Jun 4, 2026
We build technology for hospitality. Our customers are pub operators, restaurant groups, independent venues, and hotel teams. People who work incredibly hard to keep their businesses alive and their guests coming back.
So when we say hospitality is under pressure, we're not reading it in a report. We're hearing it every day from the people we work with.
The Numbers Are Hard To Ignore
UK hospitality insolvencies are up 22%. Britain is losing 3.4 pubs and restaurants every single day. 1 in 7 hospitality businesses say they are at risk of closing. Venues are cutting jobs, reducing opening hours, cancelling investment plans, and in some cases shutting their doors for good.
These aren't just statistics. They're livelihoods. They're communities losing the places that bring them together.
The VAT Problem
While all of this is happening, UK hospitality businesses continue to pay 20% VAT. Many of our European neighbours pay as little as 7-10%.
We are asking operators to compete with one hand tied behind their backs. Every pound spent on VAT is a pound that can't go into staff wages, venue investment, or keeping prices accessible for guests.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Why We're Backing The Campaign
The #VATsTheProblem campaign, led by Tom Kerridge and backed by UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping, is calling on the Government to cut hospitality VAT to 10%.
It won't fix everything. The sector faces challenges that go beyond VAT. But a cut to 10% would provide meaningful breathing room for thousands of operators who are doing everything right and still struggling to survive.
At Stampede, our mission is to help hospitality businesses know their guests, grow their revenue, and build lasting loyalty. But technology can only do so much if the economic conditions make it impossible to operate in the first place.
A fairer tax environment is the foundation everything else gets built on. That's why we're behind this campaign.
What You Can Do
The petition needs as many signatures as possible before the consumer launch on 1 July. If you work in hospitality, love hospitality, or simply want the places you eat, drink and celebrate in to still be there next year, please sign it.
Then share it with your team, your guests, and your network.