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The Restaurant Group
Annual Report 2013

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FY2013 Annual Report · The Restaurant Group
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The Restaurant Group plc
5-7 Marshalsea Road
London SE1 1EP
Tel: 020 3117 5001
www.trgplc.com

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A successful year  
of consistent growth
Annual Report 2013

 
 
 
 
 
 
The Restaurant Group plc (“TRG” or “the Group”) 
operates over 440 restaurants and pub 
restaurants. Its principal trading brands are 
Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito, Coast to Coast  
and Garfunkel’s. The Group also operates  
Pub restaurants and a Concessions business 
which trades principally at UK airports.

Overview
Financial highlights 
At a glance 

Strategic report
Chairman’s statement 
Chief Executive Officer’s review of operations 
Group Finance Director’s report 

Governance
Board of Directors 
Report of the Directors 
Corporate responsibility 
Directors’ remuneration report 
Audit Committee report 

01 
02 

04
06 
12

16
17
22
25
36

Financial statements
Independent auditor’s report 
38
Accounting policies for the consolidated accounts  41
Consolidated income statement 
45
Consolidated statement of changes in equity 
46
Consolidated balance sheet 
47
Consolidated cash flow statement 
48
Notes to the accounts 
49

Company financial statements 
Company balance sheet 
Accounting policies and basis of preparation 
Group financial record 
Shareholder information 

65
66
68
69

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 69

Shareholder information

Directors
Alan Jackson
Non-executive Chairman

Andrew Page
Chief Executive Officer

Stephen Critoph
Group Finance Director

Trish Corzine
Executive Director, Concessions (until 15 May 2013)

Tony Hughes
Non-executive

Simon Cloke
Non-executive

Sally Cowdry
Non-executive (appointed 1 March 2014)

Company Secretary
Until 5 April 2013: Robert Morgan
From 5 April 2013: Stephen Critoph

Registrar
Equiniti Limited
Aspect House
Spencer Road
Lancing 
West Sussex BN99 6DA

Auditor
Deloitte LLP
2 New Street Square
London EC4A 3BZ

Solicitors
Slaughter and May
One Bunhill Row
London EC1Y 8YY

Brokers
JPMorganCazenove
25 Bank Street
London E14 5JP

Panmure Gordon & Co
One New Change
London EC4M 9AF

Head office (and address for all correspondence)
5-7 Marshalsea Road
London SE1 1EP

Financial calendar
Annual General Meeting
15 May 2014

Telephone number
020 3117 5001

Company number
SC030343

Registered office
1 George Square
Glasgow G2 1AL 

Proposed final dividend – 2013
Announcement – 26 February 2014
Ex-dividend – 18 June 2014
Record date – 20 June 2014
Payment date – 9 July 2014

The paper used in this report is sourced from well-managed forests and is  
FSC accredited.

Printed in the UK using vegetable based inks which have lower VOC emissions  
(Volatile Organic Compounds), are derived from renewable sources and less 
hazardous than oil-based inks. 

The printer is ISO 14001 accredited and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain  
of custody certified. Under the framework of ISO 14001 a structured approach is 
taken by the company to measure, improve and audit their environmental status  
on an ongoing basis. FSC ensures there is an audited chain of custody from the tree 
in the well-managed forest through to the finished document in the printing factory.

If you have finished reading this report and no longer wish to retain it please pass it 
to interested readers, return it to The Restaurant Group plc or dispose of it in your 
recycled paper waste. Thank you. 

Designed and produced by Instinctif Partners  www.instinctif.com

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The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 01

Financial highlights

The Group had another strong performance in 2013 with significant growth in revenues, 
profits and cash flow:

  Revenue increased to £580m (like-for-like sales +3.5%)
  Operating margin increased to 12.9%
  EBITDA increased to £107.8m
  Profit before tax increased to £72.7m
  EPS increased to 28.0p per share
  Proposed full year dividend increased to 14.0p per share

Operations strongly cash generative. Operating cash flow £116.8m, up 15%

Roll out continues:

  35 new sites opened in the period 
  36-43 new sites targeted for 2014

Over 1,000 new jobs created in 2013 

Strong current trading, with total sales up 10% and like-for-like sales growth at 3.5%  
for the eight weeks to 23 February 2014.

Revenue (£m)

EBITDA (£m)

+9%

+13%

Profit before tax
(£m)

+13%

13
12
11
10
09

579.6
532.5
487.1
454.0
435.7

13
12
11
10
09

107.8
95.5
89.7
83.4
79.6

13
12
11
10
09

72.7
64.6
60.3
54.0
50.0

EPS (£m)

Dividend per share (p)

+16%

+19%

13
12
11
10
09

28.02
24.08
21.86
19.25
17.48

13
12
11
10
09

14.00
11.80
10.50
9.00
8.00

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements02 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

At a glance

Strong brands focused on  
the casual eating-out market

43m

meals served

over 

1,000

new jobs 
created

17 new openings in 2013
232 restaurants

4 new openings in 2013
73 restaurants

5 new openings in 2013
10 restaurants

Frankie & Benny’s brings together classic 
American and Italian style with food and drink  
that always provides great value for money.  
The kitchen buzzes with bustling activity as  
the chefs prepare dishes from our broad menu 
– pizzas, pastas, burgers, grills and other favourites 
– while, in typical stateside fashion, service at 
Frankie & Benny’s is second to none! Settle into  
a cosy booth to enjoy a casual family meal or  
a catch up with friends and observe the clatter  
and chatter of the open kitchen and the familiar 
classic 50’s and 60’s soundtrack playing in the 
background. The restaurant walls are filled with 
family snapshots and memorabilia showing life on 
the lower east side of the Big Apple, helping you 
into a “New York state-of-mind”. First opened in 
1995 in Leicester, Frankie & Benny’s has become 
one of the best known casual dining brands in the 
United Kingdom, and trades successfully in leisure 
and retail locations, standalone sites and at six 
airports. The estate comprises of 232 restaurants 
spread across the country from Aberdeen to  
St Austell.

Mexican for fun, fantastic food, amazing 
atmosphere – for a good time, guaranteed.  
The Chiquito menu offers a great range of 
authentic Mexican & “Tex-Mex” dishes in a lively 
environment, with fantastic music. The décor 
draws inspiration from Mexican architecture and 
Latin style. Some restaurants have a rustic and 
relaxed feel while others demonstrate the buzz  
and graphic energy of contemporary Mexico City. 
Chiquito favourite dishes include nachos, burritos, 
enchiladas and our signature sizzling fajitas, as well 
as the old favourites – burgers, ribs, salads and 
hand-cut steaks from the grill. We specialise in 
great food, good times and fantastic cocktails  
to ensure every meal is a fiesta. Chiquito is open 
for lunch, lazy afternoons and lively evenings, so 
whether you’re out shopping, meeting friends after 
work or planning a party it’s the only place to be! 
Trading in the UK for over 20 years, Chiquito 
continues to attract a broad mix of young adults, 
couples, teenagers, families and large parties. 
Over 70 leisure, retail and stand-alone restaurants 
cover the UK with more openings planned.

Coast to Coast takes its inspiration from the 
Lincoln Highway, which spans the United States  
of America from New York to San Francisco.  
This is reflected in our great range of authentic 
food and drinks, all served with superb hospitality 
and service. We offer the best of classic American 
food – Aberdeen Angus beef burgers, deep dish 
style Chicago pizzas, distinctive steaks, amazing 
seafood dishes, wraps and South-West American 
specials. Coast to Coast is more than just a 
restaurant, with a great bar serving speciality 
cocktails and a wide range of beers, spirits and 
traditional milkshakes. The music is an eclectic  
mix of Motown and American Rock, songs you 
may not have heard in a little while, but are 
absolutely guaranteed to lift your spirits and  
make you smile. We currently have ten restaurants 
open and see significant opportunities to  
grow Coast to Coast into a great brand.

www.frankieandbennys.com

www.chiquito.co.uk

www.c2crestaurants.com

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 03

53

67

25

21

42

54

28

46

103

Scotland – 53
29 Frankie & Benny’s
09 Chiquito
07 Garfunkel’s
08 TRG Concessions

Northern Ireland – 06
05 Frankie & Benny’s 
01 Chiquito

Wales – 21
13 Frankie & Benny’s
03 Chiquito
05 Pub restaurants

South West – 25
16 Frankie & Benny’s
06 Chiquito
01 Garfunkel’s 
02 TRG Concessions

South East – 103
37 Frankie & Benny’s
14 Chiquito
20 Pub restaurants
29 TRG Concessions 
03 Coast to Coast

London  
(inside the M25) – 46
15 Frankie & Benny’s
07 Chiquito
13 Garfunkel’s 
05 Pub restaurants
05 TRG Concessions
01 Coast to Coast

East Anglia – 28
15 Frankie & Benny’s
05 Chiquito
02 Pub restaurants
05 TRG Concessions
01 Coast to Coast

Midlands – 54
38 Frankie & Benny’s
10 Chiquito
03 TRG Concessions
03 Coast to Coast

North West – 67
32 Frankie & Benny’s
09 Chiquito
08 TRG Concessions
17 Pub restaurants
01 Coast to Coast

North East – 42
32 Frankie & Benny’s
09 Chiquito
01 Coast to Coast

06

Pubs

4 new openings in 2013
49 pub restaurants

5 new sites opened in 2013
60 sites

21 restaurants 
(including 5 Filling Station)

Really great pubs are timeless, familiar and very 
British. Everybody knows what their perfect pub 
looks like. Each of ours has its own style and 
personality, and you’ll always find a warm welcome, 
set against a backdrop of ageless interiors. Mostly 
set in beautiful rural or semi-rural locations, each 
pub has a ‘local’ feel and many are set in intriguing 
buildings with fascinating histories. We don’t want 
all our pubs to look and feel the same – instead we 
preserve the character of the building, which after 
all was what attracted us to the property in the first 
place. We serve a wide selection of cask ales which 
changes frequently and always try to include a local 
brew or two. We have decent but not over the top 
wines and the essence of our freshly prepared food 
is classic British dishes, complemented by more 
exotic influences from other parts of the world: 
what we believe is modern British cookery. 
Seasonal and local specials mean the menu 
always offers new choices alongside trusted 
favourites each time you visit. There’s friendly, 
engaging service from the moment you arrive, 
ensuring that all your needs are taken care of.  
We believe that, when done well, classic pubs will 
never go out of fashion, and that opportunities to 
expand in the sector are available for experienced 
operators with the right offer for customers.

www.trgplc.com/our-restaurants 
www.brunningandprice.co.uk

TRG’s Concessions business has a market-leading 
reputation for developing partnerships to deliver 
catering solutions that meet the needs of our 
clients and their customers. Currently operating 
from 60 outlets in the UK’s busiest airports, other 
transport locations and shopping centres, we  
have more than 20 years of experience providing 
exceptional hospitality to the travelling public.  
Our specialist operating knowledge and flexibility 
ensures successful performance across our 
diverse brand portfolio, covering a wide range of 
popular categories including table service, counter 
service, sandwich shops, pubs and bars. To meet 
client and customer needs we deliver existing  
TRG brands, create bespoke concepts and 
establish partnerships to franchise brands from 
third parties as appropriate. Building on our track 
record of innovation, partnership and performance 
ahead of sector growth will ensure we remain  
a market leader in this exciting sector.

Garfunkel’s – founded in London’s West End in 
1979, Garfunkel’s is proud to be the original British 
café restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner 
all day every day. Wake up to a traditional British 
fry-up or a warming bowl of porridge, we have 
great coffee too, made just the way you like it. For 
lunchtime our salad bar really hits the spot, its fast, 
its fresh and you can make it any way you want to. 
And of course there’s Garfunkel’s classics like 
rotisserie chicken, hand-battered fish and chips 
and tasty topped burgers fresh from the grill. 
Everything has been chosen because we just love 
the taste. Principally located across Central 
London, each Garfunkel’s restaurant offers a place 
to relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle 
outside, with a loyal following of visitors, local 
residents and workers who have been eating at 
Garfunkel’s for years.

Garfunkel’s restaurants offer a friendly welcome 
and broad menu in a warm contemporary setting, 
just what you need after a hectic shopping trip in 
the West End or the perfect way to complement a 
theatre visit.

wwwtrgconcessions.co.uk

www.garfunkels.co.uk

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements04 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Chairman’s statement

“ We have made a strong  
start to the current year, 
with sales growth of 10% 
(like-for-like sales up 3.5%) 
for the first eight weeks  
of the year.” 

35

new restaurants 
opened

3.5%

increase in like-for-
like sales

The Group delivered another strong performance in 2013  
with significant growth in revenues, profits and cash flow.  
This is particularly impressive as it follows on from a decade 
of consistent growth and demonstrates the very formidable 
strength of the Group’s business.

Like-for-like sales were 3.5% ahead of the previous year 
which represents an outperformance against our sector. I am 
very encouraged that this trend has continued into 2014 with 
like-for-like sales for the eight weeks to 23 February 2014 3.5% 
ahead of the previous year (first eight weeks of 2013: +6.5%). 

The continuing squeeze on household finances has been 
widely reported and this has meant that conditions for 
consumer-facing businesses were again tough in 2013. 
By focusing on our customers and giving a wide range  
of choice we have ensured that the Group has continued  
to make profitable progress, once again, delivering record 
profits and earnings.

We increased our openings programme during 2013 with 
35 new restaurants opened. Of these, 19 restaurants opened 
in the final two months of the year and it is testament to the 
strength of the TRG team that all were successfully opened 
whilst, at the same time, our existing restaurants enjoyed 
a flourishing level of trade. We are delighted with the 
performance of our new openings and they are set to deliver 
good returns. Looking forward, we have a superb pipeline 
of new sites covering the period 2014 to 2016.

In 2013, the Group’s revenues grew by 9% to £580m 
(2012: £533m), profit before tax grew by 13% to £72.7m 
(2012: £64.6m) and earnings per share grew by 16% to 28.0p 
(2012: 24.1p). This increase in earnings per share represents 
a compound annual growth rate of 11% over the five years 
to December 2013. This represents strong growth, delivered 
consistently over a long period of time and is reflective of our 
first class business and the efforts of our management team.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 05

“ We are well placed to 
continue our further 
profitable progress.”

13%

increase in profit 
before tax

We have made a strong start to the current year, with sales 
growth of 10% (like-for-like sales up 3.5%) for the first eight 
weeks of the year and we are looking to build further on  
this as we move through the year. We have an outstanding 
business with market-leading brands in excellent locations, 
and an experienced management team with real strength  
and depth. All of our brands are well recognised, providing 
our customers with a wide range of choice and superb value 
for money. I am confident that we are well placed to continue 
our further profitable progress.

Alan Jackson
Chairman
26 February 2014

19%

dividend growth

As a result of this strong performance, the Board is 
recommending a final dividend of 8.75p per share to give 
a total for the year of 14.0p (2012: 11.8p) an increase of 19%. 
This dividend is covered two times by earnings per share, 
in line with our dividend policy. Subject to shareholder 
approval at the Annual General Meeting to be held on  
15 May 2014, the final dividend will be paid on 9 July 2014 
and the shares will be marked ex-dividend on 18 June 2014.

TRG has consistently demonstrated the strength and 
resilience of its business model and this is, again, another  
set of record results. The Group is managed by a stable, 
experienced and long standing team, in a disciplined and 
focused manner – growing organically and also through 
judicious and carefully executed roll out. By operating in  
this manner, TRG is able to grow its estate, increase earnings 
and dividends and generate high levels of cash and returns 
on investments.

These outstanding results are a product of the hard work, 
expertise and dedication of our Directors, senior management 
and staff. On behalf of the Board I would like to record our 
thanks to all of our teams across the country.

As recently announced, Andrew Page, our Chief Executive 
Officer, will be retiring at the end of August after thirteen years 
with the Group. Under Andrew’s leadership, The Restaurant 
Group has developed into a first class and firmly established 
FTSE-250 business, with an excellent track record of growth 
in earnings, dividends and shareholder value. The Board and 
I, personally, would like to express our heartfelt thanks and 
congratulations to Andrew on the immense success he has 
achieved at TRG during his tenure. I am delighted that Andrew 
has agreed to continue as an Advisor to the Chairman and 
Board on an annually renewable basis for two days a week. 
The search for a new Chief Executive Officer is well underway.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements06 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Chief Executive Officer’s  
review of operations
“ Building on the solid  
growth achieved in  
each year over the past 
decade, TRG delivered 
further profitable  
progress in 2013.” 

Introduction
The Restaurant Group has an excellent track record of 
delivering consistent, year on year, growth in cash flow and 
profits combined with high returns on investment. Building on 
the solid growth achieved in each year over the past decade, 
TRG delivered further profitable progress in 2013. 

The Group achieved like-for-like sales growth in 11 out of 
12 months with full year like-for-like sales growth of 3.5%. 
As in previous years, like-for-like profits also increased.  
I am pleased to report that good like-for-like sales growth 
continues, and, after the first eight weeks of 2014, like-for-like 
sales are 3.5% ahead of the previous year. Total sales for 
2013 were £580m (2012: £533m) an increase of 9% and 
earnings per share increased by 16% to 28p (2012: 24p);  
this represents a good result and augurs well for the future.

Results
TRG delivered strong trading metrics for the 52 week period 
to 29 December 2013: 

  Total sales increased by 9%
  Like-for-like sales increased by 3.5%
  43 million meals were sold
  EBITDA increased by 13% to £108m
  Operating profit increased by 13% to £75m
  Operating margin increased by 40 basis points to 12.9%
  Pre-tax profit increased by 13% to £72.7m
  Earnings per share increased by 16% to 28p
   Cash flow generated from operations increased by £15m 
to  £117m
  Free cash flow increased by £7.9m to £77.1m

13%

increase in EBITDA

16%

increase in  
earnings per share

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 07

Chief Executive Officer’s  
review of operations
continued

Our people and our business
Throughout TRG we aim to continually evolve and improve 
our offering – food, service, facilities and standards. 
Our menus are reviewed twice a year; our seasonal specials 
menus change quarterly and we pay close attention to the 
nutritional and calorific content of dishes to ensure that we 
have something to match all of our customers’ requirements. 
We pay close attention to our children’s offerings to ensure 
that they afford the opportunity to form part of a sensibly 
balanced diet. We are also committed to support the 
Government’s initiatives to encourage healthier lifestyles and, 
to this end, we have made a number of pledges including salt 
reduction and encouraging physical activities. As part of our 
ongoing health and safety assurance processes we regularly 
conduct testing of products and facilities at our suppliers. 

Our focus continues to be directed towards providing our 
customers with a great dining experience – plenty of choice 
across the price points, offerings geared towards specific 
parts of the day, good value and superb hospitality and 
service. We strive to employ the best people and to provide 
them with an opportunity to develop. Our staff benefit from a 
number of training programmes as soon as they join us and, 
as they progress, we provide them with the skills necessary 
to be efficient and effective managers. In addition to our 
management training programmes, our staff at all levels  
have the opportunity to secure qualifications in several areas 
relevant to our industry, including food hygiene, health & 
safety, NVQ’s and BII accreditations. 

We employ more than 12,000 people throughout the UK  
and during 2013 more than 1,000 new team members  
joined TRG. As we continue to open new restaurants,  
the opportunities for our people to progress and secure 
promotion increase and this helps TRG to attract and retain 
high quality team members. 

Our brands
Frankie & Benny’s (232 units) 
Frankie and Benny’s traded strongly in 2013 delivering 
significant increases in turnover, EBITDA and profit.  
Once again, margins were very strong and this is particularly 
encouraging as we have been further building the team and 
resource base in anticipation of an increased rate of roll out. 
During the year we opened 17 new restaurants of which  
six were on cinema sites. Trade at the new openings has 
been strong and they are on track to deliver excellent returns. 
We anticipate opening between 18 and 22 new Frankie and 
Benny’s restaurants in 2014. The strength of the Frankie and 
Benny’s brand, its breadth of appeal, versatility and high level 
of customer recognition all contribute to a consistent track 
record of success. This gives us great confidence that there 
is significant future roll out potential for this brand.

Coast to Coast (10 units)
We opened our first Coast to Coast restaurant in Brighton 
in November 2011. By the end of 2013 we had ten Coast to 
Coast restaurants of which five were opened during the year. 
The performance of our Coast to Coast restaurants has been 
excellent and in a handful of cases, truly exceptional. They are 
set to deliver strong returns. Eight of our ten Coast to Coast 
restaurants trade alongside either, or both, Frankie and 
Benny’s and Chiquito. These three brands complement each 
other well and we plan to continue to open further Coast to 
Coast restaurants alongside our other Leisure brands. We are 
planning to open between five and seven new Coast to Coast 
restaurants in 2014 and we have identified several dozen 
locations where we are confident that a Coast to Coast 
restaurant would trade well. Our forward pipeline is 
encouraging and we believe that this brand has significant roll 
out potential. 

Chiquito (73 units)
Chiquito performed well in 2013 with a solid increase in 
revenues and a significant increase in EBITDA, profit and 
margins. We opened four new Chiquito restaurants during  
the year. They are trading superbly and are set to deliver 
strong returns. During 2014 we expect to open between  
five and seven new Chiquito restaurants. 

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements08 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Chief Executive Officer’s  
review of operations
continued

More than

12,000

employed

Garfunkel’s (16 units) 
Garfunkel’s traded superbly during 2013 and this has 
continued into 2014. Central London, the traditional heartland 
of Garfunkel’s, has been especially buoyant and Garfunkel’s 
has benefited from this. Like-for-like sales growth was 
exceptionally strong and this translated into significant 
increases in turnover, profit and margins. We are continuing 
to search for new site opportunities which will deliver our 
required returns. 

Pub restaurants (49 units)
Our Pub restaurants business traded strongly throughout  
the year and delivered significant increases in turnover, profits 
and margins. We opened four new Pub restaurants during 
the year and these are trading well and are set to deliver 
strong returns. During the year our recent opening, The Bulls 
Head, at Mottram St. Andrew, won the Good Pub Guide’s 
“Best New Pub of the Year” award. We continue to build 
a portfolio of high quality pubs in terms of location, appeal, 
standard of food and service and, most importantly, 
consistent growth in profits. Our Pub restaurant business  
has the potential to grow significantly over the medium term 
and also to command a niche position as a high quality, 
nationwide Pub restaurant business. During 2014 we expect 
to open four to six new Pub restaurants.

Concessions (60 units) 
Our Concession business traded strongly in 2013 with a  
solid increase in turnover and significant increases in EBITDA, 
profits and margins. Our business continues to gain market 
share and, as passenger numbers start to increase, we are 
confident that this trend can continue. During the year we 
opened five new units and these are set to deliver strong 
returns. We expect to open two to four new Concession 
restaurants in 2014.

The TRG business model and strategy
Our core objective continues to be growth in shareholder 
value and our strategy to achieve this is to build a business 
capable of delivering long-term, sustainable and growing 
cash flows. Our touchstones are cash flow and return on 
investment. Our business model enables our shareholders  
to enjoy the benefits of high returns on capital, growth in 
profits and cash flow and sizeable income distributions from 
our progressive dividend policy. The Group has a consistent 
record of converting profits into cash at a very healthy rate, 
and delivering increasing cash flows each year, and in 2013 
this was again the case.

In 2013 the Group generated £116.8m of operating cash  
flow and having paid a corporation tax bill of £17.7m, interest 
payments of £1.1m and spending £20.9m on capital 
improvements for our existing estate, the Group’s free cash 
flow amounted to more than £77m. This was £7.9m ahead 
of the previous year and continued the Group’s record of 
growing cash flow each year.

This cash is put to good use – in 2013 we spent almost  
£56m on new developments which will, in turn, contribute to 
the continuing growth in the Group’s profits and cash flows; 
we returned almost £25m to our shareholders by way 
of dividends. 

This virtuous circle of rising profits being converted into higher 
levels of cash flow which is then invested in new restaurants 
which, in turn, deliver high levels of return on invested capital 
is a highly efficacious and value-accretive model. TRG’s 
business model enables the Group to grow in a predominately 
organic and highly value-accretive way, funded from its 
internally generated funds. Our model delivers high returns, 
growth and income in the form of dividends. The model is 
robust, resilient and rewarding for our shareholders. 

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 09

£56m

on new 
developments

£25m

paid in dividends

£116.8m

of operating  
cash flow

TRG’s capital structure
The Group’s capital structure is framed in a sensible and 
prudent manner which enables shareholder value to grow 
and which recognises the operational and financial gearing 
inherent in our (predominantly) lease-based business model. 
In determining the appropriate capital structure, the key 
considerations which we keep under regular review are: 

1.  The level of free cash flow generated and our expectation 

for this going forward; 

2.  The level of capital investment required to maintain our 
estate to a high standard and fund our new openings 
(and our expectations with regard to the number of new 
openings over the medium-term); 

3.  The maintenance of our progressive dividend policy  

and our intention to grow dividends in line with earnings; 

4.  Ensuring that we have sufficient financial resources 

available to take advantage of opportunities to expand 
the business profitably; 

5.  Ensuring that we have sufficient financial resources 

available to cope with a deterioration in trading conditions 
as a result of an economic downturn or other adverse 
factors; and

6.  Maintaining a good level of fixed charge cover as  

measured by the Group’s ability to meet and service  
all of its financial obligations.

As a result of strong cash generation, the Group has reduced 
its levels of debt significantly. In the six years since the end of 
2007, net debt has reduced from £77m to £42m. During this 
period the Group has invested more than £200m in opening 
171 new restaurants and acquiring freeholds of our existing 
Pub restaurants, £85m (maintenance capital) has been 
invested in maintaining the existing estate and £114m has 
been paid out to shareholders in the form of dividends. 
During much of this period the economic backdrop has  
been poor (and at times very bleak). Against such a backdrop 
we believe that TRG’s prudent capital structure has been 
appropriate, safeguarding shareholders’ interests whilst 
allowing the Group to grow profits and cash flow and for 
dividends to increase. 

