change.”
Considering the tiny projected savings, and after years of price rises, many in the restaurant and hospitality industry will rightly see the chancellor’s decision as insufficient.
The 2014 Bookatable Dining Index, which is based on industry data and recent interviews with more than 200 UK restaurants, notes the scale of the challenge that rising energy costs have placed on the hospitality and catering industry: “Despite over half (68%) of restaurants adopting measures to cut their energy usage in the last year, the vast majority (90%) say that rising energy costs have made them reassess menu prices in the last six months.”
A survey of caterers recently found that energy costs are ranked higher than costs for food, drink, rent and rates or staff. John Dyson, a food adviser at the British Hospitality Association, spoke for many when he said:
“Higher energy bills and rising food costs have made it much tougher for restaurant owners to grow their business or remain profitable.” What’s the solution?
Those in the hospitality industry are used to hearing clichés about the importance of reducing energy usage: double-glaze your windows, install energy-efficient lights, etc. And it’s true that such measures will help. But usage reduction can only go so far, and such advice has been common currency for years. What people in the restaurant industry really need is price cuts now.
That’s where
ThisIsTheBigDeal.com steps in. We are a national campaign for cheaper energy bills. By harnessing the collective buying power of a huge number of consumers, we can negotiate a better deal on behalf of all our members than they could get on their own.
The more people that join, the better the deal. It’s free to sign up, takes less than 60 seconds, and there’s no obligation to switch.
