the product.

Relationships are built over time and although modern methods of communication are used, they remain meaningful and genuine.

Quality and consistency are controlled through a series of systems and policies that are reviewed and controlled such as standard operating schedules, manuals, staff portals and procedures.

The business is committed to knowledge and skills as well a consciousness towards the environment and good produce.  There is a focus on locally farmed produce, ethically grown and reared produce.

In 2017 the business will be installing its own composter to reduce organic waste and reduce total waste to approximately half.  The compost will be partly used by the business and partly donated.

Menus

• Upstairs display menu
• Gran tour menu
• Grill menu
• Cellar bar menu
• Ombra menu
• Merchant menu
• Wine list

Download all menus

Pictures

Savoy

Hotel history

1246
CountPeter of Savoy builds the Savoy Palace on land by the side of the river Thames, given to him by Henry III, whose wife is Count Peter’s niece. The Savoy Palace later becomes the home of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and is burned to the ground during the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381. However the estate has become part of the Duchy of Lancaster, which it remains to the present day.

1875
Theatrical impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte commissions lyricist William Schwenk Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan to write a one-act comic opera which he stages at the Royalty Theatre. “Trial by Jury” opens in March and is an enormous success. This marks the beginning of collaboration between Gilbert, Sullivan and D’Oyly Carte that will last for over twenty years and see the creation of a total of thirteen classic operas.

1881
Emboldened by the continued success of his productions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operas, Richard D’Oyly Carte decides to build his own theatre in which to stage them. The Savoy Theatre, named after the Savoy Palace site on which is it built, opens in October this year with the transfer of Gilbert and Sullivan’s latest opera, “Patience”. Every one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s subsequent operas is premiered in the Savoy Theatre, and the entire canon becomes known as the Savoy Operas.

1889
After nearly five years of building, The Savoy opens on 6th August. Built by Richard D’Oyly Carte on land adjacent to his Savoy Theatre, the new Savoy hotel offers accommodation for the many tourists, especially Americans, who have travelled to London to see the Savoy Operas. Additionally restaurants, bars, lounges, private dining rooms and banqueting suites offer a variety of choices for Londoners wanting to enjoy themselves in these new surroundings. The main restaurant is opened by noted hotelier Cesar Ritz, who later becomes general manager, and installs an old friend, August Escoffier, “king of chefs and chef of kings”, in the Savoy kitchen.

1904
The Strand Blocks of The Savoy open in this year, on land which the hotel has spent nearly a decade purchasing around the Savoy Theatre, immediately to the north of the original hotel. Having acquired all the freeholds and businesses in this area, the site is levelled and rebuilt in about a year. The development is laid out around the approach-road Savoy Court, with a new Front Hall and new locations for the Savoy Grill and American Bar, all now facing the Strand. Of all the businesses acquired to make way for this scheme, only one is retained. The historic restaurant Simpson’s-in-the-Strand is rebuilt into the east block, and reopens in 1904 with most of its old staff back in post.

1910
In under ten weeks the entire River Front of The Savoy is removed and replaced. The balconies which run along this side of the hotel, and from which Monet painted his famous views of The Thames between 1899 and 1901, are removed and the Front extended forwards slightly to create space into which additional bathrooms will be added to the hotel. Two new floors of guest rooms are added, and a new ballroom, larger than any other banqueting space in the hotel, is built into the central courtyard of the river block.

1930
The 1904 sculpture of Count Peter of Savoy is winched back into his new vantage point on top of the striking new “Savoy” sign which is the latest piece of art deco design to be added to The Savoy. From Kaspar, The Savoy’s lucky black cat sculpture, to the stunning modernist illustrations of The Savoy Cocktail Book, the hotel is filled with elegant new features in the modish art deco style.

2005
On 19th January, The Savoy is purchased by a consortium headed by , HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin AbdulAziz Alsaud, who hands the management contract to Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

2007
The Savoy’s general manager Kiaran Macdonald rings a bell at mid-day on the 15th December in the Front Hall, and declares The Savoy officially closed for the first time in its 118-year history, in order to begin a complete restoration of the entire building. At the time this is slated to cost around £100 million, and take about 15 months.

