Speaking at the launch of the debut Koffmann and Mr White’s English and French Brasserie at Bath’s Abbey Hotel, chief executive of Black & White Nick Taplin said that locations such as Oxford, Cambridge, York and Edinburgh could also work for the new French-English bistro concept.
Abbey Hotel, which has bought and will operate the restaurant franchise, has a one-year exclusivity deal on the concept, but following that it could be rolled out.
“Koffmann and Mr White’s is a great brand for cities like Bath,” said Taplin. “Bath has a mix of tourists and locals, and obviously quite affluent, but people want a good time and value for money.”
“Places like Cambridge, Oxford, York, Edinburgh – there’s a lot of paces this could work. Though with a brand like this, you wouldn’t put it anywhere - you want it to be special.”
Explaining the creation of the concept, he added: “Marco wanted to do something special, not just another chain restaurant, but something a little bit more bespoke.
“We thought it would be nice for him to work with Pierre again, and talked through how to do a collaboration, how you mix English and French, how you mix six Michelin stars.
“To see them together again is magical. It’s not all been plain sailing – you’ve got two sets of ideas, and they’re not always in the same room together. But it’s been interesting and incredibly creative.”
The restaurant, which serves classic French and British dishes, operates with “expert input” from Koffmann and Pierre White, according to Josh Watts, general manager at Abbey Hotel. “We are lucky to be working with such culinary giants.”
Taplin also said the group was also keen to explore further opportunities with fish and chips, ahead of the launch of a Wheeler’s spin-off at the Dover Marina Hotel.
Wheeler’s Fish and Chip shop, a variation on the Wheeler’s format, comes in alongside MPW’s Chophouse at the Best Western hotel, and was made in consultation with Garry Rosser, chef-patron at Bath’s The Scallop Shell restaurant, and friend of Pierre White.
“It’s a great British dish, everyone likes fish and chips,” said Taplin.
“It could be in hotels, or high streets. In Dover we know the owner, it’s right on the seafront, its Victorian – the perfect location for our first chippie.
“What Garry doesn’t know about fish isn’t worth knowing.”
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