A restaurant chain must be hoping Cestrians are feeling especially hungry as it prepares to open the biggest eating place in the city centre following a £3m-plus investment.
Opera Grill opens on Thursday of next week (August 4) completing the Chester Dining Quarter in Pepper Street.
A press release reveals the eating house will be a 400-seater restaurant which is more than double the size of many rivals. Las Iguanas next door, for example, is a 170-cover eating house.
However, Opera Grill was described in February this year as being a 250-cover restaurant so the situation is open to interpretation.
Individual Restaurants, the company behind the flagship venture as well as sister restaurant, Piccolino, promises ‘to bring theatre on a grand scale to the food and drink scene in Chester’ with its latest addition.
It describes Opera Grill as ‘an internationally-inspired grill using outstanding ingredients’.
In a statement, the company said: “Following a painstaking restoration of the listed building to restore it to its former glory, a further £3m has been invested to create a 400 seater restaurant, which boasts a ground floor restaurant and bar, first floor restaurant and bar, along with a south facing, all year roof terrace that is sure to be a hit with Chester sun seekers.”
Steven Walker, founder of Individual Restaurants, commented: “The building has played an important role throughout its history, originally as a Methodist church and then contributing massively in the war effort when it was used as a garage to manufacture wings for Spitfires – so it was only right we made the building something special again for Chester. “
Opera Grill is sandwiched between the Latin American-style Las Iguanas and American-themed Coast to Coast which opened last year along with Mexican restaurant Chimichanga.
Stephen Wundke, of the Restaurant Association of Cheshire and chief executive of Taste Cheshire, admits he was worried the new Dining Quarter might saturate the market but this had proved not to be the case.
He said: “All our members have reported that business has been buoyant. That’s good, because my fear when the three came in - Las Iguanas, Coast to Coast and Chimichanga – that’s a huge amount of covers to bring on – was that it would put a lot of pressure on the market but it seems to be OK.
“On the back of it, you’ve also had Moules-a-go-go move into new premises and straight away The Olive Tree has gone in to its old place.”
Mr Wundke says Chester has 3,000 hotel beds but needs more given the average occupancy rate is in excess of 70%.
“That’s 2,000 people on any given night and over 60 restaurants who all need feeding. That’s not a lot to go around,” he added.
