pennsylvania see cafe rouge hotel pennsylvania . caf rouge type private industry restaurant founded 1989 headquarters london uk parent tragus ltd. website www.caferouge.co.uk caf rouge is a french styled restaurant chain with over 120 sites across the uk . 1 caf rouge is part of a bigger restaurant network owned by tragus group ltd. contents 1 history 2 charity 3 food 4 awards 5 tipping and minimum wage 6 environmental record 7 see also 8 references 9 external links history edit caf rouge was founded by roger myers and karen jones as a small restaurant chain in 1989 . 2 as the brand grew myers and jones incorporated the chain into a larger restaurant group the pelican group . in july 1996 whitbread purchased pelican group comprising 110 restaurants under the d me mamma amalfi and primarily caf rouge brands for 133m . 3 cafe rouge on assembly street leeds . the restaurant chain gained much exposure after frequently being mentioned in the 1996 novel bridget jones s diary with the main character bridget jones and her friends visiting her local branch of the restaurant regularly throughout the novel . 4 in may 2002 whitbread sold pelican to tragus group in a management buy in for 25m . 5 in 2009 cafe rouge began a partnership with the gourmet society offering their members discounts on production of a gourmet society restaurant discount card . in february 2011 caf rouge introduced a new fast service format to the brand . 6 caf rouge express at london euston railway station and southampton s westquay shopping centre aims to reduce customer waiting time and the reduced menu range is available to eat in or take away . caf rouge at the light in leeds in 2012 it was reported that caf rouge intended investing in excess of 20m 7 refurbishing its restaurants over the next few years starting with the hampstead branch . created by afroditi krassa the new design is inspired by classic but urban parisian bistros whilst remaining sensitive to the essence of the original caf rouge . 8 the design will be rolled out across 125 restaurants within three years with interiors tailored to each site . 9 in september 2012 caf rouge joined the nectar loyalty card reward scheme as a redemption partner . 10 charity edit in 2013 caf rouge were official partners of comic relief the british charity founded in 1985 that aims to bring about positive and lasting change in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people . food edit the menu at caf rouge covers a range of french classics from croques and baguettes to more substantial meals such as steak frites and b uf bourguignon . likewise the wines are all french many from lesser known regional producers . awards edit caf rouge was awarded winner in the mediterranean casual dining category at the 2012 midas menu innovation and development awards . 11 they also picked up the peach network hero and icon consumer choice award in 2008 . 12 tipping and minimum wage edit in 2008 the company was reported as paying staff less than the legal minimum wage relying on tips to make up the difference . this led to a campaign in parliament to make this practice illegal . 13 in 2009 the company was found to be threatening to dismiss wait staff who do not get customers to pay tips on credit cards rather than in cash . credit card tips were used by the company to subsidise wages which are usually the legal minimum whereas cash tips go directly to wait staff . 14 in line with changes to tipping legislation which came into effect on 1 october 2009 caf rouge reviewed and updated its policies to ensure that all tips after a 10 % deduction for administrative and other costs paid by credit or debit card are now distributed through the payroll system to restaurant staff . this is done via a tronc system . employees retain any tips in addition to their pay at the rate of the national minimum wage . 15 environmental record edit in november 2015 the chain was one of seven restaurants surveyed that failed to meet a basic level of sustainability in its seafood . 16 see also edit bella italia strada belgo tragus group references edit caf rouge . tragus group . retrieved 27 november 2012 . roger myers . caterer and hotelkeeper . retrieved 26 november 2012 . whitbread plc history . funding universe . retrieved 26 november 2012 . whitbread s rouge awakening bbc news 30 october 2001 whitbread sells restaurant groups . london evening standard . tragus trials fast service cafe rouge format . big hospitality . retrieved 21 november 2012 . caf rouge freshening up with 20m investment . peach report . retrieved 13 december 2012 . chapelfield chosen for new bistro design launch by cafe rouge . capital shopping centres . retrieved 15 december 2012 . tragus reveals plans to refurbish entire caf rouge estate within three years . big hospitality . retrieved 19 march 2013 . tragus joins nectar promo . peach report . retrieved 26 november 2012 . the restaurant group m & b and spirit big winners at 2012 menu innovation awards . big hospitality . retrieved 21 november 2012 . the hero and icon awards 2008 . peach factory . retrieved 26 november 2012 . revealed how the restaurant chains pocket your tips independent 15 july 2008 cafe waiters fear the axe over cash tips guardian 28 june 2009 caf rouge tips & service charge . caf rouge . retrieved 27 november 2012 . http www.theguardian.com environment 2015 nov 18 family restaurant chains unsustainable seafood wagamama bella italia external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to caf rouge . official site tragus group v t e food chains in the united kingdom casual dining angus steakhouse ask beefeater grill bella italia brewers fayre byron hamburgers caf rouge carluccio s chiquito damon s ed s easy diner frankie & benny s giraffe gourmet burger kitchen harry ramsden s harvester hungry horse la tasca little chef loch fyne restaurants nando s ok diner pizza hut pizzaexpress prezzo strada table table taybarns t.g.i. friday s toby carvery tony roma s wagamama wahaca wildwood kitchen zizzi fast food barburrito burger king chicken cottage chipotle mexican grill dixy chicken domino s pizza five guys kfc mcdonald s morley s papa john s pizza sam s chicken sbarro southern fried chicken subway taco bell tops pizza tortilla wasabi wimpy yo sushi baked goods auntie anne s cinnabon cooplands ditsch dunkin donuts eat greggs krispy kreme millie s cookies patisserie valerie pret a manger sayers spudulike upper crust the west cornwall pasty company coffee shops and tea rooms amt coffee betty s caff nero caff ritazza coffee 1 coffee republic costa coffee harris hoole starbucks dairy baskin robbins ben & jerry s kaspa s shakeaway pub chains all bar one chef & brewer o neill s scream pubs slug and lettuce walkabout wetherspoons yates s retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title caf rouge & oldid 737027648 categories french restaurantsrestaurants established in 19891989 establishments in the united kingdomhidden categories use british english 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