Insights - Bookachef

Is Your Christmas Kitchen Ready? Why October Is the Time to Plan Chef Cover

October is the ideal time to plan your Christmas kitchen staffing and prepare for the festive rush. Discover how Bookachef’s flexible chef cover can support your team during busy periods without the cost of an additional permanent hire.

Hospitality News Round-Up: September 2026

Here’s our September hospitality news round up, with some of the stories we think are most relevant to restaurants, gastro pubs and hospitality businesses across the UK.

How Hospitality Venues Can Turn Bavaria’s Biggest Celebration into Their Biggest Autumn Sales Opportunity

As the summer season fades and the busy Christmas booking period approaches, Oktoberfest presents a golden opportunity for pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, and catering businesses across the UK to drive footfall, boost wet sales, increase group bookings, and create memorable customer experiences.

Macmillan Coffee Morning: Cake, Coffee and a Very Good Cause

There are few things more British than putting the kettle on and getting a plate of cake out. That is, in many ways, the idea behind Macmillan Coffee Morning.

Bookachef Expands into the South East | Temporary Chef Cover for Hospitality Businesses

We’re proud to now be operating across the South East, helping restaurants, pubs and hospitality venues find experienced temporary chefs quickly.

Hospitality News Round-Up: August 2026

Here’s our August hospitality news round up, with some of the stories we think are most relevant to restaurants, gastro pubs and hospitality businesses.

Hiring a Temp Chef direct? The UK compliance risks hospitality venues should know

A last-minute gap appears on the rota. Someone recommends a chef in a Facebook group, the chef sends an invoice, and the shift is covered. Hiring a temp chef directly can feel quicker and less expensive than contacting a temp chef agency.

National Burger Day: The Ultimate Guide to the Burger – From Its History to Bookachef’s Ultimate Creation

Few foods are as universally loved as the burger. From the humble cheeseburger to towering gourmet creations, burgers have become a firm favourite across the UK, but have you ever wondered where they actually came from?

Sick Pay Changes: What Do They Mean for Your Business?

While the changes are designed to provide greater support for employees, many hospitality operators have raised concerns about the additional financial and operational pressure they create.

Hospitality News Round-Up: July 2026

From government support for hospitality employers to ongoing chef shortages, here are the biggest stories shaping hospitality this month.

From Burnout to Freedom: Why More Chefs Are Choosing Freelance Careers

For many chefs, the traditional hospitality career path no longer fits modern life. Long hours, staffing shortages, limited flexibility and increasing pressure have led many professionals to rethink their careers.

Beat the Heat: Why Flexible Staffing Is Essential During High Temperatures

Recent UK heatwaves are challenging hospitality businesses, with rising kitchen temperatures and changing customer habits making flexibility essential to protecting staff, maintaining service and keeping operations running smoothly.

Is the World Cup Disrupting Your Service? Keep Your Kitchen Running Smoothly With Bookachef!

With England’s Three Lions progressing to the Quarter Finals of the FIFA World Cup, there is another huge opportunity for the hospitality industry this weekend.

Hospitality News Round-Up: June 2026

June has been another significant month for the hospitality industry. While new venues continue to open across the UK, operators are also facing increasing financial and staffing pressures.

What This Year’s Closures Reveal About Staffing Fragility in UK Hospitality

While some businesses are still opening and expanding, others are shrinking or shutting sites completely. What stands out is that even long established or well known names are not protected from these pressures.

How Bookachef Saved Welsh Gastro Pub Over £30,000 with Flexible Chef Hiring

Running a gastro pub in rural Wales comes with unique challenges. During summer tourism, bank holidays and festive weekends, the kitchen is under huge pressure. But outside of peak season, trade is slow.

Bookachef is Creating an Online Community for Chefs

Bookachef is more than a staffing platform. We are building towards becoming a stronger voice for chefs across the hospitality industry.

How to Prevent Chef Burnout: Insights from 11,000 Hospitality Professionals

To better understand what truly helps chefs stay motivated, productive and engaged, we asked our database of more than 11,000 chefs for their views on preventing burnout in professional kitchens.

Bookachef May Round-Up: Hospitality Under Pressure

May has continued to reflect a consistent picture across 2026: UK hospitality is operating under sustained cost pressure, with a market still adjusting through closures, restructuring and selective expansion.

