47-659: The Big Table Group Limited , formerly Tragus Group and Casual Dining Group (CDG) , is a hospitality company in the United Kingdom. The Big Table operates restaurants primarily under the Bella Italia , Café Rouge , Frankie & Benny's and Las Iguanas names. It also operates sites under the Banana Tree, Chiquito , Coast to Coast , Firejacks and Filling Station brands. It is owned by Epiris. In mid-May 2020, CDG warned its chains were at risk of going into administration but
94-583: A 10% deduction for administrative and other costs paid by credit or debit card, were distributed through the payroll system to restaurant staff. In 2015, Bella Italia 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 required to declare the income generated from cash tips to HM Revenue & Customs for tax purposes. Tips given by card payments are also kept in full by employees. All restaurant employees are paid tips in addition to
141-419: A deal to sell its assets to a buyer before appointing administrators to facilitate the sale. It is a legal way of selling the business on to a trade buyer or third party. A pre-pack is the process of selling the assets of a company immediately after it has entered administration. It is sometimes the case that the previous directors or management purchase the assets of the company from the administrator and set up
188-1383: A deal with Center Parcs to operate several Bella Italia and Café Rouge restaurants in the leisure village operator's UK sites. In April 2012 it was announced that Graham Turner would step down as Tragus chief executive. John Derkach, formerly managing director of the Costa Coffee chain took up the position in August 2012. In early 2014, Blackstone's stake in Tragus was acquired by US investor Apollo Global Management , and, in June 2014, Apollo sought to shed or restructure some of Tragus Group's rent obligations at Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia, and to sell its Strada chain. In September 2014, Tragus sold Strada to Sun Capital Partners. In March 2015, Tragus Holdings rebranded as Casual Dining Group (CDG). In July 2015, CDG acquired Las Iguanas and later went on to purchase La Tasca. CDG also opened concessions including Bella Italia, Café Rouge and Las Iguanas restaurants at Centre Parcs villages, and in UK airports, including Gatwick , Heathrow , Jersey and Inverness . However, efforts to close loss-making outlets and stem group losses continued through to 2018. Also in 2018, Apollo sold its stake in
235-484: A debtor who has enough money left over after priority creditors and essential expenses may be able to arrange an individual voluntary arrangement. (Debtors with less serious problems may prefer a debt management plan .) The Republic of Ireland operates a similar process called examinership , but companies require permission from the High Court to enter and leave examinership. In New Zealand , voluntary administration
282-451: A floating charge created prior to 15 September 2003 retain their right to appoint an administrative receiver, but all purported rights to do so created after that date will be construed as rights to appoint an administrator, subject to certain specific, rare exceptions. A court order is issued that forbids any form of legal or insolvency action without the court's permission. An application to the court for an administration order may be made by
329-586: A more flexible regime is available under the Companies' Creditors Arrangements Act ("CCAA"). In UK law, the administration regime is governed by the Insolvency Act 1986 , as amended by the Enterprise Act 2002 . An "administrator" can be appointed without petitioning the court by the holder of a floating charge (created since 15 September 2003), by the company or by its directors. Other creditors must petition
376-461: A new company. This process has advantages in that it enables the administrator to realise a greater amount for the assets due to business continuity and that the goodwill of the company is preserved. The employees of the company are also usually transferred to the new company, preserving jobs. Pre-packs have attracted criticism because of the appearance it gives to unconnected parties that the company has just continued without its creditors. SIP 16
423-608: A range of grill and speciality dishes. The food is complemented by some Italian wines - many from smaller producers - beers and soft drinks. 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. In line with changes to tipping legislation, which came into effect on 1 October 2009, Tragus Ltd reviewed and updated its policies to ensure that all tips, after
470-410: Is a process designed to protect limited companies from their creditors while a debt restructuring plan is carried out and presented to creditors and courts. This administration order process requires a licensed insolvency practitioner to act as the administrator appointed by the court. The administration order does not concern joint debt. Pre pack is an insolvency procedure where a company arranges
517-407: Is an officer of the court and an agent of the company, and is not personally liable for any contracts they make on behalf of the company. They have the power to do anything necessary or expedient for the management of the affairs, business and property of the company. The new administration regime introduced by the Enterprise Act 2002 replaces the previous situation where administrative receivership
