Flying Pizza entrepreneur makes return to Leeds with £2m Mediterranean restaurant

TWO entrepreneurs are joining forces for a new £2m Mediterranean restaurant in the Leeds suburb of Weetwood.

Convive is a new concept from Martin Hicks and Martin Pickles, marking a return to Leeds for Mr Pickles, an experienced restaurateur who has returned from London, before which he owned Leeds restaurant The Flying Pizza.

He then ran the Garrick Club’s restaurants and private dining clubs in Covent Garden for five years, before moving to Langan’s Restaurants – owned by Richard Shepherd CBE and his partner, Sir Michael Caine. There he met Mr Hicks – who is now managing director of Weetwood Hall.

The pair bring a combined 60 years in the hospitality industry to their newest venture.

The new 120-cover restaurant with an al fresco dining area is set to open in February 2017 creating 25 jobs.

It will be part of the Weetwood Hall estate, owned by University of Leeds, but operate as a separate entity.

Mr Pickles manage day-to-day operations at the restaurant which aims to use ingredients from local Yorkshire farmers, and will be twinned with Mediterranean restaurants across Europe.

The profits from the Weetwood estate including Convive will be gift aided to the University of Leeds to fund important research and development projects.

Martin Pickles said: “A high-end Mediterranean restaurant is what Leeds has been crying out for and I’m delighted to be back in the city I love and delivering the most exciting restaurant Leeds will have seen in many years. Leeds has a bustling restaurant and dining culture it can be proud of and I’m thrilled to be back in the thick of the action bringing such a fantastic new dining experience to the table.

“Working with Martin Hicks and the team behind the success at Weetwood Hall coupled with my 30 years in the business mainly spent in London, is a fantastic opportunity for me personally and I’m looking forward to it immensely.

“The really great thing is that this is outside the city centre, ideally placed at Weetwood, to make it a true destination restaurant without the hassle of parking problems in the city centre. All parking will be free and the restaurant is well served by local transport networks.”

Martin Hicks added: “This is really exciting news for Leeds and I’m genuinely excited on so many levels. Firstly, the food and beverage offering will be first-class and Convive will more than meet a demand that I identified several years ago.

“The ambience will focus on a fine balance between social dining with friends or family and the alfresco dining option and fresh Mediterranean dishes.

“Secondly, the increased gift aid to the University of Leeds is a unique and very positive gesture that benefits the University, its students and the city as a whole, I’m not aware of any other commercial restaurant that operates in this way. And finally, I’m simply excited about the prospect of working with an old friend.”