Hospitality group Signature is reopening its Aberdeen nightclub Nox on St Patrick’s Day (Thursday 17th March), following two years of closure due to the pandemic.
NOX has already created over 15 local jobs in time for reopening, but is also looking to recruit additional staff for all front of house positions.
NOX, which is located on Justice Mill Lane in the city, has been refreshed and with a 500 capacity it is set to invite a full house to is opening celebrations with a two-day opening party.
NOX owner, Nic Wood, said, “After two years of closure, we can’t wait to welcome back our customers from across the city and beyond from St Patrick’s Day on Thursday 17th March.
“The first Covid lockdown left us with no choice but to close our doors back in 2020, but we’re really excited to be back with a fresh, new look.
“We believe NOX offers a new standard in luxury entertainment to Aberdeen’s discerning late-night revellers. It provides the ultimate show stopping backdrop, and its daring interior and sumptuous design creates a venue with the wow factor.
“As we gear up for our big relaunch, we’ve also recruiting for new team members, so anyone with an interest and experience in late night entertainment should get in touch.”
Scottish singer, songwriter and SAY Award Finalist, Emma Aika, also known as Aiitee, officially opened the ROKU Gin Japanese Garden at Tigerlily in Edinburgh earlier this month. It will now remain in place until mid June, guests can enjoy the stunning Japanese Garden complete with cherry blossom decor and an Instagram-worthy entrance. A limited edition cocktail menu created by Joey Medrington, Bar Development Manager, boasts delicious serves such as the ’Sakura Blossom Spritz’ – Roku Gin with Cherry Blossom, Ume Plum, Yuzu & White Tea Soda topped with pink candy floss and the ‘Fuji Mountain Swizzle’ – Roku Gin with Asian Pear, Yuzu Sake and Wild Mint. Along with a line-up of events from now through Spring, guests can sample a tasty, sweet and savoury afternoon tea alongside cherry blossom wreath making with Wild and an exclusive cocktail masterclass hosted by James Bowker from House of Suntory, with more to be announced soon.
The iconic Irish bar in Glasgow’s Ashton Lane is set to re-open with the target date of St Patrick’s day on March 17.
Jinty’s has been closed since the start of the pandemic and the pub also had to contend with a leak which meant that the kitchen and pub had to be refurbished.This was further delayed due to supply problems that the builders had as a result of Brexit.
St Patricks day has been the target for the last few months and the popular pub has been re-stocking and hiring staff over the last few weeks – a process which is still on-going ahead of re-opening.
The pub said on its Facebook page, “Glasgow, it’s been a long two years. We cannot wait to have you back for live music and craic and Paddy’s 2022 is just round the corner…. See you soon”.
John Bryden has won his appeal to the Scottish Government to access Nightclub Closure Fund support for his venues, The Loft, The Ice Factory and That Bar Lounge in Perth.
Long-time owner Mr Bryden thanked the Scottish Government for approving the five-figure compensation following the last-minute cancellation of sell-out Hogmanay parties and the January shut-down which was triggered by the Omicron variant.
“It’s fantastic news coming hard on the heels of the removal of the need for vaccine passports confirmed earlier this week,” said Mr Bryden.
“I’m delighted the review has been successful. We were being called a hybrid but I suspect there was a misunderstanding over the nature of businesses which have been an integral part of the Perth social scene for more than 20 years.
“We are grateful to Perth and Kinross Council, the Licensing Board, politicians of various hues, Vicki Unite at the Perthshire Chamber of Commerce and the Night Time Industries Association for all their backing. We have endured a lot of anxiety over the last few weeks but now we are able to look forward with staff jobs secured.
“It was vital to get this lifeline payment as we look forward to Easter, when hopefully things will have returned to something like normal.”
Head of operations Craig Fraser is hopeful the award-winning nightclubs can turn back the clock to the pre-pandemic era. “The industry has come through a very tough time over the last two years and I feel sorry for teenagers and the early 20s in particular, who have missed out on so much at an important time of their lives,” he said.
“Their freedom has been severely restricted and obviously there is pent-up demand for getting out and about to events. That was underlined by the rapid sell-out of 600 tickets for Saturday’s appearance by Scots dj Meladee at The Ice Factory.”