Shortage of chefs: why UK hospitality is still struggling to find kitchen talent

Despite ongoing recruitment efforts, many restaurants, hotels, and catering businesses are finding it difficult to build and retain reliable kitchen teams.

Hospitality after April 2026: costs rise and pressure builds

April 2026 has now passed, and for many hospitality businesses, the impact of the new cost increases is becoming very real.

Six in ten hospitality businesses plan job cuts as April cost pressures hit

According to a survey reported by The Caterer, around six in ten hospitality businesses are now planning to reduce staff numbers.

Hospitality Industry News April 2026 Round Up

Drawing on reporting from The Caterer and other UK sources, here’s your April round-up and what it actually means for restaurants, gastro pubs and chefs:

The Rise of Food Halls: What It Means for Hospitality in 2026

Industry reports say food halls are growing fast. The UK went from 114 food halls to 149 between 2025 and 2026, and another 65 are being built. This is one of the biggest growth stories in the industry right now.

Why Nursing Homes Need Reliable Hospitality Support More Than Ever

When people think about hospitality jobs, they usually picture restaurants or hotels. But food service in places like nursing homes is just as important, and sometimes even more so. Nursing homes are one of them.

How Hospitality Has Changed Since the 90s

The 90s. Big hair, neon lights, boy bands, and the comforting sense of “simpler times”. It’s no wonder people are loving the nostalgia right now. But even though the style is returning, hospitality works very differently than it did back then.

Hospitality Industry News: March 2026 Round-Up

Reporting from The Caterer shows a sector increasingly split between decline and growth. On one hand, operators are closing sites at pace under cost pressures. On the other, new openings, contract wins, and industry investment continue to push forward.

Gen Z Is Drinking Less: What This Means for Restaurants & Gastro Pubs

For years, bars, gastro pubs and restaurants relied on alcohol sales as a significant revenue driver, but a noticeable shift is happening among the youngest adult consumers, Gen Z.

UK Best Culinary Inspiration Trips for Chefs

Chefs are always looking for inspiration, not just for menus, but for new techniques, ingredients, and experiences that can elevate their kitchen’s offering. The UK is full of culinary hotspots that spark creativity.

What Every Head Chef Wants Their Employer to Know

At Bookachef, we’ve spoken to chefs across the UK to uncover what they want their employers to know.

Hospitality Industry News: Last Month's Round-Up

The hospitality industry has settled into 2026 and its realities: tighter margins, sharper competition and a clear divide between operators who are adapting quickly and those being left behind.

Where the Chefs Go: Birmingham & Surrounding Area Eats

Chefs are some of the best people to ask about great food. When the service ends and the kitchen lights dim, they’re out finding inspiration for their own menus.

Where the Chefs Eat: Manchester & Liverpool Insider Guide

If you’re in Manchester or Liverpool, we’ve spoken to some of the chefs on the Bookachef platform to uncover their favourite local eateries, cafes, and casual spots where they eat, drink, and unwind.

Bookachef Expands Across the UK: Where Should We Head Next?

Great kitchens aren’t a coincidence. They are built by great people, in great places, with the right support. That’s exactly why Bookachef was created.

Celebrating Chester Restaurant Week with Our Team’s Restaurant Favourites

With our headquarters proudly in Chester, this week feels like a celebration of the city we call home and the incredible restaurant scene we are lucky to work alongside every day.

Temp to Perm: The Safest Way to Recruit a Chef

Temp to perm allows you to bring a chef into your kitchen on a temporary basis, with the option to offer them a permanent role once you’re confident they’re the right fit.

January Is the Peak Month for Chef Turnover – and What to Do If You’ve Lost A Chef

If your chef has left after Christmas, it can put immediate strain on service - especially when budgets are already stretched.

Survival Guide for January: How Hospitality Can Survive the Toughest Month

January has always been one of the hardest months for hospitality, but this year the pressure feels greater than ever.

Best Restaurant Deals This January in Manchester, Birmingham & The Midlands

January has become one of the best months of the year for diners across the UK, with restaurants offering generous discounts to keep things lively after the festive season.

