New all-day food hall creates 60 jobs in south of city

A new food hall in the former Danske Bank unit on Belfast’s Lisburn Road has created 60 new jobs.

Foodies, a new concept restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, has just opened its doors following a £1.2 million investment.

The venue, which has plans to roll out to other destinations here, features four food brands including Fireaway Pizza; Loranzo Coffee; Peperi.co and Wok&Go and seats 180 people.

Located within Benmore House and a former Danske Bank unit, Foodies has been fitted out by Glenavy-based MB Contracts in a style described as a ‘mixture of modern design elements with an urban chic finish’.

With a commitment to ’speedy service and quality food’ the venue plans to take the Belfast food scene by storm with its unique se-up.

Patrick Kennedy, top right, has been appointed operations manager at the business. The former area manager for Subway NI has also operated his own food business, Wheelers in Derry.

He said: “We are delighted to finally be opening Foodies Belfast, having utilised our time to research and develop this concept to cater to the needs of the people of Belfast and beyond.

“We wanted to offer up something unique. Our new focus is on swift service without sacrificing the flavour and quality of the food on offer.

“Our customers could order a wrap, a burger or even a pizza and be presented with their order moments later. There are so many tantalising and mouth-watering choices, all under one roof.

“We’ve seen a great response. There are plans to expand the food hall concept beyond Lisburn Road and Belfast in the future. Watch this space.”

The Fireaway Pizza brand is one of the more recognisable outlets within Foodies, having recently won the Rising Star Pizza Chain of the Year at the 2021 PAPA Awards — a UK Pizza and Italian food awards event.

Fireaway is a London brand that was launched in 2016. Today it has 142 stores in Europe with around four sites in the north.

The Wok&Go brand is a noodle bar, specialising in healthy Asian-fusion noodles.