SBG Restaurants to revamp and rename Livebait restaurants

The company, set up by Richard Muir and William Rollason last year, snapped up Livebaits in Manchester and Leeds from administrators acting for the Paramount Restaurants group in November and January respectively, and has been running them as going concerns since with just a few minor changes.

However, Muir told BigHospitality the company would change the names of the restaurants soon to reflect the new focus of the menu and therefore make the concept more attractive to a wider customer base.

He said: "We haven't decided exactly what the Livebait name will be changed to yet, but it will be along the lines of the 'shellfish bar and grill'. There's a real resurgence in interest in steak in Manchester in particular and we recognise very clearly that not everybody likes fish, so if there's a good quality steak offer and some vegetarian dishes being served in our restaurants too, we're going to broaden our appeal."

A new name is expected to be revealed following the refurbishment of the Manchester site. It will close on Good Friday for work to start. The Leeds site will undergo a makeover in August and is expected to feature a Champagne and shellfish bar alongside the main restaurant.

Livebait​

The name changes at Livebaits in Manchester and Leeds could signal the end of the Livebait brand. Four sites were put up for sale when Paramount went into administration and hamburger chain Byron announced last week it had bought Livebait in Waterloo.

Muir confirmed SBG had not bought the final Livebait site in Covent Garden, but was looking for sites in both London and Glasgow for his new concept.

"We're looking all the time. A number of agencies are working for us and we're hoping to announce something in the next two months," he said.

New menus and wine lists​

Dave Spanner, who has worked with Muir at his Cafe Fish restaurant in Edinburgh, was appointed executive chef of the group following the Manchester purchase and has been working with the restaurants' head chefs on developing new menus since. A new a la carte menu was introduced in Manchester yesterday and will go into the Leeds restaurant tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the wine list has also been revamped with 'sensible' pricing in mind. The list starts at £16 and 50 per cent of those listed are between £16 and £25, which Muir believes underlines the group's value for money ethos.

"You have to price things right for your market and in Manchester and Leeds we are looking to demonstrate value for money, so our wine list is built to reflect that," he said.