Red's True Barbecue to open second Leeds site

Smokehouse restaurant group Red's True Barbecue is to open a second site in Leeds, this time in Headingley.

The move, which is expected to create around 30 new jobs, comes after the success of the original Call Lane site. It will be Red's True Barbecue's third site overall, following the opening four weeks ago of a 185-cover site in Manchester.

The new venue will be at 6a Otley Road in a 1,300 sq ft site, taking over the premises what was previously Macy's Grill. The new restaurant will open in July this year following a £375,000 refit. It will feature 50 covers with a potential for additional outdoor seating.

Red's offers cuts of pork, beef, chicken and sausage dry rubbed in spices and smoked in custom-built Oklahoman smokers for up to 23 hours.

The 107-cover Leeds city centre restaurant, which launched in September 2012, still regularly serves 17,000 customers each month, selling more than 16 tonnes of meat.

James Douglas, co-founder of Red's, said: "We're delighted to be moving in to the heart of bustling Headingley, into such an incredible building with loads of history. We've always loved this area and can't think of a better place suited for Red's, outside of the city centre.

"We're fortunate enough that our first restaurant is still incredibly busy 18 months on; there's a real taste for true barbecue in Leeds. Customers have often asked us to expand, so we're excited that we can finally answer those prayers. Headingley has always had a great hub of independent restaurants and bars, and we believe that Red's will compliment what's already here, and help continue to build the local area's reputation for a great day and night out."

Scott Munro, co-founder of Red's, said: "We invested heavily in Manchester to move the brand experience up a level, so we're delighted that the same verve and appetite for authentic, great tasting barbecue exists over the other side of The Pennines. Our weekly combined trading is 40% above target, so we're all stoked about the thought of Headingley coming online in a few months and bolstering this further.

"Added to the news, we're looking to move on to a further big site later this year. The business has great energy and momentum at the moment; we're striking at the right time to capitalise on the clear appetite for true barbecue here in the UK and Red's is the brand to do it."