Filmore & Union to expand number of sites and sizes of menus following investment

The brand has two more sites lined up, in Jesmond and Newcastle, with five or six expected to open next year, BigHospitality’s sister site MCA has reported.

Founder Adele Carnell told MCA the Jesmond café would be an all-day café, while the Newcastle city centre site would be an all-day restaurant. The company is also expanding the menus across its 14 other sites to provide extensive ‘health inspired neighbourhood dining’ dishes.

Carnell said following the investment from BGF in September, the business was investing in its production kitchen and working on its evening offer.

“We are raising the bar with our food,” said Carnell. “We want to be at the cutting edge of evening dining and bring something completely different to the north of England. It’s very eclectic food, with a lot of unusual ingredients, but with nice Yorkshire portions.”

Menu items for the restaurants’ evening offers include the likes of confit duck with kaffir lime daikon roll, dulse, charcoal popcorn and mango salad; vegan walnut pate with kumquat marmalade, beetroot crackers and verjus pickled radish; lavender crumb queen scallops, crab blinis, nori crisp and mango fennel dressing; and Jerusalem artichoke and nori crisps.

The investment has also been used to invest in back office functions as well as staff development in preparation for further expansion, said Carnell.

“Next year I reckon we will open five to six sites. By the end of this year we will have 15, and then we will probably have 20 or 21 by this time next year.”

The brand already operates sites in York, Harrogate, Beverley, Wetherby, Moortown, Skiption, Ilkley and Redbrick.