2010
On 10th October (“10-10-10”), The Savoy finally reopens to the public, after what has become a £220 million restoration project that has taken almost three years to complete. The opening is marked by the arrival in The Savoy’s own Rolls-Royce Phantom of the first guest to check in to the hotel after re-opening, the actor, writer, and broadcaster Stephen Fry. HRH Prince Charles declares The Savoy officially (re)open on 2nd November, after having been closed for almost three years. He unveils a plaque to commemorate the event, in the presence of the hotel’s part owner, HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin AbdulAziz Alsaud , and his wife, Princess Amira.

2014
The Savoy celebrates its 125th anniversary year. A variety of events mark the occasion, including historical tours with The Savoy’s archivist , a special exhibition of press cuttings of reviews of the hotel from 1889 in the Savoy Museum, anniversary cocktails created by both the American Bar and the Beaufort Bar, and a new edition of the Savoy Cocktail Book.

American Bar History

The American Bar has long been one of London’s favourite meeting spots and is one of the most iconic cocktail bars in the world. It was home to legendary bartenders such as Ada ‘Coley’ Coleman and Harry Craddock, who wrote The Savoy Cocktail book (still regarded over 80 years later as the bartenders’ bible). The award-winning team of bartenders is led by Erik Lorincz. A cocktail list includes classic cocktails with a twist and “tribute cocktails”, such as The Savoy Daisy, inspired by past American Bar Managers. Completing the vibrant ambience and timeless elegance, the bar features a live pianist seven days a week, playing American Jazz.

Further facts:

• The American Bar opened on the River side of The Savoy in the early 1890s. It moved to its present location in 1904.
• The name “American Bar” means a bar serving mixed or “American”-style drinks i.e. cocktails. The Savoy’s American Bar is the oldest surviving American bar in London.
• The American Bar has also inspired its own cocktail book. The Savoy Cocktail Book was first published in 1930, and remains in print to this day. The head barman in 1930, Harry Craddock, is credited with inventing the White Lady at The Savoy.
• The photographs on the walls are by photographers Terry O’Neill and Andy Gotts.
• The painting near the bar is by artist Julian Allen, and shows celebrities who have been in the American Bar (not at the same time in real life!) It was commissioned by The Savoy in 1973.

History of Afternoon Tea at The Savoy

Afternoon tea has been a feature of The Savoy since it opened in 1889. The restaurant terrace was a popular venue, as it combined The Savoy’s usual impeccable service with a panoramic view of the Thames. English weather being what it was, the terrace was soon glazed in and incorporated into the body of the main restaurant. The section of the restaurant that runs the length of the windows continued to be known as the “Terrace Restaurant” for many decades: an Edwardian image shows this section packed with fashionable couples enjoying mid-afternoon refreshments.

By the 1920s, afternoon tea was a firm tradition at The Savoy. Surviving menus show that the basic components – sandwiches, followed by patisserie – were established parts of afternoon tea; other offerings included toast, English muffins ice cream, fruit salad, and boxes of chocolates. Hot gaufres (a thin sweet waffle) were made to order if requested. Tea itself might even be substituted by coffee or hot chocolate. Such sweet indulgence might be offset by a little gentle exercise: The Savoy offered thés dansant, where the house dance bands provided a background of popular tunes, and professional dancers demonstrated the latest steps and danced with the guests. At the height of the popularity of the tea dance, Tango Teas were introduced, and a lady might imagine herself quite the femme fatale, as she was whirled around the dance floor by a brylcreemed Rudolph Valentino lookalike.

Afternoon tea has been a feature of The Savoy since it opened in 1889. The Thames Foyer is very much the heart of The Savoy. A stunning glass dome floods this sociable spot with wonderful natural light – and beneath this, a pianist serenades guests from a winter garden gazebo, as they enjoy our world-famous afternoon tea.

