Rôtisserie chicken restaurant Clockjack Oven to open first outlet in Soho
Clockjack Oven, a new restaurant group focused on rôtisserie chicken, is set to open its first outlet in London's Soho this winter, with plans to expand across the capital.
The group, founded by Frazer Duncan and Jerry Goldberg, has taken over the former site of the Piccadilly Spice restaurant on Denman Street in Soho, which will reopen as the first Clockjack Oven restaurant in December.
The duo plan to grow the business to 15 sites across London in the next five years, with two more outlets planned for 2013. Michelin-starred restaurateur David Moore, owner of Pied à Terre and L'Autre Pied, is a non-executive director of the business.
Clockjack Oven is the latest in a string of chicken restaurants opening in London, including Soho House's Chicken Shop, Mark Hix's Tramshed, Wishbone in Brixton, former Canteen owner Cass Titcombe's Roost, and Chooks in north London.
The Soho restaurant will have a capacity for about 60 diners, with interiors, developed by Design LSM, featuring an open rôtisserie and kitchen next to a mixture of communal and individual table seating. Materials will include wood, slates and metals.
The menu will focus on rôtisserie chicken served with either salad or chips, with an entry price of around £10. A small selection of starters and desserts will also be available.
Goldberg told Caterer and Hotelkeeper the idea behind the business was to roll it out as a chain. "We plan to have up to 15 restaurants in the next five years and are looking to open site two and three next year," he said.
"A few years ago we identified a hole in the market for a good-quality chicken restaurant. At that time the steak and burger places were coming in but, other than Nando's, there was nothing focused on chicken. Since then a few competitors have come on to the market but we see this as a positive thing as they're all great operators."
Duncan and Goldberg met while working at Unilever. Duncan subsequently worked for private equity firm Terra Firma and Goldberg with Centre Parcs Europe.
Chez Bob and MonkeyNuts owner to launch grilled chicken venture Chooks >>
Soho House to open third Pizza East and launch new concept Chicken Shop >>
By Kerstin Kühn
E-mail your comments to Kerstin Kühn here.
Catererandhotelkeeper.com jobs
Looking for a new job? Find your next job here with Catererandhotelkeeper.com jobs
