Tipi bar tipped for success at city pub
NEW ATTRACTION AT ESTABLISHED CITY CENTRE VENUE PROVES A DRAW
New additions at a city centre bar are proving a popular draw.
Three weeks ago, Port of Call unveiled its new tipi bar to the rear of the existing night spot.
The two large-scale tipis, which are linked together, have been installed at former waste land within Park Lane Market which the Port of Call owners have leased from the council.
After a clean up of the area and construction work to raise the level of the ground, the tipis, which feature their own bar, opened in time for the last Bank Holiday weekend.
Owner Adam Dickman invested £100,000 in the new venture due to demand for the Port of Call function rooms, and he says the tipis are going down well.
“People seem really impressed with them, all the feedback has been positive,” he explained. “These are the first of their kind in the city centre and it’s important to keep giving people a reason to come into Sunderland city centre.
“The land before was just wasted land, that was used as a dumping ground for old fridges and rubbish, so it’s good to see something being done with it.”
The tipis, which have their own DJ booth and cocktail menu, can be hired for functions, and are more wheelchair accessible than the venue’s main function room, but are open as a bar on Friday and Saturday nights when they’re not in use for parties.
Adam said: “We’ve only been open a couple of weeks but we’ve already had 12 bookings for functions and a lot of interest for weddings.
“We’ve had heaters installed them and they’re perfect for the winter, so a lot of people are interested in them for Christmas parties too.”
Tipis have become a top trend in the hospitality industry in the past few years, often used for weddings and as pop up bars at Christmas markets.
Adam says the Port of Call tipis, which hold around 120 people, will be in place for at least the next two years.
They are the latest bar to open in former Park Lane Market land after outdoor bar Hidden opened its doors over the summer.