A former Frankie & Benny’s restaurant in Newcastle city center is set to be transformed into a new dining hall and bar, according to planning documents.
The empty unit at the corner of Northumberland Road and John Dobson Street will be taken over by “Gourmet4”.
The company says it “aims to bring customers back to restaurants by providing quality, choice and speed through a combination of an on-site dining, dining experience and take-out options.”
The Gourmet4 food halls will house several food brands in the same building, which can be changed according to their popularity.
Customers order on self-service machines that communicate each dish to the appropriate brand
The company will select between 13 existing internal brands, including Fat Burgers, 3Amigos, Smokin ‘Buns, Saucy Chicks and Bangon Thai street food.
The Newcastle branch will be one of 10 Gourmet4 locations across the UK, according to its website.
A planning application has now been filed with Newcastle City Council to obtain permission to advertise the LED panels in the windows of the building.
The company describes itself as “a food market with quality, choice and speed at its heart”.
Their website states, “Through our extensive research, it became clear that the traditional food industry was not meeting the expectations of millennial and younger customers.
“The growth of online delivery organizations like Deliveroo and UberEats has dramatically changed customer expectations.
“Therefore, our mission is to bring these customers back to restaurants, housing several new and current food brands in one building, such as a food hall.”
He adds: “GOURMET 4 transforms obsolete restaurants into dynamic markets, where several brands offer a variety of different cuisines.
“As a technology-driven company, customers can order through an easy-to-use EPOS self-service that communicates each dish to the appropriate brand, increasing efficiency and further facilitating personalization.
“The multi-brand food offering offers an on-site dining experience, in addition to offering a take-out option.”
The closure of Frankie & Benny’s on John Dobson Street was confirmed by the owner of the business in July of last year, long with four other Northeastern restaurants in July of last year – the Arnison Center in Durham, Galleries shopping center in Washington Dalton Park in Murton and Cramlington, Northumberland.
A spokesperson for Frankie and Benny’s said: “The casual dining industry has faced enormous, well-documented pressures that have been exacerbated by Covid-19 and the lockdown.
“Unfortunately, we had to make difficult but necessary decisions to ensure a sustainable future for our business.”