Capital expenditure and TRG opening programme
Our key criteria in determining where to invest our capital is  
to operate restaurants in locations with high barriers to entry, 
good growth prospects and where we are confident that we 
can secure high returns on investment. Our focus is on edge 
of town, out of town, rural, semi-rural and airport locations 
and we occupy leading market positions in these segments. 
The footprint that the Group occupies in edge and out of 
town leisure and airport locations is comprehensive and,  
from a market positioning perspective, very formidable. 
It would be virtually impossible to replicate this footprint from 
scratch and the Group is well placed to continue to roll out 
more restaurants. 

Our philosophy regarding capital expenditure remains 
consistent – we focus on cash generation and on securing 
a return on invested capital at rates ahead of TRG’s weighted 
average cost of capital. We continue to apply the same levels 
of analytical rigour, commercial analysis, experience and risk 
adjustment to each capital project that we undertake.

This approach has served TRG well and we do not intend to 
deviate from it. This disciplined and consistent approach has 
also ensured that our new openings continue to deliver strong 
returns. It is particularly encouraging that returns from our 
openings in recent years have been at some of the highest 
levels achieved in the past decade. 

Our free cash flow generation is sufficient to enable the Group 
to accelerate the openings programme whilst maintaining 
maintenance capital expenditure at an appropriate level and 
pursuing a progressive dividend policy. Looking forward over 
the next two to three years the quality and quantity of our 
forward pipeline is the best that we have seen for many years. 

During 2014 we are expecting to open between 36 and 43 
new restaurants and we are also successfully adding to our 
potential pipeline for the next two to three years. 

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements10 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Chief Executive Officer’s  
review of operations
continued

Market dynamics and the economy
The backdrop for consumer-facing businesses has been 
especially tricky over the past five years. The squeeze on 
household finances has meant that companies in consumer-
facing businesses have had to adapt and make important 
choices as to how they operate. Those companies that have 
established strong market positions, with offerings that are 
accessible, attractive, convenient, well understood, trusted 
and are seen by their customers to offer good value have 
tended to outperform. Customers have become more 
selective about what, and how, they purchase and it is 
noteworthy how important a strong and clear online offering 
and communication platform has become for many parts  
of the retail marketplace. The ability to read and quickly  
adapt to customer trends is increasingly important. 

With many households experiencing a squeeze on funds 
available for discretionary spend, harder choices between 
competing consumption wishes are having to be made. 
Consumer-facing businesses have had to work harder 
to claim a share of this smaller cake. 

Those companies that operate in the dining out sector have 
approached these challenges in different ways. Many have 
chosen to compete for customers largely on price and this 
has often manifested itself via heavy promotions and deep 
discounting. “Buy one get one free” and other similar, deep 
discounting, offers have been rife, and still are. Our Group  
has adopted a different approach, focusing on value,  
choice and consistency of service and standards. Last year, 
the proportion of TRG’s revenues which were driven by 
promotions was, as in the previous year, very modest. 
We have also increasingly harnessed digital media to  
broaden awareness of our brands and what we can offer. 
These tactics have served TRG well, enabling it to continue 
to grow profits and protect margins. 

Eating out has become habitual in the UK and it is an activity 
that many people are reluctant to give up. At our price point 
it represents a “small ticket” item or, to put it another way, 
“an affordable treat”. In times of fiscal restraint and stretched 
finances, it is a pleasure in which many people still feel able 
to indulge. 

Growth in eating out is a secular trend, driven largely by 
socio-economic factors (ageing population, busy lifestyles, 
more women in the workplace etc.) and this is set to continue 
over the longer term. Despite the current climate TRG has 
been able to secure good levels of like-for-like sales growth 
in both 2012 and 2013 and, as conditions improve and 
particularly when people feel more confident about their jobs 
and incomes, this is likely to accelerate. 

TRG’s approach has put us in a strong position to accelerate 
the growth of the business as UK economic growth becomes 
more firmly established.

After several years of declining or static real GDP, the UK 
economic outlook has started to look brighter. This is  
most welcome and, although some commentators have 
emphasised that it is founded on consumer spending  
(funded via debt) and a more buoyant housing market,  
it is certainly a significant improvement on recent years.

Most of the key UK economic measures and indicators  
are showing improvement: GDP growth has picked up with 
the UK recording growth levels well ahead of its European 
neighbours, inflation has abated and employment levels are 
at record levels. The rate of creation of new jobs over the  
last twelve months has been encouraging and if productivity 
levels improve it is likely that we will start to see an increase  
in real wage growth, something that has been elusive for 
several years. 

There are, however, a number of concerns including the 
prospect of a tightening in monetary policy which would  
lead to higher interest rates impacting households with 
floating rate mortgages and/or other debt to be serviced. 
Since 2008 we have witnessed global monetary stimulus 
on an unprecedented and exceptional scale and the UK  
has participated extensively in this. At some point the UK’s 
loose monetary policy will end – the timing and extent of  
the tightening will be an important determinant of the UK’s 
prospects for sustained growth and, more particularly,  
the prospects for household and consumer finances.  
With “forward guidance” still in its infancy in the UK, it is 
difficult to predict when, and to what extent, monetary 

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 11

36-43

new restaurants 
expected in 2014

The future
This is my final report as The Restaurant Group’s Chief 
Executive Officer as I will be retiring at the end of August. 
It has been a truly remarkable journey which started in 
June 2001 when we took a business that had lost its way, 
re-structured and re-orientated it and then, from firm 
foundations, have grown it to become the successful 
company that we have today. Credit for this success belongs 
to the TRG team who, at times, have achieved the seemingly 
impossible and throughout have delivered a consistently fine 
performance for our shareholders. They are an outstanding 
group of people and it has been my privilege to lead them 
over the past ten years.

As so often in past years, 2013 presented some big 
challenges. As always, our team rose to those challenges 
to deliver a superb performance. All of our people will be 
working towards replicating this in 2014. The first two months 
of 2014 have started well with total sales 10% ahead of last 
year (like-for-like sales up 3.5%) and we will be looking to 
build further on this as we move through the year.

The Restaurant Group is in great shape and I am confident 
that it will continue to prosper.

Andrew Page
Chief Executive Officer
26 February 2014

£25m

to our shareholders 
by way of dividends

tightening will be implemented. However, it seems clear from 
the Bank of England’s recent pronouncements that low UK 
interest rates are likely to be with us for some time and this 
is good news from a consumer and household perspective. 

Low interest rates, low inflation, high levels of employment 
and real wage growth will be key determinants in the 
acceleration of growth and thus the medium term outlook 
for our sector.

Future prospects
Over the past five years, our business has experienced some 
difficult trading conditions and during that period sales, profits 
and cash flow increased every year. Also within that period 
we have devised and developed our new brand, Coast to 
Coast, and executed its initial roll out very effectively, further 
widening TRG’s development path. 

TRG’s businesses command strong market positions in  
each of our chosen segments and our brands are widely 
recognised for the quality, breadth and value of their offerings. 
We have a well proven business model, a strong balance 
sheet, an experienced management team and are well 
positioned to continue our expansion. Just as we did in 2013, 
during 2014 we will continue to:

  Stick to our areas of expertise; 
   Focus on our customers by providing excellent value, 
choice and service;
   Maintain high standards of operational efficiency 
and execution;
   Carefully control our costs and seek to mitigate and 
minimise the impact of inflationary input costs;
   Add high quality new restaurants that meet our investment 
criteria to our portfolio; and
   Focus on cash flow, returns and growing shareholder value. 

Our aim is to continue to strengthen our market positions, 
to judiciously roll out our brands and deliver long-term and 
sustainable profitable growth. The Group has demonstrated 
its resilience and we expect it to benefit significantly from 
an upturn in consumer confidence.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements12 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Group Finance Director’s report

“ Another record set  
of financial results.” 

40 

basis point  
increase  
in margin

Results
2013 was another challenging year, with consumer 
discretionary spending continuing to be under significant 
pressure. The Restaurant Group nevertheless performed 
extremely well and has achieved another record set of 
financial results, as follows:

Revenue
Operating profit
Margin %
Net interest
Profit before tax
EPS (pence)

2013
£m
579.6
74.9
12.9%
(2.2)
72.7
28.02

2012
£m
532.5
66.4
12.5%
(1.8)
64.6
24.08

%
change
+8.8%
+12.8% 

+12.6%
+16.4%

Total revenue increased by 8.8%, reflecting a 3.5% increase 
in like-for-like sales and the impact of new openings in 2012 
and 2013. Total EBITDA for the year was £107.8m and 
operating profit was £74.9m, both representing an increase of 
almost 13% on the prior year. It was also very pleasing to see 
meaningful progress on operating margin, which increased 
by 40 basis points to 12.9%. This improvement resulted from 
operational leverage benefits, detailed focus on all areas of 
cost and a low level of promotional discount activity.

In 2012 the Group benefitted from a £0.4m payment of 
historical outstanding loan note interest from Living Ventures. 
There was no such item in 2013 and this was the principal 
factor behind the increased level of net interest costs during 
the year. 

Profit before tax was £72.7m, an increase of almost 13% 
compared to the prior year. The average tax rate in the year 
was 22.7%, compared to 25.3% in the prior year. This 
resulted in net profit after tax of £56.2m and EPS of 28.02p, 
an increase of more than 16% compared to the prior year. 

Cash flow
Once again the Group’s cash flow generation was extremely 
strong with net cash flow from operations increasing to 
almost £117m (2012: £102m). Free cash flow (after interest, 
tax and maintenance capital) was over £77m, a substantial 
increase on the prior year (2012: £69.2m). As the Group’s 
new opening programme accelerates, we are increasing our 
level of development capital expenditure (as described in 
more detail below). After a substantial increase in dividend 
payments, this resulted in net debt at year end of £41.9m, 
an increase of £5.9m compared to the prior year. 

Set out below is a summary cash flow for the year:

Operating profit
Working capital and non-cash
adjustments
Depreciation
Cash flow from operations
Net interest paid
Tax paid
Maintenance capital 
expenditure
Free cash flow
Development capital 
expenditure
Dividends
Purchase of shares for 
employee benefit trust
Other items
Net cash flow
Net bank debt at start of year
Net debt at the end of year

2013
£m
74.9

9.0
32.9
116.8
(1.1)
(17.7)

(20.9)
77.1

(55.7)
(24.9)

(2.3)
(0.1)
(5.9)
(36.0)
(41.9)

2012
£m
66.4

6.5
29.1
102.0
(0.9)
(16.1)

(15.8)
69.2

(39.2)
(21.7)

(2.9)
0.2
5.6
(41.6)
(36.0)

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 13

Financing and key financial ratios
As described in previous annual reports, we currently have 
a £140m five year facility in place which runs until October 
2016. There are two covenants under this facility which are 
summarised in the table below, together with other key 
financial ratios:

Banking covenant ratios
EBITDA/interest cover
Net debt/EBITDA
Other ratios
Fixed charge cover
Balance sheet gearing 

Banking
Covenant

2013

2012

>4x
<3x

n/a
n/a

48x
0.39x

2.7x
19%

41x 
0.38x

2.6x
20%

The Group has very substantial headroom against both of  
the banking covenants and continues to be in a very strong 
financial position. This strong financial position means that we 
are comfortably able to accelerate our opening programmes 
over the next few years, including investing in freehold sites 
where appropriate, whilst at the same time investing in and 
maintaining the existing estate. 

Tax
The total tax charge for the year was £16.5m analysed 
as follows:

Corporation tax
Deferred tax
Total
Effective tax rate

2013
£m
19.2
(2.7)
16.5
22.7%

2012
£m
18.1
(1.8)
16.3
25.3%

The effective tax rate in the year of 22.7% has reduced 
substantially compared to the prior year. This partly reflects 
the ongoing reduction in the headline rate of corporation tax 
(which reduced from 24% in tax year 2012/13 to 23% in 
2013/14, and where legislation has now been enacted which 
will see it reduced to 21% in 2014/15 and 20% from 2015/16). 
As a result of this legislation having been enacted our 
deferred tax liability has been revalued at the eventual 
taxation rate of 20%. The Group’s effective tax rate will 
continue to be higher than the headline UK tax rate primarily 
due to our capital expenditure programme and the significant 
levels of disallowable expenditure therein. 

Stephen Critoph
Group Finance Director
26 February 2014

“ Cash generation  
was extremely strong.”

Cost inflation
Following a number of years in which food cost inflation has 
been running at elevated levels, in the second half of the year 
we started to see some abatement in these levels of increase. 
This has been due to a variety of factors including; good crop 
harvests in 2013, some modest strengthening in sterling 
against both the Euro and US Dollar during the course of the 
year and sensible decisions about the timing of new longer 
term supply deals. We currently anticipate that this slightly 
more benign environment on food cost inflation will continue 
in 2014.

Minimum wage increased by 1.9% in October 2013, following 
a 1.8% increase in October 2012. We are beginning to see 
some modest increase in underlying wage cost inflation, 
reflecting the strong employment statistics and recent 
strengthening in the UK economic situation. Whereas we 
anticipate a more benign environment on food cost inflation 
in 2014, we expect some continued firming in wage costs 
as the economy and employment levels continue to improve.

In relation to utility costs, all our key electricity contracts  
are fixed through until October 2014 and gas through until 
spring 2015. This is an area where we continue to see strong 
inflationary pressures. Rent also is an area where, following 
very low levels of increase during the economic downturn,  
we are seeing modest increases in the typical level of five 
yearly rent review. 

Capital expenditure 
During the year the Group invested a total of £76.6m in  
capital expenditure, a significant increase on the prior year 
(2012: £55.0m). This total includes £20.9m of maintenance 
and refurbishment expenditure and £55.7m of development 
expenditure. Development capital includes five freeholds 
opened during the year (three pubs and two leisure sites), 
as well as £5m of current year capital investment in relation 
to sites that will open during the course of 2014. During  
the year we opened a total of 35 sites and these are all 
performing well, generating levels of turnover and return 
typically ahead of the feasibility requirement. The table  
below summarises openings and closures during the year:

Frankie & Benny’s
Coast to Coast/
Filling Station
Chiquito
Garfunkel’s 
Pub restaurants
Concessions
Total

Year end
2012
217

Opened
17

Closed
(2)

Year end
2013
232

 11
 69
 19
 45
 61
422

 5
 4
 – 
 4
 5
35

(1)
–
(3)
–
(6)
(12)

 15
 73
 16
 49
 60
 445

The closures included four marginal, end of lease sites and 
two sites in Victoria Station in London where we have signed 
leases for new sites which will open during the course of 2014. 

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements14 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Strategy
The Restaurant Group’s key objective is to grow shareholder 
value and the strategy deployed to achieve this is to build a 
business capable of generating long-term, sustainable and 
growing cash flows. In pursuit of this we have built a scalable 
business model which is focused on the growing casual 
eating out market. We have targeted areas of this market 
which offer distinct barriers to entry and where we can  
be confident of delivering good growth in profits and cash 
flows and where there is good potential for high returns on 
investment. This has led the Group to focus on edge and out 
of town leisure and retail developments, rural and semi-rural 
pubs and our Concessions business which operates 
principally on airports. The Group operates in the expanding 
casual dining market and our offerings continue to provide 
good value for money in comfortable surroundings and 
excellent service from our dedicated teams.

The Group’s strategy is to deliver organic growth through the 
roll out of our brands. We have a solid pipeline of sites for 
development, coupled with a strong focus on continuing to 
deliver like-for-like sales growth from our existing restaurants. 

Our Concessions business operates in a dynamic and 
complicated market where our management teams have 
market-leading expertise and a track record of innovation  
and improving sales performance and the Group continues  
to look for opportunities to expand this business.

Risks that might impact the successful execution of this 
strategy and the KPIs we use to measure its success are 
discussed below.

Principal risk factors
The Board of Directors regularly identify, monitor and manage 
potential risks and uncertainties to the Group. The list below 
sets out what the Directors consider to be the current 
principal risks and uncertainties, with an overview of the 
mitigation process for these. This list is not presumed to  
be exhaustive and is, by its very nature, subject to change.

Further information on the management of risks highlighted 
below is provided in the Chief Executive Officer’s review 
of operations and Group Finance Director’s report.

Mitigation process
Regular monitoring of performance and appropriate 
action plans

Risks and uncertainties
Adverse economic conditions and a decline in consumer 
confidence and spend in the UK
Increased supply of new restaurant concepts into the market Concentration on segments offering higher barriers to  
entry and good growth prospects; regular monitoring 
of performance and appropriate action plans
Contingency planning and training; liaison with authorities  
and landlords in key locations
Dedicated property department focusing on new site 
development, strong relationships with Concessions partners
Training, mystery diner visits, monitoring of customer 
feedback, internal quality control testing
Contingency planning for supply chain and suppliers

Impact of terrorism in key locations (including airports)

Lack of new site opportunities, and risks to existing 
Concession agreements
Failure to provide customers with brand-standard value  
for money offerings and service levels
Major failure of key suppliers to deliver products 
into restaurants
Damage to our brands’ images due to failures in  
environmental health compliance in the restaurants  
or from contamination of products

The loss of key personnel or failure to manage  
succession planning

Increase in prices of key raw materials (including foreign 
currency fluctuations), wages, overheads and utilities

Increased regulation of the food and beverage industry  
leading to higher costs

Breakdown in internal controls through fraud or error,  
major failure of IT systems

Training of restaurant and pub teams; detailed health and 
safety manual; regular internal and external auditing of all 
sites; auditing of supply chain and suppliers; health and safety 
incentives and awards
Benchmarking of remuneration packages; analysis of staff 
turnover; performance appraisal and review system to retain 
existing talent; Long-Term Incentive Plan
Rolling programme of securing longer-term contracts to 
mitigate short-term pricing fluctuations; energy efficiency 
programme
Monitoring of developments and liaison with external 
authorities such as the Food Standards Agency and 
Department of Health
Experienced staff in key roles; segregation of duties;  
internal and external audit processes; Audit Committee role

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 15

Key performance indicators
The Board of Directors and executive management receive 
a wide range of management information delivered in a timely 
manner. Listed below are the principal measures of progress 
that are reviewed on a regular basis to monitor the 
development of the Group.

Like-for-like sales
This measure provides an indicator of the underlying 
performance of our existing restaurants, and highlights 
successful development of our offerings to best match 
changing consumer demands over time. There is no 
accounting standard or consistent definition of “like-for-like 
sales” across the industry, although the Group has applied 
a consistent basis of calculation across years for reporting 
like-for-like performance. During 2013, Group like-for-like 
sales increased by 3.5% which followed a 4.5% increase 
in 2012. 

New sites opened
The expansion of our brands is a key driver of the Group’s 
profitability. As noted in the Group Finance Director’s report, 
potential new sites are subject to a rigorous appraisal process 
before they are presented to the Board for approval.  
This process ensures we maintain the quality of openings as 
well as the quantity of sites opened. During 2013 the Group 
opened 35 new sites (2012: 28) and plans to open 36 to 43 
new restaurants during 2014.

EBITDA
The ability of the Group to finance its roll out programme  
is aided by strong cash flows from the existing business.  
The Group defines EBITDA as operating profit before 
depreciation, amortisation and non-trading items. EBITDA 
serves as a useful proxy for cash flows generated by 
operations and is closely monitored. During 2013 the Group 
generated £107.8m EBITDA, an increase of 13% on the 2012 
comparable level of £95.5m.

Operating profit margin
The Board and management closely monitor profit margins 
as an indicator of operating efficiency within restaurants and 
across the Group. For 2013 the Group operating margin was 
12.9% (2012: 12.5%). 

In addition, the Group closely scrutinises the returns on 
invested capital from new site openings and the average 
EBITDA generated by restaurants. Further information on 
these key metrics is provided in the Chief Executive Officer’s 
review of operations and the Group Finance Director’s report.

People
As at 29 December 2013 6,700 of TRG’s employees  
were women. One member of the executive team of nine 
(excluding Directors) was female (this has increased to two  
of nine since the year end). We have an excellent pipeline of 
new managers coming up through the ranks – 64% of junior 
managers and 38% of area managers are women. Since the 
retirement of Trish Corzine in May 2013, the Board has had 
no female Directors for the first time in over 10 years. The 
Board’s approach to gender diversity is covered in more 
detail in the Report of the Directors.

TRG’s operations are located wholly within the UK and 
the Company respects all relevant human rights legislation. 
Further information on TRG’s social and community 
engagement can be found in the Report of the Directors. 

Approved by the Board of Directors and signed on behalf 
of the Board.

Stephen Critoph
Group Finance Director and Company Secretary
26 February 2014

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements16 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Board of Directors
as at 26 February 2014

Alan Jackson
Non-executive Chairman
Aged 70, he joined The Restaurant 
Group plc as Executive Chairman 
in March 2001 and became non-
executive Chairman from January 2006. 
He has a wealth of experience in the 
leisure sector. For 18 years, from 1973 to 
1991, he occupied various positions 
within Whitbread, principally Managing 
Director of Beefeater steakhouses and 
also the Whitbread restaurant division 
where he was responsible for the 
creation and development of Beefeater, 
Travel Inns and TGI Friday brands. After 
the Beer Orders in 1991 he founded his 
own business which became Inn 
Business Group plc in 1995 and was 
subsequently acquired by Punch in 1999. 
He chaired Oriental Restaurant Group 
plc until its sale to Noble House in 2000. 
Currently Alan is non-executive Chairman 
of Playtech plc and non-executive 
Deputy Chairman of Redrow plc. 

Andrew Page
Chief Executive Officer 
Aged 55, he joined The Restaurant 
Group plc as Finance Director in  
June 2001. In December 2003 he was 
appointed Group Managing Director  
and in January 2006 became Chief 
Executive Officer. His career has 
spanned both international and 
domestic businesses. Prior to joining 
The Restaurant Group plc, he held 
a number of senior positions in 
the leisure and hospitality industry 
including Senior Vice President with 
InterContinental Hotels and Finance 
Director of Hanover International plc. 
Prior to that, Andrew spent six years  
as a Corporate Financier with Kleinwort 
Benson having trained and qualified  
as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG. 
Andrew is a non-executive director  
of Carpetright plc.

Stephen Critoph
Group Finance Director  
and Company Secretary
Aged 53, he was appointed as Finance 
Director of The Restaurant Group plc  
in September 2004 and Company 
Secretary in 2013. Previously he has 
held several senior finance positions  
in Compass Group plc and Granada 
Group plc, including Corporate 
Development Director of Compass 
Roadside and Finance Director of 
Travelodge and Little Chef. He trained 
and qualified as a Chartered 
Accountant with Deloitte & Touche.

Tony Hughes
Non-executive Director
Aged 65, he was appointed as a 
non-executive Director of the Company 
in January 2008. He was Managing 
Director of the Restaurants Division of 
Mitchells & Butlers plc (previously Bass 
plc and Six Continents plc) from 1995  
to 2007 and served on the Board of 
Mitchells & Butlers plc from 2003 to 
2007. Prior to joining Bass, he held 
senior management roles at B&Q, 
J.A. Devenish and Whitbread.

Simon Cloke
Non-executive Director
Aged 46, he was appointed as 
a non-executive Director of the 
Company in March 2010. Formerly 
Global Head of Industrials at Dresdner 
Kleinwort Wasserstein, he was 
appointed Managing Director of 
HSBC’s Diversified Industries Group  
in 2005 and is currently responsible  
for managing HSBC’s business with 
some of its largest house building  
and building materials clients. 

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 17

Report of the Directors

The Directors present their Annual Report and the Group 
Accounts for the year ended 29 December 2013.

During the year the Nominations Committee comprised 
the following Directors:

Results and dividends
The results for the year ended 29 December 2013 are 
presented under International Financial Reporting Standards 
(“IFRSs”) as adopted by the European Union. The Report and 
Accounts are drawn up on a 52 week reporting basis ending 
on 29 December 2013 (2012: 52 week reporting basis ending 
on 30 December 2012). The results for the year are set out in 
the consolidated income statement on page 45. This shows 
a Group profit after tax of £56.2m (2012: £48.2m). An interim 
dividend of 5.25p per share was paid on 9 October 2013. 
The Directors propose a final dividend of 8.75p per share, 
which is subject to approval at the Company’s Annual 
General Meeting to be held on 15 May 2014. Should this 
be approved, the final dividend will be paid on 9 July 2014, 
bringing the ordinary dividend per share payable in respect 
of 2013 to 14.0p (2012: 11.8p).

Directors
Full details of the Directors of the Company are given on the 
page opposite. The Directors who held office during 2013  
were as follows:

Executive Directors

   Andrew Page
   Stephen Critoph
   Trish Corzine (until 15 May 2013)

Non-executive Directors

   Alan Jackson
   Tony Hughes
   Simon Cloke

Each of the non-executive Directors (excluding the Chairman) 
is considered by the Board to be independent. Tony Hughes 
held the position of senior non-executive Director. Alan 
Jackson moved from executive Chairman to non-executive 
Chairman on 1 January 2006 and given his tenure as an 
executive Director, is not considered to be independent as 
defined by the UK Corporate Governance Code (“the Code”).

No Director has a service contract with the Company 
requiring more than twelve months’ notice. Mr Page has 
advised the Board that he wishes to retire from his role as 
Chief Executive Officer of the Company on 31 August 2014.

In accordance with the Code, the Directors will be subject 
to re-election at the Annual General Meeting.

During the year the Audit Committee comprised the following 
non-executive Directors:

   Simon Cloke (Chairman)
   Tony Hughes

During the year the Remuneration Committee comprised 
the following non-executive Directors:

   Tony Hughes (Chairman)
   Simon Cloke

   Tony Hughes (Chairman)
   Simon Cloke
   Alan Jackson
   Andrew Page

The Directors’ remuneration report, which includes details 
of Directors’ remuneration and interests in the Company’s 
shares and options, together with information on service 
contracts, is set out on pages 25 to 35.

