Member Article

Corbridge hotel operator invests £170k in street food venture

Northumberland hotel The Angel Inn at Corbridge has set up a mobile hospitality side arm after investing £170k in new street food vans.

Targeting corporate events and private functions across the region, the new Angel Street Food project has created three new jobs and consists of three types of street food offerings.

72 Angels & Burgers includes char-grilled burgers made from freshly ground Northumbrian beef and lamb whilst Posh Box, a converted horse box, serves bespoke coffee, crepes and cakes. Adding to the package, Moroni Pizza Shack offers freshly-made pizzas cooked in a clay oven.

The company reported that contracts have already been secured for a number of events in the coming months including Taste Tynedale, Burgham Horse Trials and Stamfordham Village Fair, as well as for several corporate and private functions.

Long-term advisor RMT Accountants and Business Advisors have worked with the Angel’s directors on all the financial and management aspects of the hotel’s latest venture.

The Angel Inn offers seven bedrooms and a self-contained apartment as well as a bar, lounge and barn restaurant, and has seen its overall turnover almost double to around £2.5m since coming under new management in 2011, with staff numbers rising to now reach 53.

Kevin Laing, managing director at the Angel Inn, said: “The Angel’s reputation for high quality food is well established and respected, and it makes sense to maximise the use we make of it by widening the range and availability of the food that we offer.

“Street Food is all about fun, and we want to over-deliver on expectations. Our aim is to provide restaurant-quality food and drink from each of our vans by using only high quality ingredients, and to ensure we differentiate ourselves fully from the levels of catering that you might ordinarily expect from most mobile facilities.

“It makes logistical sense to focus this new venture primarily on North East England, as we know the market very well and have a strong reputation on which to build, and we’ve been very pleased with the initial reaction from both existing and new customers.

“RMT’s excellent support and advice has helped us make terrific progress over the last few years, and we’re very confident that our new street food venture will take us another big step forward for us.”

Paul Gainford, commercial services director at RMT Accountants and Business Advisors, added: “The Angel management team have always taken a forward-thinking approach to developing an impressive range of services, and have created an exciting street food concept that’s unmatched in the North East in terms of both quality and range.”