Reopening of popular Halfway House a thrill for new owners
A CO Down restaurant is to reopen its doors after a shock closure in June, following a takeover by new owners.
The Halfway House, located between Banbridge and Dromore, shut down two months ago amid problems caused by the coronavirus lockdown.
The pub and restaurant has now been taken over by Belfast businessmen Caorlan Mcallister and Gavin Bates, who plan to reopen the premises in the near future.
The pair worked together on previous projects.
Gavin owns Ryan’s Bar and Restaurant on Belfast’s Lisburn Road and the White Horse Inn in Saintfield, while Caorlan previously managed the Coach complex in Banbridge.
Caorlan told the Belfast Telegraph he and Gavin became good friends after working together at Belfast’s Scratch nightclub.
Outlining why they had decided to take over the Halfway House together, he explained that the opportunity “really excited” them.
“We knew that it had a good reputation for doing good food and, with it being a local venue, we knew that it had that drive and that passion behind it,” Caorlan said.
“We felt that we could bring that forward and continue that. It was disappointing to hear that it had closed down, but it was inevitable because a lot of venues were going to close because of the pandemic.
“Now, as things start to ease, we are in a place where we are ready to get it open and drive it forward.
“It is going to be a challenge because of the uncertainties regarding if there’s going to be another outbreak or any further restrictions. That obviously has played on our minds, but it is a risk we have to take. The opportunity (outweighs) the risk.
“If we adhere to the social distancing and allow people to feel safe in the venue, that will give people a peace of mind when they come.”
Welcoming the messages both he and Gavin have received since it was announced that they would be reopening the Halfway House, Caorlan said: “The messages we have got on Facebook have been really reassuring. There have been lots of positive messages, messages of goodwill and best wishes.
“It’s great to see and a lot of locals are excited to get into it again.”
❝ We knew it had drive and passion behind it... we felt we could bring that forward and continue it
Caorlan added that both he and Gavin had stayed in touch since their days at Scratch and felt this was a perfect opportunity to work together again.
They hope to reopen the pub and restaurant towards the end of September.
“The reason for that (the reopening date) is because we want to make sure we have the right team recruited so that we can start off on the best foot possible,” Caorlan said.