Directors’ shareholdings
The interests of the Directors in the shares of the Company, 
all being beneficially owned, were as follows:

At 26 
February 
2014

At 29 
December 
2013

At 30
December 
2012

Executive Directors
Andrew Page
Stephen Critoph

490,056
263,220

Non-executive Directors
Alan Jackson
Tony Hughes
Simon Cloke

250,191
400,000
15,000

490,056
263,220

681,486
358,197

250,191
400,000
15,000

400,191
400,000
15,000

Details of the Directors’ share options are disclosed in the 
Directors’ remuneration report. The closing mid-market price 
of the ordinary shares on 29 December 2013 was 589.5p  
and the range during the financial year was 364.0p to 591.5p. 

Share capital structure
The Company has one class of shares, ordinary shares of 
281⁄8p. As at 29 December 2013, the issued, called up and 
fully paid number of shares in issue was 200,647,143 shares. 
There are no preference shares or special rights pertaining 
to any of the shares in issue.

Following the 2013 Annual General Meeting the Directors 
have had the authority to allot shares up to an aggregate 
nominal amount of £18,777,950 which represented 
approximately one third of the ordinary share capital of the 
Company at the time the authority was given by shareholders. 
This authority expires at the Annual General Meeting to be 
held on 15 May 2014 and it will be proposed to extend this 
authority (updated for the current number of shares in issue) 
at the forthcoming Meeting. The Directors have no present 
intention of exercising this authority. 

At the 2013 Annual General Meeting the Directors were also 
provided with the authority to allot shares for cash other than 
on a pre-emptive basis, up to an aggregate nominal amount 
of £2,816,692 which represented approximately 5% of the 
issued share capital at the time that the authority was given 
by shareholders. This authority also expires at the Annual 
General Meeting to be held on 15 May 2014 and it will be 
proposed to extend this authority (updated for the current 
number of shares in issue) at the forthcoming Meeting. The 
Directors have no present intention of exercising this authority.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements18 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Report of the Directors
continued

In addition, following the 2013 Annual General Meeting, 
the Directors have the authority to make market purchases 
of shares in The Restaurant Group plc on behalf of the 
Company up to 20,029,813 ordinary shares (which 
represented 10% of the Company’s issued ordinary share 
capital at the time of the Notice of the 2013 Annual General 
Meeting). The minimum price that may be paid for such 
shares is 281⁄8p per share. The maximum price is the higher of 
5% above the average middle market quotation for the 
ordinary shares for the five business days preceding the date 
of purchase and the higher of the price of the last independent 
trade and the highest current independent bid on the London 
Stock Exchange Daily Official List at the time the purchase 
is carried out.

This authority expires at the forthcoming Annual General 
Meeting and it will be proposed to extend this authority 
(updated for the current number of shares in issue) 
at the Meeting. 

The Group has entered into various contracts, including 
leases, during the course of ordinary business which  
may be terminated in the event of a change of control  
of The Restaurant Group plc.

Substantial shareholdings
At 6 February 2014 the Company had been notified of the 
following interests of 3% or more in the issued ordinary share 
capital of the Company:

Number 
of shares

% of issued
share capital

Black Rock Investment  
  Management Inc
Old Mutual Asset Managers
Legal & General Investment  
  Management Ltd
M&G Investment  
  Management Ltd
Standard Life
Aviva Investors
Royal London Asset  
  Management Ltd
Lloyds Banking Group

16,631,232
12,212,851

10,052,541

9,888,161
9,022,392
8,076,330

6,872,498
6,449,251

8.29
6.09

5.01

4.93
4.50
4.03

3.43
3.21

Corporate governance
The Company is committed to high standards of corporate 
governance and to observing the principles of corporate 
governance contained in the UK Corporate Governance 
Code that was issued in 2010 by the Financial Reporting 
Council (“the Code”) for which the Board is accountable 
to shareholders.

Statement of compliance with the UK Corporate 
Governance Code
Throughout the year ended 29 December 2013, the Company 
has been in compliance with the provisions set out in the Code 
except for provisions concerning the number of Directors 
considered to be independent, and the independence of the 
Chairman (who was previously executive Chairman before 
being appointed to the role of non-executive Chairman in 
January 2006). The Company currently has two non-
executive Directors who are considered to be independent, 
which, until the retirement of Trish Corzine on 15 May 2013 
was less than the 50% of the Board (excluding the Chairman) 
recommended by the Code. The Audit Committee and 

Remuneration Committee currently comprise of two non-
executive Directors rather than three. The Board anticipates 
appointing an additional non-executive Director in 2014  
which will address this (see ‘Nominations Committee’, below).

The size and composition of the Board is regularly reviewed to 
ensure that the effectiveness of the Board (and performance 
of the Group) remains at a high standard.

Statement about applying the principles of the Code
The Company has applied the principles set out in section 1 
of the Code, including both the Main Principles and the 
supporting principles, by complying with the Code as reported 
above. Further explanation of how the Main Principles have 
been applied is set out below and in the Directors’ 
remuneration report and the Audit Committee report.

The Board
The Board’s role is to provide entrepreneurial leadership 
of the Company and Group within a framework of prudent 
and effective controls which enable risk to be assessed  
and managed. The Board reviews the Group’s business 
model and strategic objectives and looks to ensure that the 
necessary financial and human resources are in place to 
achieve these objectives, to sustain them over the long term 
and to review management performance against these 
objectives. The Board also sets the Company’s values and 
standards and manages the business in a manner to meet 
its obligations to shareholders and other stakeholders. 

The Board currently comprises the non-executive Chairman, 
the Chief Executive Officer, the Group Finance Director and 
two non-executive Directors. Their biographies appear on 
page 16 and these demonstrate a range of experience and 
sufficient calibre to bring independent judgement on issues  
of strategy, risk management, performance, resources and 
standards of conduct which is vital for the success of 
the Group. 

Tony Hughes acts as senior independent non-executive 
Director and is available to shareholders if they have reasons 
for concern on which contact through the normal channels 
is inappropriate or has failed to resolve an issue. 

The roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer are clearly 
defined. The Chairman is responsible for the leadership and 
effectiveness of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer 
is responsible for the strategic direction and operational 
management of the Group. The Board meets on a regular 
basis and there is a formal schedule of matters specifically 
reserved for its consideration. This includes approval of the 
annual budget and the three year business plan, approval 
of the interim and year end Report and Accounts, review 
and approval of significant capital expenditure (including 
development of new sites), significant disposals of assets 
and acquisitions or disposals of businesses.

Operational management are responsible for the day-to-day 
running of the Group and report on a regular basis on that 
performance to the Board. The Board is responsible for 
reviewing, challenging and approving the strategic direction 
of the Group and monitoring operational performance. 
The Board is responsible to shareholders for the proper 
management of the Group and has access to the necessary 
information and training to enable it to discharge its duties. 

 
The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 19

All Directors are subject to election by shareholders  
at the first opportunity after their appointment, except  
where they are appointed by shareholders, and to annual 
re-election thereafter.

There is significant involvement from the non-executive 
Directors. This includes an ongoing dialogue with the 
executive Directors including constructive challenge of 
performance and the Group’s strategy. The non-executive 
Directors are provided with sufficient information to allow 
them to monitor, assess and challenge the executive 
management of the Group. 

Company’s announcement of the year end results, and at  
the half year. Feedback from major institutional shareholders 
is provided to the Board on a regular basis and, where 
appropriate, the Board will take steps to address their 
concerns and recommendations.

The Board uses the Annual General Meeting to communicate 
with private and institutional investors and welcomes their 
participation. The Chairman aims to ensure that the chairmen 
of the Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee and 
Nominations Committee are available at the Annual General 
Meeting to answer questions, and for all Directors to attend.

Comprehensive Board papers including financial information 
are circulated to all Directors prior to Board meetings and, 
on a weekly basis, they receive up-to-date trading information. 
The non-executive Directors have the opportunity to meet 
without the executive Directors being present. Matters 
examined on these occasions include consideration of targets 
set and performance achieved by management.

All Directors have access to the advice and services of  
the Company Secretary and a procedure has been agreed 
for the Directors in the furtherance of their duties to take 
independent professional advice, if necessary, at the expense 
of the Company. On joining the Board there is a process  
for Directors to receive training as to their role and its 
requirements and for non-executive Directors to gain an 
understanding of the whole business. Non-executive 
Directors are actively encouraged to meet with operational 
management and to visit the Group’s operations in order 
to enhance their understanding of the Group’s business, 
its brands, employees and processes.

During 2013 there were eight Board meetings with full 
attendance by Board members. The Company acknowledges 
the importance of developing the skills of the Directors to 
run an effective Board. To assist in this, Directors are given 
the opportunity to attend relevant courses and seminars 
and to acquire skills and experience which may enhance  
their contribution to the ongoing progress of the Group.  
The performance of the Board and Board Committees 
are appraised annually. The process is led by the Chairman, 
supported by the Company Secretary and involves a 
comprehensive review of performance against objectives 
and areas for future development. The non-executive 
Directors also meet in the absence of the Chairman to 
appraise the Chairman’s performance. In 2013, an externally 
facilitated review of Board effectiveness was carried out by 
Independent Audit Ltd (“IAL”). IAL has no other connection 
with the Company. The review examined the keys functions 
of the Board and the effective discharge of its responsibilities. 
The results were analysed by IAL and their report has been 
discussed in detail with the Chairman and the Board. 
The review concluded that no significant changes or 
improvements were required.

Communications with shareholders
Communications with shareholders are given high priority. 
The Chairman’s statement, Chief Executive Officer’s review 
of operations and Group Finance Director’s report include 
a detailed review of the business and the Chief Executive 
Officer’s review of operations includes a review of planned 
future developments. There is a regular dialogue with 
institutional investors including presentations after the 

Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee consists of two independent 
non-executive Directors. There are written terms of reference 
for the Remuneration Committee. There was 100% 
attendance at the two Remuneration Committee meetings 
held during 2013. The role of this Committee and details 
of how the Company complies with the principles of the 
Code are set out in the Directors’ remuneration report.

Nominations Committee
The Nominations Committee consists of the independent 
non-executive Directors, the non-executive Chairman and  
the Chief Executive Officer. It met once during 2013 with  
full attendance at the meeting. There are written terms of 
reference for the Nominations Committee. It is responsible for 
making recommendations to the Board for the appointment 
or replacement of additional Directors and ensuring there 
is an appropriate balance and diversity of skills, experience, 
knowledge and independence both now and in the future. 

The Nominations Committee is tasked with regularly (at least 
annually) reviewing the composition of the Board to ensure 
it remains effective and comprises a suitable range of skills, 
backgrounds and experience. In 2013 the Nominations 
Committee concluded that an additional non-executive 
Director should be appointed. Spencer Stuart, an independent 
executive search consultancy (and a signatory of the 
Voluntary Code of Conduct), has been appointed to identify 
suitable candidates. The Company anticipates announcing 
an appointment during 2014.

The Committee is also responsible for succession planning 
for the Group. In 2013, it oversaw the appointment of the 
Deputy Managing Director of the Concessions Division to 
the role of Managing Director, Concessions, following Trish 
Corzine’s retirement from this position. The Committee’s work 
on succession planning was a significant factor in the smooth 
transition of personnel in this key role within the Group.

The Board acknowledges the importance of diversity and 
promoting equal opportunities throughout the Group. The 
Nominations Committee will continue to have regard to the 
recommendations of the “Women on Boards” report from 
Lord Davies published in February 2011 in its deliberations 
on future appointments.

Audit Committee
The Audit Committee consists of two non-executive 
Directors. During the year the Committee was chaired by 
Simon Cloke. There are written terms of reference for the 
Audit Committee. The Audit Committee met twice during 
2013 with full attendance at each meeting. A more detailed 

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements 
20 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Report of the Directors
continued

description of the work undertaken by the Audit Committee  
is included in the Audit Committee report on pages 36 and 
37. Shareholders of the Company have the opportunity to 
re-appoint Deloitte LLP as external auditor of the Company 
at the Annual General Meeting to be held on 15 May 2014.

compliance with statutory and internal health and safety 
requirements; and
   an internal audit function headed by an experienced 
internal auditor has access to all areas of the Company  
and Group’s business and reports into the Board.

Internal control
The Board is responsible for the Group’s system of internal 
control and for reviewing its effectiveness. In accordance  
with guidance for Directors “Internal Control: Guidance for 
Directors on the Combined Code” (the “Turnbull Guidance”), 
the Board has ensured that there is an ongoing process for 
reviewing the effectiveness of the system of internal control 
including identifying, evaluating and managing the significant 
risks faced by the Group. This process, which is regularly 
reviewed by the Board, is carried out in conjunction with 
business planning and is documented in a risk register that 
has been progressively enhanced during the financial year and 
up to the date of approval of the Annual Report and Accounts. 

Whilst acknowledging its overall responsibility for the system of 
internal control, the Board is aware that the system is designed 
to manage rather than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve 
business objectives and can only provide reasonable, but not 
absolute, assurance against material misstatement or loss.

The Group has well-established procedures which have  
been developed over many years which meet the requirements 
of the Turnbull Guidance. A key control procedure is the 
day-to-day involvement of executive members of the Board 
in all aspects of the business and their attendance at regular 
management meetings at which performance against plan 
and business prospects are reviewed. The Group has a 
monthly executive management meeting where the executive 
Directors, senior operational managers and heads of functional 
departments review Group performance and issues affecting 
the Group. Additionally, the Board seeks to continually 
strengthen the internal control system where this is consistent 
with an appropriate balance between risk and reward. 

Other key features and the processes for reviewing 
effectiveness of the internal control system are  
described below:

   terms of reference for the Board and its sub-committees, 
including a schedule of matters reserved for the Board  
and an agreed annual programme of fixed agenda items  
for Board approval;
   an established organisational structure with clear lines  
of responsibility and rigorous reporting requirements;
   operational performance and operational matters are 
considered at monthly meetings of the executive Directors 
with senior management. Financial performance is 
monitored and action taken through weekly reporting to  
the executive Directors and monthly reporting to the Board 
against annual budgets approved by the Board;
   capital investment is regulated by a budgetary process  
and authorisation levels, with appraisals and post 
investment reviews;
   comprehensive policy manuals setting out agreed 
standards and control procedures. These include human 
resources related policies, information technology and 
health and safety. The Group employs a firm of external 
auditors to monitor restaurants on a regular basis for 

Statement of Directors’ responsibilities in relation 
to the accounts
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report 
and the financial statements in accordance with applicable 
law and regulations. The Board considers that the Annual 
Report and Accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and 
understandable. Company law requires the Directors to 
prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under 
that law the Directors are required to prepare the Group 
financial statements in accordance with International Financial 
Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”) as adopted by the European 
Union and Article 4 of the IAS Regulation and have chosen to 
prepare the parent company financial statements in 
accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted 
Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards 
and applicable law). Under company law the Directors must 
not approve the accounts unless they are satisfied that they 
give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company 
and of the profit or loss of the Company for that period.

In preparing the Group financial statements, International 
Accounting Standard 1 requires that Directors:

   properly select and apply accounting policies;
   present information, including accounting policies, in a 
manner that provides relevant, reliable, comparable and 
understandable information;
   provide additional disclosures when compliance with the 
specific requirements in IFRSs are insufficient to enable 
users to understand the impact of particular transactions, 
other events and conditions on the entity’s financial position 
and financial performance; and 
   make an assessment of the Company’s ability to continue 
as a going concern.

In preparing the parent company financial statements, 
the Directors are required to:

   select suitable accounting policies and then apply 
them consistently;
   make judgements and accounting estimates that are 
reasonable and prudent;
   state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards 
have been followed; and
   prepare the financial statements on the going concern 
basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the 
Company will continue in business.

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate 
accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain  
the Company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable 
accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company 
and enable them to ensure that the financial statements 
comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also 
responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company  
and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention  
and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 21

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and 
integrity of the corporate and financial information included  
on the Company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom 
governing the preparation and dissemination of financial 
statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Information provided to the auditor
Each of the current Directors have taken all the steps that 
they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any 
relevant information needed by the Company’s auditor for 
the purpose of their audit and to establish that the auditor 
is aware of that information. The Directors are not aware of 
any relevant information of which the auditor is unaware. This 
information is given and should be interpreted in accordance 
with the provisions of s418 of the Companies Act 2006.

Going concern
The Group Finance Director’s report contains a summary 
of the cash flows and borrowing position of the Group. 
The Group is highly cash generative and enjoys negative 
working capital as, given the nature of the business, 
it generally does not give credit to its customers. 

Further information on the Group’s policies for capital risk 
management and financial risk management are set out 
below. The principal risk factors and uncertainties that could 
affect the business are detailed in the Strategic Report.

Based on the Group’s plans for 2014 and after making 
enquiries (including preparation of reasonable trading 
forecasts, consideration of current financing arrangements 
and current headroom for liquidity and covenant compliance), 
the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group 
has adequate resources to continue operations for the 
foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt 
the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

Capital risk management
The Group manages its capital to ensure that it will be able 
to continue as a going concern while looking to maximise 
returns to shareholders. The capital structure of the Group 
consists of equity (comprising issued share capital, reserves 
and retained earnings), debt, finance leases and cash and 
cash equivalents.

The Group monitors its capital structure on a regular basis 
through cash flow projections and consideration of the cost of 
financing its capital. The Group has a £140m revolving facility 
in place until October 2016 and a £10m overdraft facility. 
Under the terms of the £140m revolving facility the Group 
is required to comply with its financing covenants whereby 
net interest charges must be covered at least four times by 
EBITDA and net debt must not exceed three times EBITDA. 
The margin (on interest rates) applied to the revolving facility 
is dependent on the ratio of net debt to EBITDA. The banking 
facility covenants are tested twice annually and are monitored 
on a regular basis. The Group remained within its banking 
facility covenant limits throughout 2013.

financial instruments for trading purposes. Group operations 
are primarily financed from retained earnings and bank 
borrowings (including an overdraft facility).

In addition to the primary financial instruments, the Group 
also has other financial instruments such as debtors, 
prepayments, trade creditors and accruals that arise directly 
from the Group’s operations. Further information is provided 
in note 22 to the accounts. 

The average rate of interest charged during the year on the 
Group’s debt was 2.74% (2012: 2.64%), and the average  
year end rate was 1.74% (2012: 1.75%). On 2013 results,  
net interest was covered 33.6 times (2012: 35.4 times)  
by profit before tax, interest and non-trading items. Based  
on year end debt and profits for 2013, a 1% rise in interest 
rates would reduce profits before tax and non-trading items 
by 0.7% (2012: 0.8%) and interest cover would reduce to  
27.4 times (2012: 28.0 times). 

At 29 December 2013 the Group had gross borrowings 
attracting interest (including overdraft) of £50.0m (2012: 
£50.0m) and cash balances of £7.3m (2012: £12.9m).

Annual General Meeting
A separate Circular is included with the mailing of the  
Annual Report to shareholders setting out the resolutions  
to be voted on at the Annual General Meeting, which is to 
take place at 11am on 15 May 2014 at the offices of Instinctif 
Partners, 65 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NQ.

The Board believes that the proposed resolutions to be put  
to the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting are in the 
best interests of shareholders and, accordingly, recommends 
that shareholders vote in favour of the resolutions, as the 
Directors intend to do in respect of their own beneficial 
shareholdings in the Company.

Auditor
Deloitte LLP have expressed their willingness to continue 
as auditor and a resolution will be proposed at the Annual 
General Meeting for their reappointment.

Directors’ responsibility statement 
We confirm that to the best of our knowledge:

   the financial statements, prepared in accordance with  
the International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”)  
as adopted by the European Union, give a true and fair 
view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit  
or loss of the Company and the undertakings included  
in the consolidation taken as a whole; and
   the Strategic Report includes a fair review of the 
development and performance of the business and the 
position of the Company and the undertakings included  
in the consolidation taken as a whole, together with a 
description of the principal risks and uncertainties that 
they face.

Financial risk management
The Board of The Restaurant Group plc regularly reviews the 
financial requirements of the Group and the risks associated 
therewith. The Group does not use complex financial 
instruments, and where financial instruments are used it is for 
reducing interest rate risk. The Group does not use derivative 

By order of the Board 

Stephen Critoph
Company Secretary 
26 February 2014

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements 
22 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Corporate responsibility report

The Restaurant Group plc (“TRG” or “the Group”) 
acknowledges that it has a significant role to play in the 
communities and wider environment in which it operates.

This statement sets out the principal areas of focus 
and activity that the Group has undertaken to date:

   Our market – the area of business that our strategy 
is focused on.
   Our people – the Group’s policies and actions towards 
our employees.
   Our communities – how TRG interacts with those 
communities from which our customers and employees 
are drawn.
   Our environment – the impact of TRG on the wider 
environment, and how we are seeking to reduce this.
   Our shareholders – those that have invested capital in 
the development of The Restaurant Group plc, and to 
whom the Directors and management of the Group 
are accountable.

Our market
The Restaurant Group plc has focused its attention on 
markets in the United Kingdom which have significant  
growth potential. For a number of years, dining out has been 
a growing market, and, partially as a result of this, there has 
been an increased focus from customers and regulatory 
authorities on health issues relating to our sector. We have 
seen initiatives on alcohol, food (in particular on calorie 
consumption, sugar and salt content) and smoking over 
recent years and these are set to continue to be a focus.

It is important that the Group continues to monitor closely 
these developments and ensure that we offer our customers 
a broad range of choices in our restaurants, including 
healthy options.

Healthy eating
In 2011, The Restaurant Group became a partner of the 
Public Health Responsibility Deal (“the Responsibility Deal”), 
launched by the Department of Health. The Responsibility 
Deal has been established to tap into the potential for 
businesses and other organisations to improve public health 
through their influence over food, alcohol, physical activity 
and health in the workplace.

TRG is currently committed to three pledges within the 
Responsibility Deal:

   We have removed all added trans fats from our products;
   We will use our local presence to encourage children 
and adults to become more active;
   We commit to ensuring effective action is taken in all 
premises to reduce and prevent under-age sales of alcohol 
(primarily through rigorous application of Challenge 21 
and Challenge 25).

Being a Responsibility Deal partner means that TRG is 
required to monitor and provide regular updates to the 
Department of Health with regard to the actions we are  
taking to fulfil our commitments within the pledge. 

Healthy eating is a personal responsibility but TRG 
acknowledges that as a provider of food and drink we have 
a role to play in providing appropriate options from which 
individuals may choose when they eat out. TRG strongly 
believes that we should offer our guests choices on the 
menu. Whilst we do not wish to be prescriptive we aim to 
provide a healthy choice at each menu point, alongside  
more indulgent options. For many people dining out is a treat, 
and therefore the normal restrictions which may be applied  
to healthy eating on a day-to-day basis may be waived in 
favour of enjoyment and experience. 

Nutrition and allergens
In 2013 TRG began publishing full nutritional breakdown  
of all dishes on its core brand menus online, within our brand 
websites. The information published is in accordance with  
EU guidelines and is regularly updated.

In October 2013 Frankie & Benny’s launched a Non-Gluten 
Containing Ingredients Menu, to cater for consumers with a 
gluten allergy or intolerance. This menu has now been fully 
endorsed by Coeliac UK. 

Other initiatives
TRG is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange 
(“SEDEX”), which facilitates measurement and improvement 
in ethical business practices across the supply chain;  
164 of our food and non-food suppliers provide information 
describing their procedures and practices to the Group 
via SEDEX. 

As in previous years, there continue to be no known 
genetically modified foods in any product the Group uses  
and new suppliers are required to confirm that they will not 
provide the Group with such products. We have also removed 
the “Southampton Institute” colourings that can cause 
hyperactivity in children from all TRG branded products.

Drink aware
All our restaurants operate a “Challenge 21” policy, whereby 
we will ask for proof of identification to anyone who appears 
to be under 21. We also participate in the “Challenge 25” 
policy in Scotland. We also do not permit the sale of  
alcohol to under 18’s, even if the alcohol is for consumption 
with a meal. All of our restaurants offer a wide range of 
non-alcoholic drinks including fruit juices, carbonates, 
minerals and non-alcoholic cocktails and tap water is 
available for customers free of charge.

Our people 
The most important asset any company can have is its 
people. At The Restaurant Group plc we strive to nurture  
our individuals to build great teams. Anyone has the potential 
to develop within our Company and we endeavour to give 
them the tools and knowledge to encourage this. This is the 
key to any successful business and our team is one of which 
we are especially proud.

Our “Managers in Training” scheme continues to identify  
and develop talent. We continue to implement leadership 
programmes to assist in the identification and development  
of our future managers and we are also expanding our 
commitment to apprentice programmes with the aim of 
creating a clear path for an apprentice to join TRG and 
progress in to management positions. 

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 23

Such schemes are a key feature of the Group’s succession 
planning strategy and are therefore designed to equip 
managers with the skills they need to develop their careers 
at the next level and to ensure TRG remains their employer 
of choice over the long-term.

We employ over 12,000 people and continue to increase this 
number as we expand our business. The Group opened a 
further 35 restaurants during 2013 and created over 1,000 
jobs for local communities in the process. Our policies ensure 
that we offer equal rights regardless of age, colour, gender, 
sexual orientation, disability or religion and the diversity of our 
people reflects the diversity of the customers we serve.

