Restaurant Mark Greenaway to move from No.12 Picardy Place further into Edinburgh city centre
Restaurant Mark Greenaway at No.12 Picardy Place has now closed and a lease is being finalised on the new larger premises, which will almost double the number of covers from 36 to 60 and will allow Greenaway to capitalise on Edinburgh’s lunch trade.
The move also marks a new chapter for No.12 Picardy place, which will be developing three more rooms, taking the total to 10. The upstairs cocktail bar is going to be converted into the bedrooms, and the former restaurant space will be converted into the bar.
“To move closer into the city and into a bigger premises just makes much more sense for us,” Greenaway told BigHospitality. It’s a natural progression for the restaurant and myself.
“Because of its location right in the heart of the Edinburgh, the new Restaurant Mark Greenaway will allow us to really capture the lunch trade, which the old site never really did. We’re going to stick to the same pricing structure (two course for £16.50, three courses £20), which is a great value lunch considering the level that we cook at.”
Name, menu, staff
The restaurant will sticking with the same name, the same menus and the same theming, and customers with forthcoming bookings at No.12 Picardy Place will be contacted in the coming few days to be informed of the new location.
Speaking of the timing of the move, Greenaway added: “When any chef moves his restaurant there has to be some downtime between restaurants. Unfortunately, our downtime is now. But going on last year’s figures, January wasn’t exactly quiet and to get in right before Christmas is amazing."
Having originally opened at No.12 Picardy Place in February last year, Restaurant Mark Greenaway was one of a handful of restaurants to be awarded three rosettes in January. The chef cites his appearance on Great British Menu earlier this year as one of the reasons for the restaurant’s quick success. “It’s gone from strength-to strength, helped by the media, bloggers and my appearance on Great British Menu.
Great British Menu
“A show like the Great British Menu gives you credibility within the industry. People at the moment are very cautious on where they’ll spend their money. So showing potential customers what I can do on TV gives them confidence in having a great meal.”
So, could this moving of the restaurant be the start of more things to come from Greenaway?
“It’s difficult to say,” he said. “I only ever want to expand if I can be part of it. I want to expand into this bigger restaurant, grow that to the best it can be and then who knows? Every chef needs a flagship but that’s not to say I wouldn’t do a separate brassiere or a deli in the future.”
Specific details of the location for the new Restaurant Mark Greenaway are to be released in due course. Follow us on Facebookand Twitterfor updates.