Mr Fraser revealed That Bar Lounge had applied for planning consent to retain the covered area outside the South Street premises. “We are looking to extend the temporary permission which runs out later this month” he explained and added, “It is shaping-up as a big year to mark our 25th anniversary. Hopefully the application will be successful as we prepare to welcome returning tourists as well as locals. The covered area has been vital to us and I’d like to think the council will look favourably on our application as we try to rebuild from the economic devastation caused by the pandemic.”
Paul and Chris Charalambous, co-owners of Michelin-starred Cail Bruich have announced they will open a new restaurant concept, Shucks, in Glasgows West End in what used to be Nicks Bar in Hyndland.Paul and Chris also own Epicures and Brett.
The new restaurant, in partnership with itison founder Oli Norman, will be a seafood bar and restaurant with the menu designed by Head Chef Shaun Haggarty.
Co-owner Chris Charalambous said: “Shucks has been a long time in the making and we are delighted to finally be able to announce it to the Hyndland community.
“We hope that Shucks will bring a unique dining experience to the area which will add to the already burgeoning hospitality scene that the west end has to offer.
“We are also proud in the fact we have created 30 sustainable jobs in the area and we will continue to invest in our people and the product to deliver first class hospitality experiences.”
The £250,000 refurb of the 80-cover venue is being carried out by Surface ID who designed sister venues Cail Bruich, Brett and Epicures. The refurb will see the Hyndland spot, site of the former Nicks, transformed into a comfortable restaurant, bar and outdoor terrace.
Alongside the fresh seafood menu, the drinks menu will include a Champagne and cocktail trolley brought to the table, as well as a wine and Champagne list by Cail Bruich’s head sommelier.
Beam Suntory is hosting a virtual programme of events on its global trade engagement platform, The Blend, to celebrate World Bartender Day on 24 February.
The 24-hour extravaganza on TheBlendWorld’s channels will feature industry changemakers hosting a series of Instagram Lives discussing what it takes to make it in the profession and hosts across the globe will invite bartenders to apply to The Blend Connects, a bespoke mentorship programme facilitated by The Blend aiming to support the next generation of bartenders through 1-2-1 support.
Mentees hosting a #CheerstoUs on @TheBlendWorld on World Bartender Day from 1200pm GMT are Vasilis Kyritsis, The Clumsies (Greece), Leo Robitschek, NoMad (UK), Moe Aljaff, Two Schmucks (Spain), Carina Soto, Candelaria (France) and Kelsey Ramage (Canada).
Meimi Sanchez, Senior Brand Manager The Blend Global said: “At The Blend, we live by our ethos of ‘By Hospitality, For Hospitality’ and this World Bartender Day we’re creating a collective moment of celebration for the immensely rewarding career of bartending whilst investing in the future of the industry with the launch of The Blend Connects. Here’s to bartenders across the globe!”
The activity will be supported by virtual World Bartender Day celebrations from The Blend’s live markets in USA, India, Germany, New Zealand and Australia.
Plans for a new campaign to encourage locals back into city centre restaurants, bars and hotels have been announced by Essential Edinburgh – the capital’s dedicated Business Improvement District (BID).
Celebrating the best of food, drink and hospitality, and with over 30 participating venues confirmed, the ‘Eat Out Edinburgh’ campaign will run for two weeks from 14th to 27th March.
Roddy Smith, Chief Executive & Director, Essential Edinburgh, said, “Edinburgh City Centre has an unrivaled variety of bars and restaurants, catering for everyone’s own individual taste and preferences.
“Eat Out Edinburgh has been designed to enable our residents, visitors and office workers to enjoy what’s on offer with special menus, events, and offers for city centre workers.
“After the last two years of on/off restrictions for our hospitality industry this also gives everyone a great reason to get back into the city centre and enjoy some quality time with friends and family in world-class hospitality premises.”
A full list of participating Edinburgh venues will be announced in the coming weeks, promoting special tasting menus, set menus, events and exclusive offers to attract bookings and increased footfall throughout the campaign period. From business breakfasts to leisurely lunches and evening gatherings over dinner and cocktails, the Eat Out Edinburgh campaign has been designed to bring friends, family and colleagues together whilst helping to support the city’s vibrant hospitality sector.
The British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping, and UKHospitality, have collaborated to develop best practice guidance on pub dilapidations to support landlords and tenants and have produced best practice guidance for the management of pub repairs and dilapidations.
The guidance has been developed to support both pub companies and their tenants, with the aim of minimising the scale and frequency of any disputes with the aim of helping both parties.
