London's Christopher's makes move into City
London's Covent Garden restaurant Christopher's is to open a new outlet in the City.
Owner Christopher Gilmour has bought the Creechurch Street site formerly known as The Poet and plans to relaunch it under his Christopher's brand in mid-September.
"We've done a lot of market research which makes us think there is room to expand the brand," said Gilmour. "We hope to open three or four more sites in London under the Christopher's name in the next couple of years."
The 60-seat US-inspired restaurant will serve a menu similar to that of the original Wellington Street business, alongside a 100-capacity bar and private dining facilities accommodating 60.
Gilmour expects to exchange contracts and complete the sale of the £300,000 site over the next couple of weeks, and plans to invest a further £150,000 in refurbishment.
Average spend is anticipated to be £30 a head, with the majority of business at lunchtime.
The restaurant will initially open only during the week.