This gives us a group of employees able to meet the 
challenges our market presents. We have a fair and  
open recruitment process with clear terms of employment 
and we have enhanced our careers website 
(www.therestaurantgroup.jobs) to allow easy access  
to available jobs for potential employees across our  
Group, and to strengthen our employer brand identity.  
All staff are provided with a contract of employment and 
copies of our staff handbook along with other policy 
documents to ensure everyone is aware of our rules, 
expectations and procedures, including grievance and 
disciplinary issues. The Group has an ethical dealings policy 
in place which incorporates a strict prohibition on bribery  
and corruption in compliance with the Bribery Act 2010. 

The Group also has a defined termination policy, should this 
be required. Our focus on ensuring the recruitment of our 
teams complies with current legislation continues. With the 
UK Border Agency instigating regular visits to employers to 
check the validity of our employees’ rights to work in the  
UK we have instigated robust measures to prevent the 
possibility of TRG contravening the rules.

The Restaurant Group plc pays all of its employees at  
least the national minimum wage and does not utilise tips  
in any form to make up this rate. All gratuities are paid  
to the employees, with credit card tips attracting only the 
usual tax deductions but, unlike some of our competitors, 
no administration fee is taken by the Company.

The Group allocates considerable resources to provide high 
quality training to our teams. Training begins on the first day 
and is an on-going process of development and support.  
Our training team is fully qualified and delivers high quality 
courses, as well as guiding new and established team 
members throughout their development.

With our portfolio of sites it is vital that our communication is 
of a very high standard. Branch staff are given regular team 
briefings and regular communications packs are issued from 
head office to each brand. Our senior managers are out in  
the business extensively and interact daily with their branch 
management and team members to ensure full two-way 
communication is present throughout the business.

The health and safety of our customers and employees is of 
paramount importance. The Group has extensive procedures 
to ensure we mitigate risks to our guests and teams as far 
as possible. We have very clear procedures and standards 

in place, and to enforce these we employ external auditors 
to perform a rolling programme of independent safety audits 
and carry out benchmarking of our restaurants. We have 
invested significant time and resources in health and safety 
matters across the Group in recent years to further enhance 
the clean, safe environment for our customers and staff.

Our communities
Active involvement in the local communities around our 
restaurants and pub restaurants is important to the Group 
and TRG supports staff fundraising activities at a brand and 
local level.

During 2013 we engaged in a number of local and national 
charitable events:

CHAS
In Scotland, the nominated charity is CHAS, Children’s 
Hospice Association Scotland, who provide the only hospice 
services in Scotland for children and young people who have 
life-shortening conditions for which there is no known cure. 
£173,000 was raised in 2013 through a range of activity 
including regular charity breakfasts and family fundraising 
events. We worked in conjunction with Real Radio Scotland 
to deliver the most success annual CHAS Easter Bash to 
date, and 2013 saw the first ever CHAS Christmas Bash, 
which made a significant contribution to the total raised. 

Caudwell Children’s Charity
During 2012, Frankie & Benny’s were made aware that the 
daughter of one of our employees suffers from cerebral palsy. 
The family were going to great lengths to raise the money 
for five year old Susanna to have an operation in the United 
States that would enable her to walk unaided. A weekend of 
fundraising, including a donation by the company of almost 
£70,000 saw Frankie & Benny’s raise over £144,000; more 
than double the amount required for Susanna’s operation. 
The remaining funds were donated to Caudwell Children’s 
Charity to help assist other children in a similar situation 
to Susanna. Susanna had her operation in Missouri in late 
October 2012 and is recovering well. She took her first steps 
unaided just one day after surgery. 

The funds raised from the Help Susanna Walk appeal went 
on to help an additional 34 children. The response was 
overwhelming and we are proud of the huge collective effort 
that has made such a difference to so many young children 
and are looking at more ways in which Frankie & Benny’s  
can continue to support Caudwell in 2014.

BBC Children in Need
Each year we also support BBC Children in Need and in 2013 
we raised over £80,000 following fundraising activity over 
Halloween, the October half term and the evening of the live 
Telethon. In the years we have been fundraising, Frankie & 
Benny’s have raised over £400,000 to support the appeal.

£25,000 was raised in 2013 for BBC Children in Need during 
our ‘Penny in a Pint’ campaign, during which 1p from each 
pint sold was donated to the appeal. The small things really 
do add up to make a big difference! 

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements24 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Corporate responsibility report
continued

Charity breakfasts and local charity events
In addition to the large fundraising drives above there are 
many other charities that have benefitted from our support 
this year. We regularly host charity breakfasts whereby we 
offer free breakfasts in return for a donation to local charities 
including Debra, Zoe’s Place and Rainbow Trust, most 
notably raising £65,000 through family fun weekends in 
March and May, as well as a sponsored sports challenge. 
Coast to Coast regularly raise funds for Teenage Cancer  
Trust as well as other local charities at VIP restaurant launch 
events throughout the year.

Junior sports team sponsorship
Frankie & Benny’s have a long history of sponsoring local 
junior sports. During 2013, we have sponsored a total of  
205 junior teams across the country playing football, rugby, 
hockey, swimming, gymnastics, netball and much more.  
Not only do we provide kits for the teams, but we also take  
an active role during the season, attending tournaments  
and inviting them to enjoy end of season celebration dinners 
at Frankie & Benny’s.

Schools visit programme
The Frankie & Benny’s schools visit programme has been 
in place for more than five years now and continues to grow 
in popularity with over 1,400 visits taking place in 2013. 
Schoolchildren, accompanied by their teachers, are given the 
opportunity to visit our restaurants to bring curriculum based 
subjects such as maths, science and food hygiene to life. 
The children are also able to make their own pizzas by 
choosing their toppings. Whilst we leave the cooking to  
the chefs, school children are given an educational activity 
book to complete – a pack that has been designed by 
educational experts. 

Our environment
2013 has seen further work in pursuit of the Group’s 
commitment to minimising its impact on the environment.  
Not only are the attitudes and expectations of our customers 
changing over time but we recognise that the Group’s 
activities impact the natural environment, most significantly 
with regard to energy consumption (and carbon emissions), 
water consumption and the creation and removal of waste. 

2013 saw the Group successfully trial Voltage Optimisation 
equipment and commit to invest further in this area during 
2014. Whilst not appropriate for all sites, it is expected that 
Voltage Optimisation will result in meaningful reductions in 
energy consumption.

The Group has also discontinued the use of helium filled 
balloons in our estate. Helium is a finite resource used 
extensively in medical research.

TRG is proud to have achieved and maintained the Carbon 
Saver Gold Standard in January 2012 in recognition of the 
Group’s sustained reductions in energy. Through on-going 
investment in energy efficient equipment, energy control 
systems and the active involvement of our staff we have  
set a reduction target of 2.5% a year for five years to further 
reduce carbon dioxide emissions and minimise our impact  
on the environment. 

Emissions data in respect of the 2013 reporting period,  
on the financial control reporting basis, is as follows:

Emission Type
Scope 1: Operation of Facilities
Scope 1: Combustion
TOTAL Scope 1 Emissions
Scope 2: Purchased Energy
TOTAL Scope 2 Emissions
Total Emissions

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensity Ratio:
Total Footprint (Scope 1 and Scope 2) – CO2e
Turnover (£)
Intensity Ratio (tCO2e/£1,000)

CO2e tonnes 
(Carbon 
Dioxide 
Equivalent)
4,046
17,397
21,443
53,788
53,788
75,231

75,231
579.6m
0.130

Notes:
–   Our methodology has been based on the principals of the Greenhouse 

Gas Protocol.

–   We have reported on all the measured emissions sources required  

under The Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) 
Regulations 2013. This includes emissions under Scope 1 and 2 but 
excludes any emissions from Scope 3.

–   Conversion factors for electricity, gas and other emissions are those 

published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
in 2013.

–   Refrigerant fugitive emissions from our pub estate are not currently 

included due to absence of data.

We continue to promote our energy saving campaign to all 
restaurants. Through the timely supply of accurate reporting, 
operation managers have the information they need to allow 
them to monitor and reduce energy consumption levels.

The Group also seeks to improve the energy efficiency of  
the fabric of its estate. New restaurant fit-out specifications 
now include heat recovery systems, energy saving lighting, 
low energy hand dryers and increased insulation.  
We continue to review the energy performance of all sites 
with a view to further improving our energy efficiency.

Our shareholders
The Group has had a clear strategy since 2001 – to deliver 
value for shareholders by focusing on sectors within the 
eating out market that offer high barriers to entry, where  
we can generate sustainable and growing cash flows and 
which offer high returns on investment. This has led the 
Group to focus investment in edge and out of town leisure 
locations, rural and semi-rural pubs and our Concessions 
business, which operates principally on airports. The Group 
has maintained a progressive dividend policy and has a 
strong track record of growing profits and dividends for 
shareholders. The Chairman’s statement, Chief Executive 
Officer’s review of operations and Group Finance Director’s 
report provide further detail on the Group’s strategy, 
performance during 2013 and prospects for the Group.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 25

Directors’ remuneration report

Annual statement

Dear Shareholder,
I am pleased to introduce our Directors’ remuneration  
report for the year ended 29 December 2013. This report 
complies with the new reporting regulations published by the 
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills during 2013 and 
will be subject to two shareholder votes at the forthcoming 
Annual General Meeting (“AGM”):

   the Directors’ remuneration policy report sets out the 
Directors’ remuneration policy for the Company from the 
date of the AGM in May 2014 and will be subject to a 
binding shareholder vote; and
   the annual report on remuneration provides details of  
the remuneration earned by Directors in the year ended 
29 December 2013 and how the policy will be 
implemented for the year ending 28 December 2014 and 
will be subject to an advisory shareholder vote.

Remuneration outcomes in 2013
For the year under review, and reflecting the excellent  
financial performance of the Group, bonus was paid out at, 
or very close to, 100% of potential maximum for each of  
the executive Directors as detailed in the annual report on 
remuneration. The 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”), 
which vests in March 2014 based on performance over the 
three year period up to and including 2013, will vest 100% in 
respect of the total shareholder return (“TSR”) element and 
88% in respect of earnings per share (“EPS”) performance. 

Remuneration policy for 2014
The Remuneration Committee continually reviews the 
executive remuneration policy to ensure it promotes the 
attraction, retention and incentivisation of high calibre 
executives to deliver the Group’s strategy. 

The Remuneration Committee believes that the existing 
remuneration policy remains fit for purpose and, as such,  
no changes to the policy have been made for 2014. 
Specifically:

   basic salary remains appropriately positioned against the 
market. A 2% increase to basic salary was awarded to 
executive Directors with effect from 1 January 2014;
   the structure of the annual bonus remains appropriate to 
incentivise the delivery of annual objectives. The maximum 
bonus opportunity for 2014 will therefore remain at 165% 
of salary for the Chief Executive Officer and 137.5% of 
salary for the Group Finance Director; and
   the long-term incentive policy continues to act as an 
effective mechanism to reward long-term internal and 
external growth and provides alignment between 
executives and shareholders. Awards to be granted in 
2014 under the LTIP scheme will therefore continue to be 
based on stretching EPS and relative TSR targets.

I hope that you will be supportive of the two resolutions 
to approve the Directors’ remuneration report at this 
year’s AGM.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Hughes
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

Directors’ remuneration policy report

Policy overview
The objective of our remuneration policy is to attract, retain 
and incentivise a high calibre of senior management who  
can direct the business and deliver the Group’s core 
objective of growth in shareholder value by building a 
business that is capable of delivering long-term, sustainable 
and growing cash flows.

To achieve this objective, executive Directors and senior 
management receive remuneration packages with elements 
of fixed and variable pay. Fixed pay elements (basic salary, 
pension arrangements and other benefits) are set at a level 
to recognise the experience, contribution and responsibilities 
of the individuals and to take into consideration the level  
of remuneration available from a range of the Group’s  
broader competitors. 

Variable pay elements (annual bonus and Long-Term 
Incentive Plan (“LTIP”) awards) are set at a level to incentivise 
executive Directors and senior management to deliver 
outstanding performance in line with the Group’s  
strategic objectives. 

Consideration of shareholders’ views
The Remuneration Committee considers feedback from 
shareholders received at each AGM and any feedback  
from additional meetings as part of any review of executive 
remuneration. In addition, the Remuneration Committee 
engages pro-actively with shareholders and ensures that 
shareholders are consulted in advance where any material 
changes to the remuneration policy are proposed.

Consideration of employment conditions elsewhere 
in the Group
In determining the remuneration of the Group’s Directors,  
the Committee takes into account the pay arrangements  
and terms and conditions across the Group as a whole.  
The Committee seeks to ensure that the underlying principles 
which form the basis for decisions on Directors’ pay are 
consistent with those on which pay decisions are taken  
for the rest of the workforce. 

Key elements of the remuneration policy for Directors
Set out overleaf is a summary of the main elements of  
the remuneration policy for executive Directors and non-
executive Directors, together with further information on  
how these aspects of remuneration operate. This policy  
will be operated from the date of the AGM in May 2014.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements26 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Directors’ remuneration report
continued

Operation

Opportunity

Basic salary

Purpose and link 
to strategy
Attract and retain 
key personnel. 

Reflects individual 
responsibilities, skills 
and achievement 
of objectives.

Benefits

To provide market 
consistent benefits.

Pension

Rewards sustained 
contribution.

Annual bonus Rewards the 

achievement of 
annual financial 
targets and other  
key performance 
indicators, 
depending on job 
responsibilities.

Performance 
metrics
None

None

No prescribed 
maximum annual 
increase. The 
Committee is guided 
by the general increase 
for the broader UK 
employee population 
but on occasions may 
need to recognise, for 
example, an increase 
in the scale, scope or 
responsibility of the 
role. Current salary 
levels are disclosed 
on page 29.
No maximum limit.  
For benefit values for 
the year under review, 
see page 30.

20% of basic salary for 
the executive Directors.

None

Maximum of 165% 
of basic salary.

Normally 
based on 
a one year 
performance 
period.

Majority of 
the bonus 
opportunity will 
be based on 
Group profit 
before tax.

Reviewed annually from 1 January or  
when an individual changes position or 
responsibility. Increases based on role, 
experience, performance and consideration 
of the broader workforce pay review and 
competitor pay levels.

Contractual entitlement.

Benefits packages typically comprise a  
car (or car allowance), health insurance, 
and life assurance although other benefits 
may be provided where appropriate.
Contribution to a personal pension plan  
(no defined benefit schemes operate)  
and/or a salary supplement (e.g. where 
HMRC limits would be exceeded).
Targets renewed annually as part of  
the budgeting process and relate to  
areas of the business which the executive 
has particular control as well as  
Group performance.

Bonus level is determined by the 
Committee after the year end based on 
performance conditions drawn up before 
the financial year commences.

In respect of any bonus in excess of 100% 
of salary, within three months of payment  
of bonus the executive must invest any 
such excess, net of tax, in shares (or retain 
shares vested under the LTIP to an 
equivalent value) which must be held for 
not less than three years (“deferred bonus 
shares”) or until the executive ceases full 
time employment, there is a change of 
control of the Company or other 
appropriate circumstances.

Not pensionable.

A claw back mechanism operates.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 27

LTIP

Purpose and link 
to strategy
Promotes 
achievement of 
long-term strategic 
objectives of 
increasing 
shareholder value 
and delivering 
sustainable and 
expanding cashflows.

Operation

Opportunity

Maximum of 200%  
of base salary.

(150% Conditional 
Award, 50% Matching 
Award).

Annual grant of Conditional and Matching 
awards in the form of nil cost options under 
2005 Plan.

Matching awards may be granted, pro-rata 
to the number of deferred bonus shares 
held, over shares worth up to 50% of 
salary p.a..

Conditional and Matching Awards  
vest three years after grant subject to 
performance conditions and continued 
employment. 

Dividend equivalents may be payable.

A claw back mechanism operates.

Performance 
metrics
Normally 
based on a 
three year 
performance 
period.

TSR vs 
comparator 
group.

Financial 
metrics 
(e.g. EPS).

30% of an 
award vests 
at threshold 
performance 
increasing to 
full vesting 
at maximum 
performance.

Save As You 
Earn Scheme 
(‘SAYE’)

Encourage employee 
share ownership and 
therefore increase 
alignment with 
shareholders.

Shareholding 
guidelines

Increase alignment 
with shareholders.

HMRC plan under which eligible employees 
are able to purchase shares under a three 
year savings contract at a discount of up to 
20% of market value at grant. 

Provides tax advantages to UK employees.
Requirement to retain no fewer than 50% 
of the net of tax shares vesting under an 
LTIP award until the required shareholding 
is achieved.

Fees are reviewed annually.

Fees paid in cash.

Non-
executive 
Directors’ 
fees

Reflects fees paid  
by similarly sized 
companies.

Reflects time 
commitments and 
responsibilities of 
each role.

Prevailing HMRC limits. None

None

None

200% of basic salary 
for the Chief Executive 
Officer and 150% of 
basic salary for the 
Group Finance Director.
As per executive 
Directors, there is no 
prescribed maximum 
annual increase. The 
Committee is guided 
by the general increase 
in the non-executive 
director market and 
for the broader UK 
employee population 
but on occasions may 
need to recognise, for 
example, an increase 
in the scale, scope  
or responsibility of  
the role.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements28 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Directors’ remuneration report
continued

The combination of EPS and TSR performance conditions  
for the LTIP provides a balance between rewarding 
management for growth in sustainable profitability and stock 
market outperformance. TSR is a clear indicator of the relative 
success of the Group in delivering shareholder value and, 
as a performance measure, firmly aligns the interests of 
Directors and shareholders. The EPS target range will require 
growth from the current all-time high level of profitability and 
the TSR condition will be based from a strong recent share 
price performance. Performance against the TSR and EPS 
targets will be independently calculated and reviewed by 
the Committee.

The Committee operates share plans in accordance with  
their respective rules and in accordance with the Listing Rules 
and HMRC where relevant. The Committee, consistent with 
market practice, retains discretion over a number of areas 
relating to the operation and administration of certain plans.

There are no material differences in the structure of 
remuneration arrangements for the executive Directors 
and senior management population, aside from quantum, 
performance metrics and participation rates in incentive 
schemes, which reflect the fact that a greater emphasis is 
placed on performance-related pay for executive Directors 
and the most senior individuals in the management team. 
Outside of the senior management team, the Company aims 
to provide remuneration structures for employees which 
reflect market norms. 

For avoidance of doubt, in approving this Directors’ 
remuneration policy report, authority is given to the Company 
to honour any commitments entered into with current or 
former Directors. Details of any payments to former Directors 
will be set out in the annual report on remuneration as 
they arise. 

Illustration of application of remuneration policy 
The balance of the potential remuneration package available 
for executive Directors is weighted towards variable pay 
elements, which have stretching performance targets 
attached to them. The chart below shows the value of the 
executive Directors’ packages under three performance 
scenarios, minimum, on-target and maximum: 

Value of remuneration packages at different levels 
of performance

Chief Executive Officer 
(£’000)

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

29%

29%

42%

100%

41%

34%

25%

Minimum

On-target

Maximum

Basic salary, benefits and pension

Bonus

LTIP award

Group Finance Director 
(£’000)

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

100%

22%
28%
50%

36%

34%

30%

Minimum

On-target

Maximum

Basic salary, benefits and pension

Bonus

LTIP award

Notes:
1.   Salary levels are based on those applying from 1 January 2014.
2.   The value of benefits receivable in 2014 is taken to be the value of benefits 

received in 2013 and pension is based on 20% of salary.

3.   The on-target level of bonus is taken to be 50% of the maximum bonus 
opportunity (165% of salary for the Chief Executive Officer and 137.5% 
of salary for the Group Finance Director). 

4.   The on-target level of vesting under the LTIP is taken to be 55% of the face 
value of the award at grant (a Conditional Award of 150% of salary for the 
Chief Executive Officer and 100% of salary for the Group Finance Director). 
As Matching Awards are only granted to match any deferred bonus shares 
(which normally operates for any bonus outturn in excess of 100% of 
salary), we have only assumed Matching Awards are granted under the 
maximum performance scenario in the chart above. 

5.   The maximum value of the LTIP is taken to be 100% of the face value of 
the award at grant (200% of salary for the Chief Executive Officer and 
150% of salary for the Group Finance Director).

6.   No share price appreciation has been assumed for the deferred bonus 

shares and LTIP awards.

Approach to recruitment and promotions
The remuneration package for a new executive Director 
would be set in accordance with the terms of the  
Company’s prevailing approved remuneration policy  
at the time of appointment and take into account the  
skills and experience of the individual, the market rate  
for a candidate of that experience and the importance  
of securing the relevant individual.

Salary would be provided at such a level as required to  
attract the most appropriate candidate and may be set  
initially at a below mid-market level on the basis that it may 
progress towards the mid-market level once expertise and 
performance has been proven and sustained. The annual 
bonus potential would be limited to 165% of salary and  
grants under the LTIP would be limited to 200% of salary 
(150% Conditional Award, 50% Matching Award). In addition, 
the Committee may offer additional cash and/or share-based 
elements to replace deferred or incentive pay forfeited by  
an executive leaving a previous employer. It would seek  
to ensure, where possible, that these awards would be 
consistent with awards forfeited in terms of vesting periods, 
expected value and performance conditions.

For an internal executive Director appointment, any variable 
pay element awarded in respect of the prior role may  
be allowed to pay out according to its terms. In addition,  
any other ongoing remuneration obligations existing prior  
to appointment may continue. 

For external and internal appointments, the Committee may 
agree that the Company will meet certain relocation and/or 
incidental expenses as appropriate.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 29

If appropriate, the Committee may agree, on the recruitment 
of a new executive, a notice period in excess of 12 months 
but reduce this to 12 months over a specified period.

Fees payable for a new non-executive Director appointment 
will take into account the experience and calibre of the 
individual and current fee structure.

Service contracts and payments for loss of office
Contractual provisions
It is the Company’s policy that any new executive Director 
appointment should have a service contract with an indefinite 
term which is subject to one year’s notice by either party  
with provision, at the Board’s discretion, for early termination 
by way of a payment in lieu of salary, benefits and pension, 
with the ability to phase payments and mitigate such 
payments if alternative employment is obtained. There will  
be no provisions in respect of a change of control.

In respect of legacy contracts for the Chief Executive Officer 
(dated 28 August 2002) and the Group Finance Director  
(dated 7 July 2004), in the event of early termination by the 
Company, the Directors’ contracts provide for compensation 
in line with their contractual notice period. Under the Chief 
Executive Officer’s contract, the Company shall make a 
payment in lieu of notice equivalent to base salary, benefits, 
pension and annual bonus. Further, during a period of up to 
six months following a change of control, the individual may 
resign and receive such a payment. Under the Group Finance 
Director’s contract, the Company shall make a payment in 
lieu of notice equivalent to base salary, benefits, pension and 
annual bonus. Further, during a period of up to three months 
following a change of control, the individual may resign and 
receive such a payment. The Committee is aware that there 
are a number of areas of the current contracts which, while 
considered appropriate and necessary at the time they  
were put in place, no longer comply with best practice and 
therefore will not be repeated in respect of any new executive 
Director appointments.

Outstanding incentive awards
The annual bonus may be payable with respect to the period 
of the financial year worked although it will be pro-rated for 
time and paid at the normal payout date.

Any share-based entitlements granted to an executive 
Director under the Company’s share plans will be determined 
based on the relevant plan rules. The default treatment under 
the LTIP is that any outstanding awards lapse on cessation of 
employment. However, in certain prescribed circumstances, 
such as death, ill-health, disability, retirement or other 
circumstances at the discretion of the Committee, ‘good 
leaver’ status may be applied. For good leavers, awards  
will normally vest on their normal vesting date, subject to  
the satisfaction of the relevant performance conditions at  
that time and reduced pro-rata to reflect the proportion  
of the performance period actually served. However, the 
Remuneration Committee has discretion to determine that 
awards vest at cessation and/or to disapply time pro-rating. 

Non-executive Directors
Letters of appointment for the non-executive Directors were 
each set for an initial three year period (thereafter renewable 
for periods of three years). They are required to submit 
themselves for re-election every year. The Chairman has 
a notice period of a year and the non-executive Directors 
are appointed under arrangements that may generally be 
terminated at will by either party without compensation.

Annual report on remuneration

Implementation of the remuneration policy for the year 
ending 28 December 2014

The Remuneration Committee awarded the executive 
Directors a 2% basic salary increase in December 2013,  
with effect from 1 January 2014:
2013
£
602,000
283,500

Basic salary
Andrew Page
Stephen Critoph

2014
£
615,000
290,000

Increase
2%
2%

The average increase for managerial and administrative 
employees across the Group was 3% for the 2014 pay review.

Performance targets for the annual bonus in 2014 
For 2014, the annual bonus will continue to be based primarily 
against Group financial measures. The Committee has 
chosen not to disclose, in advance, the performance targets 
for the forthcoming year as these include items which the 
Committee considers commercially sensitive. Retrospective 
information will be presented in a subsequent remuneration 
report when the Directors are comfortable that the 
information is no longer commercially sensitive.

The maximum bonus potential will continue to be 165% and 
137.5% of salary for the Chief Executive Officer and Group 
Finance Director respectively.

Performance targets for LTIP awards to be granted  
in 2014 
Consistent with previous years, Conditional and Matching 
Awards will be subject to the following targets:

   TSR element (50%) – the Company’s TSR vs the FTSE 350 
Travel and Leisure sector (excluding airlines). 30% of this 
element of the award vests for a median ranking, increasing 
to full vesting for an upper quartile ranking; and
   EPS element (50%) – growth in the Company’s EPS in 
excess of inflation. 30% of this element of the award vests 
for growth equal to RPI + 4% p.a., increasing to full vesting 
for growth equal to or in excess of RPI + 10% p.a..

