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Oct 2022

Last Updated: 21/10/2022

Business

Expansion plans for busy Harrogate bar and cafe

by Vicky Carr

| 21 Oct, 2022

Starling on Oxford Street will close its doors on Sunday to knock through to the neighbouring unit, tripling the ground floor space it currently has.

A popular bar and cafe in central Harrogate is set to expand to offer more space for customers.

Starling on Oxford Street will close its doors on Sunday at 3pm to knock through to the neighbouring unit, tripling the ground floor space it currently has.

Owner Simon Midgley told the Stray Ferret that, despite the current economic uncertainty, he was confident the move was right for the business.

He said:

"We bounced back really strongly after the closures and lockdowns. We know what we do is well thought of and we've got a good team delivering it.

"It has been a slow burn to get to this point. We first looked next door at the start of the year and it has taken quite a long time to get to the point we are now.

"The world has changed a bit so it brings more challenges than there were 12 months ago. But I've done cash flow models working with our accountants, Wild and Co, and they're doing a fantastic job to support us.

"We're just really thrilled it has all come to fruition."

Work has been taking place in the neighbouring building for around 12 weeks already, with the landlord also converting the upper floors into residential space.

Starling is expected to close for around three weeks while the ground floor is completed.

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One of the key reasons for the expansion, as well as extending the ground floor space, is to give a better view of what Starling offers from the street to entice people inside. The bar will be turned around and there will be more seating for customers.

Once it re-opens, more jobs will be created, including full- and part-time front-of-house roles and positions in the kitchen.

Simon said, like many other hospitality businesses, recruiting chefs had proved tricky this year and he was still seeking the right people to deliver the menu of brunches and pizzas to complement the soft and alcoholic drinks on offer.

He said:

"We're expecting to be significantly busier.

"We aren't trying to reinvent the wheel. I've got every confidence in the team and the sort of food and drink we offer.

"We aren't trying to recreate what we are so much as create a better ambience and a more comfortable space in which to do it."

He added:

"There are always challenges. As long as you assess the risk and go at it in a calculated way, when times are hard you're better showing a bit of spark and attacking that situation than sitting back and being cautious.

"Put your best foot forward."

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Expansion plans for busy Harrogate bar and cafe

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