Café Rouge
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Parent | Tragus Ltd. |
| Website | www.caferouge.co.uk |
Café Rouge is a French-styled restaurant chain in the UK, offering an all-day serving of main course meals, lighter snacks and salads as well as an extensive wine list. It is part of a bigger restaurant network owned by Tragus Ltd.
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[edit] History
The business was founded by Roger Myers and Karen Jones as a small restaurant chain in 1989.[1]
Café Rouge has over 100 sites across the UK. Its covers a range of French classics from croques and baguettes to more substantial meals such as steak frites and boeuf bourguignon. Likewise the wines are all French, many from less known regional producers. [2]
The restaurant chain gained much exposure after being mentioned often 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.[3]
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.[4]
In 2009 the company was found to be threatening to dismiss wait staff who do not get customers to pay tips on credit cards rather than in cash. Credit card tips are used by the company to subsidise wages (which are usually the legal minimum) whereas cash tips go directly to wait staff. [5] In line with changes to tipping legislation, which came into effect on 1st 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. All employees are paid tips in addition to the National Minimum Wage.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Restaurateur who rides his fortune: Roger Myers - The seemingly happy-go-lucky head of the Cafe Rouge chain tells William Kay about his ambitions to be number one Independent, 17 July 1994
- ^ http://www.caferouge.co.uk/corp_about.php
- ^ Whitbread's Rouge awakening BBC News, 30 October 2001
- ^ Revealed: how the restaurant chains pocket your tips Independent, 15 July 2008
- ^ Cafe waiters fear the axe over cash tips Guardian, 28 June 2009
- ^ http://www.caferouge.co.uk/corp_servicecharge.php
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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