Black & White Hospitality’s latest concept, a collaboration between chefs Pierre Koffmann and Marco Pierre White, could be taken to other historic UK towns following its launch in Bath.
Nick Taplin, chief executive of Black & White, the MPW-fronted restaurant franchise group, told MCA that locations such as Oxford, Cambridge, York and Edinburgh could also work for the new French-English bistro concept.
He was speaking as Black & White launched the debut Koffmann and Mr White’s English and French Brasserie at Bath’s Abbey Hotel, part of KE Hotels.
The Abbey, which has bought and will operate the restaurant franchise, have a one-year exclusivity deal on the concept.
Taplin said the group was also keen to explore further opportunities with fish and chips, ahead of the launch of Wheeler’s, a new concept which is being launched at the Dover Marina Hotel.
Wheeler’s Fish and Chip shop, a variation on the Wheeler’s format, comes in alongside MPW’s Chophouse at the Best Western hotel, and was made in consultation with Garry Rosser, chef-patron of Bath’s The Scallop Shell restaurant, and friend of Marco.
Taplin told MCA: “Koffmann and Mr White’s is a great brand for cities like Bath. Bath has a mix of tourists and locals, and obviously quite affluent, but people want a good time and value for money.
“Places like Cambridge, Oxford, York, Edinburgh – there’s a lot of paces this could work. Though with a brand like this, you wouldn’t put it anywhere - you want it to be special.”
Explaining the creation of the concept, Taplin said: “Marco wanted to do something special, not just another chain restaurant, but something a little bit more bespoke.
“We thought it would be nice for him to work with Pierre again, and talked through how to do a collaboration, how you mix English and French, how you mix six Michelin stars.
“To see them together again is magical. It’s not all been plain sailing – you’ve got two sets of ideas, and they’re not always in the same room together. But it’s been interesting and incredibly creative.”
On the potential for fish and chips, he added: “It’s a great British dish, everyone likes fish and chips
“It could be in hotels, or high streets. In Dover we know the owner, it’s right on the seafront, its Victorian – the perfect location for our first chippie.
“We are doing some work with Garry Rosser from The Scallop Shell - what he doesn’t know about fish isn’t worth knowing.”