What Kitchens Can Expect in 2026: Why Temporary chefs Will Play A Bigger Role Than Ever

Change is coming fast, and those who adapt quickly will be the ones standing strong.

A Letter From Your Head Chef (The letter your chef is desperate to send you… but scared to tell you.)

December pushes even the best of chefs to breaking point. Here's the letter your head chef wants to send you, but is too scared.

Give Your Kitchen the Best Start to January by Easing the Christmas Pressure

As we edge closer to January, hospitality businesses are bracing for the festive rush while also worrying about the cost pressures that hit hard in the new year.

Autumn Budget 2025: What It Means for Restaurants & Gastro Pubs

The Chancellor’s Autumn Budget 2025 delivered a tough package for small businesses, and hospitality sits right at the sharp end.

Finding the Right Chefs When You Need Them Most: Why Kitchens Across the North West, Wales & The Midlands Choose BookAChef

As any professional in the hospitality industry knows, recruiting and retaining talented chefs is one of the biggest ongoing challenges. Kitchens thrive on skill and teamwork, but finding chefs who tick all those boxes, especially at short notice, isn’t easy.

Bookachef’s guide to Manchester Christmas Markets 2025

Bookachef has rounded up the must-visit stalls and foodie finds at this year’s Manchester Christmas Markets:

Celebrating our stars: The Bookachef Gold chef CHEFmas Party 2025

At Bookachef, our chefs are at the heart of everything we do. This Christmas, we’re taking a moment to say thank you.

Why Freelance Chefs Are the Future of Hospitality

Freelance chefs are quickly becoming a vital part of how modern hospitality operates, and for good reason.

From Trail to Table: Cosy Pubs to Relax After a Hike in the Peak District

Whether you’re exploring the rugged edges of Stanage or strolling through the charming villages of Bakewell and Castleton, the region has some incredible welcoming pubs that offer the perfect post-hike experience.

Rising Food Costs: How Restaurants Can Stay Competitive Without Cutting Quality

The UK hospitality industry is under pressure. But with the right strategies, and the right support, it’s possible to stay competitive and profitable.

Manchester’s Best New Openings: A Bookachef Insider’s Guide

At Bookachef, we work closely with chefs and venues across the region, giving us a unique perspective on the kitchens and concepts making waves right now.

Birmingham’s Most instagrammable food hotspots: Bookachef’s guide to where to Dine & snap

Birmingham isn’t just the UK’s second city, it’s fast becoming one of the most photogenic foodie destinations in the country.

What November’s Budget Could Mean for Hospitality

As we approach November’s Autumn Statement, hospitality businesses are watching closely. What help, if any, can we expect? And what should operators be doing now to protect their margins?

Cheshire’s Growing Pub Scene: Bookachef’s Guide to Where to Dine & unwind

Bookachef proudly champions the country’s thriving pub scene because great food deserves to be celebrated and shared.

Limited Company, PAYE or Umbrella: What’s the Best Setup for Agency Chefs?

If you're working as a freelance or agency chef, you’ve probably heard terms like limited company, PAYE, and umbrella company. But what do they actually mean, and which is right for you?

The True Cost of Running Short-Staffed in the Kitchen

When your kitchen is underpowered, and you’re short-staffed, the impact can be more damaging than many realise.

Cheers to the Chefs: Raising a Beer to Culinary Talent Across the UK

Great kitchens are powered by great chefs. That’s why the Bookachef platform was built: to connect hospitality venues with experienced, reliable chefs, quickly and transparently.

Why Chefs Should Consider Becoming a Limited Company

If you're a freelance or contract chef working in restaurants, at events, or in private homes, you've may have thought about the structure of your company.

Why Temporary Chefs Are No Longer a Last Resort But Your Smartest Hire

If you're a restaurant or gastropub owner, chances are you’ve thought of temporary chefs as a last resort. Here’s why hiring temp chefs may actually save you money, reduce risk, and improve your kitchen’s performance.

The Rise of Freelance Chefs: What It Means for the Hospitality Industry

The UK hospitality sector is evolving quickly, and one of the most notable changes is the rise of freelance chefs. As restaurants, gastro pubs, private dining businesses, and catering companies adapt to a more flexible, fast-paced environment, the demand for on-demand chef services is higher than ever.

Hospitality Staffing Insights