Taste of things to come with 4 new restaurants Bistrot Pierre eyeing new sites as Gaucho to launch in city
FRENCH restaurant chain Bistrot Pierre is creating around 100 new jobs by opening two more venues in the West Midlands.
The group, which came to Birmingham last year and launches in Sutton Coldfield next month, is investing £2 million to open the new sites in Staffordshire and Worcestershire.
A new Kidderminster bistrot will open in early summer as part of the town centre’s new Riverside Walk development while the Lichfield outlet will be in the new Friarsgate shopping precinct and is due to launch in 2019.
Bistrot Pierre opened its first Birmingham restaurant last summer in the old head office of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal Company besides the city’s famous Gas Street Basin.
Its newest venue is due to open in Mere Green on March 24 at the new Mulberry Walk shopping parade.
Co-owner Rob Beacham said: “We chose the new West Midlands sites due to the potential they offer in terms of location, footfall and being part of significant retail and leisure initiatives within each town.
“Bistrot Pierre is delighted to be investing in the already thriving food and drink scene in the region that will not only regenerate these areas but also encourage more people to shop and eat there, thereby improving the local economy and infrastructure.
“The success of the Birmingham restaurant is a good indicator of how viable the West Midlands is as an area to invest in and we are looking forward to welcoming our new employees and customers when our doors open.”
The privately owned group opened its first restaurant in Nottingham 23 years ago and currently has 17 bistrots across the UK including in Stratford and Leamington Spa.
Meanwhile, one of the most-anticipated restaurant openings this year will be the launch of Gaucho – a high-end Argentinian steak restau- rant chain – in Birmingham. Behind the doors of the revamped 55 Colmore Row, builders are working to get the restaurant ready for the May launch.
Gaucho will be the second Argentinian restaurant to open this year after sister chain restaurant CAU arrived in Brindleyplace. Gaucho is renowned for its slick decor and plush black leather booths and has proved a hit in London and Manchester. Its emphasis is on a wide selection of prime steaks but cornfed chicken, lamb cutlets and cod also feature on the menu.
Founder Zeev Godik said: “We’ve been looking at Birmingham for some time but finding the right location was crucial.
“It had to look and the brand.
“All our restaurants are individual and we needed a space that enabled us to tell the story of Gaucho to the full and create a memorable experience for customers in the city.”
John Hammond, investment director at IM Properties which oversaw the development at 55 Colmore Row, said: “For us, 55 Colmore Row is a real place changer and everything about the building has to be aspirational.
“Our ambition was to attract a top-tier restaurant and when Gaucho approached us we knew they ticked all our boxes for style, quality and vibrancy.
“We believe Gaucho significantly adds to the offering and will provide a real talking point in the city, becoming a place to go and be seen.”
Colmore Row has become a new food and drink hotspot thanks to recent openings Gusto and The Alchemist at The Grand. feel right for