Haar is coming home as Dean Banks looks to launch new restaurant

MasterChef The Professionals 2018 finalist Dean Banks has launched a Crowdfunder to “bring Haar home”.

The Arbroath-born chef closed the restaurant in St Andrews in April, but is now looking to open a restaurant with rooms at The Golf Inn on Golf Place in the Fife town.

He has taken on a long term year lease at the venue, owned by Iona Pub Partnership, which he hopes to refurbish and then open his 36 to 40 seater restaurant and four bedroom suites.

The Crowdfunder has been launched to raise funds to help pay for the renovation of the space.

Dean said he has already invested “tens of thousands of pounds” into the project and is looking for the public’s support in making the concept a reality.

He said: “We’ll open the restaurant hopefully by mid to the end of October. We’re going to raise the funds for the renovation by pre-selling meals to create revenue, so if you’re looking to come to Haar when we reopen, you can purchase your meal in advance and it gives us access to funds which will go towards the renovation.

“It is an expensive renovation. Hopefully in January we will renovate the rooms to four suites.

“It will be Haar as I’ve always envisioned it. In Haar’s last site we were limited with the décor because we were attached to the hotel. This time we’ll have the whole building. It will be Scottish/Nordic styling with lots of plants and wood – it will bring the Scottish coastline indoors.”

Equipped with a chef’s table overlooking the kitchen operation, the restaurant and rooms is a first for the restaurateur who is hoping to raise around £50,000 from the Crowdfunder.

Last year Dean launched a Crowdfunding campaign for his Haar at Home service, to invest in a dedicated unit for it which he launched initially in his former restaurant.

“It worked amazingly well for Haar at Home,” he said. “We will top it up if necessary as well, especially if we run into issues when renovating. It would be great to get the support from locals.

“There’s different levels so you can purchase dinner for two or four, you can rent out the whole place, you can get special experiences with myself and come lobster fishing, and, you can book the private dining room. They range from £30 upwards.

“We’re going to go for all or nothing with the Crowdfunder so if we don’t hit the target, we won’t get the money. It is a huge risk but we will still see the project through. If we can self invest through a Crowdfunder instead of the bank, it is much better.”

Having closed Haar in April following an unresolved lease review with his landlord and his fish and chip shop Haarbour this month, Dean is looking to retain staff and also take on former employees to bring the Haar family back to St Andrews.

Dean said: “We are hiring staff and we’re looking to bring old staff back on as some couldn’t travel to Edinburgh, so those people will be offered jobs again.

We have a few really good chefs in the pipeline. I want to surround myself with the best in Scotland.

“I think there will be around 16 staff. We will be looking to move to a fourday operation once we can afford it and have the formula.

“We’ve already joined the Living Wage campaign and pay £9.50 an hour to the lowest paid members of staff.

“We’re looking forward to a fresh start. St Andrews is our home. We are very excited to be coming back and make it our forever home.

“For everyone who comes to visit, be that tourists or locals, we want to showcase the best of what Fife has to offer.”

HOMEWARD BOUND: Chef Dean Banks is looking forward to opening his new venture in St Andrews. Picture by Mhairi Edwards.