Non-executive Directors
As detailed in the remuneration policy, the Company’s 
approach to setting non-executive Directors’ fees is by 
reference to fees paid at similar companies and reflects  
the time commitment and responsibilities of each role. 
A summary of current fees is as follows:

Chairman
Other non-executive 
Directors

2013
£315,000

2014 % increase
2%

£321,500

£52,500

£53,500

2%

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements 
30 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Directors’ remuneration report
continued

Remuneration received by Directors (audited)
The table below sets out the remuneration received by the Directors in relation to performance in the years ended 
29 December 2013 and 30 December 2012 (or for performance periods ending in 2013 and 2012 in respect of  
long-term incentives).

Salary 
& fees 

602 
590 

284 
278 

£’000 
Executive Directors
Andrew Page
2013
2012
Stephen Critoph
2013
2012
Trish Corzine  
(retired on 15 May 2013)
2013
2012
Non-executive Directors
Alan Jackson
2013
2012
Tony Hughes
2013
2012
Simon Cloke
2013
2012

315 
309 

94 
248 

53 
52 

53 
52 

Taxable 
benefits1  Pension2 

Annual 
bonus3 

SAYE 
vesting4 

Long–Term Incentive Plan5

Value of 
vesting 
Award 
at grant

Increase in 
value due 
to rise in 
share price 

Dividend 
equivalent

Value of 
Award

Total 

27 
27 

13 
14 

4 
12 

47 
46 

–
1 

–
–

120 
118 

56 
56 

9 
25 

–
–

–
–

–
–

993 
974 

378 
358 

103 
252 

–
–

–
–

–
–

–
–

16 
–

–
–

–
–

–
–

–
–

1,042 
623 

376 
279 

330 
268 

–
–

–
–

–
–

933 
647 

338 
290 

296 
278 

–
–

–
–

–
–

123 
91 

2,098 
1,361 

3,840 
3,070 

44 
41 

39 
39 

–
–

–
–

–
–

758 
610 

1,505 
1,316 

665 
585 

875 
1,122 

–
–

–
–

–
–

362 
355 

53 
53 

53 
52 

1   Benefits comprise car allowance, health care and life assurance. 
2   This comprises contributions to the Directors’ personal pensions plans of 18% of salary for Stephen Critoph and 10% of salary for Trish Corzine and cash 

salary supplements of 20% of salary for Andrew Page and 2% of salary for Stephen Critoph. 

3   This relates to the payment of the annual bonus for the year ended 29 December 2013 and 30 December 2012. Further details of the payment in respect 

of 2013 are set out below.

4   This relates to the vesting of SAYE awards (the gain at vesting was £16,498 based on the 1 June 2013 share price). 
5   This relates to the vesting of the 2011 LTIP Conditional and Matching Awards (where the performance period ended on 29 December 2013) and the 

2010 LTIP Conditional and Matching Awards (where the performance period ended on 30 December 2012). Further details of the values attributed to  
the 2011 LTIP awards are set out on page 31. 

Annual bonus payments (audited)
The annual bonus for the year under review for the Chief Executive Officer and Group Finance Director was primarily based 
on profit before tax performance. The structure of the targets and the actual performance against the targets was as follows:

23% of maximum potential bonus was payable for achieving target profit before tax (“PBT”), increasing to 100% for achieving 
108% of target PBT. The actual result exceeded 108% of target PBT.

The bonus for the Executive Director, Concessions was based on a combination of Group and divisional profit targets with 
an element based on the achievement on non-financial measures.

Targets have not been disclosed on the grounds of commercial sensitivity although the target PBT will be disclosed in a 
subsequent remuneration report when the Directors are comfortable that the information is no longer commercially sensitive.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 31

% Vesting
44%
(max 50% for 
Conditional 
Awards)
88%
(max 100% 
for Matching 
Awards)
50%
(max 50%)

Vesting of LTIP Awards in year under review (audited)
The LTIP award granted on 16 March 2011 was based on a three year performance period ended 29 December 2013. 
As disclosed in previous annual reports, the performance condition for this award was as follows:
Stretch 
Target
28.74p 

Threshold 
Target
24.62p 

Actual
28.02p 

Metric
Earnings per share 
(50% for Conditional 
Award; 100% for 
Matching Award)

Performance Condition
EPS growth of RPI + 4% p.a. (15% vesting) 
to RPI + 10% p.a. (50% vesting) over three 
financial years.

Total shareholder 
return (50% for 
Conditional Award)

TSR against the constituents of the  
FTSE 350 Travel and Leisure sector 
(excluding airlines). 15% vesting for  
median performance and 50% vesting  
for upper quartile performance.  
TSR measured over three financial years 
with a three month average at the start  
and end of the performance period.

60.3% 
(Median)

100.8%
(Upper 
Quartile)

120.1%

Total vesting for Conditional Award
Total vesting for Matching Award

94%
88%

The award details for the executive Directors are therefore as follows:

Executive
Andrew Page

Stephen Critoph

Trish Corzine

Type of award
Conditional Award
Matching Award
Conditional Award
Matching Award
Conditional Award
Matching Award

Number of 
shares at grant
284,790
94,930
91,867
45,933
81,660
40,830

Number of 
shares to lapse
16,661
11,107
5,375
5,375
4,778
6,217

Number of 
shares to vest
268,129
83,823
86,492
40,558
76,882
34,613

Cash value of 
dividends on 
shares to vest1
93,872
29,346
30,281
14,199
26,916
12,118

Estimated 
value2 
(£’000)
1,599
499
516
242
459
206

1   The table above and following wording assumes the 2011 LTIP award dividend equivalent will be settled in cash. Consistent with best practice, the LTIP 
enables award holders to benefit from the payment of dividend equivalents but only to the extent that the underlying share awards vest. The accounting 
charge for these amounts is spread over the relevant vesting period as part of the IFRS 2 “Share-based payments” charge (see note 19). As disclosed  
above and consistent with past practice, dividend equivalents on the 2011 awards, to the extent they vested, will be settled by way of cash payments.  
For information, Andrew Page has in the past received £45,832, £33,591, £154,133 and £243,425 (relating to the 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009 awards), 
Stephen Critoph has received £27,626, £16,294, £63,779 and £102,375 (relating to the 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 awards), Trish Corzine has received 
£25,198, £15,090, £60,843 and £98,109 (relating to the 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 awards) and Alan Jackson has received £44,574 (relating to the 2005 
award, which was granted to him when he was Executive Chairman).

2   The estimated value of the vested shares is based on the average share price during the three months to 29 December 2013 (561.2 pence).

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements32 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Directors’ remuneration report
continued

Outstanding share awards
The table below sets out details of executive Directors’ outstanding share awards (which will vest in future years subject 
to performance and/or continued service).

Name of Director
Andrew Page

Scheme
2003

At 31 
December 
2012
100,000
LTIP (1) 264,878
97,865
LTIP (2)

LTIP (3) 284,790

LTIP (4)

94,930

LTIP (5) 318,804

LTIP (6) 100,504
3,180

2012 SAYE

Granted Exercised
– (100,000)
(227,662)
–
(70,364)
–

At 29 
December 
2013
–
–
–

Lapsed
–
(37,216)
(27,501)

Exercise 
price
134.4p
–
–

–

–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–

–

– 284,790

–

94,930

– 318,804

–

–

–

– 100,504
–
3,180

–
283.0p

– 218,326

–

LTIP (7)

–

218,326

Stephen Critoph

LTIP (8)
LTIP (1)
LTIP (2)
2010 SAYE

–
118,780
43,902
4,932

72,775
–
–
–

–
(102,091)
(31,565)
(4,932)

–
(16,689)
(12,337)
–

LTIP (3)

91,867

LTIP (4)

45,933

LTIP (5)

100,144

LTIP (6)

48,631

–

–

–

–

LTIP (7)

–

68,544

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Trish Corzine

LTIP (8)
–
LTIP (1) 113,902
42,073
LTIP (2)

34,272
–
–

–
(97,898)
(30,250)

–
(16,004)
(11,823)

LTIP (3)

81,660

LTIP (4)

40,830

LTIP (5)

89,157

LTIP (6)

43,227

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

72,775
–
–
–

91,867

45,933

100,144

48,631

68,544

34,272
–
–

81,660

40,830

89,157

43,227

–
–
–
184.0p

–

–

–

–

–

–
–
–

–

–

–

–

Date 
from which 
exercisable
4.4.2008
4.3.2013
4.3.2013
Publication of 
2013 results
Publication of 
2013 results
Publication of 
2014 results
Publication of 
2014 results
1.12.2015
Publication of 
2015 results
Publication of 
2015 results
4.3.2013
4.3.2013
1.6.2013
Publication of 
2013 results
Publication of 
2013 results
Publication of 
2014 results
Publication of 
2014 results
Publication of 
2015 results
Publication of 
2015 results
4.3.2013
4.3.2013
Publication of 
2013 results
Publication of 
2013 results
Publication of 
2014 results
Publication of 
2014 results

Expiry date
4.4.2015
4.9.2013
4.9.2013
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
1.6.2016
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
4.9.2013
4.9.2013
1.12.2013
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
4.9.2013
4.9.2013
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting
6 months 
after vesting

LTIP (1) – 2010 Conditional Award: Vesting of 50% of the award was based on relative TSR performance and 50% was based on EPS growth. Details of the 
Company’s performance against the performance conditions are set out in last year’s Directors’ remuneration report. 85.95% of the Conditional Award vested 
based on performance to 30 December 2012. 
LTIP (2) – 2010 Matching Award: Vesting was based on EPS growth to 30 December 2012. Details of the Company’s performance against the performance 
condition are set out in last year’s Directors’ remuneration report. 71.9% of the Matching Award vested. 
LTIP (3) – 2011 Conditional Award: Details of performance conditions are set out on page 31.
LTIP (4) – 2011 Matching Award: Details of performance conditions are set out on page 31.
LTIP (5) and (6) – 2012 Conditional Award and Matching Award: Vesting of 50% of the award is based on TSR performance of the Group against a comparator 
group comprising the FTSE 350 Travel and Leisure Sector (excluding airlines) over the three years from 2011 to 2014, with 30% of this part of the award vesting 
at median performance and full vesting of this part of the award for upper quartile performance. The remaining 50% of the award is based on EPS growth of the 
2014 results compared with the 2011 results, with a requirement for average annual growth of between RPI+4% and RPI+10% p.a.
LTIP (7) and (8) – 2013 Conditional Award and Matching Award: Vesting of 50% of the award is based on TSR performance of the Group against a comparator 
group comprising the FTSE 350 Travel and Leisure Sector (excluding airlines) over the three years from 2012 to 2015, with 30% of this part of the award vesting 
at median performance and full vesting of this part of the award for upper quartile performance. The remaining 50% of the award is based on EPS growth of the 
2015 results compared with the 2012 results, with a requirement for average annual growth of between RPI+4% and RPI+10% p.a. 

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 33

Long-Term incentives granted during the year (audited)
On 28 February 2013, the following LTIP awards were granted to executive Directors:

Executive
Andrew Page

Stephen Critoph

Type of award
Conditional 
awards – nil 
cost option
Matching 
awards – nil 
cost option
Conditional 
awards – nil 
cost option
Matching 
awards – nil 
cost option

Basis of 
award granted

Share price 
at date 
of grant

Number of 
shares over 
which award 
was at 
granted

% of face 
value that 
would vest 
at threshold 
performance

Vesting 
determined by 
performance 
over

Face value 
of award (£)

150% of salary 
of £602,000* 
Compulsory 
and voluntary 
bonus deferral

100% of salary 
of £283,500* 
Compulsory 
and voluntary 
bonus deferral

£4.19

218,326

£902,996

30%

£4.19

72,775

£300,997

30%

£4.19

68,544

£283,498

30%

£4.19

34,272

£141,749

30%

Three financial 
years to 
3 January 
2016

* Based on an average share price of £4.136 immediately prior to grant.

Payments for loss of office (audited)
Trish Corzine stepped down from the Board on 15 May 2013. In order to ensure an efficient handover of the management  
of the Concessions business, she agreed to continue to work, primarily on a part-time basis, with the current intention being 
that she will leave the Company on 31 May 2014. No payments were made for loss of office. She was eligible to receive a 
pro-rated annual bonus for the year ended 29 December 2013 in respect of the period of the financial year that she worked 
full time (to 31 May 2013). Outstanding LTIP awards will vest at cessation although time pro-rated where scheme vesting 
post-dates cessation of employment. Dividend equivalents will be payable on LTIP awards to the extent they vest. 

Payments to past Directors (audited)
No payment was made to Trish Corzine for loss of office as she continues to work within the business, albeit on a part-time 
basis. She received £74,172 in respect of her employment with the Company from the date she stepped down from the Board 
(15 May 2013) to the year ended 29 December 2013. This comprised a salary of £69,777, benefits of £3,309 and pension 
contribution of £1,086. She also received an annual bonus of £114,906 in respect of the five month period that she worked full 
time in the Company. From 1 June 2013, she ceased any entitlement to future annual bonus payments. Consistent with the 
current executive Directors, 111,495 shares are expected to vest in March 2014 in respect of 2011 long-term incentive awards 
together with dividend equivalent payments with a total estimated value, based on the three month share price to the end of 
the year, of £664,744. 

Retirement of Chief Executive Officer
On 21 January 2014, the Company announced that Andrew Page will retire as Chief Executive Officer in August 2014. 
Mr Page has no entitlement to any termination payment or payment in lieu of notice. However, Mr Page will continue to 
participate in the annual bonus scheme for 2014, with any bonus paid in cash on the normal payment date subject to 
performance conditions and pro-rated for the period of the financial year worked. Outstanding long-term incentive awards  
will vest on cessation, subject to performance and time pro-rating. Dividend equivalents will be payable on LTIP awards  
to the extent they vest.

Statement of Directors’ shareholdings and share interests (audited) 

Director
Andrew Page
Stephen Critoph
Alan Jackson
Tony Hughes
Simon Cloke

Beneficially 
owned at 
30 December 
2012
681,486
358,197
400,191
400,000
15,000

Beneficially 
owned at 
29 December 
2013
490,056
263,220
250,191
400,000
15,000

Shareholding 
as a % 
of salary at 
29 December 
2013
480%
546%
N/A
N/A
N/A

Outstanding 
LTIP awards
1,093,309
389,391
–
–
–

Guideline 
Met?
Yes
Yes
N/A
N/A
N/A

The Chief Executive Officer and Group Finance Director are required to hold shares in the Company worth 200% of salary and 
150% of salary respectively and must retain no fewer than 50% of the shares, net of taxes, vesting under an LTIP award until the 
required shareholding is achieved. At 29 December 2013, both Mr Page and Mr Critoph had met the shareholding requirement.

As at the date this report was approved by the Board of Directors, there have been no changes in respect of the numbers 
of shares presented in the table above. 

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements34 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Directors’ remuneration report
continued

Performance graph and Chief Executive Officer pay 
The graph below compares the total remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer compared to the Company’s TSR 
performance and that of the FTSE 350 Travel and Leisure Index over the past five years, all rebased from 100. The FTSE 350 
Travel & Leisure Index has been selected for this comparison because it is the index most relevant to gauging the Company’s 
relative performance. This graph shows the value, by 29 December 2013, of £100 invested in The Restaurant Group plc on  
28 December 2008 compared with the value of £100 invested in the FTSE All-Share Index and the FTSE 350 Travel and 
Leisure Index. On this basis the value, as at 29 December 2013, of £100 invested is as follows:

The Restaurant Group plc (dividends re-invested)
FTSE All-Share Index
FTSE 350 Travel & Leisure

£616
£204
£262

Value (£)

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

28-Dec-08

27-Dec-09

02-Jan-11

01-Jan-12

30-Dec-12

29-Dec-13

Source: Thomson Reuters (Datastream)

The Restaurant Group
FTSE All-Share index
FTSE 350 Travel & Leisure index
CEO

This graph shows: (a) the CEO’s total remuneration over the last five years, rebased from 100; and (b) the value, by 29 December 2013, of £100 invested in  
The Restaurant group plc on 28 December 2008 compared with the value of £100 invested in the FTSE All-Share and FTSE 350 Travel and Leisure Indices.  
The other points plotted are the values at intervening financial year-ends.

The table below shows the total remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer for each of the last five years:

Salary
Benefits
Pension
Total fixed remuneration
Annual bonus
LTIP face value of vested shares at grant
LTIP increase in value between grant and vest
Dividend equivalent
Total LTIP
Total performance related remuneration
Total remuneration
Annual bonus %
Annual LTIP Vesting %

2009
535 
27 
108 
670 
642 
509 
(186) 
34 
357 
999 
1,669 
100%
85%

2010
543 
29 
109 
681 
543 
916 
1,114 
154 
2,184 
2,727 
3,408 
100%
90%

2011
558 
27 
112 
697 
720 
1,097 
1,471 
243 
2,811 
3,531 
4,228 
86%
100%

2012
590 
27 
118 
735 
974 
623 
647 
91 
1,361 
2,335 
3,070 
100%
82%

2013
602 
27 
120 
749 
993 
1,042 
933 
123 
2,098 
3,091 
3,840 
100%
93%

 
 
The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 35

Percentage change in Chief Executive Officer’s remuneration
The table below shows the percentage change in the Chief Executive Officer’s salary, benefits and annual bonus between  
the financial year ending 29 December 2013 and 30 December 2012, compared to all employees of the Group.
Benefits
% change
2%
3%
12,295

Chief Executive 
All employees 
Average number of employees

Salary
% change
2%
3%

Bonus
% change
2%
3%

Relative importance of spend on pay
The following table shows the Company’s actual spend on pay (for all employees) relative to dividends.

Staff costs (£’m)
Dividends (£’m)
Retained profits (£’m)

2013
184.1
24.9
56.2

2012
168.2
21.7
48.2

% change
9.4%
14.7%
16.5%

Appointments outside the Group
Executive Directors are entitled to accept appointments outside the Company or Group and there is no requirement for 
Directors to remit any fees to The Restaurant Group plc. Andrew Page was appointed a non-executive director of Carpetright 
plc on 1 July 2013 and received fees as a non-executive director of Carpetright plc of £19,500 in respect of the six months 
to 29 December 2013.

Consideration by the Directors of matters relating to Directors’ remuneration
The Company has a Remuneration Committee (“the Committee”) which is constituted in accordance with the recommendations 
of the Corporate Governance Code. The members of the Committee during the year were Tony Hughes (Committee Chairman) 
and Simon Cloke, who were independent non-executive Directors. None of the Committee has any personal financial interest 
in the Company (other than as shareholders). 

The Committee makes recommendations to the Board. No Director plays a part in any discussion about his own 
remuneration. In determining the executive Directors’ remuneration for the year the Committee consulted Alan Jackson 
(non-executive Chairman) about its proposals. 

New Bridge Street (‘NBS’), part of Aon plc, was appointed independent advisers and provided advice to the Committee, 
encompassing all elements of the remuneration packages. Neither NBS nor any other part of Aon plc provided any other 
services to the Group during the year. Total fees paid to NBS in respect of its services to the Remuneration Committee 
were £21,400.

NBS is a signatory to the Remuneration Consultants’ Code of Conduct. The Committee has reviewed the operating 
processes in place at NBS and is satisfied that the advice that it receives is objective and independent.

Statement of shareholder voting
The Directors’ remuneration report for the financial year ending 30 December 2012 was put to shareholders at the  
Annual General Meeting held on 15 May 2013 on an advisory basis. The voting outcomes were as follows:

Votes cast in favour
Votes cast against
Total votes cast
Votes withheld

135,387,206
6,618,829
142,006,035
723,394

95%
5%
100%

Approval
This report was approved by the Board of Directors on 26 February 2014 and signed on its behalf by:

Tony Hughes
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements36 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Audit Committee report

This report sets out the work carried out by the Audit 
Committee of the Board with reference to the UK Corporate 
Governance Code (“the Code”) and associated best practice 
guidance issued by the Financial Reporting Council (“FRC”).

The Board as a whole reviews the risks facing the Group,  
and the processes on mitigating those risks, on a regular  
and formal basis. The Board also reviews the work carried 
out by the Internal Audit function.

Audit Committee composition
The Audit Committee is appointed by the Board and 
comprises independent non-executive Directors of the 
Company. The Committee is chaired by Simon Cloke, who 
has significant financial experience gained as a Managing 
Director within HSBC Bank’s Corporate Sector Group. 
Tony Hughes is also a member of the Committee. The Code 
recommends that audit committees be comprised of at least 
two independent non-executive directors in the case of 
smaller companies (defined as those outside the FTSE 350) 
or at least three for companies with a premium listing,  
such as The Restaurant Group plc. During 2013 the  
Audit Committee was comprised of two independent 
non-executive Directors.

The Board continues to review the composition of the Audit 
Committee to ensure that it remains proportionate to the task 
and provides sufficient scrutiny of risk management and 
internal and external controls.

The Committee regularly invites the external auditor, the 
Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer and the 
Group Finance Director to its meetings. Discussions are held 
in private when appropriate.

Responsibilities of the Audit Committee
The responsibilities of the Audit Committee are set out in its 
terms of reference and the principal matters are to:

   provide additional assurance regarding the integrity, quality 
and reliability of financial information used by the Board  
and in financial statements issued to shareholders and 
the public;
   review the Company’s internal procedures for control and 
compliance with regard to financial reporting to satisfy itself 
that these are adequate and effective;
   review the principles, policies and practices adopted in the 
preparation of the Group’s financial statements to ensure 
they comply with statutory requirements and generally 
accepted accounting principles;
   receive reports from the Group’s external auditor 
concerning external announcements, in particular the 
Annual Report and Accounts and the Interim Report;
   develop and oversee the Company’s policy regarding the 
external audit process, review the independence of the 
external auditor, review the provision of non-audit services 
provided by the external auditor and review remuneration 
paid to the external auditor; and
   consider any other matter that is brought to its attention 
by the Board or the external auditor.

The Audit Committee also reviews the arrangements whereby 
staff of the Company may, in confidence, raise concerns 
about possible improprieties in financial reporting or other 
matters to ensure there are proportionate and independent 
procedures in place for such an occurrence. 

Audit Committee frequency
The Committee meets at least twice a year. Two meetings 
of the Committee were held during 2013 with full attendance. 
The Chairman of the Audit Committee also meets with the 
Group Finance Director and the external auditor, as required, 
to discuss matters pertinent to the Audit Committee’s 
responsibilities. The Chairman of the Audit Committee also 
meets, as required, with the Group Internal Audit function 
to review their findings. 

Audit Committee process
The Committee discharges its responsibilities, as defined 
in its terms of reference, through Audit Committee meetings 
during the year, at which detailed reports are presented for 
review. From time to time, the Committee commission reports 
from external advisers or Company management, either after 
consideration of the Company’s major risks or in response 
to developing issues. The Committee has the opportunity to 
meet privately with the external auditor at least twice a year 
and liaises with Company management in considering areas 
for review.

During the year, the Committee considered the  
following matters:

   interim and full year financial results. As part of this review 
the Committee received reports from the external auditor 
on their audit of the Annual Report and Accounts and their 
review of the Interim Results;
   the scope and cost of the external audit;
   the external auditor’s interim and full year reports;
   non-audit work carried out by the external auditor in 
accordance with the Committee’s policy to ensure the 
safeguard of audit independence;
   the effectiveness of the external audit process and 
consideration of the reappointment of the external auditor; 
   the suitability of the Group’s accounting policies 
and practices. Specific accounting policy issues which 
were considered include the Group’s policies in relation to 
the impairment of tangible and intangible fixed assets and 
the classification of leases. 

   for further information on the judgements and estimates 
reviewed in relation to the impairment of goodwill and 
tangible fixed assets, see section b) of the critical 
accounting judgements and key sources of estimation  
and uncertainty in the accounting policies for the 
consolidated accounts on page 44.
   the Committee reviewed management’s assessment of  
the principle terms of the Group’s property leases and 
challenged their interpretation of the primary indicators  
of finance leases. 

The Company’s public financial statements are reviewed by 
the Committee in advance of their consideration by the Board.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 37

Independence of the external auditor
The Committee has adopted a policy on the use of the 
external auditor for non-audit work which is in compliance 
with the Code. The pre-approved services may be 
summarised as follows:

Impact of the Competition Commission report
The Committee notes the latest guidance from the Financial 
Reporting Council following the report from the Competition 
Commission issued on 15 October 2013. Amongst other 
things this requires the Audit Committee to: 

   assume sole responsibility for audit matters such as 
agreeing audit scope and audit fees, advising the Board on 
the reappointment of external auditors and initiating tenders;
   initiate a new advisory vote on the audit committee report;
   mandatorily tender the external audit every ten years;
   note the increased frequency of reviews by the Financial 
Reporting Council’s Audit Quality Review team and the 
public disclosure of the grade awarded following the review;
   ensure compliance with the prohibition of “Big Four only” 
clauses in loan documentation. 

The Committee has reviewed the guidance and will 
implement these recommendations as required for the  
2014 financial year. 

Overview
As a result of its work during the year, the Audit Committee 
has concluded that it has acted in accordance with its  
terms of reference. The Committee has reviewed the 
independence and objectivity of Deloitte LLP as external 
auditor and recommends the re-appointment of Deloitte LLP 
by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting to be held 
on 15 May 2014.

On behalf of the Audit Committee,

Simon Cloke
Chairman of the Audit Committee
26 February 2014

   audit related services, including work related to the annual 
Group financial statements audit, subsidiary audits and 
local statutory accounts; and
   certain specified tax services, including tax compliance,  
tax planning and tax advice.

Other work to be carried out by the external auditor is subject 
to review by the Audit Committee. To fulfil its responsibility 
regarding the independence of the external auditor, the Audit 
Committee takes into account the following:

   the external auditor’s plan for the current year, noting the 
role of the senior statutory audit partner who signs the audit 
report and who, in accordance with professional rules,  
has not held office for more than five years;
   the arrangements for day-to-day management of the  
audit relationship;
   a report from the external auditor describing their 
arrangements to identify, report and manage any conflicts 
of interest;
   the overall extent of non-audit services provided by the 
external auditor, in addition to its case-by-case approval  
of the provision of non-audit services by the external 
auditor; and
   the past service of the auditor who was first appointed  
by formal tender in 2007.

