Black and Blue operations manager unveils plans to boost lunchtime trade

In her first month in the role, Nicky Donald, former general manager of the company's Wigmore Street branch, has introduced a light lunch range at the company's Notting Hill Gate, King's Road and Gloucester Road sites and a £19.50 Sunday lunch offer, including Prosecco and cote de boeuf at Wigmore Street, Gloucester Road and Notting Hill Gate branches.

Both options have been developed to appeal to customers who have less disposable cash, while not compromising on quality, Donald told BigHospitality.

Dishes on the light lunch menu include a 7oz ribeye steak with fries and Bearnaise sauce (£14); Tuna Nicoise (£14) and eggs Benedict (£8).

"The new light lunch menu has been introduced to offer our diners a great range of simple, unpretentious choices at lunchtime, also allowing those on a slightly tighter budget to continue to enjoy the excellent quality produce that we serve at our restaurants," Donald said.

Provenance of the meat used at Black and Blue's seven restaurants is also an area Donald said she was keen to highlight on menus.

She said: "Londoners are presented with more dining options than ever before, with new restaurants opening up all the time. I want to see Black and Blue raise its game and start talking about the fact that we serve superb quality steaks, burgers hand-made by our own butchers, Jefferies of Kingston, made with prime Scottish meat supplied by Mathers of Inverurie.

"The quality of our meat is at least as good as any of high-profile competitors and yet the ticket price of a meal reflects our determination to encourage regular dining."

The company, which has branches at Borough Market, Gloucester Road, King's Road, Mortimer Street, Notting Hill Gate, South Bank and Wigmore Street, has also recruited Emily Browne as its new PR and marketing manager.