Afternoon Tea at The Savoy is an enduring custom where guests can choose from a range of teas served with finger sandwiches, homemade scones with clotted cream & jam and a mouth-watering selection of seasonal cakes and pastries created by The Savoy’s Executive Pastry Chef, Ludwig Hely.

Download the Savoy Thames Foyer afternoon tea menu.

A Short History of The Savoy and Simpson’s-in-the Strand

The Savoy Hotel was opened in 1889 by the theatrical impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte, adjacent to his Savoy Theatre, which he’d previously built in 1881 to produce the light operas by William Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, now known as the “Savoy Operas”. The hotel, on a site facing towards the River Thames was a success, and D’Oyly Carte determined to expand it, by buying the land north of the hotel up to the Strand, around his Theatre. Many properties and businesses had to be purchased and cleared to build the “new” blocks which gave The Savoy its grand new Strand entrance via Savoy Court, and elegant Front Hall. The only business that was retained, and rebuilt, was the venerable coffee house and historic home of chess, Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, founded by a Mr Reiss in 1828, and joined by Mr Simpson in 1848. Both Simpson’s-in-the-Strand and the Strand Blocks of The Savoy were completed and opened in 1904, and both retain much of their Edwardian charm.  Simpson’s reopened with its original staff back in post, and as it had done for many decades previously, continued to serve roast meats on trolleys which could be rolled to the table for the meat to be carved.  By the mid-1920s a new post-war design style was quickly adopted by both The Savoy and Simpson’s. Art deco details and interiors were added to The Savoy, including the iconic Savoy sign stretching across Savoy Court, and the wooden carving of Kaspar, The Savoy’s lucky black cat, made by Basil Ionides, an English theatrical designer.  The Savoy sign had to be removed barely ten years later, with the advent of the Second World War, but in spite of both the Blitz and proximity to the Houses of Parliament, both The Savoy and Simpson’s were fortunate to escape direct hits, and suffered only comparatively minor damage. The Savoy celebrated its centenary in 1989, while Simpson’s enjoyed an august 175th anniversary in 2003. The twenty-first century has brought new challenges to these two historic institutions.  Sold together in 2005, both properties were placed under the management of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, and a massive restoration planned for The Savoy. At a cost of around £220 million, the restoration took nearly three years from closure of the hotel at the end of 2007 until its reopening in October 2010, when first guest Stephen Fry arrived to check in. Three weeks later, The Savoy and Simpson’s owner, HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin AbdulAziz Alsaud welcomed HRH Prince Charles to The Savoy for the official re-opening ceremony. A plaque outside the hotel commemorates this auspicious event. Simpson’s, having continued to trade throughout the closure period, is now over 185 years old, although its premises remain a youthful 110 or so. Meanwhile The Savoy recently celebrated its 125th anniversary, and is proud to be the first purpose-built deluxe hotel in London.

Environment & Sustainability

What is the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA)
www.thesra.org/

When did Kaspar’s join SRA?
April 2014 and has remained a member since www.kaspars.co.uk/kaspars-seafood-bar-and-grill-at-the-savoy-named-three-star-sustainability-champion-by-sustainable-restaurant-association/

Why did Kaspar’s join SRA?
As a hotel, committed to reducing its operational impact on the environment, we took the decision to work towards the SRA rating assessment to showcase Kaspar’s as a restaurant where meaningful sustainable practices are incorporated, alongside great service and wonderful food. Sourcing good quality local produce and taking measures to manage food waste responsibly, for example, are issues that we know our guests care about so we hope that through our efforts we will inspire other hotels and restaurants to follow suit.

What did joining SRA and receiving a rating involve?
SRA Rating programme is called The Food Made Good Sustainability Rating and Kaspar’s holds a 3 – star rating. Scoring over 50% in the assessment = 1 star ‘good’; 60-69% = 2 starts ‘Excellent and over 70% = 3 starts ‘Outstanding’

Insert 'Our 14 Key Focus Areas img' which was embedded in Word doc.

Rating Process:
The Food Made Good programme is based around a sustainability framework, built on the three pillars of Sourcing, Society and Environment.

