BELFAST | Retail and Hospitality
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It's being revamped and reopened as the Deers Head again.
Whoever owns it also owns the Albany, going by their twitter feed.
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Yeah, there kept it on for a few months there as the Berliner, but its definitely closed now. Probably not reopened until March.
The Bachus Group must have taken it on then? They operate..
Sweet Afton
Rita's
Tutti Frutti
The Perch
Filthy McNastys
The Points
The Albany
Miel et Moi
Miel et Vite
...and a few bars in Newcastle, England.
Disappointed that an operator like Galway Bay Brewery didn't take it over, but at least The Bachus Group have deep pockets to make it a success. It's such a great bar inside.
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22,105 Posts
Those last three were sold to new owners in the Autumn, they were sold to the company behind Drinks Inc. The latter two are closed and all three will be redeveloped in 2020.
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Former Jacamo store on Royal Avenue has been agreed...
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They are all essentially part of the same Filty McNasty, [with a passing clouds and an Illegitimate] however it's a bit of a curious operation. The Irish Times ran this:
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/retail-and-services/filthy-for-dolan-1.1990974
The Phoenix did it better as Dolan senior was listed on the plans as the client. Now I am sure this was a clerical error otherwise he'd could have been in breach of section 251 of the Companies Act 2006.
The entire structure is a bit a'hem opaque. The enterprising student opened the enormous Newcastle property under Hathor Inns Ltd, which is broke. It's now operated by Azalea Inns which on the face of it has no connection to the colourful Dolans.
The NI end seems to be operated by Bachus Inns [there's no obvious Bachus group as an 'entity'].
Again perhaps not a surprise, the accounts are seriously overdue and our old friend, the colourful Mr Dolan is listed as a person with significant control, having more than 75% of the shares....
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/NI051261
All of course thoroughly above board.....
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2,884 Posts
Article on this in the Irish News today.
- Opens this weekend
- Replaces Tutti Frutti
- Has 11 screens, including a 6.5m 'mega screen'
- Spread over two floors, has beer pong, pool tables, foosball, darts etc
Sounds primarily student orientated, certainly plenty of them living nearby these days.
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716 Posts
Not sure it's my cup of tea... think i'll stick with the sports club or northern lights or some such to watch the 6N, but good to have a dedicated sports bar all the same and all the possible pitfalls that come with it... old firm games will be fun.
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840 Posts
What is everyone's take on House in Botannic. The bar with the blossom tree. I was there over Christmas after hearing much fan fair, usually from females for the signature Instagram picture. I have never met more ignorant and unprofessional staff in my life.
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2,884 Posts
It's the ultimate Instagram bar. Any time I've been in, the the staff have been dead on. Not the worst beer selection. Cocktails seemed overpriced but i guess thats where they are making the money. The upstairs was quite good, you could sit on the balcony bit and have a nice view over the bar and it was away from the noise, all seems closed off now except for private parties. Would only ever pop in there during the day- it's yet another bar which reserves out every table for the evening. Why has that become a thing in so many bars now?
Sounded vaguely promising based on the above post but after a quick look at their beer list I can confirm that this is an 'american style sports bar' designed by people who have never been to a real one. Spoiler alert, In real ones they don't drink Heineken.
It's amazing to me how retrograde the bar scene is here compared to literally any other city anywhere pretty much. I'd love to go out to bars at the weekend but not even one of them offers me something interesting or different.
These bar tsar types here (of which there appear to be only 2) should be forced to spend some time in Bristol or Leeds to see how it's done.
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2,884 Posts
You can do an interesting compare and contrast with the Tutti Frutti and Franklins menus. The wings and pizzas seem to be very similar... except there is a sneaky price rise.
Tutti Frutti
Franklins
I never made it to Tutti Frutti.. but maybe this new bar will be the same but with big TVs
Tutti Frutti
Franklins
I never made it to Tutti Frutti.. but maybe this new bar will be the same but with big TVs
House is really good during the day, but in the evenings it turns into a bit of a nightclub with banging music and everyone dolled up drinking cocktails. Not my scene but each to their own.
On bar staff, I generally don't rate them in Belfast, even in the hipster joints. I find them very unfriendly and uninterested, but I suppose pulling 5 quid pints and 10 quid cocktails for arseholes for minimum wage isn't attractive work.
IMO the proper wee no nonsense boozers generally have the best bar staff - Morning Star, Bittles, The Garrick, The John Hewitt, Errigle, Kellys and Maddens all have fantastic bar staff.
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716 Posts
I agree with the sentiment generally... you could write a thesis and it has been well covered in this parish. You have to remember that we are hampered by the double edged sword of licensing and protectionism in hospitality generally. The system unashamedly favours the big local players and multinationals.
Independent bars can't readily set up due to the extortionate and prohibitive nature of licensing and other costs/barriers. Furthermore, existing operators are fiercely competitive. Armies of licensing lawyers are primed to object to any independent seeking to set up on or near the patch of large hospitality operators. This has been borne out in East Belfast where there is a dearth of independent bars and illustrated by legal/police objections to a well known brewery operating a taproom there.
The biggest licensing lobby group (Hospitality Ulster) essentially exists to further the interests of Diageo and the boys.
It's an absolute tuck-up. A sea change is needed and hopefully the executive and the communities minister takes all this on board and takes action to allow independent bars, breweries, taprooms and bottle shops to thrive.
Like of this lot are doing a great job mind: https://www.siba.co.uk/2020/01/28/small-brewers-campaign-group-calls-changes-outdated-alcohol-laws/
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716 Posts
To be fair, the likes of the Sunflower and Sports Club are both interesting and different... i don't know of many more bars which are as unique and kooky as them... and of course we have the old grandees listed by plank there if that floats your boat. We are lucky to have what we have, but it could be so much better, i agree.
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1,707 Posts
Fendi collab for the menu designs.
....
Read full article at - https://www.ulsterbusiness.com/articles/2020/01/30/belfast-city-centre-pubs-facing-1.2m-rates-surge
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