Drake & Morgan secures fourth London site
Drake & Morgan, the London bar-restaurant operator, is to open a fourth venue named The Folly in October.
The 13,200sqft site will open later this year in Gracechurch Street just a few yards from its third outlet, The Anthologist, in the City of London.
The two-floor venue, owned by Arab Investments, will feature a 500-cover bar and kitchen, deli, shop, a snug and private dining rooms plus a space devoted to 'pop up' shops.
The group, which is led by Jillian MacLean, said the aim was to create 'London's secret garden' - an outdoors environment indoors - replete with an eight-metre high tree trunk in the middle of the venue. It will work in collaboration with Fusion Design on the project, which is estimated to cost in excess of £2m.
Differentiating from the competition
MacLean, who was voted Rising Star at M&C Report's Retailers' Retailer of the Year Awards 2010, told BigHospitality last December that she was already on her way to securing a deal for the site.
“Since the successful launch of The Refinery and The Parlour we continually look for new and innovative ways to differentiate from the competition and offer our customers that little bit more," she said. "We hope to open a few more sites in London next year, each of which will be individual in style.”
The Anthologist, which opened earlier this year, is believed to be achieving current weekly sales of between £70,000 and £80,000.
The group also operates The Refinery at Bankside, which opened in 2008, and The Parlour at Canary Wharf, which was unveiled in 2009.
Mark Stretton is editor of BigHospitality's sister publication, M&C Report.
