A snippet of facts found this week

Odd, random and interesting…

A survey of over 2,000 Brits found that 92% of respondents said that the hospitality industry had become increasingly appealing and celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver injected fun into the industry.

Some 24% said they dreamt of opening their own pub or restaurant, meanwhile 68% of all respondents said their opinion of the hospitality and catering industry had changed over recent years; 81% of which said they saw the passionate aspect of the sector through TV and celebrity personalities.

Further research from Caterer.com found that 61% of Brits admitted to taking an interest in at least one catering television programme, and 21% of these claim to have had no previous interest in cooking.

Pub giant Enterprise Inns has predicted that earnings before tax in the second half of this year are to drop by 5%, and to be down 3% for the whole year.

Over 10,000 businesses in the capital have signed up to CompeteFor, the online service designed to open up the London 2012 supply chain and give small and medium sized businesses a greater chance to benefit from the Games.

Some 84% of London businesses now registered with CompeteFor are small or medium sized firms, according to figures from the LDA. Over 86% of contracts already awarded to London businesses through CompeteFor have gone to small or medium sized firms.

Around 75,000 contracts will be procured through the London 2012 supply chain and related work between now and 2012. CompeteFor will now also be used to tender LDA contracts worth an estimated £170 million each year.

New research from the QuickBite tracking survey has shown that the number of meals eaten outside the home in the first two weeks of September has risen by 2.65%, compared to the same period last year.

A highlight of the survey showed that the casual segment of the market is up 40% on last September and the average spend in this area for a meal and drink is between £11 and £17.

Charlton House has a current annual turnover of £80 million and employs almost 2,000 people nationwide.

The world's biggest caterer, Compass, has today announced profits that are up by 5% against last year and described them as 'comfortable'.

Share prices for Compass are up by just over 1% to 335.75p.