Safety first, last, always
Does the phrase ‘Ask for Angela’ mean anything to you? Chances are, it does – though if not, you need to think seriously about changing your hospitality venue of choice (or to tell them about it).
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
All of us at Complete Licensing send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family following the news that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, has died.
Help for Households
We at Complete Licensing are not political animals and neither, we suspect, are our clients, our website visitors, pretty much the whole of the hospitality industry. Don’t have the time; don’t have the inclination.
A wealth of sound advice
The odd silent disco aside, sound – particularly music – is one of the two essentials for a good night out at licensed premises (the other being, er, a drink). Whether it’s a background playlist, a (quick retro reference here..) jukebox, a live session or a full- on, all-systems-blazing DJ set, the soundscape of a pub, bar or club is integral.
Turkish venue hitting all the right notes
When the owners of Shish Meze brought a little bit of Turkey to the Essex town of Abridge, they wanted their customers to walk away with more than just a satisfied appetite.
Plotting the right course for your business
Our clients know all about our attention to detail and ‘after sales’ services. We don’t wave goodbye once we’ve secured a good outcome to a licensing issue – we’ll continue to advise, problem-solve and just keep a watchful eye on how a business is being run.
Oh, Brother – let’s spread the word
They wouldn’t claim to have God on their side, but brothers Brian and Aidan Scarffe have come to an agreement with some of his Earthly representatives which has proved a success despite the recent tough trading conditions.
Hard work pays off at Playhouse
A lot of hard work on all sides has gone into getting The Playhouse to where it is now, but for our part, that’s our standard service and our promise. You can, of course, ask us to secure your licence and leave it at that, but this Essex venue is proof of the value of keeping Complete Licensing on board.
Back on the nightclub beat
It’s a bit of a stretch from handling high-end robberies, rough sleepers and disorderly nightclubbers in London’s West End to running a small family business in the West Country. That’s where Richard Bunch found himself a couple of years after his 2016 retirement from the Metropolitan Police.
Just reward for good deeds and good preparation
We all know you won’t struggle to find late night food and a late night drink in London’s West End. All those ‘24-hour city’ claims would look a bit silly if everything closed down at midnight, after all.
Time to knock ‘spiking’ on the head
One issue which has come to the fore since we were all last regularly gathered together knocking back the mulled wines/craft beers/double vodkas is that of ‘spiking’ – the practice of surreptitiously introducing incapacitating substances to innocent parties’ drinks.
Straighten those Santa hats – the party’s going ahead
So here we are – our second Covid Christmas, and once more governmental regulations are forcing rapid rethinks as the hospitality sector seeks to bring some cheer to pandemic-weary customers (and recoup some of the alarming losses of the past 21 months or so).
Put the Festive finishing touches in place
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat – and it might be the best option for this year’s Festive feasting, given the anticipated supply chain problems with turkeys. Whatever’s on offer in hotels, restaurants and pubs up and down the country, it seems demand will be high.
No-one said it would be easy, but…
No-one said it would be easy, but… If you’re working in the hospitality sector, chances are you’re a realist – or you are now even if you weren’t when you started out. All those little fluffy dreams of leaning on the bar of a lovely little pub, or smiling serenely across the dancefloor of your […]
Opening up presents new challenges
Opening up presents new challenges So, how are we all feeling about July 19 and the great ‘opening up’? Confused? Not surprising, really. This, we were told, was going to be ‘Freedom Day’ when the gloves (and masks) would finally come off and the remaining restrictions on social movement and interaction would be cast aside […]
Let’s make this the last delay
Let’s make this the last delay Fifteen months and 700,000 jobs later, we’re still not going live. The Government’s announcement this week that the ending of all remaining social restrictions would be extended by four weeks to July 19 hardly came as a surprise. Indeed, it felt like we all knew it was going to […]
When one size doesn’t fit all
When one size doesn’t fit all Firstly, let’s acknowledge how good it is to see pubs, bars and restaurants doing what they’re supposed to: serving customers and putting smiles on the faces of all those who’ve missed their pint, their steak frites, their chance to catch up with friends – face to face. Licensees and […]
Opening time is here at last
Opening time is here at last We’ve all been fed a steady diet of statistics in the past year: deaths, infections, vaccinations, economic losses…all adding up (sorry, couldn’t resist) to a banquet of facts and figures. We can’t doubt the importance and relevance of these stats, but there comes a point where even the most […]
Raise a glass to the curtain being raised
Raise a glass to the curtain being raised How long is it since you filled your cup of culture to the brim with an evening of live theatre – and a few drinks before or afterwards to complete the experience? Actually, let’s not dwell on our coronavirus-enforced stay-at-home regime, which has gone on for ever […]
Finally on the road to somewhere
