Gordon Ramsay replaces head chef in NYC restaurant… For more hospitality stories, see what the weekend papers say

09 July 2007 by
Gordon Ramsay replaces head chef in NYC restaurant… For more hospitality stories, see what the weekend papers say

Jamie Oliver blamed for all-time low take-up on school dinners
Jamie OliverMail on Sunday](http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/), 8 July

Fat Charlie logo must not disappear after Little Chef sale R Capital, the turnaround specialist, is ready to walk away from the £25m sale of Little Chef to Italy's Benetton family if it does not agree to retain the brand name and its distinctive ‘Fat Charlie' logo. It is understood that R Capital is concerned at the Italian family's intention to convert the 195 prime locations into branches of Autogrill. - [Sunday Telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/), 8 July

Tchenguiz close to getting his way on M&B property Robert Tchenguiz is on the verge of striking a deal with Mitchells & Butlers that would see the pubs company spin off most of its property assets into a joint venture with the Iranian tycoon valued at close to £5b.The deal, expected to be signed off in the next week, will enable Mitchells, where Tchenguiz speaks for 16% of the equity, to gear up the balance sheet and return £1.5b to shareholders via a special dividend. - [The Observer](http://observer.guardian.co.uk/), 8 July

Ramsay replaces head chef in his New York restaurantGordon Ramsay has dismissed the head chef from his new Manhattan restaurant, saying he was too soft on staff. Neil Ferguson, who has worked for Ramsay for more than a decade, was chosen to run the flagship Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel in New York, which opened earlier this year. But Ferguson has now been replaced in the top job by another Ramsay protege and is believed to have returned to the UK. - [Scotland on Sunday](http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/), 8 July

Orient Express Hotels tipped as takeover target Orient-Express Hotels is being tipped as the next bid target after Blackstone's bid for Hilton Hotels Corporation. - [The Times,](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/) 7 July

Pub group forecasts 50% revenue from food in two years
Mark McQuater, the chief executive of Barracuda, one of the UK's fastest-growing pub chains, has said that in two years' time the majority of sales in his estate will come from food. He said that the smoking ban has opened up a whole new market for casual dining in its 204-site estate. "If you can go out for a meal at a good price point, such as two for £5.95, then you might as well go out and eat." - [Scotland on Sunday](http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/), 8 July

Offshore hotel up for sale
An armour-plated fort built in the 19th century to help defend Portsmouth against attack from French warships is to be sold by administrators at KPMG after the collapse of Lexi Holdings, a commercial-property bridging-finance business. The No Man's Land Fort in the Solent has been converted into a hotel and an events and hospitality venue. - [Sunday Times](http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/), 8 July

Shareholders to sue Hilton over "cheap" sale Two shareholders in Hilton are suing the hotel operator, claiming its management and directors breached their fiduciary duty to stockholders when they agreed to sell the company to a private equity firm for $20.1b, a figure the shareholders contend is too low. - [Scotland on Sunday](http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/), 8 July

Monaco hotel up for sale at £34m
The Columbus Hotel in Monaco, part-owned by the racing driver David Coulthard, is to be put up for sale through Christie & Co for an estimated £34m. - [The Times](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/), 7 July

By Bob Gledhill

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