Flight Club lands in Bristol
Social darts concept Flight Club, the birthplace of Social Darts, has announced it will be expanding further into southwest England on 30 July with the opening of its first Bristol venue.
Located at the heart of the city on Corn Street, the venue will be the home to seven oches, a total capacity of 200 and a feature bar with bookable tables.
“We're delighted to announce the launch of Flight Club Bristol as the next step in our journey,” CEO, Steve Moore said. “It's a beautiful bar that we're incredibly proud of.
“It’s a city we’ve always envisioned ourselves in and we’re over the moon to be finally bringing some unexpected, ridiculous, joy to as many people as possible – and Bristol really is the perfect place for this.
“The area is totally unique and is already buzzing with a great local scene, filled with fantastic bars, restaurants and live venues,” he added. “This is a project we’ve been excited about for quite some time, we can’t wait to welcome in the wonderful people of Bristol through our doors.”
Corona creates UK’s first beach bar built from sand and 100% natural materials
A bar commissioned by Corona and crafted without any man-made materials has opened on the Cornish coast.
Created by eco-building expert Molly Windels-Lyte and the team at In-Build, the bar has been constructed on Porthminster beach in St Ives using sand, clay, wood and bamboo. When taken down it will leave no trace in the natural world.
The bar contains no metal, plastic or concrete at all. Instead, a frame of sustainable ply, held together with wooden nails, underpins walls made entirely of sand and clay. Even the hand sanitiser is all-natural, dispensed from a sandstone pump.
At the end of its residency, every one of the bar’s elements will be taken away and returned to nature, reused or recycled.
“We know people will be heading to the beach this summer to reunite with friends over a beer,” Windels-Lyte said. “But beaches often don’t have the infrastructure for groups of people, illustrated by some of the scenes we’ve seen lately of rubbish taking over these places of natural beauty.
“So the challenge with building The 100% Natural Bar was to create somewhere better-suited for socialising that kept that connection with nature.
“By limiting ourselves to natural materials, many of which are already recycled or reclaimed, we’re hoping to show that we can build by working with nature, not against it. And if we can create an entire bar that leaves no trace in the natural world, people can do likewise when they meet up with their friends.”
The Inn Collection Group launches debut Wearside site
The Inn Collection Group has launched the Seaburn Inn on Sunderland seafront – a 40-bedroom pub with rooms overlooking the Blue Flag beaches of Seaburn and Roker.
The Alchemy-backed northeast-based operator’s current portfolio stands at 23 sites following the recent acquisitions of the Park Hotel in Tynemouth, North Tyneside; the Waterhead Inn in Ambleside and the Carlton in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire.
“We are delighted to have opened the Seaburn Inn on the seafront in what is rightly known as the jewel in Sunderland’s crown,” the Inn Collection Group operations manager Dan Evans said.
“It is a superb addition to our portfolio as we continue to expand our presence with sites in exceptional locations across the north of England.
“The Seaburn Inn will be a major asset to Sunderland, boosting the area’s economic and tourism capacity at a time when it is needed the most.
“We’re excited to be part of the infrastructure in this dynamic part of the north east coastline, operating as a good, old-fashioned inn with our proven eat, drink, sleep and explore brand and service.”
The Seaburn Inn was officially opened by 92-year-old Lyn Overend who had watched the inn’s construction from her flat window during the months she spent shielding in isolation. She said watching the build had helped stop her from feeling lonely during lockdown.
As well as accommodation developments, Sunderland seaside is set to see more leisure venues take shape, with an £820,000 investment to regenerate under-used and historic buildings along the Seaburn and Roker promenade.
Boxpark poised for Bristol bow
Dining, retail and leisure concept Boxpark has today confirmed its first site outside of London with the launch of 20,000 square foot sibling concept BoxHall in Bristol, scheduled for June 2022.
The group has agreed a lease for the harbourside location at Welsh Back Bristol’s O&M’s sheds, which will house its first BoxHall site.
The development is being delivered by Cordwell Property Group. Additionally, Boxpark has partnered with Macaulay Sinclair, which has previously worked with Hawksmoor and Dishoom, to deliver interior design proposals.