To assess the effectiveness of the external audit process,  
the Audit Committee takes into account:

   the arrangements for ensuring the independence and 
objectivity of the external auditor;
   the external auditor’s fulfilment of the agreed audit plan; 
   the robustness and perceptiveness of the auditor in their 
handling of the key accounting and audit judgements; and
   the auditor’s conclusions with regard to existing 
management and control processes.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements38 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Independent auditor’s report
to the members of The Restaurant Group plc

Opinion on financial statements of  
The Restaurant Group plc
In our opinion:

   the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state 
of the Group’s and of the parent Company’s affairs as at 
29 December 2013 and of the Group’s profit for the 
52 week period then ended;
   the Group financial statements have been properly prepared 
in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (“IFRSs”) as adopted by the European Union;
   the parent Company financial statements have been 
properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom 
Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
   the financial statements have been prepared in accordance 
with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, 
as regards the Group financial statements, Article 4 of the 
IAS Regulation.

The financial statements comprise the Group income 
statement, the Group and Parent Company balance sheets, 
the Group cash flow statement, the Group statement  
of changes in equity, the Parent Company reconciliation  
of movements in shareholders’ funds and the related 

notes 1 to 26. The financial reporting framework that has 
been applied in the preparation of the Group financial 
statements is applicable law and IFRSs as adopted by the 
European Union. The financial reporting framework that has 
been applied in the preparation of the parent Company 
financial statements is applicable law and United Kingdom 
Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted 
Accounting Practice).

Going concern
As required by the Listing Rules we have reviewed the 
Directors’ statement on page 21 that the Group is a going 
concern. We confirm that:

   we have concluded that the Directors’ use of the going 
concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the 
financial statements is appropriate; and
   we have not identified any material uncertainties that may 
cast significant doubt on the Group’s ability to continue as  
a going concern.

However, because not all future events or conditions can be 
predicted, this statement is not a guarantee as to the Group’s 
ability to continue as a going concern.

Our assessment of risks of material misstatement
The assessed risks of material misstatement described below are those that had the greatest effect on our audit strategy, 
the allocation of resources in the audit and directing the efforts of the engagement team:

Risk
Impairment of tangible fixed assets 
Tangible fixed assets are the most quantitatively significant 
item on the balance sheet. The assessment of the carrying 
value of tangible fixed assets requires evaluating whether  
any indicators of impairment exist and the identification and 
expected future profitability of cash generating units (“CGUs”). 

Impairment of goodwill
The assessment of the carrying value of goodwill involves 
exercising judgement on the future growth rates and 
profitability of the company, and the application of an 
appropriate discount rate.

Lease accounting
The accounting for leases involves exercising judgement 
including whether leases meet the definition of an operating  
or a finance lease and the identification of onerous leases,  
their expected future cash flows (including discounting).

How the scope of our audit responded to the risk
We evaluated the appropriateness of the assumptions used 
to assess whether tangible fixed assets have been impaired. 
Our testing specifically focused on the identification of CGUs 
and whether any indicators of impairment were identified by 
management. Where indicators of impairment were identified, 
we challenged the process for improving the profitability of 
sites. We evaluated this through the use of benchmarking  
with comparator sites and appropriate sensitivity analysis. 
We evaluated the appropriateness of the assumptions used 
within the impairment model for goodwill, as disclosed in 
note 9 to the financial statements. Our testing specifically 
focused on projections of future cash flows, including review 
of historical performance, and discount rates applied, and  
we tested the sensitivity of the model to these judgements. 
We conducted testing to evaluate whether the classification 
and accounting for new leases was appropriate through a 
review of the lease terms.

We assessed the adequacy and completeness of onerous 
leases through recalculation and testing to a combination 
of subleases and valuations. Discount rates used were 
assessed for appropriateness, and the accuracy of 
management’s historic estimates was also assessed.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 39

The Audit Committee’s consideration of these risks is set out 
on page 36.

Opinion on other matters prescribed  
by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion:

Our audit procedures relating to these matters were designed 
in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a 
whole, and not to express an opinion on individual accounts 
or disclosures. Our opinion on the financial statements is not 
modified with respect to any of the risks described above, 
and we do not express an opinion on these individual matters.

Our application of materiality
We define materiality as the magnitude of misstatement in the 
financial statements that makes it probable that the economic 
decisions of a reasonably knowledgeable person would be 
changed or influenced. We use materiality both in planning 
the scope of our audit work and in evaluating the results of 
our work.

We determined materiality for the group to be £5.4 million, 
which is approximately 7.5% of profit before tax, and below 
3% of equity.

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report  
to the Committee all audit differences in excess of £108,000, 
as well as differences below that threshold that, in our view, 
warranted reporting on qualitative grounds. We also report 
to the Audit Committee on disclosure matters that we 
identified when assessing the overall presentation of the 
financial statements. 

An overview of the scope of our audit
Our Group audit was scoped by obtaining an understanding 
of the Group and its environment, including group-wide 
controls, and assessing the risks of material misstatement 
at the group level. 

Based on this assessment our Group audit scope focused on 
the Group’s head office in London and the accounting function 
in Chester, which were subject to a full audit. This represents 
100% of the Group’s net assets, revenue and profit before 
tax. This provides an appropriate basis for undertaking audit 
work to address the risks of material misstatement identified 
above. Our audit work was executed at levels of materiality 
applicable to each individual subsidiary entity, which were 
lower than Group materiality. All audit work done across all 
components was carried out by the Group audit team.

   the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be 
audited has been properly prepared in accordance  
with the Companies Act 2006; and
   the information given in the Strategic Report and the  
report of the Directors for the financial year for which  
the financial statements are prepared is consistent  
with the financial statements.

Matters on which we are required to report 
by exception
Adequacy of explanations received and  
accounting records
Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required  
to report to you if, in our opinion:

   we have not received all the information and explanations 
we require for our audit; or
   adequate accounting records have not been kept by the 
parent Company, or returns adequate for our audit have  
not been received from branches not visited by us; or
   the parent Company financial statements are not in 
agreement with the accounting records and returns.

We have nothing to report in respect of these matters.

Directors’ remuneration
Under the Companies Act 2006 we are also required to report 
if in our opinion certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration 
have not been made or the part of the Directors’ Remuneration 
Report to be audited is not in agreement with the accounting 
records and returns. We have nothing to report arising from 
these matters.

Corporate Governance Statement
Under the Listing Rules we are also required to review the 
part of the Corporate Governance Statement relating to the 
Company’s compliance with nine provisions of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code. We have nothing to report 
arising from our review.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements40 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Independent auditor’s report
to the members of The Restaurant Group plc continued

Scope of the audit of the financial statements
An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts  
and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to  
give reasonable assurance that the financial statements  
are free from material misstatement, whether caused by  
fraud or error. This includes an assessment of: whether the 
accounting policies are appropriate to the Group’s and the 
parent Company’s circumstances and have been consistently 
applied and adequately disclosed; the reasonableness  
of significant accounting estimates made by the Directors; 
and the overall presentation of the financial statements. 
In addition, we read all the financial and non-financial 
information in the annual report to identify material 
inconsistencies with the audited financial statements and to 
identify any information that is apparently materially incorrect 
based on, or materially inconsistent with, the knowledge 
acquired by us in the course of performing the audit. If we 
become aware of any apparent material misstatements or 
inconsistencies we consider the implications for our report.

Mark Lee-Amies, FCA (Senior statutory auditor)
for and on behalf of Deloitte LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditor
London, United Kingdom
26 February 2014

Our duty to read other information in the Annual Report
Under International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland), 
we are required to report to you if, in our opinion, information 
in the annual report is:

   materially inconsistent with the information in the audited 
financial statements; or
   apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially 
inconsistent with, our knowledge of the group acquired 
in the course of performing our audit; or
   otherwise misleading.

In particular, we are required to consider whether we have 
identified any inconsistencies between our knowledge 
acquired during the audit and the Directors’ statement  
that they consider the annual report is fair, balanced and 
understandable and whether the annual report appropriately 
discloses those matters that we communicated to the  
audit committee which we consider should have been 
disclosed. We confirm that we have not identified any  
such inconsistencies or misleading statements.

Respective responsibilities of Directors and auditor
As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibilities 
Statement, the Directors are responsible for the preparation  
of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they 
give a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to audit and 
express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance 
with applicable law and International Standards on Auditing 
(UK and Ireland). Those standards require us to comply with 
the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical Standards for Auditors. 
We also comply with International Standard on Quality 
Control 1 (UK and Ireland). Our audit methodology and tools 
aim to ensure that our quality control procedures are 
effective, understood and applied. Our quality controls and 
systems include our dedicated professional standards review 
team, strategically focused second partner reviews and 
independent partner reviews.

This report is made solely to the Company’s members,  
as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the 
Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken 
so that we might state to the Company’s members those 
matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report 
and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by 
law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone 
other than the Company and the Company’s members as  
a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions 
we have formed.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 41

Accounting policies for the consolidated accounts

Significant accounting policies
The Restaurant Group plc (the “Company”) is a company 
incorporated and registered in Scotland. The consolidated 
financial statements of the Company for the year ended 
29 December 2013 comprise the Company and its 
subsidiaries (together referred to as the “Group”) and the 
Group’s interest in its associate. 

(a) Statement of compliance
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in 
accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards 
(“IFRSs”) and its interpretations adopted by the International 
Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and as adopted by the 
European Union. 

(b) Going concern basis
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on 
a going concern basis as, after making appropriate enquires, 
the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group 
has adequate resources to continue in operational existence 
for the foreseeable future at the time of approving the financial 
statements. The principal risks and uncertainties facing the 
Group and further comments on going concern are set out 
in the report of the Directors.

(c) Basis of preparation
The accounting year runs to a Sunday within seven days of 
31 December each year which will be a 52 or 53 week period. 

The financial statements are presented in sterling, rounded 
to the nearest thousand. They have been prepared on the 
historical cost basis except derivative financial instruments 
which are held at their fair value. Non-current assets and 
assets held for sale are stated at the lower of carrying amount 
and fair value less costs to sell. 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with 
IFRS requires management to make judgements, estimates 
and assumptions that affect the application of policies and 
reported amounts of assets and liabilities, income and 
expenses. The estimates and associated assumptions are 
based on historical experience and various other factors  
that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, 
the results of which form the basis of making the judgments 
about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not 
readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may  
differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed 
on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates  
are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised  
if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the 
revision and future periods if the revision affects both current 
and future periods.

Future accounting policies
At the date of authorisation of these financial statements,  
the following new and revised Standards and Interpretations 
have been adopted in the current year. Their adoption has not 
had any significant impact on the amounts reported in these 
financial statements.

   IFRS 7 (amended) 

 Disclosures – Offsetting Financial 
Assets and Financial Liabilities

   Annual Improvements  
to IFRSs 
   IFRS 10 

   IFRS 11 
   IFRS 12 

   IFRS 13 
   IAS 19 (revised)   
   IAS 27 (revised)   
   IAS 28 (revised)   

(2009 – 2011) Cycle
 Consolidated Financial 
Statements
Joint Arrangements
 Disclosure of Interests  
in Other Entities
Fair Value Measurement
Employee Benefits
Separate Financial Statements
 Investments in Associates  
and Joint Ventures

At the date of authorisation of these financial statements, the 
following Standards and Interpretations which have not been 
applied in these financial statements were in issue but not yet 
effective (and in some cases had not yet been adopted by 
the EU):

   IFRS 9  
   IAS 36 (amendments) 

   IAS 39 (amendments) 

   IFRIC 21 

Financial Instruments
 Recoverable Amount Disclosures 
for Non-Financial Assets
 Novation of Derivatives and 
Continuation of Hedge Accounting
Levies

The Directors do not expect that the adoption of the 
Standards and Interpretations listed above will have a material 
impact on the financial statements of the Group in future 
periods, except as that IFRS 9 will impact both the 
measurement and disclosures of financial instruments.

Beyond the information above, it is not practicable to provide 
a reasonable estimate of the effect of these standards until 
a detailed review has been completed.

(d) Basis of consolidation
(i) Subsidiaries
Subsidiaries are entities controlled by the Company. Control 
exists when the Company has the power, directly or indirectly, 
to govern the financial and operating policies of an entity  
so as to obtain benefits from its activities. In assessing 
control, potential voting rights that presently are exercisable  
or convertible are taken into account, regardless of 
management’s intention to exercise that option or warrant. 
The financial statements of subsidiaries are included in the 
consolidated financial statements from the date that control 
commences until the date that control ceases.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
42 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Accounting policies for the consolidated accounts
continued

(ii) Associates
Associates are those entities in which the Group has 
significant influence, but not control, over the financial and 
operating policies. The consolidated financial statements 
include the Group’s share of the total recognised gains and 
losses of associates on an equity accounted basis, from  
the date that significant influence commences until the date 
that significant influence ceases. When the Group’s share  
of losses exceeds its interest in an associate, the Group’s 
carrying amount would be reduced to £nil and recognition  
of further losses is discontinued except to the extent that  
the Group has incurred legal or constructive obligations  
or made payments on behalf of an associate.

(iii) Transactions eliminated on consolidation
Intragroup balances and any gains and losses or income and 
expenses arising from intragroup transactions are eliminated 
in preparing the consolidated financial statements. Unrealised 
gains arising from transactions with associates are eliminated 
to the extent of the Group’s interest in the entity. Unrealised 
losses are eliminated in the same way as unrealised gains, 
but only to the extent that there is no evidence of impairment.

(e) Foreign currency
Assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated  
into sterling at the rates of exchange ruling at the date  
of the balance sheet. Transactions in foreign currencies are 
translated into sterling at the rate of exchange at the date  
of the transaction. The profit and loss accounts for overseas 
operations are translated at the average rate of exchange for 
the periods covered by the accounts. Exchange differences 
that relate to the net equity investment in overseas activities 
are taken directly to reserves. 

(f) Derivative financial instruments
The Group uses derivative financial instruments, where 
appropriate, to hedge its exposure to interest rate risks  
arising from operational, financing and investment activities. 
In accordance with its treasury policy, the Group does not 
hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading 
purposes. However, derivatives that do not qualify for  
hedge accounting are accounted for as trading instruments.

Derivative financial instruments are recognised initially  
at cost. Subsequent to initial recognition, derivative financial 
instruments are stated at fair value. The gain or loss on 
remeasurement to fair value is recognised immediately in  
the income statement. However, where derivatives qualify for 
hedge accounting, recognition of any resultant gain or loss 
depends on the nature of the item being hedged. The Group 
does not currently hold any derivative financial instruments.

The fair value of interest rate swaps is the estimated amount 
that the Group would receive or pay to terminate the swap  
at the balance sheet date, taking into account current  
interest rates and the current creditworthiness of the 
swap counterparties.

(g) Property, plant and equipment
Items of property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less 
accumulated depreciation (see below) and impairment losses 
(see accounting policy l). 

Where parts of an item of property, plant and equipment have 
different useful lives, they are accounted for as separate items 
of property, plant and equipment.

Leases in which the Group assumes substantially all the risks 
and rewards of ownership are classified as finance leases. 
The owner-occupied properties (excluding land element) 
acquired by way of finance lease are stated at an amount 
equal to the lower of their fair value and the present value of 
the minimum lease payments at inception of the lease, less 
accumulated depreciation (see below) and impairment losses 
(see accounting policy l). Lease payments are accounted for 
as described in accounting policy (s).

Subsequent costs
The Group recognises in the carrying amount of an item of 
property, plant and equipment the cost of replacing part of 
such an item when that cost is incurred if it is probable that 
the future economic benefits embodied with the item will  
flow to the Group and the cost of the item can be measured 
reliably. All other costs are recognised in the income 
statement as an expense as incurred.

Depreciation
Depreciation is charged to the income statement on a 
straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of each part 
of an item of property, plant and equipment. The estimated 
useful lives are as follows:

Freehold land 
Freehold buildings  
Long and short leasehold property  

Fixtures and equipment  
Motor vehicles  
Computer equipment  

Indefinite
50 years
 Term of lease or 
50 years, whichever 
is lower
3-10 years
4 years
3-5 years

(h) Intangible assets – Goodwill
All business combinations are accounted for by applying  
the acquisition method. Goodwill represents amounts arising 
on acquisition of subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures. 
In respect of business acquisitions that have occurred since 
1 January 2004, goodwill represents the difference between 
the cost of the acquisition and the fair value of the net 
identifiable assets acquired.

The classification and accounting treatment of business 
combinations that occurred prior to 1 January 2004 has not 
been reconsidered in preparing the Group’s opening IFRS 
balance sheet at 1 January 2004.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 43

Goodwill is stated at cost less any accumulated impairment 
losses. Goodwill is allocated to cash generating units and 
is formally tested annually for impairment (see accounting 
policy l). In respect of associates, the carrying amount of 
goodwill is included in the carrying amount of the investment 
in the associate.

Any excess of fair value of net assets over consideration on 
acquisition are recognised directly in the income statement.

(i) Trade and other receivables
Trade and other receivables are stated at their cost less 
impairment losses (see accounting policy l).

(j) Stock
Stock is stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. 
Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the 
ordinary course of business, less the estimated costs of 
completion and selling expenses.

(k) Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances and call 
deposits. Bank overdrafts that are repayable on demand and 
form an integral part of the Group’s cash management are 
included as a component of cash and cash equivalents for 
the purpose of the statement of cash flows.

(l) Impairment
The carrying amounts of the Group’s assets are reviewed 
annually to determine whether there is any indication  
of impairment. 

For property, plant and equipment, the carrying value of each 
cash generating unit (“CGU”) is compared to its estimated 
value in use. Value in use calculations are based on discounted 
cash flows over the remaining useful life of the CGU (between 
2 and 50 years). The discount rate used is the rate believed 
by the Board to reflect the risks associated with each CGU. 
Impairment losses are recognised in the income statement.

For goodwill and assets that have an indefinite useful life,  
the recoverable amount is estimated annually. An impairment 
loss is recognised whenever the carrying amount of an asset 
or its cash generating unit exceeds its recoverable amount. 
Impairment losses are recognised in the income statement 
and are not subsequently reversed. All goodwill stated on  
the balance sheet relates to the acquisition of Blubeckers 
Limited and Brunning and Price Limited and is included in  
the impairment analysis of the Pub restaurant business 
conducted annually. 

(m) Share-based payment transactions
The share option programme allows Group employees to 
acquire shares of the Company and all options are equity-
settled. The fair value of options granted is recognised as an 
employee expense with a corresponding increase in equity. 
The fair value is measured at grant date and spread over the 
period during which the employees become unconditionally 
entitled to the options. The fair value of the options granted is 
measured using a Stochastic model, taking into account the 
terms and conditions upon which the options were granted. 
The amount recognised as an expense is adjusted to reflect 
the actual number of share options that vest except where 
forfeiture is only due to market based conditions not 
achieving the threshold for vesting.

(n) Provisions
A provision is recognised in the balance sheet when the 
Group has a present legal or constructive obligation as a 
result of a past event, and it is probable that an outflow of 
economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation. 
If the effect is material, provisions are determined by 
discounting the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax rate 
that reflects current market assessments of the time value 
of money and, where appropriate, the risks specific to 
the liability.

(o) Deferred and current tax
Corporation tax payable is provided on the taxable profit at 
the current rate. Deferred tax is recognised in respect of all 
temporary differences that have originated but not reversed at 
the balance sheet date, except to the extent that the deferred 
tax arises from the initial recognition of goodwill. Temporary 
differences are differences between the carrying amount of 
the Group’s assets and liabilities and their tax base.

Deferred tax is measured at the tax rates that are expected 
to apply in the periods in which the temporary differences 
are expected to reverse based on tax rates and laws that  
are enacted, or substantively enacted, by the balance sheet 
date. Deferred tax is measured on a non-discounted basis.

(p) Pensions
The Group makes contributions for eligible workers into 
defined contribution pension plans and these contributions 
are charged to the income statement as they become 
payable. The Group does not operate any defined 
benefit plans.

(q) Onerous contracts
A provision for onerous contracts is recognised when the 
expected benefits to be derived by the Group from a contract 
are lower than the unavoidable cost of meeting its obligations 
under the contract.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements44 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Accounting policies for the consolidated accounts
continued

(r) Revenue
Revenue represents amounts received and receivable for 
services and goods provided (excluding value added tax  
and voluntary gratuities left by customers for the benefit  
of employees) and is recognised at the point of sale. Where 
the Group operates a Concession unit under a franchise 
agreement, it acts as principal in this trading arrangement.  
All revenue from franchise arrangements is recognised by  
the Group at the point of sale and licencing fees are recorded 
in Cost of Sales as the goods are sold. The Group does not 
act as a franchisor in any trading relationship. 

(s) Expenses
(i) Operating lease payments
Payments made under operating leases are recognised in  
the income statement on a straight-line basis over the term  
of the lease. Incentives to enter into an operating lease are 
also spread on a straight-line basis over the lease term as 
a reduction in rental expense.

(ii) Finance lease payments
Minimum lease payments are apportioned between the 
finance charge and the reduction of the outstanding liability. 
The finance charge is allocated to each period during the 
lease term so as to produce a constant periodic rate of 
interest on the remaining balance of the liability.

(iii) Pre-opening expenses
Property rentals and related costs incurred up to the  
date of opening of a new restaurant are written off to the 
income statement in the period in which they are incurred. 
Promotional and training costs are written off to the income 
statement in the period in which they are incurred.

(iv) Borrowing costs
Debt is stated net of borrowing costs which are spread  
over the term of the loan. All other borrowing costs are 
recognised in the income statement in the period in which 
they are incurred.

(t) Dividend policy
In accordance with IAS 10 “Events after the Balance Sheet 
Date”, dividends declared after the balance sheet date  
are not recognised as a liability at that balance sheet date,  
and are recognised in the financial statements when they 
have received approval by shareholders.

Critical accounting judgements and key sources 
of estimation and uncertainty
In the process of applying the Group’s accounting policies 
as described above, management has made a number of 
judgements and estimations of which the following are the 
most significant:

a) Impairment of carrying value of associate
The investment in BH Restaurants Limited (formerly Living 
Ventures Restaurants Group Limited) and the loan note of 
£10.4m receivable from a subsidiary of that company were 
fully provided against in the years ended 30 December 2007 
and 31 December 2006. Following a review of the trading 
performance of the company, the Directors have concluded 
that this treatment is appropriate and no adjustment has been 
made in either the current or the previous year. Further details 
are provided in note 11.

b) Impairment of goodwill and property, plant 
and equipment
The Group formally determines whether property, plant  
and equipment are impaired by considering indicators of 
impairment annually. This requires the Group to determine  
the lowest level of assets which generate largely independent 
cash flows (cash generating units or “CGU”) and to estimate 
the value in use of these assets or CGUs; and compare these 
to their carrying value. Cash generating units are deemed 
to be individual units or a cluster of units depending on the 
nature of the trading environment in which they operate. 

The Group also formally prepares an impairment review  
on an annual basis to assess whether the goodwill arising  
on the acquisition of the pub business is impaired.

Calculating the value in use requires the Group to make an 
estimate of the future cash flows of each CGU and to choose 
a suitable discount rate in order to calculate the present  
value of those cash flows. The discount rate used in the year 
ended 29 December 2013 for all CGUs was based on the 
Group’s weighted average cost of capital of 9.9% (year ended 
30 December 2012: 8.6%) as the Directors believe there are 
broadly equal risks associated with each CGU. 

No impairment is required in the year ended  
29 December 2013.