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#1733086215447564-511: Is covered by the Companies Act 1993 , as amended under the Companies (Voluntary Administration) Regulations Bill in 2007. In Ukraine, a system of "sanation" ( Ukrainian : санація ) measures take place to prevent or lessen the effect of insolvency. The basic components of those measures include providing special loans and subsidies; exemptions for issuing a credit or taxation; restructuring of
611-440: Is operating efficiently, with enough freedom of competition between insolvency practitioners and whether consumers and creditors are being treated as fairly as possible. An example of a pre-pack is the sale of the assets of Cobra Beer to Coors immediately after Cobra Beer entered administration. This allowed the brand to continue and saved jobs, but also left suppliers out of pocket by an estimated £75 million. In this process,
658-615: Is part of The Big Table, which also owns Café Rouge and Las Iguanas . Bella Italia started life as two small restaurant chains - Pastificio and Pizzaland both of which were part of the Grand Metropolitan group. In 1990, Michael Guthrie (former Chairman of Mecca Leisure Group ) formed BrightReasons and bought the Pizzaland and Pastificio chains from Grand Metropolitan for £20m in February 1991, rebranding Pastificio to Bella Pasta in
705-609: The Nectar loyalty card reward scheme as a redemption partner. In September 2013, Bella Italia began a partnership with the Gourmet Society, offering their members discounts on production of a Gourmet Society restaurant discount card. In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic , in May 2020 Bella Italia's owner Casual Dining Group announced that it was working with advisors on next steps for
752-633: The National Minimum Wage. In November 2015 the chain received the worst rating of all restaurants surveyed in an assessment of the sustainability of its seafood. After working closely with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Bella Italia came second in Fish2Fork's analysis of the fish sourcing policies of high street restaurants in 2017. In June 2012, Bella Italia began officially supporting The Children's Society by donating some of
799-591: The United States . It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – in the United Kingdom colloquially called being "under administration" – is an alternative to liquidation or may be a precursor to it. Administration is commenced by an administration order . A company in administrative receivership is operated by an administrator (as interim chief executive with custodial responsibility for
846-536: The business had grown to 163 restaurants. In September 2006 it had also announced plans for a new restaurant concept - Huxley's Bar & Kitchen – to open in the new Heathrow Terminal 5 in March 2008. The group expanded rapidly in 2007 with the purchase of Ma Potters restaurant company in February for £14.15m, and the Strada chain - which included five Belgo and Bierodrome restaurants - in May for £140m. In July, Tragus signed
893-510: The business's debts and capital; change of organizational and production structure of the debtor; full or partial nationalization; others. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and reforming the existing socialist law , in 1999 there was established a law "About restoring the debtor's solvency or declaring him bankrupt". The official who administers "sanation" is known as an "arbitral director" ( Ukrainian : aрбітрaжний керуючий ) and
940-573: The company and control of the company is given entirely to the administrator. Directors of the company are prohibited from acting in their capacity as directors for the duration of the administration, while administrators are personally liable for any debts incurred by the company in the course of the administration. The Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act provides mechanisms for consumer and general proposals in order to give time for an insolvent person to be able to reorganize his affairs. For insolvent companies (or affiliated groups) owing more than $ 5 million,
987-448: The company directors. In involuntary administrative receivership, the administrator is appointed by a judicial court. The legal terms for these processes vary from country to country, and the processes may overlap. In Australia, an external administrator, also called an insolvency practitioner , is an independent person that is formally appointed to control an insolvent company's affairs. External administrators can be appointed either by
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#17330862154471034-591: The company for its kitchens were free-range together with eggs used as ingredients for sauces and pasta. In 2016, in partnership with Compassion in World Farming , CDG said it aimed to use solely free-range eggs as ingredients by 2025. In 2019, CDG signed up to the European Chicken Commitment to improve chicken welfare. CDG had a partnership with UK charity FareShare to redistribute food that would go to waste to people in need instead. In 2009 Tragus
1081-525: The company to Legal & General for £90m-£95m. The sale made them around £18m profit. The chairman, discredited former LSE CEO Gavin Casey, received £2m. Legal & General installed a new management team which included appointing new chief executive Graham Turner (formerly managing director of the Unique Pub Company ). In December 2006, Tragus was bought by Blackstone Group for £267m. By that time,
