Business

Hats off to The Doyen as Wines Inns invests £4m

Patrick Hunt, director of Wine Inns, pictured on the site of the former King's Head on the Lisburn Road, which will reopen next week as The Doyen. Photo: William Cherry/Presseye
Patrick Hunt, director of Wine Inns, pictured on the site of the former King's Head on the Lisburn Road, which will reopen next week as The Doyen. Photo: William Cherry/Presseye Patrick Hunt, director of Wine Inns, pictured on the site of the former King's Head on the Lisburn Road, which will reopen next week as The Doyen. Photo: William Cherry/Presseye

MORE than 80 permanent jobs are being created with the opening next week of a new restaurant and super-pub on the site of the former King¹s Head on Belfast's Lisburn Road.

Hospitality group Wine Inns, whose portfolio of hostelries includes the Chelsea Wine Bar, Alibi and the Four Winds, spent close to £2.5 million buying the King's Head out of Nama 18 months ago.

Popular with students and families, it was shut in February this year and has since undergone a £1.5 million-plus overhaul.

And its owners have completely transformed the 15,000 sq ft venue, adding a 130-cover Italian style restaurant (where the head chef is Kyle Greer formerly of the Parson's Nose) including a private dining space for 40, a cafe-bar aimed at day-time family trade, a cocktail bar and a 140-space function room.

The main bar areas comprise areas of boothed spaces, while a significant investment has gone into an external space which includes a huge canopy space complete with outdoor fireplace.

"The old place had got tired and it required major surgery, hence its complete closure for the last six months," said Wine Inns' director Patrick Hunt.

"What customers will now see at The Doyen is an aesthetically pleasing entertainment and dining complex like no other in Belfast - aimed at individuals, groups, families, sporting organisations and the corporate customer."

Wine Inns, which also operates the Winemark off-license chain, is also investing in a number of other venues around Belfast right now, including the Robinson's Bar complex in the city centre.

In its last full set of account published last September for the year to the end of 2015, Wines Inns - which employs 200 staff - reported a of turnover £13.9m while if swung from loss the previous year into a small operating profit of £61,638.