Consolidated income statement

Revenue

Cost of sales:
Excluding pre-opening costs
Pre-opening costs

Gross profit

Administration costs

Trading profit

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation

Depreciation

Operating profit

Interest payable
Interest receivable

Profit on ordinary activities before tax

Tax on profit from ordinary activities

Profit for the year

Earnings per share (pence)
Basic
Diluted

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 45

52 weeks 
ended 
29 December 
2013
£’000

52 weeks 
ended 
30 December 
2012
£’000

Note

2

3
3

5
5

6

7
7

579,589

532,541

(469,729)
(3,784)

(435,276)
(2,217)

(473,513)

(437,493)

106,076

95,048

(31,160)

(28,613)

74,916

66,435

107,791

95,540

(32,875)

(29,105)

74,916

66,435

(2,447)
216

(2,527)
653

72,685

64,561

(16,495)

(16,334)

56,190

48,227

28.02
27.97

24.08
24.05

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements46 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

Balance at 31 December 2012

Profit for the year
Issue of new shares
Dividends
Share-based payments – credit to equity
Employee benefit trust – purchase of shares
Other reserve movements
Current tax on share-based payments taken 
directly to equity
Deferred tax on share-based payments taken 
directly to equity

Share
capital
£’000
56,334

Share
premium
£’000
24,027

Other
reserves
£’000
(7,737)

–
98
–
–
–
–

–

–

–
464
–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–
–
2,947
(2,291)
(1,859)

–

–

Retained
earnings
£’000
111,224

56,190
–
(24,863)
–
–
–

950

481

Total
£’000
183,848

56,190
562
(24,863)
2,947
(2,291)
(1,859)

950

481

Balance at 29 December 2013

56,432

24,491

(8,940)

143,982

215,965

Balance at 2 January 2012

56,319

23,982

(7,115)

84,096

157,282

Profit for the year
Issue of new shares
Dividends
Share-based payments – credit to equity
Employee benefit trust – purchase of shares
Other reserve movements
Current tax on share-based payments taken 
directly to equity
Deferred tax on share-based payments taken 
directly to equity

–
15
–
–
–
–

–

–

–
45
–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–
–
2,233
(2,855)
–

–

–

48,227
–
(21,682)
–
–
–

48,227
60
(21,682)
2,233
(2,855)
–

1,354

1,354

(771)

(771)

Balance at 30 December 2012

56,334

24,027

(7,737)

111,224

183,848

Consolidated balance sheet

Non-current assets
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment

Current assets
Stock
Trade and other receivables
Prepayments
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Current liabilities
Corporation tax liabilities
Trade and other payables
Other payables – finance lease obligations
Provisions

Net current liabilities

Non-current liabilities
Long-term borrowings
Other payables – finance lease obligations
Deferred tax liabilities
Provisions

Total liabilities

Net assets

Equity
Share capital
Share premium
Other reserves
Retained earnings
Total equity

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 47

At 
29 December 
2013
£’000

At 
30 December 
2012
£’000

Note

9
10

12
13

21

14
23
15

21
23
16
15

26,433
337,519
363,952

5,085
7,794
14,601
7,307
34,787

26,433
293,785
320,218

4,872
6,476
15,940
12,879
40,167

398,739

360,385

(9,725)
(103,780)
(330)
(1,120)
(114,955)

(9,173)
(93,845)
(328)
(2,089)
(105,435)

(80,168)

(65,268)

(49,164)
(2,885)
(12,524)
(3,246)
(67,819)

(48,853)
(2,844)
(15,712)
(3,693)
(71,102)

(182,774)

(176,537)

215,965

183,848

17

18,19

56,432
24,491
(8,940)
143,982
215,965

56,334
24,027
(7,737)
111,224
183,848

The financial statements of The Restaurant Group plc (company registration number SC030343) on pages 41 to 64 were 
approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 26 February 2014 and were signed on its behalf by:

Alan Jackson
Stephen Critoph ACA

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements48 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Consolidated cash flow statement

Operating activities
Cash generated from operations
Interest received
Interest paid
Tax paid
Net cash flows from operating activities

Investing activities
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
Disposal of fixed assets
Net cash flows used in investing activities

Financing activities
Net proceeds from issue of ordinary share capital
Employee benefit trust – purchase of shares
Net repayments of loan draw downs
Dividends paid to shareholders
Net cash flows used in financing activities

Net (decrease) / increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

52 weeks 
ended 
29 December 
2013
£’000

52 weeks 
ended 
30 December 
2012
£’000

116,838
216
(1,308)
(17,700)
98,046

102,000
653
(1,551)
(16,141)
84,961

(76,626)
(400)
(77,026)

(54,945)
98
(54,847)

562
(2,291)
–
(24,863)
(26,592)

60
(2,855)
(3,000)
(21,682)
(27,477)

(5,572)

2,637

12,879

10,242

7,307

12,879

Note

20

18

8

21

21

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 49

Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 29 December 2013

1 Segmental analysis
The Group trades in one business segment (that of operating restaurants) and one geographical segment (being the United 
Kingdom). The Group’s brands meet the aggregation criteria set out in paragraph 22 of IFRS 8 “Operating Segments” and as 
such the Group reports the business as one reportable segment.

2 Revenue

Income for the year consists of the following:
Revenue from continuing operations

Other income not included within revenue in the income statement:
Rental income
Interest income
Total income for the year

3 Profit for the year

Cost of sales consists of the following:
Continuing business excluding pre-opening costs
Pre-opening costs
Total cost of sales for the year

Profit for the year has been arrived at after charging / (crediting):
  Depreciation
  Purchases
  Staff costs (see note 4)

  Minimum lease payments
  Contingent rents
Total operating lease rentals of land and buildings
Rental income
Net rental costs

Auditor’s remuneration:
  Fees payable to the Company’s auditor for the audit of the Company’s annual accounts
Fees payable to the Company’s auditor and their associates for other services  
to the Group
  The audit of the Company’s subsidiaries
Total audit fees
  Audit-related assurance services
  Other assurance services
  Tax compliance services
  Other tax advisory services
  Other services
Total non-audit fees
Total auditor’s remuneration

2013
£’000

2012
£’000

579,589

532,541

3,338
216
583,143

3,211
653
536,405

2013
£’000

2012
£’000

469,729
3,784
473,513

435,276
2,217
437,493

2013
£’000

2012
£’000

32,875
129,703
184,122

57,266
8,418
65,684
(3,338)
62,346

2013
£’000

92

52
144
25
27
56
10
21
139
283

29,105
121,898
168,240

54,207
7,590
61,797
(3,211)
58,586

2012
£’000

81

47
128
25
23
47
–
12
107
235

Audit fees included in the above total relating to the Company are borne by a subsidiary undertaking. All of the auditor’s 
remuneration in 2013 and 2012 was expensed as administration costs.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements50 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Notes to the accounts
continued

4 Staff costs and numbers

a) Average staff numbers during the year (including executive Directors)
Restaurant staff
Administration staff

b) Staff costs (including Directors) comprise:
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Share-based payments
Pension costs

c) Directors’ remuneration
Emoluments
Money purchase (and other) pension contributions

Charge in respect of share-based payments

Further details of the Directors’ emoluments and the executive pension schemes are given in the Directors’  
remuneration report.

5 Net finance charges

Bank interest payable
Other interest payable
Facility fees
Interest on obligations under finance leases
Total borrowing costs

Bank interest receivable
Other interest receivable
Loan note interest receivable (see note 11)
Total interest receivable

2013
£’000
1,345
399
330
373
2,447

(11)
(47)
(158)
(216)

Net finance charges

2,231

1,874

2013

2012

12,025
270
12,295

2013
£’000

167,455
12,738
2,947
982
184,122

2013
£’000

2,966
185
3,151
1,717
4,868

11,416
248
11,664

2012
£’000

154,993
10,496
2,233
518
168,240

2012
£’000

3,213
199
3,412
1,173
4,585

2012
£’000
1,489
352
320
366
2,527

(8)
(3)
(642)
(653)

6 Tax

a) The tax charge comprises:
Current tax
  UK corporation tax at 23.25% (2012: 24.5%)
  Adjustments in respect of previous years

Deferred tax
  Origination and reversal of temporary differences
  Adjustments in respect of previous years
  Credit in respect of rate change

Total tax charge for the year

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 51

2013
£’000

2012
£’000

19,463
(261)
19,202

(558)
(60)
(2,089)
(2,707)
16,495

18,046
80
18,126

(464)
118
(1,446)
(1,792)
16,334

b) Factors affecting the tax charge for the year
The tax charged for the year varies from the standard UK corporation tax rate of 23.25% (2012: 24.5%) due to the 
following factors:

Profit on ordinary activities before tax

Profit on ordinary activities before tax multiplied by the  
  standard UK corporation tax rate of 23.25% (2012: 24.5%)

Effects of:
  Depreciation on non-qualifying assets
  Expenses not deductible for tax purposes
  Credit in respect of rate change on deferred tax liability
  Adjustment in respect of previous years
Total tax charge for the year

2013
£’000
72,685

2012
£’000
64,561

16,899

15,817

1,811
195
(2,089)
(321)
16,495

1,658
107
(1,446)
198
16,334

The Finance Act 2012 introduced a reduction in the main rate of corporation tax from April 2013 from 24% to 23% resulting  
in a blended rate of 23.25% being used to calculate the tax liability for the 52 weeks ended 29 December 2013.

Further rate reductions to 21% from April 2014 and 20% from April 2015 were substantively enacted on 2 July 2013, therefore 
the deferred tax provision at the balance sheet date has been calculated at 20%. This has resulted in a deferred tax credit in 
the income statement of £2.1m.

7 Earnings per share

a) Basic earnings per share:
Weighted average ordinary shares in issue during the year
Total profit for the year (£’000)
Basic earnings per share for the year (pence)

b) Diluted earnings per share:
Weighted average ordinary shares in issue during the year
Dilutive shares to be issued in respect of options granted under the share option schemes

Diluted earnings per share (pence)

2013

2012

200,510,419 200,261,245
48,227
24.08

56,190
28.02

2013

2012

347,065

200,510,419 200,261,245
235,567
200,857,484 200,496,812
24.05

27.97

Diluted earnings per share information is based on adjusting the weighted average number of shares in issue in respect 
of notional share awards made to employees in respect of share option schemes. No adjustment is made to the reported 
earnings for 2013 or 2012.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements52 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Notes to the accounts
continued

8 Dividend

Amounts recognised as distributions to equity holders during the year:
Final dividend for the 52 weeks ended 30 December 2012 of 7.30p (2011: 6.50p) per share
Interim dividend for the 52 weeks ended 29 December 2013 of 5.25p (2012: 4.50p) per share
Total dividends paid in the year
Proposed final dividend for the 52 weeks ended 29 December 2013 of 8.75p  
(2012 actual proposed and paid: 7.30p) per share

2013
£’000

14,460
10,403
24,863

2012
£’000

12,812
8,870
21,682

17,340

14,460

The proposed final dividend is subject to approval by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting to be held on 15 May 2014 
and is not recognised as a liability in these financial statements. The proposed final dividend payable reflects the number of 
shares in issue on 29 December 2013, adjusted for the 2.5m shares owned by the employee benefit trust for which dividends 
have been waived. Further details are provided in note 18.

9 Intangible assets

Cost and carrying amount
At 2 January 2012, 30 and 31 December 2012 and 29 December 2013

£’000

26,433

Goodwill arising on business combinations is not amortised but is subject to an impairment review annually, or more 
frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it might be impaired. Therefore, goodwill arising on acquisition
is monitored and an impairment test is carried out which compares the value in use of each cash generating unit (“CGU”) 
to its carrying value. The intangible assets reported on the balance sheet represent goodwill arising on the acquisition 
of Blubeckers Limited and Brunning and Price Limited, which now trade as Pub restaurants. 

Value in use calculations are based on cash flow forecasts derived from the most recent financial budgets and three year 
business plans approved by the Board. Cash flows are then extrapolated in perpetuity with an annual growth rate of 2%. 
Perpetuity is believed to be reasonable due to the significant proportion of freeholds in the estate and the nature of the 
leasehold properties. The pre-tax discount rate applied to cash flow projections is 9.9% (2012: 8.6%) which is the rate 
believed by the Directors to reflect the risks associated with the CGU.

The Group has conducted a sensitivity analysis taking into consideration the impact on key impairment test assumptions 
arising from a range of possible trading and economic scenarios. The scenarios have been performed separately with the 
sensitivities summarised as follows:

  An increase in the discount rate of 1%
  A decrease of 5% on forecast cashflows 

The sensitivity analysis shows that no impairment would result from either an increase in the discount rate or a decrease 
in forecast cashflows. 

Since 1 January 1989 the cumulative amount of goodwill written off against realised reserves is £50.4m (2012: £50.4m). 
Records for periods prior to this date are not readily available.

10 Property, plant and equipment

Cost
At 2 January 2012
Additions
Disposals
At 30 December 2012
Accumulated depreciation and impairment
At 2 January 2012
Provided during the year
Disposals
At 30 December 2012
Cost
At 31 December 2012
Additions
Disposals
At 29 December 2013
Accumulated depreciation and impairment
At 31 December 2012
Provided during the year
Disposals
At 29 December 2013
Net book value as at 30 December 2012
Net book value as at 29 December 2013

Net book value of land and buildings:
Freehold
Long leasehold
Short leasehold

Assets held under finance leases
Costs at the beginning and the end of the year
Depreciation
At the beginning of the year
Provided during the year
At the end of the year
Net book value at the end of the year

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 53

Land and 
buildings
£’000

Fixtures,
equipment 
and vehicles
£’000

328,852
36,282
(6,043)
359,091

109,174
15,565
(4,955)
119,784

359,091
56,693
(6,670)
409,114

119,784
17,340
(6,670)
130,454
239,307
278,660

126,156
18,663
(4,428)
140,391

76,693
13,540
(4,320)
85,913

140,391
19,933
(11,941)
148,383

85,913
15,535
(11,924)
89,524
54,478
58,859

Total
£’000

455,008
54,945
(10,471)
499,482

185,867
29,105
(9,275)
205,697

499,482
76,626
(18,611)
557,497

205,697
32,875
(18,594)
219,978
293,785
337,519

2013
£’000

2012
£’000

88,482
5,446
184,732
278,660

74,943
5,325
159,039
239,307

2013
£’000

2012
£’000

1,961

1,961

1,174
25
1,199
762

1,149
25
1,174
787

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements54 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Notes to the accounts
continued

11 Investment in associate 
The Restaurant Group holds a 37.4% investment in BH Restaurants Limited (formerly Living Ventures Restaurants Group 
Limited) and this investment is accounted for using the equity method. BH Restaurants Limited has an accounting year end 
date of 31 March and as there is no material benefit in making the accounting year end co-terminus with the Group, no 
change has been made.

As a result of a detailed review of the trading performance of BH Restaurants Limited, the investment has been recorded 
at £nil and a loan note of £10.4m plus outstanding interest receivable due from BHR Finance Limited (formerly LV Finance 
Limited), a subsidiary of BH Restaurants Limited, was fully provided against as at 29 December 2013 and 30 December 2012.

Interest is receivable from BHR Finance Limited on the loan note of £10.4m at a rate of LIBOR + 1%. In the 52 weeks ended 
29 December 2013 £0.2m of interest accrued of which the Group recognised £0.2m (2012: £0.2m of which the Group 
recognised £0.2m). In the 52 weeks ended 30 December 2012 £0.4m of interest was received as part payment of the 
accrued interest, all of which was recognised in the income statement. At 29 December 2013, in addition to the loan note of 
£10.4m outstanding, £0.1m (30 December 2012: £0.1m) of interest receivable was still outstanding, of which, under the terms 
of the agreement, all was overdue.

Financial information for BH Restaurants Limited is based on the statutory accounts for the 53 weeks ended 31 March 2013 
(2012: 52 weeks ended 31 March 2012) as this is the latest audited information available.

The Group’s share of the post-tax result of BH Restaurants Limited for the 53 weeks ended 31 March 2013 was a profit of 
£0.06m (2012: profit of £0.04m). This profit has not been recognised in the income statement, in accordance with IAS 28 
“Associates and Joint Ventures” as the investment has a carrying value of £nil and the Group’s share of the cumulative 
earnings of BH Restaurants Limited remains negative.

Summarised financial information on BH Restaurants Limited is as follows:

Non-current assets
Current assets
Non-current liabilities
Current liabilities
Equity
Revenue
Net profit

2013
£’000
8,572
3,241
(15,028)
(6,624)
(9,839)
27,349
153

2012
£’000
9,412
3,286
(16,080)
(6,610)
(9,992)
25,612
113

12 Stock
Stock comprises raw materials and consumables and has been valued at the lower of cost and estimated net realisable value. 
The replacement cost at 29 December 2013 is not considered by the Directors to be materially different from the balance 
sheet value. The Group recognised £129.7m of purchases as an expense in 2013 (2012: £121.9m).

13 Trade and other receivables

Amounts falling due within one year:
  Trade debtors
  Other debtors

14 Trade and other payables

Amounts falling due within one year:
  Trade creditors
  Other tax and social security
  Other creditors
  Accruals

2013
£’000

1,723
6,071
7,794

2013
£’000

47,197
16,040
6,312
34,231
103,780

2012
£’000

2,123
4,353
6,476

2012
£’000

39,996
17,256
6,042
30,551
93,845

15 Provisions

Provision for onerous lease contracts and property exit costs:
Balance at the beginning of the year
Additional provisions made
Amounts utilised
Provisions released
Adjustment for change in discount rate
Unwinding of discount
Balance at the end of the year
Analysed as:
Amount due for settlement within one year
Amount due for settlement after one year

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 55

2013
£’000

5,782
474
(1,692)
(366)
(229)
397
4,366

1,120
3,246
4,366

2012
£’000

7,559
383
(2,219)
(293)
(46)
398
5,782

2,089
3,693
5,782

The provision for onerous contracts is in respect of lease agreements and covers the element of expenditure over the life  
of those contracts which are considered onerous, expiring in 1 to 33 years. The provision for property exit costs is anticipated 
to be short-term and settled within one year.

16 Deferred taxation

Balance at the beginning of the year
Depreciation in advance of capital allowances credited to the income statement
Other temporary differences
Credit in respect of rate change
Deferred tax taken directly to the income statement (see note 6)
Tax on share-based payments
Credit in respect of rate change
Deferred tax taken through equity
Balance at the end of the year

Deferred tax consists of:
  Capital allowances in advance of depreciation
  Capital gains rolled over
  Other temporary differences

17 Share capital

Issued, called up and fully paid:
At 2 January 2012
  Exercise of share options
At 30 and 31 December 2012
  Exercise of share options
At 29 December 2013

2013
£’000
15,712
(461)
(157)
(2,089)
(2,707)
(691)
210
(481)
12,524

2013
£’000

14,869
388
(2,733)
12,524

2012
£’000
16,733
(416)
70
(1,446)
(1,792)
691
80
771
15,712

2012
£’000

17,561
446
(2,295)
15,712

Number

£’000

200,245,088
53,044
200,298,132
349,011
200,647,143

56,319
15
56,334
98
56,432

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements56 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Notes to the accounts
continued

18 Employee benefit trust
An employee benefit trust (“EBT”) was established in 2007 in order to satisfy the exercise or vesting of existing and future share 
awards under the Long-Term Incentive Plan. The EBT purchases shares in the market, using funds provided by the Company, 
based on expectations of future requirements. Dividends are waived by the EBT. At 29 December 2013, the Trustees,  
Appleby Trust (Jersey) Limited, held 2.5m shares in the Company (30 December 2012: 3.1m shares).

Net cash outflow in the 52 weeks ended 29 December 2013 was £2.3m, inclusive of costs (52 weeks ended 30 December 
2012: £2.9m, inclusive of costs).

At 2 January 2012
Purchase of shares on 29 May 2012 at an average price of £2.835 per share
Transfer of shares to satisfy the exercise of share awards
At 30 and 31 December 2012
Purchase of shares on 8 April 2013 at an average price of £4.55 per share
Transfer of shares to satisfy the exercise of share awards
At 29 December 2013

Details of options granted under the Group’s share schemes are given in note 19.

Number
4,940,068
1,000,000
(2,792,115)
3,147,953
500,000
(1,166,820)
2,481,133

£’000

2,855

2,291

19 Share-based payment schemes
The Group operates a number of share-based payment schemes, details of which are provided in the Directors’ remuneration 
report. The Group has taken advantage of the exemption under IFRS 2 “Share-based payments” not to account for share 
options granted before 7 November 2002.

The charge recorded in the financial statements of the Group in respect of share-based payments is £2.9m (2012: £2.2m).

The other reserves account in the balance sheet reflects the credit to equity made in respect of the charge for share-based 
payments made through the income statement and the purchase of shares in the market in order to satisfy the vesting 
of existing and future share awards under the Long-Term Incentive Plan (see note 18).

Long-Term Incentive Plan
The Group operates the 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”), details of which are provided in the Directors’ remuneration 
report. Awards under the LTIP are granted to executive Directors and senior management in the form of nil cost options.

Conditional Award share options and Matching Award share options are granted to Directors and selected employees. 
In respect of the Matching Award share options, the respective Director or employee is required to acquire a number of  
shares by a specified date, known as “deposited shares”, and retain these shares until the Matching Award share options 
vest, for these Matching Award share options to be valid. The table below summarises the dates of awards under the LTIP 
and the dates by which Directors and employees were required to acquire their deposited shares.

Date of Award
16 March 2011
1 March 2012
28 February 2013

Date by which Deposited Shares must be acquired
30 June 2011
30 June 2012
30 June 2013

Vesting of share options under the LTIP is dependent on continuing employment or in accordance with “good leaver” 
properties as set out in the scheme rules. In exceptional circumstances, employees may be permitted to exercise options 
before the normal period in which they are exercisable.

The Conditional and Matching Awards granted on 4 March 2010 became exercisable on the publication of the 2012 results. 
The performance criteria was based on Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”) and Earnings Per Share (“EPS”). For the TSR 
element of the award, The Restaurant Group plc was the highest ranked company for TSR in its comparator group (for the 
second year running) and consequently the TSR element of the award vested in full. In respect of the EPS element of the 
award, the growth in EPS was between RPI +4% and RPI +10% and 72% of this part of the award vested.

For those awards granted on 16 March 2011 that vest in 2014, the performance criteria were based on TSR and EPS.  
For the TSR element of the award, The Restaurant Group plc was ranked in the upper quartile against its comparator group 
and consequently the TSR element of the award will vest in full. In respect of the EPS element of the award the growth in EPS 
was between RPI +4% and RPI +10% and 88% of this part of the award will vest.

The options from the LTIP scheme will be satisfied through share purchases via a trust. Further details are provided in note 18.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 57

Year ended 29 December 2013

Period during 
which options 
are exercisable Type of award

Fair value

Outstanding 
at the 
beginning 
of the year

Granted Exercised

Lapsed

Outstanding 
at the end 
of the year

Exercisable 
at the end 
of the year

Conditional 
– TSR element
Conditional 
– EPS element
Matching
Conditional 
– TSR element
Conditional 
– EPS element
Matching
Conditional 
– TSR element
Conditional 
– EPS element
Matching  
– TSR element
Matching  
– EPS element
Conditional 
– TSR element
Conditional 
– EPS element
Matching  
– TSR element
Matching  
– EPS element

2013

2013
2013

2014

2014
2014

2015

2015

2015

2015

2016

2016

2016

2016
Total number

Year ended 30 December 2012:

144.0p

497,774 

208.9p
208.9p

497,775 
365,954 

209.8p

446,764 

295.5p
295.5p

446,765 
354,087 

124.5p

502,963 

283.5p

502,962 

124.5p

180,719 

283.5p

180,719 

–

–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–

(497,774)

–

(356,526)
(260,348)

(141,249)
(105,606)

–

–
–

(14,002)

(14,889)

417,873 

(7,658)
(11,082)

(21,234)
(20,821)

417,873 
322,184 

(7,439)

(39,338)

456,186 

(5,521)

(41,254)

456,187 

(3,716)

(12,212)

164,791 

(2,754)

(13,172)

164,793 

214.9p

418.9p

214.9p

418.9p

–

–

–

344,556 

344,556 

143,756 

–

–

–

(14,359)

330,197 

(14,359)

330,197 

(27,444)

116,312 

–
3,976,482 

–
143,755 
976,623  (1,166,820)

(27,444)

116,311 
(493,381) 3,292,904 

–

–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–
–

Period during 
which options 
are exercisable Type of award
2012
2012

Conditional
Matching
Conditional 
– TSR element
Conditional 
– EPS element
Matching
Conditional 
– TSR element
Conditional 
– EPS element
Matching
Conditional 
– TSR element
Conditional 
– EPS element
Matching  
– TSR element
Matching  
– EPS element

2013

2013
2013

2014

2014
2014

2015

2015

2015

2015
Total number

Outstanding 
at the 
beginning 
of the year
2,310,641 
482,759 

Fair value
89.9p
89.9p

144.0p

523,411 

208.9p
208.9p

523,412 
376,546 

209.8p

478,146 

478,146 
355,822 

295.5p
295.5p

124.5p

283.5p

124.5p

283.5p

–

–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–

537,642 

537,642 

212,794 

Granted Exercised
– (2,310,641)
(481,474)
–

Lapsed
–
(1,285)

Outstanding 
at the end 
of the year
–
–

Exercisable 
at the end 
of the year
–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–

(25,637)

497,774 

(25,637)
(10,592)

497,775 
365,954 

(31,382)

446,764 

(31,381)
(1,735)

446,765 
354,087 

(34,679)

502,963 

(34,680)

502,962 

(32,075)

180,719 

–

–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–

–
212,794 
5,528,883  1,500,872  (2,792,115)

–

(32,075)
(261,158)

180,719 
3,976,482 

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements58 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Notes to the accounts
continued

19 Share-based payment schemes continued
Save As You Earn Scheme
Under the Save As You Earn (“SAYE”) scheme, the Board may grant options over shares in The Restaurant Group plc to 
UK-based employees of the Group. Options are granted with a fixed exercise price equal to 80% of the average market price 
of the shares for the five days prior to invitation. Employees pay a fixed amount from their salary into a savings account each 
month for the three-year savings period. At the end of the savings period, employees have six months in which to exercise 
their options using the funds saved. If employees decide not to exercise their options, they may withdraw their funds saved 
and the options expire. Exercise of options is subject to continued employment within the Group. In exceptional circumstances, 
employees may be permitted to exercise these options before the end of the three-year savings period. Options were valued 
using the Stochastic share pricing model.

Year ended 29 December 2013

Period during  
which options  
are exercisable
2013
2015
Total number
Weighted average 
exercise price

Exercise 
price
184.0p
283.0p

Outstanding 
at the 
beginning 
of the year
216,049 
575,063 
791,112 

Granted
–
–
–

Exercised
(206,977)
–
(206,977)

Outstanding 
at the end 
of the year
–
484,404 
484,404 

Exercisable 
at the end 
of the year
–
–
–

Lapsed
(9,072)
(90,659)
(99,731)

256.0p

–

184.0p

274.0p

283.0p

–

Year ended 30 December 2012

Period during  
which options  
are exercisable
2011
2013
2015
Total number
Weighted average 
exercise price

Exercise 
price
125.0p
184.0p
283.0p

Outstanding 
at the 
beginning 
of the year
9,216 
257,572 
–
266,788 

Granted
–
–
583,647 
583,647 

Exercised
(6,144)
(545)
–
(6,689)

Outstanding 
at the end 
of the year
–
216,049 
575,063 
791,112 

Exercisable 
at the end 
of the year
–
–
–
–

Lapsed
(3,072)
(40,978)
(8,584)
(52,634)

182.0p

283.0p

129.8p

196.7p

256.0p

–

During 2013, the weighted average market price at date of exercise was 513.8p per share (2012: 292.0p).