1128-408: The company's assets and obligations) on behalf of its creditors . The administrator may recapitalize the business, sell the business to new owners, or demerge it into elements that can be sold and close the remainder. Most countries distinguish between voluntary (board-decided) and involuntary (court-decided) receivership. In voluntary administrative receivership, the administrator is appointed by
1175-427: The company's assets or carry out other tasks. Voluntary administration is when the directors of an insolvent company appoint an external administrator to investigate whether winding up the corporation can be prevented or delayed and to make recommendations to the directors and their creditors as to whether the company should enter into a deed of company arrangement, be wound up (i.e. liquidated ), or be returned to
1222-564: The company's assets will be managed to ensure better returns for its creditors than an immediate winding up. When a creditor petitions the court seeking a court liquidation (a court-mandated winding up) of an insolvent company, the court appoints a " provisional liquidator " to temporarily preserve the company's assets while the winding-up application is pending. Administrators are required to be registered liquidators since they have broad powers to deal with company property. The appointment of an administrator "freezes" any legal proceedings against
1269-404: The company's directors, a secured creditor , or by a court, and include: provisional liquidators , liquidators , voluntary administrators, deed administrators , controllers , and receivers . A receivership is when an external administrator known as a "receiver" is appointed by a secured creditor to sell off a company's assets in order to repay the secured debt , or by the court to protect
1316-414: The company, the directors, a creditor or any combination of them. The Enterprise Act 2002 amended the Insolvency Act 1986 to provide an out-of-court process to appoint an administrator to the holder of a floating charge or the company or its directors. This is considerably cheaper and simpler than the previous system, which involved an application to court. In the United Kingdom, an administration order
1363-421: The control of the directors. After an administrator is appointed, there are two meetings of creditors, held within tight time-frames, with the second being the most important as it will decide whether to enter into a deed of company arrangement (DOCA), end the administration or wind the company up. The DOCA is a binding agreement between a business and its creditors overseen by a deed administrator relating to how
1410-575: The court can be produced at the courts discretion. Administration is analogous to going into " Chapter 11 " in the United States, although there are certain key differences, mainly stemming from the fact that English law does not include the debtor in possession concept. During the reorganisation period, as a result, the administrator usually runs the business rather than the directors, and any additional liquidity requirements effectively have to be met by funds provided by existing creditors rather than by any super-senior ' DIP financing '. The administrator
1457-465: The court to appoint an administrator. The administrator must act in the interests of all the creditors and attempt to rescue the company as a going concern . If this proves impossible the administrator must work to maximise the recovery of the creditors as a whole. Only then may the administrator attempt to realise property in favour of one or more secured creditors. A firm is usually in administration for no more than 12 months, after which an extension from
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1504-451: The existing management team under CEO James Spragg. In 2023, The Big Table brought most of The Restaurant Group 's loss-making assets for £7.5 million. CDG claimed to emphasise corporate social responsibility practices. It reduced its energy consumption by 17% from 2012 to 2016, and had a partnership with The Prince's Trust charity. Some CDG brands ranked highly for seafood sustainability (within their class). All whole eggs sourced by
1551-625: The first fully branded restaurant opened in Leeds. In 2007 Bella Italias parent company Targus signed a concession agreement with holiday park operator Center Parcs UK and Ireland This led to the opening of Bella Italia Restaurants at the Company’s Elveden and Whinfell sites and was Expanded in 2016 with the Strada Restaurants at Center parcs Sherwood and Longleat Villages Being rebranded as Bella Italia. In September 2012, Bella Italia joined
1598-481: The future. Media reports suggested the group was preparing to place one of its three core brands into administration as part of a financial restructuring of the business. On 29 May, CDG was reportedly in talks with "multiple parties", including other restaurant groups and private equity firms, over a sale of the business, potentially saving 6,000 jobs. On 2 July 2020, it was announced that the company had been placed into administration, with 91 outlets set to close, with
