Seafood Shack chain to open first site in Cardiff
A new chain of American-inspired seafood restaurants is to launch its first site in Cardiff next month.
Seafood Shack will launch on 10 May in the city's castle quarter at 5a High Street. The concept has been created by headed by Irish entrepreneur, Darryl Kavanagh.
Kavanagh has more than 22 years' experience in the hospitality industry, having started working at the family-run bar, Muldoon's in Waterford, Ireland, in 1994, which was sold for €10m (£8.5m) more than 10 years ago. He has also previously owned Harveys bar in Waterford, and food and drink emporium Mantra in County Kildare.
Based on the surf shacks found in Florida and California, Seafood Shack will serve fresh seafood from an open theatre kitchen to a 200-cover, nautical-themed restaurant. It will feature a ground floor, 150-cover ‘Shanty Tavern' bar, a first-floor oyster and Champagne bar, and a self-serve salad bar. It will also feature a Victorian-style fish & chip bar, which will serve the majority of the main restaurant's dishes as a take-out option and delivery. 360 International is overseeing the design of the venue.
Seafood Shack confirmed it will aim to replicate the first restaurant in every city and is actively looking for premises.
Dishes will include jumbo crab claws, scallops, prawns, clams, mussels, langoustines and fishcakes. There will also be a selection of burgers, 10oz tomahawk steaks and free-range chicken. The drinks list will feature more than 100 wines, cocktails, craft beers and a range of whiskies, gins and Champagnes.
The brand is looking to open sites in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Solihull, Derby, Bath and Bristol.
Kavanagh said: "The challenge to this is creating an opulent yet traditional and accessible atmosphere. We're extremely excited to be coming to the UK and we're seeing an overwhelming response via social media for requests to our opening events."
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