The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
St Andrews Brewing Company to open restaurant in Dundee.
Fife brewer leasing site in Dundee in time for V&A opening
St Andrews Brewing Company has revealed its plans to open a £1 million restaurant and pub in Dundee that will employ 50 staff.
The Fife-based brewer will sign a lease for two units in the basement of the Caird Hall, which will be accessed from Shore Terrace, with Dundee City Council later this month.
The firm is now aiming to launch a 100-seat restaurant and large bar in time for the opening of the V&A in September.
Company director Tim Butler said: “We are already speaking to architects and interior designers about the fit-out.
“We have been looking at moving into Dundee for about 18 months and when this site came up we had to go for it – it’s a fantastic location.
“We are very aware that the V&A is a design museum and so the look of the restaurant and bar will be important. We want to showcase local textiles, fabrics, furniture-makers.
“Dundee is massively on the up and it’s exciting to be part of that.”
The bar will have around 18 taps of craft beer, a variety of gins and an impressive wine list.
Mr Butler, who previously owned The Seafood Restaurant in St Andrews, said the restaurant will feature the best of Scottish produce.
He said: “I want to provide something for everybody so there will be burgers and fish and chips on the menu but it will also have some tremendous steaks, scallops and seafood as well.”
The Fife firm, which opened a brewpub in St Andrews in 2013, has recently purchased two bars in Edinburgh.
Meanwhile, it is also planning to invest heavily in its equipment at its brewery at Bassaguard Business Park in St Andrews.
“We are about to purchase larger, better equipment at the cost of around £500,000 as we are selling out of everything we make at the moment,” said Mr Butler.
“At the moment we brew 650 litres at a time once a day. The new equipment will allow us to brew 2,000 litres in a batch two or three times a day. So it has the potential to give us nine-fold what we brew at the moment.”
It is understood that a restaurant called Brassica will move into the other units in the Caird Hall.
Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce chief executive Alison Henderson welcomed the investment.
She said: “With Slessor Gardens being used a lot more in 2018 and with all the visitors to the V&A and the waterfront, it will help move people from the waterfront to the city centre.”
Dundee City Council convener of city development Lynne Short said: “The plans are very exciting and will be a valuable addition to the city’s night-time economy.”
Dundee is massively on the up and it’s exciting to be part of that. COMPANY DIRECTOR TIM BUTLER