Hartlepool’s Staincliffe Hotel restaurant to reopen ‘within a week’

Hartlepool Mail

The restaurant at the iconic Staincliffe Hotel is set to reopen within a week under new management. Hartlepool Licensees' Association chairman Darab Rezai, whose company will take over the hospitality operations discusses the future of the restaurant.

Transcript

00:00 I'm in the Staincliffe Hotel with Dharab and I'm in the kitchen area of the former Ocean Bar.

00:06 Dharab, I believe you have plans for the future. What are they?

00:10 Right, my plan is, I had been approached by Aklam Development Company to say if I was interested in the hospitality of the hotel that they are purchasing.

00:23 And straight away I jumped on the opportunity because I always thought this is one of the best sites in the town.

00:31 And it given me an opportunity to open the restaurant as a fish restaurant and also introducing the carvery for Sundays and opening the rooms at the Peppercorn Rent, which is fantastic.

00:46 Peppercorn Rent, what does that mean?

00:48 Well, because there is a massive overhead in here and you have got to start from scratch and we have to spend a lot of money to get everything up to how it should be their standard.

01:00 I do understand the building is retired. I do understand that there's so much to do.

01:07 And basically, if they wanted to put any rent, it wasn't viable for me to take over the business.

01:15 I understand. So you're paying a nominal rent to allow you to develop a new hotel?

01:20 That basically means nothing. We are not paying anything, but we are employing and I'm passionate about hospitality of the town.

01:28 Of course.

01:29 We are employing people and also we are looking for another venue to move in when this goes for development, everybody would have a job with my company.

01:41 How long do you think it may take you before you opening the doors to your first customers?

01:45 It would be open within a week. The rooms are done nicely and they are up to standards.

01:53 We have got the boiler sorted out. I've had the electrician in today. I've had a few skips of rubbish away and we are checking everything.

02:02 We have had the fire officer. They've given the seal of approvement and we are there ready to open very soon.

02:10 Are you excited?

02:11 I am excited because they had only three employees. They have got a safe and secure job and we are employing night porters, managers, bar staff, kitchen staff, as well as breakfast chef, which is exciting.

02:27 Good news for the town. And also it stops the place being boarded up, which is not good for the town.

02:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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