The Charnwood Pub Company, which owns the venue, intends to make a ‘major change’, turning the venue from a local pub to the renamed restaurant.
Barbecue restaurants have been seeing a recent popularity in large cities such as London and Manchester, and it appears the trend is reaching other areas of the country as well.
The revamped BBQs & Brews will feature an open grill and an outdoor dining area as well as the bar, and will serve food from 10am to 11pm.
Low and slow
The new restaurant aims to follow the ‘low and slow’ barbecue concept. The chefs will slow cook their meat for up to 18 hours in smokers that have been imported from America. BBQs & Brews also intends to source its meat and fresh produce locally and cook everything to order.
Charnwood aims to create a ‘fun’ and ‘family-friendly’ atmosphere, where customers can watch the chefs as they smoke the meat in the open kitchen. It will be the first of the Group’s ‘low and slow’ restaurants.
BBQs & Brews will also see the American theme continuing through drinks at the bar, where it will sell American craft beers and bourbons. However English cask ales and local craft cider will also be available.
International head judge and board member of the World Barbecue Association Jeremy Fowler commented on the new opening: “Where better to launch the concept of real barbecue than in the home of one of Britain’s finest herds? Hertfordshire beef has been synonymous with quality for decades and so it seemed logical to take the concept forward from a strong foundation.”
The barbecue trend
BigHospitality has reported on a number of new barbecue restaurants opening across the country recently, and predicted it would be a hot trend in 2014.
Restaurants such as Cabana, Red’s True BBQ and Porky’s BBQ have all opened additional barbecue restaurants in addition to their existing sites, while new concepts such as Bo Drake and Dub Jam have opened their first restaurants.