Cote considers Brighton art space for 13th restaurant

French restaurant chain Cote​ will bring its portfolio up to 13 properties if plans to refurbish an art space in Brighton are approved.

Cote currently operates eight restaurants in London and the South, and has sites in St. Albans​ and Cambridge due to open later this month.

Now the group has also submitted plans to renovate the city’s derelict Old Music Library in Church Street, which is currently being leased for £80k pa as an art gallery, into a ground-floor restaurant.

While co-founders Chris Benians and Andy Bassadone will learn the result of their planning application from Brighton and Hove City Council within the next few weeks, Cote is already pressing ahead with an additional two openings in Farnham and Birmingham.

Having acquired a 25-year lease on the last available restaurant space at Birmingham’s The Mailbox shopping and leisure centre, Cote plans to begin trading at the venue early next year, with the Farnham branch set for launch in April 2010.

Financially backed by Richard Caring, the group launched the first Cote restaurant in Wimbledon in 2007, and has expanded at a steady rate of five sites each year.