Exclusive
By Scott Wright
THE chief executive of hospitality giant TGI Fridays UK has revealed the company is looking to roll out its new 63rd + 1st brand to Edinburgh and Aberdeen, after the first Scottish outlet trading under the brand opened its doors in Glasgow.
And Robert Cook, who formerly ran the Malmaison and One Devonshire Gardens hotels in Glasgow, dismissed concerns about the state of the city ahead of COP26, declaring the decision by TGI to open a 63rd + 1st on Bothwell Street was a “longer-term play”.
The venue, named after the location of TGI’s first restaurant in New York which opened in 1965, became just the second 63rd + 1st in the UK – after Cobham – when it launched on the site of the former Gusto restaurant earlier this month.
Mr Cook said the decision to bring the cocktail-led bar and restaurant to Glasgow had been driven by the long-standing popularity of TGI Fridays north of the Border.
There are four TGI Fridays in Glasgow, including a store that has been a fixture on Buchanan Street since 1993.
Mr Cook told The Herald: “I know Glasgow well, having run Malmaison and One Devonshire Gardens, and know how strong it was for us in those days, and the right site came along. Bothwell Street is a strong site. It was a great-looking site and a good deal could be struck there.”
He added: “Our intention was always to bring 63rd + 1st to the large university cities around the UK, and Glasgow is one of those. Knowing the city well, how we have traded there in the past and how we do there with Fridays, when this site came up it was one we wanted to get our hands on very quickly.”
READ MORE: American dining giant to bring new brand to Glasgow
And the company is keen to build the presence of the brand elsewhere in Scotland. “We are eager to get something in Edinburgh, and we are eager to get something in Aberdeen,” Mr Cook said. “They are two cites we already trade in with Fridays and we know the strength of those cities.
“I’m an Aberdonian myself. We certainly had a very successful business up there in my old role, so we would like to be in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen in short order.”
Plans by the UK franchise of the American-themed TGI Fridays, which is owned by private equity firm Electra, to open in Glasgow were first revealed by The Herald in February, when it emerged the company had secured the leasehold just eight weeks after it was put on the market by the landlord. The marketing campaign was handled by licensed trade property specialist CDLH.
However, 63rd + 1st is finding its way as Glasgow city centre continues to feel the effects of the pandemic, with footfall still to recover as people continue to work from home. Concern has been raised over the general condition of the city centre, notably in the context of the COP26 climate change summit, which will take place in the coming weeks.
Asked if TGI had any concerns about opening in Glasgow against this backdrop, Mr Cook said: “As every day goes by, a new challenge comes because of the whiplash of Covid, whether it be supply chain or people or offices getting back to work.
“It is a longer-term play. We believe that the offices will come back into play.”
READ MORE: Scott Wright: No help from Boris Johnson and co as Glasgow hotels battle to cope with COP26
Mr Cook added: “Glasgow city centre is a hubbub of activity, both commercially and as a destination for eating out, so I think it is just a matter of time until it comes back. We just have to play the patient game.”
Moreover, while the build-up to COP26 has been marred by speculation over strike action across different sectors and criticism of the event’s organisation, Mr Cook believes the city will “hugely benefit” from hosting the summit.
He said: “That focus of the world on Glasgow for the time that it is on is going to be great. I know that hotel occupancy is strong across the whole central belt [and] I am including Edinburgh for this, therefore there will be a volume of people who want to eat out. We’re here and waiting for that.”
He added: “I think it is great for Scotland, I think it is great for Glasgow. To have the world’s focus on us for that length of time is only going to be good.”
Although there is currently a well-documented labour shortage across the Scottish hospitality industry, Mr Cook said the company had “very quickly” found all the 40 staff it needed for 63rd + 1st in Glasgow, adding that it had received more than 100 applications since opening.
However, he supports calls in the hospitality trade for the introduction of temporary visas to allow people from the European Union to fill posts and ease the staff shortage.
The company has faced some supply chain disruption which it has been adapting to by stockpiling some goods. Some “niche” drinks products and Champagne have been taking longer to arrive, Mr Cook said.
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