Mezzanine buys Deals sites

Mezzanine, the Aim-listed restaurant, bar and nightclub operator, has bought the two Deals restaurants in Hammersmith and Soho for £925,000.

The restaurants were placed into administrative receivership at the request of shareholder and co-founder Eddie Lim in March.

Mezzanine will convert the Hammersmith site into its third Smollensky's American-style restaurant and the Soho site into its first Mezzanine bar. The company hopes to have them both open by October.

Mezzanine bought the original Smollensky's in the Strand restaurant from Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries in December 1999. In March it bought the former Capital Radio Café in Finchley Road, north London, which is currently being refurbished before re-opening in August as a Smollensky's.

It is planning to open more Smollensky's restaurants as suitable sites become available.

The company has also bought the former Kings Club site in Chelsea, which it is refurbishing as a private members' bar, re-named Room and set to open on 15 June.

In addition, Mezzanine owns the Goat in Boots pub in London's Fulham road, Drake's wine bars in the City, and three nightclubs in Wolverhampton, Southend and Ipswich.

by David Shrimpton david.shrimpton@rbi.co.uk