A new ‘chameleon’ bar/restaurant has opened at the flagship £400 million Kirkstall Forge development.
The new venture, called ‘Butlers’ after the historic site’s former owners, will be operated by newly established contract catering firm, Eat & Best. The launch of Butlers has created three full-time and eight part-time jobs.
Located within the flagship Number One Kirkstall Forge building, Butlers will serve the 1,000 employees within the first office development, rail users, visitors as well as the future residential community.
It will operate as a deli and restaurant during the day and a bar concept in the evening.
Renowned chef Richard Walton-Allen (ex-Harvey Nichols and the Create Foundation) and Mark Dawson (group executive head chef) have acted as consultants on the project and designed menus for both food in the deli restaurant and a range of items to go.
Eat & Best director Matt Jones said:
“We are delighted to have agreed terms on the new facilities for Butlers and look forward to playing our part in building the community in this exciting new space.”
Paul Richardson, investment manager at CEG, said:
“We could have filled the concession for Butlers many times over with the national chains but we wanted a strong independent food offer that was equally distinctive and trend setting as the site itself.”
CEG is leading the development of the 57-acre, £400 million Kirkstall Forge scheme. When complete, the site will be a mixed-use, contemporary urban village of 1,050 new homes, 300,000 sq ft of offices and 100,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and community space.
For six generations from 1779, the management of the forge was in the hands of Butler family. Under the Butler’s management the forge went from strength to strength, a feat which is now being recognised by the new chameleon bar/restaurant brand and the first street names on the Kirkstall Forge site.
Pictured above are Matt Jones Director of Eat & Best, Emma Clarkson, CEG’s Estate Manager at Kirkstall Forge and Paul Richardson, investment manager at CEG.