Nineteen62 opened last month in Livingston at the Livingston Designer Outlet and is another addition to David Stein’s increasing portfolio. As well as an award-winning family butchers, David also owns Cafebar1912 in Bathgate and Cafebar 1807 Linlithgow.
David told DRAM, “15 years ago we originally tried to secure this site to open a butchery and restaurant, however we were beaten to the post by Prezzo. The second part of the journey started four years ago when I was approached by Livingston Designer Outet to see if we were still interested, however Prezzo once again decided to keep the site. The centre management liked what we were proposing and in 2022 offered us an alternative unit but it didn’t have an outside area, so it just wasn’t for us.
“When this unit did become available again, we knew it was the one. However, we had just signed our side of the missives when the owners of the centre decided to sell the whole centre – so things stalled again.
“However the new owners, Global Mutual, visited our other outlets and liked what they saw and since then they have been incredibly supportive.
“They have allowed an independent operator the opportunity to take a prime site which shows a boldness as shopping centres owners and management teams tend to go with national multiple operators. For me, this is such a positive story and strangely enough the lady who had to tell me 15 years ago that I couldn’t get the unit was the same lady who shook my hand on the deal last year!
“I’m indebted to the centre management team here and the faith they have had in us. However that did mean we needed to fit out this restaurant and bar to the standard of a national multiple.
“We have done a lot of the fit out ourselves and have had a lot of compliments from customers. The design is very on brand for us, but without being completely the same. It’s got a semi-industrial feel, that is robust and with steam punk influences.”
David adds, “Our first few weeks have been insane, we haven’t stopped. Watching the people come in and their reaction has been great. They have said they love it and think it’s just what Livingston needs – and fingers crossed it is just what Livingston needs. There is big investment here and we need a high turnover, but I believe we have a good deal.”
Nineteen62 is certainly a great addition to the local area and has an all-day menu which runs from 10am. David says, “You can get a steak first thing in the morning and a breakfast last thing at night. Our food is casual dining with a bit of flair. We move into different periods of the day seamlessly by just changing the lights and music.”
Talking of music, that will play a big part in the offering at the new venue. David adds, “We’re also putting on a lot of live music and will have sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings as well as a Sunday morning and afternoon session. This is a great opportunity for people to bring children along as I’m a great believer that kids should be exposed to live music as it can really inspire them. Our Sunday sessions are already 
legendary in Bathgate. We are not just family friendly though, we are also dog friendly in our outside area as well!”
Its outside area is certainly something to shout about and features four 8-man dining pods that allow diners to be protected from the elements. David says, “We have designed this outside area to be functional and operate all year round with as much cover as possible. It has an Alpine feel in order to survive the Scottish winter with fire pits and patio heaters. There is also an outside bar area where we have installed Bottoms Up beer fonts, so you have a perfect pint in 8 seconds!”
David concludes, “We wanted to bring a little bit of city chic to the sticks, and I think that’s what we’ve done here. The number of opportunities we have been offered since opening up has been frightening. However, we’re letting things settle first but I’d love to see some more expansion in the future. That’s exactly where we want to go, and I certainly enjoy creating something new!”