Hawksmoor announces Edinburgh opening

The 170-cover restaurant will open in the former Royal Bank of Scotland Hall, a Grade-A-listed building in St. Andrew Square.

Co-founder Will Beckett, who formed the brand with Huw Gott in 2006, said: “We’re really excited about opening Hawksmoor in Edinburgh, not just because we’ll get to spend more time in such an amazing city, but because we’re going to be able to indulge in two things we love â€" produce and working with beautiful old buildings. It’s no secret that Scotland has some of the world’s best ingredients, and we have an opportunity to bring life back to a building of national importance that’s been closed off to the public for the past ten years.”

The first Hawksmoor opened in Spitalfields in 2006. It now has six more restaurants in Mayfair, Borough Market, Guildhall, Knightsbridge, Seven Dials and Manchester as well as a Spitalfields bar.

In September last year, Hawksmoor’s owner Underdog reported a £9m pre-tax loss for the financial year ending 31 December 2016, which Beckett put down to Hawksmoor’s sister brand Foxlow having a “pretty tough time”.

But, Hawksmoor made a pre-tax profit of £4.2m - a record year for the brand. The success was credited to the business’ growing popularity and strong performances from the Knightsbridge and Manchester restaurants, which have “helped to offset the additional costs borne from the introduction of the Living Wage”.

A Hawksmoor branch is also due to open in Westfield World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, New York, at some point in the future, marking the brand’s entry to the USA. However, “progress is slow” according to owner Beckett and development has been delayed.

Hawksmoor owner Underdog in £9m pre-tax loss >>

Hawksmoor has record year, despite owner’s £9m pre-tax loss >>

Hawksmoor experiences delays with World Trade Center opening >>

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