D&D group poised to reopen four city centre restaurants in Leeds
RESTAURANT GROUP D&D London is to reopen its four Leeds city centre sites on July 4, pending the lifting of Government restrictions.
Crafthouse and Angelica will reopen at the Trinity Leeds shopping centre and Issho and East 59th will open their doors at the upmarket Victoria Gate development.
D&D said that 17 restaurant venues will reopen on July 4, including 13 sites in London and Manchester. The 17 sites form the first phase of reopening of the full D&D portfolio. The other UK restaurants, as well as D&D’s restaurants in New York and Paris, will reopen in August and September.
D&D’s CEO and co-founder Des Gunewardena, confirmed that all restaurants will fully adhere to Government safety guidelines.
These include the adjustment of restaurant layouts to allow for physical distancing, enhanced cleaning regimes, hand sanitising facilities, an electronic menu and contactless payment. Staff safety will also be a priority with daily health checks for all employees and PPE for front-of-house staff to wear whilst serving guests.
Mr Gunewardena said: “It’s been a tough few months since we had to close our restaurants back in March.
“We’ve kept ourselves busy in lockdown with our various volunteering initiatives for the NHS. We’ve also been busy remodelling our venues to comply with the requirements of the new world we find ourselves in.
“We have no illusions about how challenging it’s going to be, but we are also excited about finally reopening.”
He said that D&D’s restaurants are known not just for the food and service, but also for their design and atmosphere.
“This will not have changed when we welcome back our first customers,” he said.
“Yes, some of the restaurants will look slightly different and service will need to comply with safety guidelines, but we will do our best to give our customers a fun and relaxed experience.”
We have no illusions about how challenging it’s going to be.
Des Gunewardena, D&D’s CEO and co-founder.