Joe Allen owners buy Café Rouge site for Mustard concept
The owners of London's Joe Allen restaurant have bought a site in Brook Green, west London, for a new concept called Mustard.
Lawrence Hartley and Tim Healy already trade three restaurants around the capital, including the famous Joe Allen venue which they acquired in 2012.
Mustard will be a ‘British Brasserie' focused on healthy British produce from breakfast through to dinner, which the pair hope to introduce to the High Street.
The site in Brook Green, once home to a branch of David Greig, a London Victorian grocery chain, was previously owned by Casual Dining Group and had traded for several years as a Cafe Rougé.
Hartley and Healy plan to refurbish the restaurant and restore some of the original features.
Hartley said: "We're very excited to be opening the first Mustard restaurant in Brook Green, Hammersmith. We believe that it's one of the most vibrant areas of London and a great home for Mustard, which is all about bringing a refreshing approach to the high street.
"Our focus is on providing a menu that everyone will enjoy with great value for money, featuring classic dining, light snacks and healthy dishes across breakfast, lunch and dinner. Combining fresh, seasonal British ingredients with our concept of all-day dining, we look forward to creating a restaurant that locals and visitors alike will enjoy and come to rely on."
Simon Chaplin, head of London licensed and leisure agency at Christie+Co, which brokered the deal, said: "With good sites still scarce in London, Lawrence and Tim saw the advantage of utilising Christie+Co to find sites ‘off market'. While operators are keen to retain sites there are still opportunities to be found and with our extensive contact list and knowledge of the key areas to target, we are delighted to have found what we hope will be the first of many sites for Mustard".