1. Submit SRA online survey covering 14 Key Sustainability Areas under the three pillars:
2. Submit evidence and supplier details for each product
3. Complete a number of tasks that includes SRA colleague training
4. SRA formalises the Sustainability Rating by undertaking due diligence checks across the information submitted. This is kept completely commercially confidential and is to ensure that the Sustainability Rating is a credible process.
5. SRA assessor verifies all the evidence and writes up the report and the rating is awarded

Balancing environment and luxury

There is no compromise at The Savoy when balancing environment/sustainability with luxury; we believe it only enhances the guests’ experience. Through our extensive sustainability programme we are able to deliver a personalised and memorable visit for our guests by providing thoughtful and engaging service as well as authentic and genuine experiences, for example the historic American Bar and quintessentially English Afternoon Tea. We have embraced The Savoy’s culture and history and this is reflected through locally inspired cuisine, distinctive design, and décor; our dedicated Savoy Museum is a must see. By integrating with the local community we embody a sense of place and do all we can to improve and enhance the overall well-being of our local community; our guests are able to join us on River Thames foreshore clean-ups days for example.

For a full overview of The Savoy’s sustainability programmes and commitments you can visit our website
www.fairmont.com/savoy-london/activities-services/environment/sustainability-policy/

Further Googling sustainability The Savoy you will find much has been written over the past 12 years of our work. As a Fairmont hotel we abide by Fairmont’s Sustainability Partnership programme
www.fairmont.com/corporate-responsibility/responsible-business/

The Savoy is now part of Accor, so we are beginning our journey of linking with Accor’s Planet21 programme
www.accorhotels.com/gb/sustainable-development/index.shtml

Here is a video link by BBC Fasttrack who visited The Savoy regarding our sustainability programme after the restoration which you might find of interest
www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/fast_track/9074940.stm

Menus

• Kaspars Seafood Bar and Gril
• Savoy Kaspars Seafood Bar and Grill Set Menu Lunch and PrePost Theatre

Vegan and Organic Menus

Bespoke vegetarian and vegan menu.pdf - not in content folder
Organic menu updates.pdf - not in content folder

Organisation chart

Insert 'Organisation Chart' which was embedded in Word doc.

JD Wetherspoon – Company Profile

Current position

917 pubs
48 hotels
We serve half a million breakfasts a week and over 1 million coffees & teas
We serve half a million burgers every week
We used 56 million free-range RSPCA assured eggs last year
Over 35,000 employees (associates)
One central distribution depot serving all pubs

Timeline

1979
First Wetherspoon opens: The first pub, a former bookies’, opens in Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, North London, on 9 December. For the first month, it was called Martin’s Free House, but was renamed Wetherspoon’s early in the New Year.

1983
The early years: For the first few years, the company’s pubs were all located in north London, with the head office above The Dog in Archway.

1990
First Real-Ale Festival: Wetherspoon pubs host their first real-ale festival. It lasted four days and featured six beers (nowadays, each Wetherspoon pub is involved in the twice-yearly beer festival, offering up to 50 beers each, 10 of which are from overseas).

1991
Non-smoking pubs: The Tally Ho, North Finchley, London, opens with a dedicated non-smoking bar upstairs. This was the first of many pioneering initiatives which we carried out before the smoking ban in July 2007.

Cleanliness, Beer, Service: The company starts its CBS scheme, highlighting cleanliness, beer and service. The scheme, still in operation, is aimed at ensuring that standards are always at the highest level as a result of inspections from head-office staff and senior management.

Wetherspoon News: The first edition of Wetherspoon News is produced. The eight-page black-and-white magazine was offered free to all customers.

Hamilton Hall opens: We open Hamilton Hall, Liverpool Street Station in London – our first pub in the City and at a train station.

1992
First airport pubs open: Wetherspoon opens its first two airport pubs – at Heathrow Airport, in Terminal 4. Our pubs are now spread across several UK airports.

PLC!: The company is floated on the Stock Exchange and becomes J D Wetherspoon plc. The shares were issued at £1.60 – taking into account later share splits, the equivalent price today would be about 30p!

