Black and White Hospitality (BWH), the management group behind the high-end restaurant chain, confirmed to LCN this month that it was no longer trading at the Park Avenue, which recently entered administration before being acquired by Bill Wolsey’s Beannchor Group.

Lamenting what he called ‘testing times’ for the restaurant industry and NI as a whole, BWH CEO and chair, Nick Taplin said:

‘We wish the new owners the best of luck with the hotel. We hope to find a new hotel site in Belfast for a franchised restaurant this year and will start to look for a new F&B [food and beverage] partner in Northern Ireland.’

Mr Taplin said that he would be looking for ‘a good quality hotelier with a 4 or 5 star hotel in or around Belfast which needs some support and focus on its food and beverage’.

‘We are also keen to continue our presence and affiliation with Northern Ireland,’ he added.

The 98-seat Marco Pierre White restaurant at the Park Avenue opened its doors to much fanfare in October, 2015, bringing 12 new jobs to the area. But just a year later, the extent of the hotel’s financial difficulties were made clear when it entered into company voluntary arrangements (CVA) with liabilities of £600,000, including a debt of £450,000 to HMRC.

That situation came to a head in September this year when the hotel went into administration before being speedily acquired by local hospitality giants, the Beannchor Group. A short time later, Beannchor’s founder, Bill Wolsey, told LCN that he hoped to be able to reveal details of his plans for the venue early in the new year.

The takeover signals an end to the long association of former Park Avenue MD, Mandy Patrick, whose family has been at the helm in the venue since it was opened in the 1950s by Lilly and Harry Stephens, Mandy’s grandparents.

BWH’s Nick Taplin said that he had been ‘deeply saddened’ to hear news of difficulties at the Park Avenue:

‘I have personally called Mandy twice and met with her and her family to offer our support,’ he said. ‘This was a family business that was close to mine and my team’s hearts.

‘Mandy and her family operated the property for 60 years and since the restaurant opened two years ago, we have had a very close relationship.

‘Marco made regular visits to the site and was always charmed by the enthusiasm and warm welcome he received not only from Mandy and her team but also the local residents and hotel guests alike.’

The Park Avenue has been a big part of local life for generations. Various extensions and refurbishments have taken place over the years. In the early 90s, around £10m was invested, creating a more compact and luxurious venue and, about 19 years ago, a major refurbishment saw all the rooms finally converted to en suite. That created a need for additional space which saw the tally of rooms at the Park Avenue drop from 76 to its current 56.

Conference facilities and a new, modern frontage were added about nine years ago and the bedrooms, bathrooms, bar and restaurant were all upgraded allowing the hotel to shift to four-star status.

In its official statement, the Beannchor Group indicated that it was currently reviewing all options and future plans for the hotel – which is no longer in administration – with the immediate objectives of preserving employment and continuing to serve customers.

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Mr Wolsey, whose Beannchor Group acquired the troubled business at the end of August, is expected to invest heavily in the family-owned property, which has been trading under a Company Voluntary Arrangement since October 2016.

‘The situation is that we have acquired the hotel and are now getting to grips with the business,’ he told LCN on Monday, adding that he hoped to be able to reveal more details about his development plans ‘possibly after Christmas’.

Built in the early 60s, the 56-bedroom property has been a major part of the thriving east Belfast community in which it sits for many years. It was, perhaps, the province’s first bespoke hotel, created in an era when most of its contemporaries were still located in what were once residential dwellings.

A new and refurbished Park Avenue was opened in 1967 following a devastating fire three years before and at that stage, only three of its bedrooms offered en suite facilities.

Various extensions and refurbishments have taken place over the years. In the early 90s, around £10m was invested, creating a more compact and luxurious venue and, about 19 years ago, a major refurbishment saw all the rooms finally converted to en suite. That created a need for additional space which saw the tally of rooms at the Park Avenue drop from 76 to its current 56.

Conference facilities and a new, modern frontage were added about nine years ago and the bedrooms, bathrooms, bar and restaurant were all upgraded allowing the hotel to shift to four-star status.

Twelve new jobs were created at the hotel four years ago when critically-acclaimed chef and restaurateur, Marco Pierre White chose the Park Avenue to host the first of his steakhouse and grill outlets in Northern Ireland.

It is no secret, however, that the hotel has been struggling financially in recent years. When it entered the CVA in 2016, it had liabilities of around £600,000, including a debt of 425,000 to its biggest creditor, HMRC.

Hopes will be high that under Beannchor – NI’s largest hospitality group – this long-standing and popular community hotel can look forward to a renaissance in its fortunes going forward.

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