New bar/restaurant brand opens at Leeds' £400m Kirkstall Forge development

A new bar/restaurant has opened at the £400m Kirkstall Forge development in Leeds

The new venture, called ‘Butlers’ after the site’s former owners, will be operated by newly established contract catering firm, Eat & Best.

The launch of Butlers has created three full-time and eight part-time jobs.

Located within the Number One Kirkstall Forge building, Butlers will serve the 1,000 employees within the first office development, rail users, visitors as well as the future residential community.

Butlers will operate as a deli and restaurant during the day and a bar concept in the evening.

Chef Richard Walton-Allen (ex-Harvey Nichols and the Create Foundation and chef consultant) and Mark Dawson (group executive head chef) have acted as consultants on the project and designed menus for both food in the deli restaurant and a range of items to go, including a range of low carb, high-energy items.

There will also be a Click and Collect facility for the Butler’s restaurant ​and hospitality menu and dry cleaning for residents and office workers.

Matt Jones, Eat & Best director, said: “The hospitality market is constantly changing and in recognition of this Dine has backed a new team at Eat & Best to run the new business at Kirkstall Forge and represent CEG’s vision for the site.

“We are delighted to have agreed terms on the new facilities for Butlers and look forward to playing our part in building the community in this exciting new space.”

Paul Richardson, investment manager at CEG, added: “We could have filled the concession for Butlers many times over with the national chains but we wanted a strong independent food offer that was equally distinctive and trend setting as the site itself.

“Dine has a strong Leeds pedigree and worked closely with us to create something very different for the community to enjoy day and night.”

CEG is leading the development of the 57-acre Kirkstall Forge scheme, which is connected to Leeds city centre in six minutes by a new purpose-built railway station. When complete, the site will be a mixed-use, contemporary urban village of 1,050 new homes, 300,000 sq ft of offices and 100,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and community space.