The gloom pervading the pub and restaurant sector after Monday’s profit warnings from Clapham House and Regent Inns was partly lifted yesterday as Carluccio’s and Greene King delivered robust results.

The industry was also cheered by a report predicting that spending on eating out this month will hit £3.7 billion - a rise of 22 per cent on the average monthly spend for the rest of the year and about 3 to 4 per cent more than in December 2006.

Peter Backman, managing director of Horizons FS, the foodservice consultancy that produced the report, said: “Many popular restaurants are booked up until Christmas. You have to plan several weeks ahead to eat in some restaurants.”

Mr Backman said that the new year “is undoubtedly going to be difficult”, although he was confident that, provided that food inflation did not cause a rise in prices, restaurant sales would hold up. He said that the long-term prognosis for eating out remained positive, although consumers would continue to demand value for money.

His assessment was backed up by Carluccio’s, the deli-dining operator, which reported a 28 per cent jump in adjusted pretax profits to £5.3 million for the year to September 23, from turnover 18 per cent higher at £54 million. Simon Kossoff, its managing director, said that the increase had been achieved despite the impact of poor summer weather on its outdoor seating areas. He said that recent trading had been ahead of expectations and that the business would continue to open at least five outlets a year.

Mr Kossoff, who announced the group’s first move overseas with a franchise deal in the Republic of Ireland, suggested that the profits warning from Clapham House was “more to do with their development pipeline” than consumer confidence. Asked what he thought of Clapham’s assertion that the rest of the industry would inevitably follow suit, he replied: “I don’t think that’s true.”

He said that December would be an important month for the industry, but added: “We don’t see the trend of people spending more of their money on eating out changing.”

Greene King, the brewer and pub operator, remained confident about its prospects, although it said that trading conditions in the second half would prove “more challenging” because of the smoking ban, rising costs and fragile consumer confidence.

The company reported a 7 per cent rise in pretax profits before exceptionals to £71.6 million in the half-year to October 14, although recent like-for-like sales growth had slowed. It said that plans for a pub property joint venture had been put on hold in the wake of the credit crunch.

Times Recommends

• Lies and cover-up at MG Rover exposed by report
• High oil prices push manufacturing costs up
• Primark founder steps down as chief executive