Red's True Barbecue to open Sheffield site as expansion drive continues

Restaurant group Red's True Barbecue is to open a site in Sheffield April, taking over a former Cafe Rouge.

Its seventh site, on Ecclesall Road in Sheffield, will feature 130 covers set over two floors and a stage area to host live music. Some £900,000 has been earmarked for the site's redevelopment.

In December Red's True Barbecue secured a £9m investment deal with the aim of opening 8-10 more smokehouses over the next two years. It was the second such investment in 2015, after the group secured £5m in May before opening its Liverpool site.

Last year it also secured the services of a number of experienced restaurateurs as non executive board members to help inform its growth, including Brandon Stephens (Tortilla), Stephen Wall (Pho) and Aarish Patel, and retail entrepreneur Sunny Gill.

Red's True Barbecue co-founder James Douglas said: "Brand awareness in Yorkshire is extremely strong. We're regularly asked on social to open in Sheffield so it was just a matter of finding the right location. Ecclesall Road is perfect; a great mix of local and national operators as neighbours, some fantastic bars and pubs and a thriving local community made up of young professionals, families and students.

"This is a great start to 2016 and reinforces the strength of the brand in the north. The rest of the year will see Red's spread the gospel far and wide across the UK, establishing us a true national brand."

He added that Sheffield was the first of at least four sites to open this year.