You’ve got bold plans for Erst next year….
Will Sutton: Erst will be seven years old this March. We have grown in confidence as a team. We have some great people, and we want them to be able to express themselves. And now the team has grown Patrick, and I have more time for bigger picture stuff.
Such as?
WS: We’re in the process of making a major investment into the business. Our kitchen was fitted out on a shoestring budget and is no longer fit for purpose. We have outgrown it, and all the equipment is on its last legs.
Patrick Withington: It was also designed by me because we had no budget for a specialist. In hindsight, we should have got an expert in to do it. There are a lot of things that could be improved, not least the flow.
What will change?
PW: We’re ripping it all out and starting again. We’re moving the KP area out of the main kitchen space and installing a bigger grill, swapping gas for induction and putting in a much better combi oven and extraction system.
WS: We’re starting next Sunday (21 December). The plan is to reopen in mid January. We will miss some of the Christmas period, but Erst usually closes on Christmas Eve anyway. Christmas is a funny one for us because we’re not big on office parties and demand can be unpredictable. A lot of our Ancoats locals leave town to go and see their families.
What will the kitchen refit mean for the menu?
PW: It’s mainly about making things easier for the team, which will allow us to execute better. But a larger grill will allow us to extend our selection of grilled dishes. We’re also going to start making our own charcuterie.
What else have you got planned for Erst?
WS: We’re getting the bar redone as well. This will create more space, allowing us to ramp up productions of our homemade aperitifs and digestifs, including our vermouth which we make with surplus wine, citrus peel and herbs.
PS: A better kitchen will also allow us to make more of our outside space next summer. We haven’t been able to offer food outside before because the kitchen could not cope. We’re going to invest in some new seating, get some craft beer in and push summer a bit more.
How is business in Manchester?
WS: It’s busy. New restaurant launches like Skof and Stow have made people more enthusiastic about the scene here and started conversations about different ways of cooking and serving food in the city. There’s a nice restaurant community here now. Lots of people ask us where else to go in Manchester and the places we suggest tend to recommend us when they are asked themselves. People are coming to Manchester for the food now.
Erst remains one of the most affordable places to eat on the National Restaurant Awards list. How have you maintained such low prices?
WS: We’re committed to keeping things affordable We don’t want to become the kind of place where people only come once a year.
PW: It’s the average spend that’s key for us. It’s possible to spend £30 on a glass of wine and a couple of small plates here but people generally order a lot more than that. Our average spend per head is around £70. If that drops, we will need to look at our pricing. We may also need to raise some of our prices in April to cover the increases in National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage.
WS: To increase prices unnecessarily goes against the whole ethos of Erst.
The future of Erst was looking uncertain earlier this year…
WS: The restaurant was doing well but we were going to be dragged down by our then sister business Trove (which closed its four Manchester bakery and coffee shops this summer). Patrick and I set up Erst in 2018, but the majority of the business was owned by Marcus Saide (the founder of Trove). We worked with our accountant to buy the assets from the liquidators and set up a new limited company. Erst continued to trade throughout.
PW: The original investors that helped get Erst off the ground are still involved. It was the right thing to do to honour their shares.
