Homepage

2024 could be another challenging year for pubs and bars - and with punters increasingly discerning about where they spend their money, the worst thing an operator can do is let standards slip.

Paul has been immersed in the licensed trade ever since, both as an operator and, via the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, as a spokesman and lobbyist for the industry. 

"IT WAS take it or leave it back in the day," recalled Peter Ross of his time serving local steelworkers in The Railway Tavern in Motherwell. “You came in and there was no choice. You drank beer and you drank whisky.”

STRICT rules over the geographical origin of Scotch Whisky have long underpinned its global reputation, and protected its producers – but Scotland’s burgeoning gin industry enjoys no such protections, leaving it vulnerable to imitation.

HEADLINE winners at this annual awards bash – now in its third year - were Redmond’s of Dennistoun, declared best pub; Jack’s Bar @ Dakota Hotel which was named as best bar; and Tabac, which fielded the best bar team.

CRERAR'S three new team members will be working with the award-winning group's marketing director, Alison MacLeod, who has been there since 2021, steering it through repositioning and multi-million-pound refurbishments and upgrades.

FRAUDSTERS are regularly using the names and reputations of legitimate restaurant businesses to register fake companies, set up bank accounts and apply for finance – and the authorities’ response to the problem is painfully slow.

MAULE, who ran one of Scotland’s most famous fine dining restaurants, Glasgow's Chardon d’Or, for 22 years, has signed up for a six-month stint to pass on his knowledge and experience to staff across Buzzworks’ 19 venue kitchens.

The Physician's owner Julie Wijkstrom gained her experience working in ‘genre-defining’ cocktail bars and award-winning fine dining establishments around the world – experience which she now intends to use to ‘raise the bar’ in St Andrews.

To enter, bartenders should submit their signature serve, using at least one of the liquids in the Hoxton Spirits range, alongside a photo and the story behind its creation. Winners will receive £1000 and a tailor-made HIT Scotland scholarship.