Lomond Leisure is refurbishing Kilderkin on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and will relaunch the venue as The Parliament Arms following a £170,000 investment with Star Pubs.
Work is already under way, with reopening due in mid-March. The project is expected to create around 20 jobs.
The revamp will update the exterior with new signage and lighting. Inside, the pub is being repositioned as a smarter, traditional-style venue, with Scottish gins and whiskies set to take a bigger role at the bar, supported by tastings and events with local producers. The food offer will focus on Scottish dishes ‘with a twist’ using Scotland-sourced ingredients, including seafood, venison, pies, Cullen skink and haggis.
Lomond Leisure Group director Chris Thynne said, “We enjoy partnering with Star Pubs – they’re supportive, transparent and easy to do business with. The Parliament Arms is our second refurbishment with them in the last year*. We like their collaborative approach; they listen to us and deliver what we want.”
He added: “We’re seeing strong like-for-like sales growth at our venues, giving us confidence to increase our group. We believe there’s a market for delivering great quality food, drink and hospitality. This is helped by our focus on local produce, as consumers have a new level of interest in sustainably sourced ingredients. When it comes to expansion, we’re ambitious but cautious; we’re not in any rush and won’t compromise. Location is everything for us and new sites will have to fit our business model.”
Star Pubs’ operations director for Scotland Matt Dyson said, “We want The Parliament Arms to do justice to its position close to two of Edinburgh’s most important sites. We’re delighted that Lomond Leisure Group are operating the pub; their commitment to Scottish hospitality is a perfect fit for The Parliament Arms.”
With the opening of The Parliament Arms, Lomond Leisure will operate six hospitality venues across Scotland including Gael & Grain, Van Winkle and Mharsanta in Glasgow, Kirk O’The Lochs in Tarbet and The Tolbooth Tavern in Edinburgh.