MARCO Pierre White is to headline a new restaurant in MediaCityUK.
You can understand why the Holiday Inn at MediaCityUK has done it. MPW as a 'big name' might bring in more punters to a desolate restaurant. But it says more about how MediaCityUK sees itself than anything else.
This is the press release, Confidential comment follows:
Located in the Holiday Inn, the new restaurant will be a Marco’s New York Italian. With 165 covers, the venue is expected to be open in October and will serve Marco’s take on American-Italian food.
The restaurant’s opening follows a deal between Black & White Franchising and Peel’s hotel division, Tower Hotel Management, which will run the new restaurant under a franchise agreement. Black & White Franchising has partnered with Marco Pierre White to roll-out his restaurant Steakhouse Bar & Grill and New York Italian brands across the UK.
Part of a £200,000 front of house refurbishment project, work is now under way to convert the existing restaurant and bar areas.
Visitors will be able to choose from a selection of fresh pastas, steaks, seafood, burgers and handmade pizzas while the restaurant will replicate the hustle and bustle of a classic New York Italian restaurant, appealing to those looking for a relaxed, fun place to eat that has the added attraction of having the provenance of Marco Pierre White.
Managing Director of MediaCityUK Stephen Wild said: “This announcement is great news as it not only strengthens the appeal of the hotel but will complement the steadily growing number of restaurants and bars opening here, which is establishing MediaCityUK as a go-to leisure destination.
“The presence of a Marco Pierre White restaurant will bring an exciting vibe to the mix, and will sit well with those looking to do business in a relaxed setting as well as among visitors taking in the many attractions on our doorstep.”
Nick Taplin, managing director at Black & White Franchising, said: “The idea behind this restaurant is to create an environment where people can sit and enjoy their life, where diners can have a good time and enjoy traditional Italian favourites at any time of the day.
“This new restaurant is all about providing a place where people can go for some nice food and a nice bottle of wine in a relaxed, affordable and friendly setting.”
MediaCityUK
Confidential thinks this trumpeting is a little overdone.
Marco Pierre White the brand is a long way from Marco Pierre White the chef, who in the nineties at the age of 33 became the first British born chef to win three Michelin stars.
This is MPW doing a Jamie and jumping on the Italian bandwagon while combining it with faddish Americana. It's a YAFI with knobs on. MPW may visit the kitchen on opening night but he certainly won't linger, although there will be at least five moody pictures of the man on every wall such as the one supplied above.
You can understand why the Holiday Inn at MediaCityUK has done it though. MPW as a 'big name' might bring in more punters to a very desolate restaurant. Tellingly Confidential has hundreds of pics of MediaCityUK but the Holiday Inn building is so dull we can't find a single one except as a tower in the distance.
But this news says more about how MediaCityUK sees itself than anything else.
The Dockyard pub, from Manchester-based Damson Restaurants, has transformed the area. It's brought a lively pub atmosphere to MediaCityUK while providing very good drinks and decent food. It's an independent. It has personality.
It also opens onto the main gardens at MediaCityUK, a very attractive place.
Other operators in the area such as Prezzo, another 'Italian' chain, might occupy a similar space as The Dockyard but is devoid of personality - and Wagamama is not much better.
Wouldn't it have been preferable to take the example of The Dockyard and find a good indie operator that could have boosted the distinctiveness of the area rather than go for more of the same?
People enjoy the sun outside The Dockyard
This is not to say indies are always better than chains, they aren't necessarily, they can be far worse, amateurish, lacking consistency.
But if you want a place to develop a character of its own then chains aren't the best means of achieving this, certainly if they heavily outnumber the indies.
The lesson of Spinningfields in the city centre is instructive. It started with a festival of chains followed by a massacre of chains as they quickly moved on, now there is more balance to the area and it's far more appealing for this variety.
Let's hope MPW at Holiday Inn does well, but Confidential thinks that next time MediaCityUK looks for tenants it should opt for more originality.
MediaCityUK
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