Sunderland restaurant owners take on new £1m project creating 25 jobs in Peterlee

A public house in Peterlee has undergone a major £1m refurbishment creating 25 new jobs for the region.

Hibib and Masoud Farrahi - the owners of Luciano’s in Sunderland - decided almost a year ago to purchase the old Oaklands Public House in Oakerside Park, in Peterlee, and undergo a huge transformation.

Habib and Masoud, the two brothers who own Luciano’s and Angelo’s in Sunderland, started looking around for a new project.

Habib found the old Oaklands building for sale, right next to a beautiful nature reserve, and quickly purchased the building.

Upon purchasing it, they decided to completely refurbish it to fit in with the surrounding area. Whilst the designs and plans were being drawn up, they rented the building for six months to the previous owners.

In January 2018, the previous owners left and the two brothers got to work on the building.

The furniture was picked by Habib and the brother’s friend and interior designer, Duncan Attle in Italy.

The garden area is still currently still under construction, however will be dog-friendly when opened.

They decided to call the new bistro, Luciano Bar and Bistro and got to work on the branding and marketing of their new restaurant with the help of Just Out Marketing.

The business has created 25 full-time equivalent local jobs to the area and is opening the doors to the public today (Friday August 31).

The owners of Luciano are said to appreciate all the support they have received from Durham County Council with the project.