The guidance sets out principles that will help to ensure pubs are maintained in a suitable condition, will help to reduce the overall costs of maintenance throughout the life of a lease agreement, and will minimise the level of disputes relating to repairs and dilapidations at the end of the term.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said, “This guidance is an excellent tool for the pub industry. Its use will help to minimise disputes and strengthen the thousands of partnerships that exist between tenants and pub companies across the nation. We are grateful to all of those who contributed to the guidance and hope that this will become an important reference resource for the sector.”
Kate Nicholls, CEO, UKHospitality, commented, “Issues and disputes around dilapidations, especially in situations with long-term leases, can be problematic and expensive. We welcome the publication of this best practice guidance and hope it will be a useful resource for tenants, lessees and pub companies to provide clarity on dilapidations and minimise the risk of disputes.”
Steve Alton, Chief Executive, BII, adds, “Repairing obligations and dilapidations have always been a challenging area and we at the BII receive many helpline queries on the subject. We are hopeful that this best practice guide will be of real value to all parties.”
NQ64, the neon-lit retro arcade bar brand is opening in Glasgow’s Merchant Square this spring. This is their second venue in Scotland following the opening in Edinburgh last year.
Taking over the former Distrikt club on Bell Street, the late-night basement and retro-gaming venue will include gaming experiences, craft beers, and game-themed cocktails.
The games include Street Fighter, Tekken, and Mortal Kombat with the classic consoles including SNES, MegaDrive, Gamecube, and PlayStation. as well as Pac-Man and Mario Kart amongst others.
The retro arcade includes pinball machines operating on tokens that can be bought from the bar, while their games consoles are free to play.
NQ64’s founder, Matt Robson, said, “Glasgow has always been on our radar. We’ve been looking for the perfect NQ64 location since we decided the grow the brand back in 2019. We’re working hard on a new drinks offering and a couple of other surprises for the Glasgow launch.”
Stirling’s Pubwatch initiative has been given a fresh lease of life with the move to a fully digitised communications system and the appointment of a new team.
Pubwatch members, who make up most of Stirling’s licensed premises’ managers, have received new two-way digital radios thanks to funding from Go Forth Stirling BID and Police Scotland. The radios allow the city’s pub and club owners to contact and share information and photographs in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour affecting the night-time economy. The radio’s link pub and club managers with police officers and City Centre CCTV.
Danielle McRorie-Smith, Project Director at Go Forth Stirling, said: “We were delighted to be able to provide the upgraded digital radio system to Stirling Pubwatch members and other relevant organisations. This is an important investment which will make a significant difference to communications between night-time economy stakeholders and is much better and quicker than the old analogue system.
We want to help build confidence in Stirling’s evening economy and the radios give venues the capability to work together in a quick and secure fashion will help make our city as safe as possible. Refreshing the Pubwatch scheme is a crucial step which highlights the efforts all premises are going to to share best practice and work together to combat anti-social behaviour.”
Meanwhile, two new co-chairs – Dave Thompson who is General Manager at the Fubar and Neil Campbell, Manager at the Kilted Kangaroo – have been appointed to take over from former Pubwatch chair Danielle McRorie-Smith.
Mr Thompson said: “I’m pleased to be part of a new team which will give us a fresh impetus as we move forward into 2022 and prepare for the return to a vibrant night-time economy in Stirling. Ensuring the safety of our patrons and staff in and around licensed premises is a top priority for all of us and being part of Pubwatch is a fantastic way for our businesses to talk to each other in partnership with the police and other stakeholders.
“It all helps ensure a safe city centre and allows us to send out a clear, joint message that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated within our premises. We’re grateful to Go Forth Stirling and Police Scotland for providing the new two-way radios which are essential for us to share information quickly.”
National Pubwatch is a voluntary organisation set up to promote best practice by supporting the work of local Pubwatch groups formed by people working in licensed premises. Their objectives include tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour, promoting safe drinking environments for customers and secure working environments for staff and improving communication and sharing information between licensees.
After launching its first Scottish venue in Glasgow in September last year, Manhattan inspired 63rd + 1st has confirmed the opening of its new cocktail-led bar and restaurant in Edinburgh. It is due to open Frederick street in the second quarter of this year.
The chain is owned by Hostmore which began trading on the London Stock Exchange in November after a demerger from Electra Private Equity. It also has Friday’s within the group. The first ever TGI Fridays opened on the corner of 63rd Street and 1st Avenue in Manhattan, in 1965.
