Restaurant brand launches at £400m development

Matt Jones, director of Eat & Best, Emma Clarkson, CEG's estate manager at Kirkstall Forge and Paul Richardson, investment manager at CEG. 

A new bar and restaurant has opened at the flagship £400m Kirkstall Forge development in Leeds

The new venture, called Butlers after the historic site’s former owners, will be operated by newly established contract catering firm Eat & Best. The launch of Butlers has created three full-time and eight part-time jobs.

Located within the flagship Number One Kirkstall Forge building, Butlers will serve the 1,000 employees within the first office development, rail users, visitors as well as the future residential community.

It will operate as a deli and restaurant during the day and a bar concept in the evening.

Renowned chef Richard Walton-Allen, ex-Harvey Nichols and the Create Foundation and chef consultant, and Mark Dawson, group executive head chef, have acted as consultants on the project and designed menus for both food in the deli restaurant and a range of items to go, including a range of low carb, high-energy items.

It is hoped a doorstep delivery service will be introduced for residents in the future.

There will also be a Click and Collect facility for the Butler’s restaurant ​and hospitality menu and dry cleaning for residents and office workers.

Eat & Best director, Matt Jones said: “The hospitality market is constantly changing and in recognition of this Dine has backed a new team at Eat & Best to run the new business at Kirkstall Forge and represent CEG’s vision for the site. We are delighted to have agreed terms on the new facilities for Butlers and look forward to playing our part in building the community in this exciting new space.”

Paul Richardson, investment manager at CEG, said: “We could have filled the concession for Butlers many times over with the national chains but we wanted a strong independent food offer that was equally distinctive and trend setting as the site itself. Dine has a strong Leeds pedigree and worked closely with us to create something very different for the community to enjoy day and night.”

CEG is leading the development of the 57 acre Kirkstall Forge scheme, which is connected to Leeds City Centre by a new purpose-built railway station. When complete, the site will be a mixed-use, contemporary urban village of 1,050 new homes, 300,000 sq ft of offices and 100,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and community space.

With an 800-year history, Kirkstall Forge is the oldest continually industrialised site in the UK, It was founded as a monastic forge in the 13th Century, by the monks of the adjacent Kirkstall Abbey.

For six generations from 1779, the management of the forge was in the hands of Butler family. Under the Butler’s management the forge went from strength to strength, a feat which is now being recognised by the new chameleon bar/restaurant brand and the first street names on the Kirkstall Forge site.

In the nineteenth century manufacturing iron goods in greater variety began and with the development of the railways, the Butlers created an engineering arm, manufacturing railway wheel axles and wagons. With the coming of motor vehicles Kirkstall Forge fast became one of the largest manufacturers of motor axles in the country.

In 1851, Beecroft, Butler and Co of Kirkstall Forge secured an award for its engineering products at the Great Exhibition, an event held at the original Crystal Palace and spearheaded by Prince Albert.

To commemorate the Butler’s long and successful history with the site, CEG has called the main entrance road into site down to the river, ‘Butler’s Wharf’ and the loop road around the first flagship office and railway station, ‘Great Exhibition Way’.

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