Brasserie Bar Co intends to open up seven more hotel-based Brasserie Blanc restaurants by 2020 bringing the total number in the UK to ten, MCA has learned.
Speaking exclusively to MCA, Richard Ferrier, the group’s operations director, described the opportunity for growth in the UK as ‘huge’ and said here were plans to open a ‘much larger pipeline of sites’ in the run up to 2025, as well as eventual international expansion.
His comments come as the company prepares to open its second Brasserie Blanc situated within a hotel at Manchester Airport in July.
The 100 cover brasserie, 100 cover island hotel bar and 50 seater outdoor terrace, will launch in what Ferrier claims is the busiest Marriott in Europe, and operate a standard and room service menu and afternoon tea to meet demand for an ‘all day’ offer.
It follows the opening of the brand’s first hotel concept at the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott in July 2017.The company also took over the food and beverage operation of the Mercure Bath in March last year.
“In an ever-crowded high street, we are constantly looking for ways to differentiate ourselves from the competition and build a pipeline for growth,” Ferrier told MCA.
“Hotel operators are fantastic at selling rooms but they find operating restaurants to be increasingly difficult – this is where we come in. We take 25 year leases in the normal way.
“The complexity of a tri-partite lease/operating arrangement means that barriers to entry are very high therefore this deal is not easily replicated. Our Brasserie Blanc brand is the perfect first for four star, high volume hotels specifically as our guests tend to be very similar in affluence and outlook. There are very few brands that can bend and flex to meet the demands of a busy hotel and bar but ours fits perfectly.”
Ferrier described the infrastructure within hotels as ‘typically fantastic’ with large back of house area and space for a big brasserie and bar.
“Our return on capital is very strong which reflects the complexity of the deals we have negotiated and the strength of our operations team,” he added.
