BELFAST steakhouse Top Blade has opened a new restaurant in Portadown.
The new 50-seater venue represents an investment of £250,000, creating 25 new jobs.
It effectively doubles the workforce of the hospitality business, which already employs 25 people in St Anne’s Square inside Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter.
Top Blade said its long-term plan involves a chain of restaurants across the island of Ireland.
“Our Belfast restaurant regularly serves up over 1000 steaks every week, we’re hopeful that Portadown will create the same excitement and buzz and will bring the people of Portadown a new dining experience that will delight all the senses,” said director Kenny Parker.
The extensive refit of the premises on Mandeville Street has added a brand-new bar, kitchen and dining area.
Top Blade initially opened in Belfast during 2019, but was acquired in 2021 by Alison and John Crawford.
Aaron Taggart, a director in the business, said the new team saw something special in the new 50-seater steakhouse.
"When this opportunity was presented to us it immediately felt like the right thing to do, we were excited by the concept and felt that it was a brand that we could roll out.
“We’re delighted that in less than 18 months we are seeing this dream become a reality,” said Mr Taggart.
“We're confident that the busy town of Portadown is the perfect spot for our second restaurant and we are looking forward to serving up many tasty steaks to our Portadown customers.
"The response in the run up to our opening has been phenomenal, I hope that this is just the beginning of many Top Blade restaurants across both the North and South of Ireland, in fact we are already on the lookout for our third location which we intend to open in 2023."
