Vapiano secures former nightclub for third London restaurant

The venture capital-backed firm is planning to spend £2.5m redeveloping the former Profile nightclub and restaurant on Wardour Street ahead of a planned opening in December.

Big sites​

Phil Sermon, who was appointed the UK managing director by Mayfair, the company’s backers, last year,​ told BigHospitality he was looking to continue Vapiano’s UK expansion by finding sites of a similar size or larger.

“We want big sites, we would like this one to be bigger,” he said. “However it is big enough and it will be a beautiful store.”

Wardour Street will feature a 7,000sq.ft dining area with room for 250 covers.

Expansion​

Vapiano, which was founded in Hamburg in 2002, currently operates two UK sites on Great Portland Street and in Bankside. Last year Sermon revealed the company was making the UK the ‘number one priority'.

“It is not necessarily a one-at-a-time expansion,” he explained today. “We have funding in place for more so if the right opportunity comes up tomorrow we are ready to go for that.

Sermon said Wardour Street was set to kick-start a period of growth for the firm which has the financial backing to open ‘many more’ restaurants in the capital and elsewhere in the UK.

“We are looking in London but if a great opportunity came up outside London in a big city then we would consider it. London is our primary focus but not exclusively,” he told BigHospitality.

Interactivity ​

The Vapiano concept is focused on pasta, pizza and salads which are freshly prepared by chefs who interact with the diners and modify the recipes accordingly.

After Sermon gets the keys to the property a significant refurbishment programme will take place and once the restaurant opens it will feature a design more in line with the company’s recent international launches.

Vapiano operates more than 130 restaurants around the world and has recently launched in Vienna and Melbourne with new openings also planned for Stockholm and Chicago.