Blacklock aims for B Corp status as it confirms Covent Garden opening
The London-based chop specialist will launch beneath Bedford Street in February 2022, in a building that used to house the King’s Coachmakers.
With 110 covers, it will be the group’s biggest site to date, and will see new, lesser-known cuts of meat hitting the menu for the first time, including Denver and tri-tip steaks.
BigHospitality first revealed back in late 2019 that Blacklock, which was named Best New Scalable Concept at Restaurant magazine's R200 Awards in 2017, was intending to open in Covent Garden, but the plans were delayed as a result of the pandemic.
Known for its hearty portions and good value chops and meat dishes, Blacklock was founded by Gordon Ker and opened its first site on Great Windmill Street in Soho in 2015.
A second restaurant, Blacklock City, opened in 2017; and Blacklock Shoreditch on Rivington Street in Shoreditch opened its doors in 2018.
”It’s been a rough two years for everybody and so, over three years since we last opened a Blacklock, we are bubbling over with excitement to be looking forward, growing again and opening our fourth restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden and, in particular, creating fantastic new opportunities for our brilliant and loyal teams as well as introducing never-before-seen dishes to the menu for our guests,” says Ker.
“We cannot wait to open and become part of the local area, home to so many other fantastic restaurants, theatres and history."
The opening of the Covent Garden restaurant will coincide with the launch of Blacklock’s plan to achieve B Corp status.
Certified B Corporations are for-profit companies that use the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
Assessment criteria for B Corp status includes the measure of a company’s performance in five categories: governance, workers, customers, community and the environment, and is one of the only certifications that is not for a product or a service but for the whole business.
In line with the brand’s sustainability ethos, Blacklock’s ‘Planet Promise’ sees a tree planted for every customer that dines with them – an initiative launched during lockdown that has so far seen more than 125,000 trees planted, according to the group.
