F&B push pays off for Sunderland
With the £4m Sheepfolds Stables set to open this week, the city council said 250 jobs will be created in the local hospitality sector.
Openings that have already taken place this year include The Botanist, Manjaros and Sea Glass Café as Sunderland looks to up its leisure game.
Sheepfolds Stables, a key element of the Riverside Sunderland regeneration masterplan, has been designed and developed by Sunderland-headquartered architect Building Design Northern and is set to open on Friday 2 August.
Operators at the project will include Ember, Mother Mercy, The Calabash Tree, I Scream for Pizza, Spey Snug, Deep North and Vito’s Osteria.
General manager of operations Nigel Wood, who came on board in May, said that the leisure complex – housed in a sympathetically restored former railway stables – will deliver more than 100 jobs directly, with more in the supply chain.
Wood said: “It’s been a couple of years in the making; however we are all incredibly excited to finally throw open our doors to the public next month.
“All of our vendors are already recruiting and training their teams and at the last count, we estimated that it would create around 100 jobs.
“But that doesn’t even factor in the supply chain, such as cleaners, jobs at suppliers and security etc, which will see that number rise furthermore as we finally get up and running.”
Another significant job creator will be RIO Steakhouse, which is set to open its doors in the former Bud Biggalow’s site on Low Row in October.
Rodrigo Grassi-Duarte, co-founder and co-director, said: “We are looking forward to finally opening our Sunderland venue later this year.
“We will be starting the recruitment process over the coming weeks as we look to hire vital team members ahead of the restaurant opening.”
Other upcoming openings include The 3 Stories, Flower Café – which is accounting for the fourth and final available space at Keel Square – The Muddler, Pablo Eggsgobao, The Sofia and The Hideout Bar.
Several of these openings are from regional independents who have established reputations elsewhere and worked with the council to find an appropriate space. Sayturk’s Flower Cafe will be the group’s third operation, after Newcastle and Alnwick, while Pablo Eggsgobao has three North East locations and two in Edinburgh.
Cllr Kevin Johnston, cabinet member for housing, regeneration and business at Sunderland City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many new bars and restaurants opening and creating jobs for local people.
“Much has been made of the UK’s hospitality sector and the many challenges facing it recently, however Sunderland is really bucking industry and national trends.
“We’ve had several new venues open this year and The Botanist alone attracted over 30,000 visitors in its first two months.
“Add to that the numerous new venues set to open over the coming months and the wider transformation of the city, including Riverside Sunderland and the future certainly looks bright for the sector in the city.”