Star to invest £3.7m in 20 Newcastle refurbishments

The latest development to go on site is the Red Kite at Blaydon-on-Tyne with North East multiple operator Daryl Frankland of the Leamside Ale Company.

The refurbishment, like others across the region, is targeted at improving the pub’s food capability, furthering Star Pubs & Bars’ ambition that 50% of sales will come from food by 2020. A new kitchen will be created at the Red Kite as well as three dining areas with a total of 100 covers.

Frankland said: “As at our other pubs, all the meals will be made using fresh, locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. And, with the exception of the bread and ice cream, everything, from the chips to the sauces, will be made from scratch on the premises.

“With so much preparation involved we need pubs with larger than average kitchens and a minimum of 70 covers to recoup our kitchen overheads and the Red Kite fits the bill perfectly.

“I’ve traditionally operated freeholds but leases provide very low cost access to large businesses with potential such as the Red Kite. The investment that Star is making and the fact that I am only tied on soft drinks, beer and cider, make the lease a very attractive business proposition for me.”

The latest investment is part of a total £30m that Star is spending across its estate this year.

Chris Jowsey, Star’s trading director, said: “We have a proven track record of establishing strong food offers and driving up wet sales at the same time where we have invested in the North East this year and have further wet led pubs in strong locations that offer the same opportunity for growth. We are working with some extremely talented, established operators in the region and hope to build on these partnerships to unlock the potential the sites provide.”