Finally on the road to somewhere There are 106 miles to Chicago, we have a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses. Oh, wait, that’s another movie and one which ended with a lengthier lockdown. Whereas we have a ‘roadmap’ and an end date looming, tantalisingly just […]
Let’s talk about ‘opening time’
Let’s talk about ‘opening time’ It’s hard not to be cynical nowadays – particularly if you have more than a passing interest in the hospitality trade. Whatever promising noises the Government makes (and there have been enough to smash even the most lenient council’s decibel limit), none of us is holding our breath that the […]
Make the most of trade-friendly moves
Make the most of trade-friendly moves It may sound like a bad joke, but the slightly odd truth is that now isn’t the worst time to be thinking about your licence. Obviously there’s next to no licensed trade happening, but if you can bring yourself to look a little way down the line – when […]
Perfect time to spring clean your licence
Perfect time to spring clean your licence No point in sugar-coating it – things are bleak for the hospitality industry at the moment. But rather than bemoaning our luck, or lack of it, there are positive steps we can take – and ones which will lay the foundations for a swifter recovery once we get […]
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Merry Christmas andHappy New Year All the team at Complete Licensing would like to thank you for your support over what has been a difficult and very different year. It’s been the most testing period for the hospitality industry that any of us can remember but we’re full of admiration at the way venue owners, […]
Squeezing the life out of our Live Events industry
Squeezing the life out of our Live Events industry Let’s start by stating the obvious: This Covid-19 pandemic has left millions of people throughout Britain in a horrible state of uncertainty about their future. Without going down the rabbit hole of facts and figures (this is a blog post not a company report) we can […]
Adding some cheer to a not-so-merry Christmas
Adding some cheer to a not-so-merry Christmas ‘Tis the season to be jolly– well, jollyish, as long as you don’t live in a Tier 3 area. As ever, we’re fully behind the Government’s continuing attempts to fight the spread of the Covid-19 virus, but for millions of people across great swathes of England the news […]
All hands to the pumps as takeaways take off
All hands to the pumps as takeaways take off So the doors of restaurants, bars and pubs are firmly shut once more as England navigates a path through Lockdown:2 (The Slightly Lighter Version). No arguments here about the need to preserve life and protect the vulnerable, but the economic cost is obviously a huge concern. […]
Roll up and drink up under the Big Top
Roll up and drink up under the Big Top Roll up! Roll up! The greatest show on earth is coming to town – London Town, that is. In what might be the most inspired piece of recycling you’ve heard of, the top level of a high-rise car park in Wapping is about to be turned […]
Clubbing together to save the industry
Clubbing together to save the industry As we tick off the nth month of Covid-19 (who’s still counting??), one thing we can all agree on is that we can’t all agree on the precise rules and regulations governing our nation’s response to the pandemic. Bad enough for the population as a whole. Ten times worse […]
Sacrificial lamb’s off today – the restaurant had to close
Sacrificial lamb’s off today – the restaurant had to close There can’t be too many people working in the hospitality sector who would put the full weight of their voting might squarely behind this Government should a snap election be called in the near future. Not that Prime Minister Boris Johnson would have any […]
Raise a glass to royal good taste
Raise a glass to royal good taste Locals in Hackney are a fortunate lot: when they fancy a slice of cake they have a patissiere good enough for royalty on their doorstep. Claire Ptak opened Violet, her cake shop-bakery, a decade ago and her reputation has grown to such an extent that she was asked […]
Helping The Schooner set sail
Helping The Schooner set sail We at Complete Licensing love a bit of innovation and enterprise. We like to think it defines our approach to business – along with attention to detail and comprehensive preparation, of course. So when we had the chance recently to play our part in establishing an exciting new development in […]
A swift refocus ensures stars continue to shine
A swift refocus ensures stars continue to shine Complete Licensing has been playing a crucial role in making sure that a not-so-small slice of British culture continues to thrive. Since the 1960s The Scotch of St James has been a legendary gathering place for music legends and celebrities from across the entertainment industry. Half-hidden at […]
The movie show goes on, so drive in and chill out
The movie show goes on, so drive in and chill out If the phrase ‘Drive-In Movie’ conjures up images of a teenaged boy in Buddy Holly glasses sliding his arm around his high school sweetheart as a muffled soundtrack blares through the windows of his Buick in small-town America it’s time you embraced the 21st century. […]
New team takes the field at Epping venue
A former England under-21 international footballer is leading the team behind a new cross-community venture in Epping.
Clearing a path through licensing’s ‘new normal’
As the hospitality industry comes out of virus-driven hibernation, business owners and operators are finding themselves in a very different world to the one where they called ‘last orders’ three months ago.
Restricted freedoms on Independence Day
So July 4th will be a different kind of Independence Day as hotels, restaurants and pubs begin to open up again thanks to the easing of the Covid-19 Lockdown.