George's to open new Nottingham fish and chip restaurant – with gin bar
A new fish and chip restaurant that also serves gin is set to open in Nottingham.
George's, which already has 10 sites in the Midlands, will open the 140-seat new venue - its first in a city - in September.
The company's existing sites are a mix of takeaways and restaurants, but the Nottingham site will be its first under the "fish and chip kitchen" format and will contain a full bar.
As well as fish and chips, George's will serve home-cooked pies, baby squid, and fresh fish which can be served grilled, kiln-smoked, breaded or fried. Other dishes on offer will include fish chowder in a sour dough bread bowl, mushy pea fritters in wasabi batter and seaside favourites such as candy floss and freshly made doughnuts with chocolate dipping sauces.
The restaurant and its bar will be open from 11am to 11pm in order to attract lunchtime, pre-theatre, dinner and post-pub crowds.
Andrew Constantinou is managing director at George's and runs the business with co-director Nick Hogan. Constantinou's father George set up the business in 1980 after running a fish and chip shop in Nottingham in the 1970s.
Constantinou said: "George's celebrates all that is ‘great' about Britain - it's heritage, food and culture - so in addition to working on a menu full of freshly prepared dishes, we've also spent a lot of time ensuring the venue will look the part and create a fun and vibrant atmosphere in every way.
"The seaside, British produce, classic British music and a homage to the warm eccentricity of our national personality will be incorporated into every element of what our customers will experience. It's really important for us that we get the right people on board to help us deliver this and so we're investing a lot in a robust recruitment process."
He added: "Nottingham has a winning combination of a great bar and restaurant scene mixed with thriving business and student communities so we knew it was the right place for us to open our first city centre venue."