A major new £3 million hospitality complex will open within weeks in the refurbished Odyssey Pavilion in Belfast, The Irish News can reveal.
Char+Mash is part of a new venture launched by McGuigInns, the pub vehicle owned by the Graham family, best known for the Sean Graham bookmaking business.
The new 13,000 sq ft complex is set to create 70 jobs, with 35 already in place.
Anchored by new a bar and restaurant, the venue will also feature a new space for live events.
‘The Hold’ will cater for major concerts and sporting events in the SSE Arena next door.
A new cocktail bar ‘The Veil’, will occupy an outdoor balcony area, while ‘The Vault’ is a boardroom style space that will be aimed at corporate bookings.
Kieran McGuigan, director of McGuigInns, said the entire complex has a capacity that can hold between 600 and 700 people.
“We are putting the finishing touches on and we’re hoping to be open within a few weeks,” he said.
“At the moment, we have recruited 35 staff, but we hope to double that within six months.
“We have a GM [general manager] and whole management structure in place.
“In total, it represents an investment of around £3m.”
The hospitality veteran said the Char+Mash name is both a nod to the venue’s food offering and Belfast’s whiskey making heritage.
Char refers to both the sear on a steak and the process of toasting the inside of barrels to infuse flavour, while mash is the combination of grains used to make whiskey and the humble mashed potato.
Mr McGuigan has been working alongside siblings Gareth Graham and Claire Mallon on the project.
Mr Graham is one of the city’s top property developers. His company Oakland Holdings developed the Room2 ‘hometel’ and PwC’s Merchant Square headquarters, which was sold to a Saudi Arabian fund in 2021 for £87m.
The new hospitality investment marks the latest phase of the multi-million revamp of the Odyssey’s pavilion area that commenced five years ago.
Since then, the space, now rebranded as Odyssey Place, has welcomed a host of new tenants, including Nandos, Zizzi, Five Guys and Mary Brown’s Chicken.
Hollywood Bowl, The Lost City Adventure Golf and Funstation have also joined Cineworld and W5.
The project has been led by Matagorda 2, who acquired the 150-year lease for the Odyssey Pavilion in 2016.
The Odyssey Trust remains the ultimate landlord of the entire facility, including the SSE Arena.
