TWELVE restaurants have been confirmed for the new and improved Grade II listed Corn Exchange - which is currently undergoing a £30m renovation and is due to open in by the end of June 2015.
"Plans are still in place to open a four star, boutique hotel with between 80 to 100 rooms on the upper floors. We're currently in talks with three quality hotel operators about the site."
Confidential revealed last month that the London-based Mexican restaurant, Wahaca (by MasterChef winner and Guardian food writer Thomasina Miers) were eyeing up a unit in the development - read here.
Wahaca have now been confirmed as one of Corn Exchange's flagship tenants alongside more first-time operators for the city.
Vapiano - A German 'fresh and casual' Italian franchise with restaurants in London, Australia, the United States and across Europe - have also been confirmed.
“We have had many guests visiting us in London request that we open in Manchester," said Phil Sermon, UK and US Managing Director of Vapiano, "which makes it even more exciting to be opening in one of our favourite cities and in such a fantastic development."
Corn Exchange currently
Corn Exchange plans
Another first for Manchester is Pho, a Vietnamese street food restaurant with operations in Leeds, Brighton and multiple restaurants across London.
More new concepts for Manchester include Cabana, a Brasilian BBQ restaurant, casual dining and drinking lounge The Cosy Club, and Banyan Bar & Kitchen - which has operations in York and Harrogate.
Individual Restaurants - the group behind Piccolino, The Restaurant Bar & Grill, Zinc and the Bank pub - are set to open a brand new and exclusive concept in the new Corn Exchange called Eclectic Grill.
Joining these newcomers to the Manchester dining scene will be the city's second Byron Burger, former Corn Exchange residents and Manchester stalwarts Tampopo and Salvi's, alongside the other two former Corn Exchange chain restaurants, Pizza Express and Zizzi Ristorante.
Five of the Corn Exchange's previous external restaurants - Eclectic Grill (formerly Zinc), Tampopo, Salvi's, Pizza Express and Zizzi's - will take up their former positions facing out onto Exchange Square. Although Salvi's - which recently opened a hugely successful second restaurant on John Dalton Street - will expand to nearly three times the size under new plans.
According to owners Aviva Investors and developers Queensberry Real Estate, although twelve units have already been snapped up, there are one or two units still up for grabs.
"It depends on how many floors each restaurant will occupy," Development Director Jon Munce told Confidential during a tour of the site. "The new layout includes three levels: the lower ground floor, the ground floor and the upper level.
"Some restaurants may occupy two levels, some may even occupy all three levels. We haven't finalised the details yet but we potentially have room for one or two more operators to come in."
Corn Exchange
Jon Munce
Munce told us that the building's new layout would mean that all restaurants, regardless of position, should boast great views.
"All of the restaurants will have fantastic views either looking out along the building's three sides or looking into the building's beautiful domed atrium," Munce continued. "Some of the restaurants will have seating spilling out into the centre of the building or up on upper floor terraces - so you'll have that outdoor eating experience but with this glorious roof over your head.
"We're also improving the pathways out onto Exchange Square, down Fennel Street on Cathedral Gardens and down Cathedral Street, allowing some of the exterior restaurants to have outdoor seating to be enjoyed in the warmer months.
"We're looking to put some seating out onto the grass of Cathedral Gardens and turn this whole corner of the city into a much more social and public space."
One of the many reasons the Corn Exchange failed as a shopping centre following the building's post-IRA bomb conversion was lack of footfall. According to Munce, they're on top of this issue.
"We're going to create a passageway through the building," he told us. "The positioning of the entrances means that we'll have people passing through from Victoria Station into the the city and vice versa. Hopefully this means commuters will stop for a coffee and a pastry on their way to work or for a drink and a bite to eat on their way home."
Corn Exchange renovation
And what of the planned boutique hotel for the top level of the new Corn Exchange?
"Plans are still in place to open a four star, boutique hotel with between 80 to 100 rooms on the upper floors," said Munce. "We're currently in talks with three quality hotel operators about the site, but that's phase two of the development. Phase one is about getting the restaurants ready for a June 2015 opening."
Simon Green from owners Aviva Property Investors Trust said:
“Manchester Corn Exchange, has a rich commercial heritage and this planned development will build on this, ensuring Corn Exchange plays a vital future role in the commercial heart of the city.
"The redevelopment means a brand new offer for the city centre that is focused on great restaurants that simply aren’t available in Manchester currently, providing an environment where the best regional and independent food outlets can flourish in this incredible building – a gastronomic exchange.”
The Corn Exchange is due to open to the public by the end of June 2015.
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