50th pub opens: The company opens its 50th pub, J.J. Moon’s, in Chiswick, west London.

1993
Pub Chain of the Year: Recognition of the company and its pubs comes when it is named ‘pub chain of the year’ by the influential Good Pub Guide.
Spreading Out: The first pubs outside of London open – The Old Manor, Bracknell and The Bell, Norwich.
All pubs get non-smoking areas: Wetherspoon goes one step further in offering the perfect pub, by introducing non-smoking areas in each of its pubs – a major change in the pub industry.

1994
Training centre opens: Staff training has always been high on the agenda, and the company opens its first dedicated training centre.
Wethercentre opens: The company’s head office moves from North Finchley to Watford, where it remains today.
Hundredth pub opens: Wetherspoon opens its 100th pub, The Moon Under Water, in Watford, Hertfordshire.
We reach the Midlands: The Square Peg, Birmingham, built on the site of a former department store, becomes the company’s first pub in the Midlands.

1995
First pub in Manchester opens: The people of Manchester can enjoy their first Wetherspoon pub, when The Moon under Water on Deansgate opens in the city centre. The pub, with approximately 10,000 square feet of customer space, entered The Guinness Book of Records as the largest pub in the UK.

1996
Welcome to Wales: We open our first pub in Wales, in Newport. It was originally called Wetherspoons and was later renamed The John Wallace Linton.
150th pub opens: Two milestones: the 150th pub opens – The Sun at Redhill, Surrey – and overall sales for the company reach £100 million for the first time.
First pub in Scotland: We open our first pub in Scotland – The Counting House, Glasgow.1997
New house wine launched: Wetherspoon pubs introduce a new house wine – Fetzer Coldwater Creek from California – still popular in our pubs today.
200th pub opens: The Regal Moon, in Rochdale, Lancashire, becomes the 200th Wetherspoon pub to open.

1998
Opening times: We open 20 pubs in one month (July 1998), including seven on the same day – our busiest opening period ever!
Meal deals launched: Wetherspoon launches the Curry Club®, Wetherspoon’s iconic curry night. Today, customers can still enjoy our pubs’ unrivalled selection of curries (together with a drink) at an unbeatable price.
The Shrewsbury Hotel The first hotel opens: Shrewsbury becomes the location for the company’s first hotel, when the 22-bedroom Shrewsbury Hotel opens alongside the Wetherspoon pub in the Shropshire town.
300th pub opens: The Rodboro Buildings, Guildford, a former car factory, becomes the 300th Wetherspoon pub.

1999
Steak Club launched: Steak Out (the forerunner of today’s Steak Club®) was launched – a 10oz steak for £5.99, although no inclusive drink.
Our 20th birthday: We celebrate our 20th birthday.

2000
First Northern Ireland pub: The first Wetherspoon pub opens in Northern Ireland, The Spinning Mule, Ballymena, Belfast.
400th pub opens: Wetherspoon opens its 400th pub.
Pub Company of the Year!: The company is named Pub of Company of the Year (The Publican Awards) and also wins The Retailers’ Retailer of the Year award.

2001
500th pub opens: the 500th Wetherspoon pub opens, The Picture Palace, Enfield, North London.
Fastest-growing UK company: Wetherspoon is recognised as the fastest-growing company in the UK and the 9th fastest-growing company in Europe (we are still growing!).
Gents Loos Loo of the Year for the 1st time: Wetherspoon has always taken great pride in the quality of its loos. In 2001, it was a multi award-winner in the Loo of the Year awards (recognition for the high standards of our loos continues to this day, with hundreds of awards).

2002
Awarded the NITA Supreme Award: Wetherspoon wins the prestigious Supreme Award at the British Institute of Innkeeping Training Awards (NITAs) for the second successive year. Since then, we have been awarded a total of eight NITAs, recognising the quality of training provided at all levels.
CLIC Sargent: We begin our ongoing relationship with the charity CLIC Sargent (Cancer & Leukaemia in Children). Our aim was to raise £500,000. The relationship is still going from strength to strength, with more than £11 million raised by our staff and customers.

