THE Everyman theatre is looking for a new operator for its Bistro, cafe and bar business exactly two years after opening.
It describes the move away from contract caterers Baxter Storey as “embarking on a creative process to explore options for the future”.
The theatre, which was completely rebuilt in 2014, is now looking for independent caterers and restaurateurs to get in touch, especially those who think they can “complement its artistic ambitions on stage”.
The winning bidder will get to run the bistro, foyer café, the bars and the events business, all revenue generators which are an important part of the theatre’s public funding conditions. However it has also said it will consider alternative management approaches and temporary/pop-up opportunities.
Read: AA Grill reviews the new Everyman Bistro
Everyman & Playhouse Executive Director Deborah Aydon said: “By the time the autumn season opens, we aim to have a great new model which responds to what we’ve learned over the past two years and offers something really special. We want to see what creative and business expertise might be out there to complement our theatre expertise, but do we want to keep an open mind about the operating model.”
Alongside the busy theatre programme, the Everyman is also home to a wide range of popular music, poetry, spoken word and performance nights including A Lovely Word, Liverpool Jazz Club and Deep Hedonia.
The theatre management says it is “seeking partners with creative ideas for the future of the food and drink offer that will complement its artistic ambitions on stage and create a vibrant offer that will act as a destination in its own right”.
Read: Everyman wins Stirling Prize
It adds: “The food and drink offer at the Everyman has a long history and the management remains committed to locally-sourced seasonal food and a great range of drinks, all at reasonable prices.
Since the building reopened in 2014 it has also become a popular venue for events and weddings and the Everyman have reassured patrons that events will be unaffected while they are seeking a new catering partner and that they are still taking bookings for the future.
Individuals and businesses interested in partnering with the Everyman should, in the first instance, contact Paul Smith at Montfort Catering Consultants paul@montfortconsultants.com expressing their interest by 8th April 2016.
From back story to Baxter Storey
From the 1960s onwards the original Everyman Bistro, in the basement of the first theatre building, Hope Hall, was owned and run by Dave Scott, Paddy Byrne and his brother, Tim. It won dozens of awards, was regularly listed in food and travel guides as one of the top places to eat and drink in Liverpool and its significance was once summed up by The Times as "a great cafe with a theatre attached".
Alas, unlike a Broadway flop, the Bistro was unable to close after a week
All that changed in 2011 when, in order to make way for a theatre fit for the modern world, Hope Hall was demolished. The Byrne brothers and Scott were bought out by the Everyman & Playhouse which retained the Bistro name as part of the deal.
Fast forward to the shiny new rebuilt theatre of 2014. Baxter Storey, a national contract caterer whose clients include Tottenham Hotspur FC and Seimens, were appointed to the helm of the theatre’s extensive F&B operations. However there had been local expressions of interest in the business with one local award winning restauratateur claiming that their calls had not been returned.
Above ground, the new Everyman was enjoying artistic and design plaudits galore, crowned by the Stirling Prize for architecture.
However, below stairs it was a different story. Pundits viewed the reincarnated Bistro, in particular, as a let down, and with increasing and fierce competition all along Hope Street, including Paddy Byrne's new venture, The Pen Factory, restaurant goers and drinkers voted with their feet.
Alas, unlike a Broadway flop, the Bistro was unable to close after a week.
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