The menu offers smaller sharing plates and will have seating for 100 guests inside as well as 26 on the outside terrace.
Hostmore CEO Robert B. Cook, said: “We are delighted to be bringing the fifth 63rd+1st to the capital of Scotland, a city we know well, and in doing so continue to share the 63rd+1st experience with guests from across this great city and region.”
Star Pubs & Bars have reported record participation in the Six Nations, All of its managed operator pubs and half of its leased & tenanted operators including 55% of those in Scotland are getting behind the championship.
More than 1000 pubs have signed up to receive the free promotional materials which include external signage, flags, bunting, posters, match day offer cards and social media images, gifs and content as well as Guinness official Six Nations branded items.
John O’Connor, Head of Digital & Retail Marketing says: “Rugby viewers differ from the average pub goer and typical football fan, with more mixed groups and families enjoying the sport. Their broad appeal makes rugby matches a fantastic revenue driver and a great way of increasing dwell time and spend – and with 44% of sports fans saying they plan to watch the 2022 Guinness Six Nations live in a pub1,the revenue potential of the championship for pubs looks better than ever.
“Our rugby support package is designed to put more money in our publicans’ tills, so we are delighted that the take up is so high. This is a really massive sporting event, falling at a key time of the year. The level of engagement demonstrates how keen pubs are to make the most of every event and regain lost ground after two years of lockdowns and restrictions”
Table Tennis Scotland is on a mission to get people of all ages and abilities to take up the sport and that includes hospitality workers and customers.
Workplace table tennis is an initiative from PR Agency Hollicom and Table Tennis Scotland they believe that table tennis which can be played in workplace breakout areas, bars and community centres, aids health and mental wellbeing.
But there is also an added benefit for hospitality. PR guru, and table tennis fan, Heather Suttie, “Customers and staff playing makes for great social content as well as ensuring the feel-good vibes of dopamine and endorphins are flowing. We believe that introducing table tennis to your business, whether it’s for your staff or customers, will have a positive impact on your bottom line and in terms of health and wellbeing the benefits are priceless and long-lasting.”
To encourage hospitality operators to get involved Table Tennis Scotland have tables, bats and balls to buy or rent. To purchase it the package cost £1250 and to rent, £250 per month ( minimum 3 months ) and that includes the table, bats, balls and net.
Says Heather, “All proceeds are invested back into Table Tennis Scotland clubs across the country, providing safe spaces for low-income communities, senior citizen, Dementia and Parkinson’s groups countrywide and supporting sporting stars of the future like quadriplegic Olympian Martin Perry who plays at Drumchapel.”
Buzzworks Holdings, is set to open its latest venture, The Fox, in Troon in the coming weeks
The casual live music bar, with a capacity of 160, will open on the site of former restaurant Papi Milano having undergone a significant refit over the last 4 months.
The new team working at The Fox will be led by Operations Manager, Johnny Blair who has worked on the Buzzworks portfolio for 10 years.
He said, “We’re proud to be investing once again in Troon, not only creating a further 20 jobs in Ayrshire, but bringing another exciting venue to the area. It has been a unique project to work on and we can’t wait to officially open the doors and welcome our first customers to The Fox, our modern take on your local friendly pub.”
Buzzworks, the family- owned business, currently operates a portfolio of thirteen venues including Scotts in Troon, Largs and South Queensferry, Vic’s & The Vine in Prestwick, Lido venues in Prestwick and Troon, The Tree House in Ayr, The Long House and The Duke in Kilmarnock, The Mill House in Stewarton, The Corner House in Kilwinning, The Coach House in Bridge of Weir and their newest venue, The Bridge Inn in Linlithgow.
Aviemore is the location of The Highland Line, a 90 cover restaurant and bar with outside seating, which has just gone on the market.
The Highland Line, which is located on Aviemore’s at Station Square, forms part of the town’s Victorian Railway station and has benefitted from a recent refurbishment that emphasises its railway connections.
The business has been put up for sale by Stephen White of the Kidbrooke Group. He comments, “We’ve got The Highland Line right back to its former glory and it is now ready for new owners to walk in and operate. We are confident of finding new owners who will make our beautiful place a roaring success. We are still operating La Taverna and The Old Ministers House, but we have had to tailor our more limited resource, hence we have reluctantly put The Highland Line on the market.”
The Highland Line leasehold is on the market through Cornerstone at an asking price of £195,000, with the lease running to 2032 with an opportunity to extend.