600th pub opens: The 600th Wetherspoon pub opens, The Winter Gardens, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

We start a breakfast revolution: Wetherspoon starts a breakfast revolution, opening all pubs for breakfast six days a week.

2005
World’s number-one seller of Pimm’s!: Our customers raise more than a glass of Pimm’s to celebrate the fact that Wetherspoon is officially the number-one seller of the drink in the world.

£1,000,000 raised for CLIC Sargent!: We hit our £1-million target for CLIC Sargent and the company sets another target: £2 million.

2006
Free Wi-Fi available: Customers enjoy free Wi-Fi in all pubs.

Named the ‘Most Responsible Managed Pub Chain’: Wetherspoon is named the ‘Most Responsible Managed Pub Chain’ in the Responsible Drinks Retailing Awards.

2007
Our first opera: Opera comes to one of our pubs as The Royal Opera House, in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, hosts the first opera in a Wetherspoon pub. The pub is closed for the occasion and returned to its original use as the three performances are a sell-out, becoming an annual event.

Wedding bells: The Knights Templar, Chancery Lane, London is granted a wedding licence and hosts its first wedding (it is still a popular venue today).

2008
World Beer Brewers from Japan and USA invited to take part in our beer festival: From humble beginnings, the company-wide beer festival takes a new and exciting twist as we invite award-winning international brewers to come to the UK and brew their beers at UK breweries – to be served exclusively at the festival.
A new world record: Wetherspoon customers set a new Guinness World Record, when 17,540 of our customers attend the world’s largest-ever synchronised wine-tasting event – smashing the previous record by over 12,000 people!
Wetherspoon reaches 700 pubs: The Silkstone Inn, Barnsley becomes the 700th pub.

2009
Thirtieth birthday: Wetherspoon celebrates its 30th birthday.
A great year is rewarded: It is a year full of awards – these include a Green Apple Award to recognise our commitment to the environment, plus an award for our food, as well as being included in a list of Britain’s Top 100 Employers (for the sixth consecutive year).

2010
Awarded Pub Company of the Year for the second time: Wetherspoon is, once again, named Pub Company of the Year at The Publican Awards.

2011
Eight hundredth pub opens: The 800th pub opens – The Unicorn, Ripon, which is also a 32-bedroom hotel.

2012
Fish Friday launched: We launch our fourth club, still a favourite – Fish Friday® – hand-battered cod or haddock, with chips and a drink.

2013
Over 250 pubs in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide: The company continues to receive recognition for the quality of its beer, with over 250 of its pubs, more than any other pub company, featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Nine hundredth pub opens: The 900th Wetherspoon pub opens, The Poulton Elk, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.

Craft beer range launched, including ‘Sixpoint’ from Brooklyn, New York

‘Deli Deal (sandwich range) including a drink’ re-launched

2014
First pubs opened in Ireland: In July, the first pub opens in Ireland, The Three Tun Tavern, Blackrock, Dublin followed by the second pub, The Forty Foot, Dún Laoghaire in December.

New ‘Gin Palace’ range launched

We launched ‘Mexican Monday’ / Burritos

2015
Annual sales exceed £1.5 billion, and the company employs more than 35,000 staff.

‘Small plates’ range (3 for £10) replaces the starters range

New ‘Vodka Distillery’ range launched

A range of dietary menus launched – gluten-free, dairy-free, points / lower calories, vegetarian, vegan

2016
Order & Pay App launched

Starting trialling hand-stretched pizza in selected pubs

New ‘Rum Shack’ range launched

We stopped ‘Sunday Roasts’ and launched ‘Sunday Brunch’ to replace it

Menu and Nutrition Examples

• Spr17 Core Menu
• Gluten-free Menu March 2017
• Food Nutrition Guide Autumn Winter 2016

Building Renovations

• Keswick
• Kirby in Ashfield

Newsletter Example

• Wetherspoon News Winter 2016/17