Caribbean restaurant cooks up a storm with York opening

Turtle Bay, the caribbean restaurant and bar brand, has opened in York after the food chain leased some 10,000 sq ft of space on Little Stonegate, from Yorkshire property company Rushbond Plc.

Turtle Bay has made a £800k investment in transforming the property at 11 Little Stonegate to create a 130 cover restaurant with a state-of-the-art kitchen and a six sided central cocktail bar.

The chain has signed a 25-year lease covering the whole of the building following the marketing of the opportunity by Pudney Shuttleworth.

Turtle Bay currently operates 22 restaurants nationwide and is set to expand further into Yorkshire, with the recent opening of a Huddersfield restaurant and future plans to open in Leeds and Sheffield later this year.

Richard Baker of Rushbond, said: “Turtle Bay is a unique concept that has enjoyed huge success in other parts of the UK. We are delighted to be able to facilitate the opening of the company’s first York restaurant, creating some 60 jobs in the process. The venue looks superb and there’s no doubt it will be a welcome addition to York’s vibrant leisure market which is evolving quickly with a number of notable new openings.

“The fact that so many national leisure operators are choosing to invest in York demonstrates just how popular the City is - this sentiment and level of confidence is being felt throughout the wider property market in York. It reinforces Rushbond’s commitment to York and our decision to develop what we consider to be North of England’s finest residential scheme at St Leonard’s Place – a scheme which is proving extremely popular with buyers looking for a truly unique home in a very special location.”

Ajith Jayawickrema, Turtle Bay’s founder, added: “When we decided to expand into Yorkshire, York was an obvious location. The city has a huge tourist market, a thriving student population and discerning local residents who appreciate venues that stand out from the crowd. We’ve been able to create an amazing restaurant and bar in this building which looks absolutely fantastic. It is the perfect place for people to enjoy wonderful food and have a great time, which made it the ideal location for us.”