Nice food but poor customer service and attitude from the management. Staff accepted our order with Cafe Rouge vouchers and then when we went to pay the bill they refused to accept the same vouchers we had shown them when ordering - saying that this was because we had ordered from the set menu.

Café Rouge is a French-styled restaurant chain, with over 70 sites across the UK.^[1] Café Rouge is part of a bigger restaurant network owned by Casual Dining Group Ltd.

History[edit]

Café Rouge was founded by Roger Myers and Karen Jones, in Richmond, London as a small restaurant chain in 1989.^[2] As the brand grew, Myers and Jones incorporated the chain into a larger restaurant group: the Pelican Group. In July 1996, Whitbread purchased Pelican Group - comprising 110 restaurants under the Dôme, Mamma Amalfi and, primarily, Café Rouge brands - for £133m.^[3]

Meezan internet banking. The restaurant chain gained much exposure after frequently being mentioned in the 1996 novel Bridget Jones's Diary, with the main character Bridget Jones (and her friends) visiting her local branch of the restaurant regularly throughout the novel.^[4]

In May 2002, Whitbread sold Pelican to Tragus Group in a management buy-in for £25m.^[5]

In 2009, Café Rouge began a partnership with the Gourmet Society, offering their members discounts on production of a Gourmet Society restaurant discount card.

In February 2011, Café Rouge introduced a new fast-service format to the brand.^[6] Café Rouge Express at Euston railway station and Southampton's WestQuay shopping centre, aims to reduce customer waiting time and the reduced menu range is available to eat in or take away.

In 2012, it was reported that Café Rouge intended investing in excess of £20m^[7] refurbishing its restaurants over the next few years, starting with the Hampstead branch. Created by Afroditi Krassa, the new design is inspired by classic but urban Parisian bistros, whilst remaining sensitive to the essence of the original Café Rouge.^[8] The design will be rolled out across 125 restaurants within three years, with interiors tailored to each site.^[9]

In September 2012, Café Rouge joined the Nectar loyalty card reward scheme as a redemption partner.^[10]

Charity[edit]

In 2013, Café Rouge were official partners of Comic Relief, the British charity founded in 1985 that aims to 'bring about positive and lasting change in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people.'

Tipping and minimum wage[edit]

In 2008 the company was reported as paying staff less than the legal minimum wage, relying on tips to make up the difference. This led to a campaign in Parliament to make this practice illegal.^[11]

In 2009 the company was found to be threatening to dismiss waiting staff who do not get customers to pay tips on credit cards rather than in cash. Credit card tips were used by the company to subsidise wages (which are usually the legal minimum) whereas cash tips go directly to waiting staff.^[12] In line with changes to tipping legislation, which came into effect on 1 October 2009, Café Rouge reviewed and updated its policies to ensure that all tips, after a 10% deduction for administrative and other costs paid by credit or debit card, are now distributed through the payroll system to restaurant staff. This is done via a TRONC system. Employees retain any tips in addition to their pay at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.^[13] In January 2018, Café Rouge amended its policy to ensure all employees are permitted to keep all tips and service charges paid in cash and are free to share their tips with colleagues if they so wish. Their employees are not required to declare the income generated from cash tips to HM Revenue & Customs for tax purposes. When tips or service charges are paid for by credit card or debit card, the restaurant does take a 2.5% administration charge to cover bank fees before distributing the remainder in full to employees. ^[14]

Environmental record[edit]

In November 2015 the chain was one of seven restaurants surveyed that failed to meet a basic level of sustainability in its seafood.^[15] After working closely with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Café Rouge topped Fish2Fork's analysis of fish sourcing policies across high street restaurants in 2017, and subsequently received MSC's official Blue Fish Ecolabel accreditation in March 2018.^[16]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Café Rouge'. Tragus Group. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
2. ^'Roger Myers'. Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
3. ^'Whitbread PLC History'. Funding Universe. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
4. ^Whitbread's Rouge awakening BBC News, 30 October 2001
5. ^'Whitbread sells restaurant groups'. London Evening Standard.
6. ^'Tragus trials fast-service Café Rouge format'. Big Hospitality. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
7. ^'Café Rouge freshening up with £20m investment'. Peach Report. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
8. ^'Chapelfield chosen for new bistro design launch by Café Rouge'. Capital Shopping Centres. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
9. ^'Tragus reveals plans to refurbish entire Café Rouge estate within three years'. Big Hospitality. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
10. ^'Tragus joins Nectar promo'. Peach Report. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
11. ^Revealed: how the restaurant chains pocket your tips Independent, 15 July 2008
12. ^Café waiters fear the axe over cash tips Guardian, 28 June 2009
13. ^'Café Rouge Tips & Service Charge'. Café Rouge. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
14. ^'Café Rouge Tips & Service Charge'. Café Rouge. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
15. ^https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/nov/18/family-restaurant-chains-unsustainable-seafood-wagamama-bella-italia
16. ^'Café Rouge certified by MSC'. Casual Dining Magazine. Retrieved 10 January 2020.

External links[edit]