New restaurant to serve careers and meals

A new restaurant in Coventry will be serving careers as well as meals with the aim of changing the lives of young people.

Metropolis is set to be launched on June 17 in the city centre.

PET-Xi Restaurants will be taking over the former Drapers Bar, giving it a 1920s Art Deco makeover and operating it as a training ground for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).

For this year, the aim is to have 100 young people begin their journeys and turn their lives around and move from NEET into the hospitality industry, and the team is currently recruiting for the first team members who will begin in June when the restaurant opens its doors.

Head chef for Metropolis will be Sean Woodall who is experienced in training and working with young people and is looking forward to being a mentor passing on his experience with young people as he has benefitted from a similar journey himself.

Also joining the team as general manager is Kate Maguire from Holiday Inn.

They are joined by an experienced management team comprising Fleur Sexton and Dave Lewis of training company PET-Xi.

Fleur Sexton, managing director of PET-Xi, said: “We are extremely excited to be announcing Metropolis and everything that it represents for the city.

“Our aim is for the restaurant to be a real destination with the city, as well as be an excellent restaurant that has the benefit of being a training ground for young people who may be in time of help, guidance and training.

“Metropolis will provide a life-affirming opportunity for unqualified young people not in education, employment or training to gain qualifications, experience and turn their lives around.

“It is part of the commitment to bring people and life back to the city post Covid and is based on the 2021 City of Culture Coventry Moves initiative, focusing on the journeys which begin in Coventry.”

As well as PET-Xi providing training, the team will also be working with WCG to provide teaching opportunities as well.

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, said: “This is a very exciting project that will be helping to change the lives of young people in the region and we are delighted to be supporting it.

“We have invested significantly in recent years to expand our hospitality provision with the launch of our Professional Cookery course at Rugby College and the planned opening our new on-site restaurant ‘Courses’ later this year.

“It is crucial that we are able to bring through the next generation of skilled hospitality professionals to help rebuild the industry following the pandemic, and projects like this will be essential to doing just that.”

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