Executive Share Option Plans (“ESOPs”)
Under the 2003 ESOP scheme, the Remuneration Committee may grant options over shares in The Restaurant Group plc  
to employees of the Group. The contractual life of an option is ten years. Options granted under ESOPs become exercisable 
on the third anniversary of the date of grant, subject to growth in earnings per share exceeding RPI growth by more than 2.5%. 
Exercise of options is subject to continued employment within the Group. Options were valued using a Stochastic option 
pricing model. No performance conditions were included in the fair value calculations.

Year ended 29 December 2013

Period during which 
options are 
exercisable
2006 – 2013
2007 – 2014
2008 – 2015
Total number
Weighted average 
exercise price

Exercise 
price
67.4p
97.7p
134.4p

Outstanding 
at the 
beginning 
of the year
7,034 
36,000 
159,000 
202,034 

Granted
–
–
–
–

Exercised
(7,034)
(15,000)
(120,000)
(142,034)

Outstanding 
at the end 
of the year
–
21,000 
39,000 
60,000 

Exercisable 
at the end 
of the year
–
21,000 
39,000 
60,000 

Lapsed
–
–
–
–

125.5p

–

127.2p

–

121.6p

121.6p

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 59

Year ended 30 December 2012

Period during 
which options 
are exercisable
2006 – 2013
2007 – 2014
2008 – 2015
Total number
Weighted average 
exercise price

Exercise 
price
67.4p
97.7p
134.4p

Outstanding 
at the 
beginning 
of the year
7,034 
65,355 
176,000 
248,389 

Granted
–
–
–
–

Exercised
–
(29,355)
(17,000)
(46,355)

Outstanding 
at the end 
of the year
7,034 
36,000 
159,000 
202,034 

Exercisable 
at the end 
of the year
7,034 
36,000 
159,000 
202,034 

Lapsed
–
–
–
–

122.8p

–

111.2p

–

125.5p

125.5p

During 2013, the weighted average market price at date of exercise was 459.7p per share (2012: 367.3p).

Assumptions used in valuation of share-based payments granted in the year ended 29 December 2013:

Scheme

Grant date
Share price at grant date
Exercise price
No of options originally granted
Minimum vesting period
Expected volatility1
Contractual life
Risk free rate
Expected dividend yield
Expected forfeitures
Fair value per option

2013 LTIP Conditional Award 2013 LTIP Matching Award
EPS element
TSR element
28/02/2013
28/02/2013
418.9p
418.9p
n/a
n/a
143,755 
344,556 
3 years
3 years
0.0%
22.0%
3.5 years
3.5 years
0.00%
0.40%
0.00%
0.00%
30%
10%
418.9p
214.9p

TSR element
28/02/2013
418.9p
n/a
143,756 
3 years
22.0%
3.5 years
0.40%
0.00%
30%
214.9p

EPS element
28/02/2013
418.9p
n/a
344,556 
3 years
0.0%
3.5 years
0.00%
0.00%
10%
418.9p

1   Expected volatility is the measure of the amount by which the share price is expected to fluctuate during a period. In order to calculate volatility, the movement 

in the return index (share price plus dividends re-invested) over a period prior to the grant date equal in length to the remaining period over which the 
performance condition applies has been calculated. For the discount for the TSR performance condition for the relevant Conditional and Matching Awards, 
the calculated volatility based on the movement in the return index over a period of 3 years prior to the grant has been used.

20 Reconciliation of profit before tax to cash generated from operations

Profit before tax
Net finance charges
Share-based payments
Depreciation
Increase in stocks
Decrease in debtors
Increase in creditors
Cash generated from operations

2013
£’000
72,685
2,231
2,947
32,875
(213)
21
6,292
116,838

2012
£’000
64,561
1,874
2,233
29,105
(947)
124
5,050
102,000

Major non-cash transactions
There were no major non-cash transactions in the 52 weeks ended 29 December 2013 or 52 weeks ended 30 December 2012.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements60 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Notes to the accounts
continued

21 Reconciliation of changes in cash to the movement in net debt

Net debt:
At the beginning of the year
Movements in the year:
Repayments of loan draw downs
Non-cash movements in the year
Cash (outflow) / inflow
At the end of the year

Represented by:
Cash and cash 
equivalents
Bank loans falling due 
after one year

At 2
January
2012
£’000

10,242

(51,835)
(41,593)

2013
£’000

2012
£’000

(35,974)

(41,593)

–
(311)
(5,572)
(41,857)

3,000
(18)
2,637
(35,974)

Cash flow 
movements
in the year
£’000

Non-cash
movements
in the year
£’000

At 30 and 31
December
2012
£’000

Cash flow 
movements
in the year
£’000

Non-cash
movements
in the year
£’000

At 29
December
2013
£’000

2,637

3,000
5,637

–

(18)
(18)

12,879

(5,572)

–

7,307

(48,853)
(35,974)

–
(5,572)

(311)
(311)

(49,164)
(41,857)

22 Financial instruments and derivatives
The Group finances its operations through equity and borrowings, with the borrowing interest subject to floating rates.

Management pay rigorous attention to treasury management requirements and continue to:

  ensure sufficient committed loan facilities are in place to support anticipated business requirements;
  ensure the Group’s debt service will be supported by anticipated cash flows and that covenants will be complied with; and 
  manage interest rate exposure with a combination of floating rate debt and interest rate swaps when deemed appropriate.

The Board closely monitors the Group’s treasury strategy and the management of treasury risk. Further details of the Group’s 
capital risk management can be found on page 21 of the report of the Directors.

Further details on the business risk factors that are considered to affect the Group are included in the Strategic Report on 
page 14 and more specific financial risk management (including sensitivity to increases in interest rates) are included in the 
report of the Directors on page 21. Further details on market and economic risk are included in the Chief Executive Officer’s 
review of operations. Further detail on headroom against covenants is included in the Group Finance Director’s report. 

(a) Financial assets and liabilities
Financial assets
The financial assets of the Group comprise:

Cash and cash equivalents – Sterling
Cash and cash equivalents – Euro

Trade and other receivables
Total financial assets

2013
£’000
7,307
–
7,307
7,794
15,101

2012
£’000
12,784
95
12,879
6,476
19,355

Cash and cash equivalents include £0.5m (2012: £0.5m) held on account in respect of deposits paid by tenants under the 
terms of their rental agreement.

Financial liabilities
The financial liabilities of the Group comprise:

Trade and other payables excluding tax
Finance lease debt
Short-term financial liabilities
Long-term borrowings – at floating interest rates *
Finance lease debt
Long-term financial liabilities
Total financial liabilities

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 61

2013
£’000
87,740
330
88,070
49,164
2,885
52,049
140,119

2012
£’000
76,589
328
76,917
48,853
2,844
51,697
128,614

*  Total financial liabilities attracting interest were £50.0m (2012: £50.0m). Interest is payable at floating interest rates which fluctuate and are dependent on LIBOR 

and base rate. The average weighted year end interest rate for these borrowings was 1.74% (2012: 1.75%).

The Group has in place a five year £140m loan facility. This facility provides the Group with medium-term security of funding, 
additional capacity to take advantage of business opportunities as they become available and the flexibility to optimise the 
Group’s funding structure. Interest is payable on the amount drawn down at LIBOR plus mandatory cost and the bank’s 
margin, which is dependent on the debt to EBITDA ratio. 

The Group has a £10m overdraft facility, which is repayable on demand, on which interest is payable at the bank’s 
overdraft rate.

At 29 December 2013 the Group has £90.0m of committed borrowing facilities in excess of gross borrowings  
(30 December 2012: £90.0m) and £10.0m of undrawn overdraft (30 December 2012: £10.0m of undrawn overdraft).

The maturity profile of anticipated gross future cash flows, including interest, relating to the Group’s non-derivative financial 
liabilities, on an undiscounted basis, are set out below:

At 29 December 2013

Within one year
Within two to five years
After five years

Less: Future interest payments

At 30 December 2012

Within one year
Within two to five years
After five years

Less: Future interest payments

Trade and other
payables
excluding tax
£’000
87,740
–
–
87,740
–
87,740

Trade and other
payables
excluding tax
£’000
76,589
–
–
76,589
–
76,589

Floating
rate loan
£’000
10,967
43,584
–
54,551
(5,387)
49,164

Floating
rate loan
£’000
19,796
34,653
–
54,449
(5,596)
48,853

Finance
lease debt
£’000
330
1,318
11,597
13,245
(10,030)
3,215

Finance
lease debt
£’000
328
1,310
11,651
13,289
(10,117)
3,172

Total
£’000
99,037
44,902
11,597
155,536
(15,417)
140,119

Total
£’000
96,713
35,963
11,651
144,327
(15,713)
128,614

Fair value of financial assets and liabilities
All financial assets and liabilities are accounted for at cost and the Directors consider the carrying value to approximate their 
fair value.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements62 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Notes to the accounts
continued

22 Financial instruments and derivatives continued
(b) Credit risk
Credit risk refers to the risk that a counterparty will default on its contractual obligations resulting in financial losses to the 
Group. Counterparties for cash and derivative balances are with large established financial institutions. The Group is exposed 
to credit related losses in the event of non-performance by the financial institutions but does not expect them to fail to meet 
their obligations.

As a retail business with trading receipts settled either by cash or credit and debit cards, there is very limited exposure from 
customer transactions. The Group is exposed to credit risk in respect of retrospective discounts receivable from suppliers  
but the Directors believe adequate provision has been made in respect of doubtful debts and there are no material amounts 
past due that have not been provided against.

The Group has an outstanding long-term receivable of £10.4m plus interest due from BHR Finance Limited (formerly 
LV Finance Limited), a subsidiary of the Group’s associate company BH Restaurants Limited (formerly Living Ventures 
Restaurants Group Limited). This debt is secured on the assets of BH Restaurants Limited, but is subject to a prior ranking 
behind BHR Finance Limited’s bank. In 2007, following a detailed review of the carrying value of the business including  
the loan note receivable, the Board made full provision against the loan note due (further details are provided in note 11). 

The carrying amount of financial assets recorded in the financial statements, net of any allowances for losses, represent  
the Group’s maximum exposure to credit risk.

(c) Liquidity risk
The Group has built an appropriate mechanism to manage liquidity risk of the short, medium and long-term funding and 
liquidity management requirements. Liquidity risk is managed through the maintenance of adequate cash reserves and  
bank facility by monitoring forecast and actual cash flows and matching the maturity profiles of financial assets and liabilities.  
The Group’s loan facility, which matures in October 2016 (as set out in note (a) above) ensures continuity of funding, provided 
the Group continues to meet its covenant requirements (as detailed in the report of the Directors on page 21).

(d) Foreign currency risk
The Group is not materially exposed to changes in foreign currency rates and does not use foreign exchange  
forward contracts.

Following the closure of the Group’s three restaurants in Spain in 2011, any transactional or translational exposure to  
changes in foreign exchange rate is marginal and relates to the outstanding transactions in relation to the termination  
of the Spanish business.

(e) Interest rate risk
Exposure to interest rate movements has been controlled historically through the use of floating rate debt and interest rate 
swaps to achieve a balanced interest rate profile. The Group does not currently have any interest rate swaps in place as  
the reduction in the level of debt combined with current market conditions results in a low level of exposure. The Group’s 
exposure will continue to be monitored and the use of interest rate swaps may be considered in the future.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 63

23 Lease commitments
Future lease payments in respect of finance leases are due as follows:

Within one year
Within two to five years
After five years

Less: Future interest payments
Present value of lease obligations
Analysed as:
Amount due for settlement within one year
Amount due for settlement after one year
Present value of lease obligations

Minimum lease payments

Present value of minimum 
lease payments

2013
£’000
330
1,318
11,597
13,245
(10,030)
3,215

2012
£’000
328
1,310
11,651
13,289
(10,117)
3,172

2013
£’000
330
1,010
1,875

2012
£’000
328
1,004
1,840

3,215

3,172

330
2,885
3,215

328
2,844
3,172

Lease commitments are in respect of property leases where the initial term of the lease is in excess of 25 years and the 
conditions of the lease are in keeping with a finance lease. There are no finance leases where the Group itself is the lessor. 
The interest rate applied in calculating the present value of the payments is the incremental borrowing cost of the Group 
in relation to each lease. The fair value of the lease payments is estimated as £3.2m (2012: £3.2m).

The total future minimum rentals payable and receivable under operating leases over the remaining lives of the leases are:

Payments due:
Within one year
Within two to five years
After five years

Payable
2013
£’000
55,923
190,678
437,500
684,101

Receivable
2013
£’000
2,866
9,326
25,263
37,455

Payable
2012
£’000
53,695
183,809
398,112
635,616

Receivable
2012
£’000
3,101
9,974
25,511
38,586

The Group has entered into a number of property leases on standard commercial terms, both as lessee and lessor. There are 
no restrictions imposed by the Group’s operating lease arrangements, either in the current or prior year.

Included within the minimum rentals are amounts payable on properties where the rental payment is based on turnover.  
For these properties, primarily in the Group’s Concession business, the amount included above is the minimum guaranteed 
rent as detailed in the concession agreement. Where there is no minimum guaranteed rent, the amount included is based  
on the estimated amount payable.

24 Capital commitments

Authorised and contracted for:

2013
£’000
40,053

2012
£’000
27,015

25 Contingent liabilities
The Group has assigned a number of leases to third parties that were originally completed prior to 1 January 1996 and are 
therefore unaffected by the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 and also a number of leases completed after this date 
that were the subject of an Authorised Guarantee Agreement. Consequently, should the current tenant default, the landlord 
has a right of recourse to The Restaurant Group plc, or its subsidiaries, for future rental payments. As and when any liability 
arises, the Group will take whatever steps necessary to mitigate the costs.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements64 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Notes to the accounts
continued

26 Related party transactions
BH Restaurants Limited (formerly Living Ventures Restaurants Group Limited) is a related party to The Restaurant Group plc 
through the Group’s 37.4% holding. A loan note of £10.4m is due from BHR Finance Limited (formerly LV Finance Limited), 
a subsidiary of BH Restaurants Limited, which attracts interest at the rate of LIBOR +1%. During the year ended 29 December 
2013, £0.2m of interest accrued of which the Group recognised £0.2m (2012: £0.2m of which the Group recognised £0.2m). 
In the 52 weeks ended 30 December 2012 a further £0.4m of interest was received as part payment of the accrued interest, 
all of which was recognised in the income statement. At 29 December 2013, in addition to the loan note of £10.4m,  
£0.1m (30 December 2012: £0.1m) of interest receivable was still outstanding, of which, under the terms of the agreement,  
all was overdue.

Alan Jackson was a non-executive director of Charles Wells Limited, an independent brewing, pub and distribution company, 
until January 2012 when he retired from the board. During 2005, The Restaurant Group plc entered into a lease for a site 
owned by Charles Wells Limited and subsequently this site was converted into a Frankie & Benny’s restaurant. No premium 
was paid by the Group to Charles Wells Limited. The Group has entered into the lease with Charles Wells Limited, on an arm’s 
length basis, with an annual rent of £73,850 per annum. In addition, the Group purchased products with a value totalling 
£0.01m from Charles Wells Limited during 2012. No balance was directly outstanding at the year end. Alan Jackson received 
no remuneration or compensation in respect of these transactions.

Remuneration in respect of key management personnel, defined as the Directors for this purpose, is disclosed in note 4. 
Further information concerning the Directors’ remuneration is provided in the Directors’ remuneration report. 

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 65

Company financial statements – under UK GAAP
Company balance sheet

Fixed assets
Investments in subsidiary undertakings

Current assets
Debtors
Amounts falling due within one year from Group undertakings

Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year to Group undertakings
Net current assets
Total assets less current liabilities
Net assets
Capital and reserves
Called up share capital
Share premium account
Other reserves
Profit and loss account
Shareholders’ funds

At 
29 December 
2013
£’000

At 
30 December 
2012
£’000

Note

i

ii

v
v
v
v

137,776
137,776

134,829
134,829

242,787
242,787

212,070
212,070

(214,141)
28,646
166,422
166,422

56,432
24,491
(7,698)
93,197
166,422

(185,690)
26,380
161,209
161,209

56,334
24,027
(6,495)
87,343
161,209

The financial statements of The Restaurant Group plc (company registration number SC030343) on pages 65 to 67 were 
approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 26 February 2014 and were signed on its behalf by:

Alan Jackson
Stephen Critoph ACA

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements66 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Company financial statements – under UK GAAP
Accounting policies and basis of preparation

Basis of accounting
The accounts for the Company have been prepared under UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice, whilst the Group 
accounts have been prepared under International Financial Reporting Standards. The Company accounts have been 
prepared under the historical cost convention in accordance with applicable UK accounting standards and on a going 
concern basis.

Investments
Investments are valued at cost less any provision for impairment.

Dividends
In accordance with FRS 21 “Events after the Balance Sheet Date”, dividends declared after the balance sheet date are not 
recognised as a liability at that balance sheet date, and are recognised in the financial statements when they have received 
approval by shareholders.

Share-based payment transactions
The share options have been accounted for as an expense in the company in which the employees are employed,  
using a valuation based on the Stochastic simulation model.

In accordance with an available election in FRS 20 “Share-based payments”, awards granted before 7 November 2002 have 
not been subject to a charge. An increase in the investment held by the Company in the subsidiary in which the employees 
are employed, with a corresponding increase in equity, is recognised in the accounts of the Company. Information in respect 
of the Company’s share-based payment schemes is provided in note 19 to the consolidated financial statements.

The value is accounted for as a capital contribution in relevant Group subsidiaries that employ the staff members to whom 
awards of share options have been made.

i) Investment in subsidiary undertakings

Cost
At 30 December 2012
Additions – share-based payment schemes
At 29 December 2013
Amounts written off
At 30 December 2012 and 29 December 2013
Net book value at 30 December 2012
Net book value at 29 December 2013

Shares
£’000

91,829
–
91,829

888
90,941
90,941

Loans
and other
£’000

44,422
2,947
47,369

534
43,888
46,835

Total
£’000

136,251
2,947
139,198

1,422
134,829
137,776

The Company’s operating subsidiaries, listed below, are held by an intermediate holding company (TRG (Holdings) Limited):

The Restaurant Group (UK) Limited
Chiquito Limited
Blubeckers Limited
Brunning and Price Limited 
DPP Restaurants Limited 

Proportion of 
voting rights 
and shares 
held at 
29 December 
2013
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Holding
Ordinary shares
Ordinary shares
Ordinary shares
Ordinary shares
Ordinary shares

The Company’s principal operating subsidiaries are registered in England and Wales, and operate restaurants in the 
United Kingdom. 

All other subsidiary undertakings are wholly owned by the Company or one of its subsidiaries and are either non-trading 
or dormant.

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 67

Share-based payment transactions continued
ii) Creditors – amounts falling due within one year
In accordance with FRS 21 “Events after the balance sheet date”, the proposed final dividend in respect of 2013 is not 
recorded as a liability in these financial statements as it was declared after the balance sheet date and is subject to approval 
by shareholders.

iii) Profit attributable to members of the holding Company 
As permitted by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, a separate profit and loss account has not been presented for  
the holding Company. During the year the Company recorded a profit of £30.7m, representing paid and accrued internal 
preference dividend income (2012: £30.7m representing paid and accrued internal preference dividend income). 
Remuneration of the auditor is borne by a subsidiary undertaking (refer to note 3 in the consolidated accounts).

iv) Employee costs and numbers
All costs of employees and Directors are borne by a subsidiary undertaking. At 29 December 2013 the Company employed 
three persons (30 December 2012: three persons).

v) Share capital and reserves

As at 30 December 2012
Issue of shares
Employee share-based payment schemes
Employee benefit trust – purchase of shares
Other reserve movements
Profit for the year
Dividends 
As at 29 December 2013

Share 
capital
£’000
56,334
98
–
–
–
–
–
56,432

Share 
premium
£’000
24,027
464
–
–
–
–
–
24,491

Other 
reserves
£’000
(6,495)
–
2,947
(2,291)
(1,859)
–
–
(7,698)

Profit and 
loss account
£’000
87,343
–
–
–
–
30,717
(24,863)
93,197

Total
£’000
161,209
562
2,947
(2,291)
(1,859)
30,717
(24,863)
166,422

Details of share issues during the year are given in note 19 of the consolidated accounts and details of the dividends paid
and proposed during the year are given in note 8 of the consolidated accounts.

OverviewStrategic reportGovernanceFinancial statements68 Annual Report 2013 The Restaurant Group plc 

Group financial record

Revenue
Adjusted operating profit
Underlying interest
Adjusted profit before tax
Non-trading (charges) / credits
Profit on ordinary activities  
  before tax
Tax
Profit for the year
Basic earnings per share
Adjusted earnings per share
Proposed total dividend per share 
for the year
Dividend cover (excluding non-
trading items)
Employment of finance
Property, plant and equipment
Other non-current assets
Net current liabilities
Long-term liabilities

Financed by:
Equity shareholders’ funds
Net debt 
Gearing

2013
£’000
579,589
74,916
(2,231)
72,685
–

72,685
(16,495)
56,190
28.02p
28.02p

2012
£’000
532,541
66,435
(1,874)
64,561
–

64,561
(16,334)
48,227
24.08p
24.08p

2011
£’000
487,114
61,185
(902)
60,283
(11,675)

48,608
(14,231)
34,377
17.19p
21.86p

2010
£’000
465,704
58,556
(2,674)
55,882
596

56,478
(16,353)
40,125
20.16p
19.95p

2009
£’000
435,743
53,360
(3,331)
50,029
(1,695)

48,334
(11,062)
37,272
18.90p
17.48p

14.00p

11.80p

10.50p

9.00p

8.00p

2.00

2.04

2.08

2.22

2.19

337,519
26,433
(80,168)
(67,819)
215,965

215,965
(41,857)
19.4%

293,785
26,433
(65,268)
(71,102)
183,848

183,848
(35,974)
19.6%

269,141
26,433
(62,641)
(75,651)
157,282

157,282
(41,593)
26.4%

259,583
26,433
(66,518)
(74,785)
144,713

144,713
(46,924)
32.4%

254,841
26,241
(68,124)
(97,026)
115,932

115,932
(66,684)
57.5%

2008
£’000
416,530
54,231
(5,306)
48,925
(1,794)

47,131
(14,914)
32,217
16.38p
16.67p

7.70p

2.16

250,722
26,241
(66,092)
(117,265)
93,606

93,606
(78,884)
84.3%

The Restaurant Group plc (“TRG” or “the Group”) 
operates over 440 restaurants and pub 
restaurants. Its principal trading brands are 
Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito, Coast to Coast  
and Garfunkel’s. The Group also operates  
Pub restaurants and a Concessions business 
which trades principally at UK airports.

Overview
Financial highlights 
At a glance 

Strategic report
Chairman’s statement 
Chief Executive Officer’s review of operations 
Group Finance Director’s report 

Governance
Board of Directors 
Report of the Directors 
Corporate responsibility 
Directors’ remuneration report 
Audit Committee report 

01 
02 

04
06 
12

16
17
22
25
36

Financial statements
Independent auditor’s report 
38
Accounting policies for the consolidated accounts  41
Consolidated income statement 
45
Consolidated statement of changes in equity 
46
Consolidated balance sheet 
47
Consolidated cash flow statement 
48
Notes to the accounts 
49

Company financial statements 
Company balance sheet 
Accounting policies and basis of preparation 
Group financial record 
Shareholder information 

65
66
68
69

The Restaurant Group plc Annual Report 2013 69

Shareholder information

Directors
Alan Jackson
Non-executive Chairman

Andrew Page
Chief Executive Officer

Stephen Critoph
Group Finance Director

Trish Corzine
Executive Director, Concessions (until 15 May 2013)

Tony Hughes
Non-executive

Simon Cloke
Non-executive

Sally Cowdry
Non-executive (appointed 1 March 2014)

Company Secretary
Until 5 April 2013: Robert Morgan
From 5 April 2013: Stephen Critoph

Registrar
Equiniti Limited
Aspect House
Spencer Road
Lancing 
West Sussex BN99 6DA

Auditor
Deloitte LLP
2 New Street Square
London EC4A 3BZ

Solicitors
Slaughter and May
One Bunhill Row
London EC1Y 8YY

Brokers
JPMorganCazenove
25 Bank Street
London E14 5JP

Panmure Gordon & Co
One New Change
London EC4M 9AF

Head office (and address for all correspondence)
5-7 Marshalsea Road
London SE1 1EP

Financial calendar
Annual General Meeting
15 May 2014

Telephone number
020 3117 5001

Company number
SC030343

Registered office
1 George Square
Glasgow G2 1AL 

Proposed final dividend – 2013
Announcement – 26 February 2014
Ex-dividend – 18 June 2014
Record date – 20 June 2014
Payment date – 9 July 2014

The paper used in this report is sourced from well-managed forests and is  
FSC accredited.

Printed in the UK using vegetable based inks which have lower VOC emissions  
(Volatile Organic Compounds), are derived from renewable sources and less 
hazardous than oil-based inks. 

The printer is ISO 14001 accredited and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain  
of custody certified. Under the framework of ISO 14001 a structured approach is 
taken by the company to measure, improve and audit their environmental status  
on an ongoing basis. FSC ensures there is an audited chain of custody from the tree 
in the well-managed forest through to the finished document in the printing factory.

If you have finished reading this report and no longer wish to retain it please pass it 
to interested readers, return it to The Restaurant Group plc or dispose of it in your 
recycled paper waste. Thank you. 

Designed and produced by Instinctif Partners  www.instinctif.com

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The Restaurant Group plc
5-7 Marshalsea Road
London SE1 1EP
Tel: 020 3117 5001
www.trgplc.com

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A successful year  
of consistent growth
Annual Report 2013