Whitbread to open Bar + Block steakhouse in Newcastle
Opening on 5 December, the new restaurant follows launches in 2019 in Wimbledon, Belfast, Bristol, Winnersh and Sutton, almost doubling the number of sites under the brand in the process.
The 155-cover restaurant, located in a listed building in the city, will serve a menu focusing on steak but which will also feature grazing plates and burgers. The interior will have an open kitchen with a bar with copper detailing and reclaimed wood used in the restaurant’s design.
Launched in 2016, there are now 13 Bar + Block restaurants in Whitbread’s restaurant stable.
“This an exciting development that sees Bar + Block extend into the North East for the first time as part of our nationwide growth strategy,” says Joanna Spencer, senior brand and marketing manager at Whitbread Restaurants.
In addition, Whitbread has now rolled out kitchen automation technology across 200 of its Beefeater, Bar + Block, and Cookhouse & Pub brands as part of a bid to improve efficiency and productivity.
The company is now using ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK) technology, which is designed to reduce order wait time and improve food quality, by displaying orders and automatically allocating each section of an order to the correct chef.
“Whitbread has such iconic brands within hospitality; and we are delighted to work with them to drive consistency and brand standards across all food offerings, whilst at the same time improving the experience for customers, with increased speed of service and reduced waste,” says QSR Automations’ VP of sales, Ashley Sheppard.