1645-420: The group to KKR and Pemberton Capital Advisors (the two had provided loan finance since 2015). Some La Tasca restaurants were converted to other brands, and the remaining four La Tasca restaurants were sold in February 2020. On 18 May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , CDG announced that it was working with advisors on next steps for the business as a prudent measure to protect the company whilst planning for
1692-530: The loss of 1,900 jobs, leaving the group with 159 operational restaurants. They appointed AlixPartners to deal with the administration and said that the 91 outlets would be permanently shut as no buyers were offering to acquire them. On 3 August 2020, it was announced that Casual Dining Group, including the Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Café Rouge restaurants, had been acquired out of administration by private equity firm Epiris and rebranded as The Big Table, led by
1739-457: The overall business as a prudent measure to protect the company whilst planning for the future. In July 2020, Casual Dining Group was placed into administration with 35 Bella Italia outlets set to close. Branches in Plymouth , Newbury and Luton Airport permanently closed as administrators began selling off the group's assets. The menu combines pizza and pasta, which is their main focus, with
1786-441: The payroll system to restaurant staff via a Tronc system. In 2020, Casual Dining Group policy was that all customer cash tips and service charges were kept by restaurant employees in full. Bella Italia The Big Table Group Limited , trading as Bella Italia (formerly known as Bella Pasta ), is a chain of over 90 restaurants offering meals inspired by Italian cuisine in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The chain
1833-464: The planned flotation was postponed. In November 1996, BrightReasons was put up for sale after suffering a particularly tough trading period in 1995. In November 1996, BrightReasons was acquired by Whitbread for £46m, but was sold off less than six years later for £25m to Tragus Holdings (later renamed Casual Dining Group). In December 2002, the Bella Pasta chain was rebranded as Bella Italia and
1880-509: The process. In February 1993, BrightReasons purchased 43 Pizza Piazza and Prima Pasta restaurants from Rank Organisation for £20.25m, bringing their total number of restaurants to 165. In May 1994, BrightReasons started preparing for a stock market flotation, and the group was expected to be valued at between £70m-£100m. This was subsequently announced in September, however, in November 1994,
1927-498: The profit from a selected dish on the menu to the charity. In 2013, Bella Italia officially partnered with 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." Administration (law) As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in
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1974-715: The time, the two restaurant divisions comprised the Café Rouge, Bella Pasta, Mamma Amalfi, Abbaye, Leadenhall Wine Bar and Oriel brands. A £25m management buy-in by Tragus Holdings was funded by £11m from venture capitalist speculators ECI Partners . Tragus Holdings was led by chief executive Finlay Scott, formerly head of the Aroma Café chain and Whitecross Dental Care. The team included Gavin Williams, managing director of Bella Pasta, and Harry Morley, former finance director of Whitecross Dental Care. In January 2005, Tragus' directors sold
2021-421: Was available as an alternative to administration, which has traditionally been a more rescue-oriented insolvency regime. This regime allowed the holder of a floating charge to appoint an administrative receiver to realise assets in his favour, and also to block an administration order sought by a borrower. This was felt to be too favourable to the floating charge holder at the expense of other creditors. Holders of
2068-501: Was introduced in January 2009 to assist Insolvency Practitioners in pre-pack cases. It was designed to make the process more transparent for creditors, and to ensure that fair value was obtained for the assets. In November 2009, the Office of Fair Trading announced a study into corporate insolvencies, with particular focus on pre-pack administrations, to report on whether the insolvency market
2115-497: Was later in talks with "multiple parties" about a sale of the business. On 2 July 2020, it was announced that the company had been placed into administration, with 91 outlets set to close with the loss of 1,900 jobs. Epiris brought CDG out of administration in August 2020, renaming it to The Big Table Group. Tragus Holdings was formed in 2002 when Whitbread sold-off 153 failing restaurants from its Pelican and BrightReasons divisions, shortly after writing their value down by £147m. At
2162-462: Was the subject of newspaper reports highlighting the practice of several UK restaurant chains using customer tips to meet minimum wage laws for waiters/waitresses. The company's business model was said to depend on paying servers as little as £2.50 an hour, with the rest coming as tips. The company reportedly instructed restaurant managers to pressure servers to avoid encouraging customers to give tips in cash, which would not count as part of wages, and
2209-421: Was threatening to sack employees who failed to produce a sufficient volume of card-based gratuities. They were discovered (via "mystery diners") informing customers of the company's policy. When the practice became unlawful on 1 October 2009, Tragus 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, were distributed through
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