Leeds pop up king talks gin kitchens, whiskey bars and Northern growth

Bruce Lerman, is director of Hedonist Project. Based in Leeds, the group has launched seasonal concept bars, including rum shacks, gin kitchens and whiskey bars.

Here he speaks to TheBusinessDesk.com about plans for the growth of the bar group.

What’s been the response to the Hedonist project gone so far?

The response to Hedonist Project has been amazing! The people of Leeds have really taken to the idea of a concept bar and we’re always being asked by customers what our next ‘pop-up’ will be. It’s great that everyone is taking such an interest in it.

We’re the first bar in the UK to change our concept every season and interestingly, there’s even been a buzz about it in London and other cities across the country.

Deciding to change the concept each season was a huge risk and each theme change is a mammoth task, as we usually have just 3 days to completely transform the all the decor, signage and drinks menus. It’s been a massive learning curve but one year and four concepts later I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved.

In particular, it’s really exciting seeing our customers’ reactions when we unveil each concept and hearing their opinions.

What has been your favourite concept so far?

It’s hard to choose a favourite concept as so much hard work and passion has gone into each one, but at a push I would probably say that the Gin Kitchen stood out the most for me personally.

From the internal decor, staff uniforms and drinks it felt like a great way to welcome in spring to Leeds.

It was our second concept, so we’d really started to get into our flow and the customer reaction to this pop-up was phenomenal.

What are your plans for its expansion?

As we enter our second year, we’re on the hunt for bar number two; however we are yet to find the perfect home for our next venture.

We also have some really exciting concept ideas for 2017, which remain top secret for now but we’ll be announcing details in the new year. With each project we like to push ourselves that little bit further and further. It’s important to us that each ‘pop-up’ is completely unique. Make. In fact, if a customer thinks that the bar is under totally new management then we know we’ve done our job right!

We are also now starting to build upon the other aspects of our business. We have a separate events and drinks consultancy division that has seen us work with some great brands, but really we’re only scratching the surface of what we can achieve.

What do you think of the food and drink scene in the North?

Here in Leeds the food and drink scene is expanding rapidly. I first started working in the bar industry in 2004 and it’s incredible to see how much the sector has grown in just 12 years. The investment in Trinity, Victoria Gate and Leeds Arena has been a huge and welcome catalyst within the city that has also benefitted the local independents too.

Leeds is now seen as a leading destination thanks in part to the wonderful independent bars and restaurants that make it so unique.

It will be really interesting to see how the city’s food and drink scene develops over the next few years. I think certain styles of bars and restaurants are now beginning to reach saturation point as businesses capitalise on trends, such as street food. It would be great to see more diversity and I’d like to see more bars and restaurants carving their own niche in the market and pioneering new concepts as we have done with Hedonist Project. This will really put the Leeds night time economy on the map allowing us to compete alongside cities such as Manchester and London.

As the city continues to flourish, there are so many opportunities for bar and restaurant owners in Leeds and this is something Leeds City Council are now starting to get behind and support.

I think 2017 could be a really exciting year for Leeds!

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