A second Chop House bar & butchery opened last month at ‘The Arches’ on Edinburgh’s East Market Street. The new Chop House, owned by the Compass Group, offers a casual dining experience with a focus on ‘Best of British’ steak and innovative cocktails.The group also operates Edinburgh venues Monteiths, Sygn and The WestRoom. Mark Fraser, md, commented, “The new site is a fantastic continuation of the Chop House brand – staying true to the look and feel of the original whilst expressing its own character and style. We’re very proud of our Market Street offering and are delighted to be part of the regeneration of this area.”
The Crieff Hydro hotel group has bought two hotels on the west coast of Scotland – the Isles of Glencoe Hotel and the Ballachulish Hotel. The hotel group has been managing the two businesses for the last two years. Crieff Hydro chief executive Stephen Leckie said, “These two hotels complement the existing collection we own. Their family-feel, great locations, access to beautiful scenery and warm homely feeling just make them a perfect fit. We have proven so far that with local management and involving people who are passionate about Scotland in the business, they can be a great success. We look forward to seeing these businesses continue to grow.”
Michael Bergson has opened his third restaurant in the shape of Bucks which is located in the basement at 111 West Regent Street, Glasgow. The new bar and restaurant, which follows on from his Soho and Little Soho offering, is not serving pizza, but is going down the chicken route specialising in buttermilk-fried chicken, bourbon with rock ‘n’ roll thrown in too.
DRAM revealed that The Kelvin Bar and Birdtree & Bellfish was set to open a couple of months ago, and it did indeed open at the end of August. Adjacent to, and owned by, the same people behind The Lorne Hotel, the Birdtree & Bellfish is pitching itself as a Glaswegian restaurant as opposed to a Scottish restaurant. It offers dishes as cheesy beanos, Irn-Bru fish and chips and chicken stovies.
Inverness pub The Tooth & Claw is the winner of the PRS for Music’s national Music Makeover competition. Owners James Carr and Paulina Matuszak took home a £10,000 prize to revamp their pub into a live music haven for the region. With PRS for Music’s support, The Tooth & Claw is now vying for the title of best live music venue in the Highlands. PRS for Music launched the annual Music Makeover competition six years ago to showcase and raise awareness of how important music is to local businesses..
Gretna Green Ltd, the company owned by the Houston family, has bought the 97-bedroom Gretna Hall Hotel. Company executive chairman Alasdair Houston said, “Gretna Hall joining our family of businesses allows us to continue our work of strengthening ‘Destination Gretna Green’ for locals and visitors alike.”
The Houston family already own the World Famous Blacksmith Shop and adjoining visitor and retail attractions, the four-star Smiths at Gretna Green boutique hotel and hotel, Greens of Gretna.
