EXPANSION SEES COCKTAIL BAR TURN INTO BISTRO!
A TOWN centre cocktail bar has expanded to create a new bistro.
Reggie’s of Stone had only been open for three months when it was forced to close as the country went into lockdown in March 2020.
The Covid-19 pandemic has proved a difficult time for the owners – couple Becky Wetwood and Lee James and their business partner Andy Cowan – but now they have brought Reggie’s back bigger and better than ever.
The High Street bar was a leap of faith for the trio, who took the plunge to open the venue without any background in hospitality.
Becky, aged 29, of Blythe Bridge, said: “Lee and Andy are both qualified electricians and I have previously worked in nurseries since I left school.
“The bar was Andy and Lee’s initial idea. We all really like Stone and there were quite a few empty premises at that time.”
However, when the premises next door to Reggie’s became available, the business partners decided to expand and create a new kitchen to enable them to serve food.
Becky said: “We wanted to offer food but the kitchen wasn’t big enough to do much past a sandwich. The premises next door was a travel agent and had the same landlord so we looked into extending.
“Because Lee and Andy are electricians we were able to do a lot of the work ourselves. We’ve had a lot of setbacks but we’re finally where we want to be now, and we feel like we have built it ourselves. We have got lots of exciting plans for next year.”
The trio have brought in head chef Joe Bailey to run the kitchen. The 35-year-old, from Baddeley Green, said: “The menu is modern British. It has been a really good project to work on.
“Stone is such a nice town and the response so far has been really good.”
Sandwiches on the lunch menu include panko-breaded cod with pea and mint mayo and tartare slaw, or pulled Staffordshire ham hock with shredded baby gem and piccalilli.
Dishes on the evening menu include slow-cooked Staffordshire ox cheek with Jerusalem artichoke gratin, caramelised shallot, spinach and a red wine and thyme sauce, or fillet of plaice with seaweed butter, mushroom marmalade, braised fennel and potato straw. The team also worked with a cocktail consultant to create their drinks menu, which features North Staffordshire takes on classics – for example the Jungle Duck, based on the Jungle Bird – and cocktails you won’t find elsewhere.
The venue has a rooftop terrace which is a big draw in the summer months.
Becky added: “We also promote a lot of local DJS, singers and artists, displaying and selling local artwork. We are very much about local people and the community.”
Reggie’s is open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and Friday and Saturday evenings for dinner. There are plans to extend the opening hours in the future.