Preston's restaurant community grows with new steak and seafood eatery

An entrepreneur from Preston is aiming to cook-up success in the city’s business community after launching a new restaurant.

Theatre Street Bar and Grill, a new eatery that specialises in steak and seafood dishes, is an arm of the already established Moka Café Bar and Restaurant chain. Having opened its doors in July, the restaurant has taken on six full-time members of staff.

Owner Chris Maugham, who is also the head chef, said: “With confidence in the economy on the up, people are starting to spend more on eating out again. Preston’s hospitality sector has gone [from] strength-to-strength recently so it made good business sense to invest in the new restaurant.

“Theatre Street Bar and Grill only opened at the start of July but we’re already overwhelmed with the support received so far. Hopefully, business will stay strong as more investment comes into the city and who knows, we could even open up additional eateries in the future.”

The restaurant is based in the former Moka Express site, with the property extended into an adjacent building to accommodate Theatre Street Bar and Grill.

Chris was advised by the property team of Harrison Drury, the North West-based commercial law firm, on the legal aspects of establishing the new eatery.

Owen McKenna, a director for Harrison Drury, commented: “There are many hospitality businesses in Preston that are really thriving thanks to investment in the city centre which is attracting people back into the city after hours.

“It’s always great to see entrepreneurs making their mark in the area. I wish Chris all the very best in his new business venture - I’m sure it will be a huge success.”

The Moka Café Bar and Restaurant chain has additional establishments on Fishergate, Guild Hall Street and inside Preston’s Fishergate Centre.

Speaking further, Chris said: “While it’s always a risk opening up a new business, I had peace of mind knowing that the new business and property lease were legally watertight, so I was able to focus on getting the new grill up-and-running.”