“We are thrilled to announce our brand new BoxHall concept launching in Bristol next year,” Boxpark CEO and founder Roger Wade said of the new development. “It has been an incredibly difficult year but we remained optimistic during the pandemic and used the time to progress our expansion plans.
“Our team has worked extremely hard to secure our first site outside of London and this is a huge milestone for the Boxpark family.
“Now that we’ve signed for the lease on this location, we will be working closely with Macaulay Sinclair on the interior design,” he continued. “Boxpark has always been an innovator in the food and beverage industry and this new development demonstrates our investment in continuing to evolve both the brand and the sites we build and operate in.”
Nigel Haworth reacquires the Three Fishes in Mitton
Former Northcote chef-patron Nigel Haworth has reacquired the Three Fishes in Mitton and plans to take the Lancashire pub to ‘new heights’.
The high profile Lancashire-born chef first took over the pub in 2004 and created a high quality pub formula so successful that the site became the model for a string of similar country pubs that he rolled out under his Ribble Valley Inns group.
Central to Haworth's approach was a freshly cooked, simple menu that celebrated regional dishes, not least Lancashire hotpot.
Camden Town Brewery Beer Hall opens
Camden Town Brewery has opened the doors to its brand-new food and drink venue, the Camden Beer Hall.
The Beer Hall boasts 24 taps on the bar serving up Camden fan-favourites, plus some limited-edition creations. British chef, Theo Randall, has also curated the menu to pair with Camden beers, creating dishes that fuse traditional beer hall cuisine with classic Italian cooking.
For the first time ever, Camden is also making its ‘Beer School’ experience available to the masses. Having been running the classes internally for years, Beer Hall guests will be able to brush up on their beer knowledge over an exclusive brewery tour, the chance to chat with the expert brewing team, and a beer tasting to finish.
“After years of dreaming of our perfect beer destination, we’re so excited to welcome guests down to the Camden Beer Hall,” Jasper Cuppaidge, founder of Camden Town Brewery, said. “There are so many great new ideas that make our Beer Hall awesome, and we know that our Camden fans are going to absolutely love it.
“One thing we can’t wait for customers to get stuck into is our Camden Beer School,” he added. “We’ve been offering these sessions internally for years and they’re always loads of fun, so we recommend giving them a go if you’re interested in what makes our fresh, never pasteurised beers taste so special every time.
“So for the best beer experience you could imagine, make a booking or walk in and join us at our Beer Hall.”
Xavier Rousset and Steve Pineau to launch Nocturne
According to reports by The Morning Advertiser’s (MA) sister title BigHospitality, Xavier Rousset and Steve Pineau are to launch a prohibition-style bar beneath their Old Brompton wine and cheese bar in west central London.
Set to open on 18 June in South Kensington, Nocturne will have 70 covers throughout various interconnected rooms for a ‘private yet luxurious cosy’ feel.
Rousset – a master sommelier – has devised a list that champions winemakers from France and Italy. There is also a large selection of Champagnes, from growers such as Larmandier-Bernier, Grande Marque and Dom Perignon.
“We are so excited to be working together again to open this beautiful prohibition style bar in such an iconic venue. Nocturne was actually a bar we used to go to in Bristol about 20 years ago when we met," Pineau added.
"It was owned by Massive Attack, and it was our favourite after-work-spot as well as our inspiration today. We hope that Nocturne will become that special spot for people; the place where good memories are made.”
The fun of expanding: ‘It's our duty to take what we love and give it to more people'
Despite leading the Adventure Bar Group into uncharted territory – in every sense – during a transformative pandemic year, co-founder Tobias Jackson explains that with new owner Nightcap eyeing nationwide expansion it’s far from journey’s end.
“I couldn't say it’s 100% different, but it's not a long way off,” the Adventure Bar Group's Tobias Jackson reflects on the impact of more than a year of on again, off again pandemic trade on his now 12-site business.
“We went into lockdown one as a London-based, late-night, wet-led concept – everything we did was pretty much between 5pm and 2am,” he tells The Morning Advertiser (MA). “A lot of it was weighted towards the weekends and evenings.
“We knew during lockdown that however we're allowed to open, we were going to be compromised. So we've been looking at creating opportunities for investors and landlords, and that's where our opportunities come from. We've been proactive, going out looking for investment, looking for sites.”
The approach has not left them empty handed.
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