Member Article

York building inspires £1m bar and restaurant investment

Martin Wolstencroft, managing director of Arc Inspirations LLP, the Leeds-based company which owns eight bars in Yorkshire, has announced his newest venture, Banyan York.

The York location is the second Banyan bar serving food in the Arc Inspirations’ portfolio and follows the success of the Banyan Bar & Kitchen in Harrogate.

With an investment of £1m in the construction and refurbishment of the 161-year-old chapel on Little Stonegate in the centre of York, Banyan York is set to launch later this month.

Arc Inspirations are currently recruiting for 50 new jobs to fill their full staff requirement at all levels, including managers and supervisors, serving and kitchen staff.

Executive head chef John Richold will lead on the food and will bring with him experience gained at Banyan in Harrogate.

With 212 covers, Banyan York will offer food from breakfast to early evening and its ethos of using seasonal ingredients and local suppliers wherever possible will hold true in York as it does at its Leeds and Harrogate locations.

Plans were given the go ahead by the City of York Council in December 2012 and work has been ongoing since then.

Martin Wolstencroft said: ’With some seven million visitors to the city each year, its responsive resident and business community, and existing lively nightlife, we recognised that the city could provide us with a terrific opportunity for one of our award winning Arc Inspirations venues.“

In March this year, Wolstencroft was included in the Bar Magazine’s Top 50, a list of the most influential bar owners in the North of the country by one of the leading hospitality publications.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .