As revealed by the Publican's Morning Advertiser sister titleM&C Report, the group secured the Bar Battu unit in the City from Simon Binder in an off-market deal and expects to re-open the site in October.
It is partnering with restaurateur Ossie Gray, formerly of the River Café, to launch a food offer at the site, which will feature tapas-style dishes with a European flavour. It is thought the group will evaluate how the food offer goes before looking to add it to other selected sites.
Steve Locke, director, said: “We are looking forward to partnering with Ossie Gray and his team as his simple, high-quality cuisine will be the ideal accompaniment to what we do.”
Be At One is investing c£650k transforming the former Bar Battu restaurant, which will include a total refurbishment of the downstairs bar, together with the addition of a new bar in the upstairs area, making it ideal for private parties.
Last year, private equity group Piper took a significant minority stake in Be At One, investing £8m in the business, which valued it close to £20m.
The investment is set to aid a rollout of the brand towards an estate of around 30 sites, with a number of sites already in the group’s pipeline.
The business was founded in 1998 by three former TGI Friday’s bar staff Locke, Rhys Oldfield and Leigh Miller.