The team behind a steakhouse which was set to move into an empty Harrogate restaurant almost six months ago, have spoken of their frustration over the delay.
Last November, Tomahawk Steakhouse revealed it was planning to move into the former Solita Food Hall.
It was set to open in April, but the unit on Parliament Street, which was also formerly Jamie’s Italian, has remained empty.
A spokesman for Tomahawk told the Stray Ferret:
“At the moment Tomahawk are tied up with legalities that have unfortunately been completely out of our control.
“We were all prepared and ready to go, but with liquidators from the previous owners comes a lot of red tape. We have had to sit on the sidelines whilst it gets thrashed out between the relevant parties.
“It is a shame because we would love to get going with everything and get open, but it’s completely out of our hands.
“So if the people of Harrogate are wondering what is going on with the venue, we are in exactly the same boat.
“We are, however, hoping this will draw to a close very soon and are waiting for information due to come our way anytime over the next few days.”
The steakhouse had initially planned to move into the empty Bistrot Pierre unit on Cheltenham Parade in January, before deciding to change its location to Solita Food Hall’s space.
Instead Samsons brasserie and bar moved into the Cheltenham Parade site in March. However it is currently shut “for essential works”, according to a spokesperson for the restaurant.
Tomahawk Steakhouse has restaurants in a number of locations, including Chester, York and Newcastle.
Read more:
- New restaurant to open at former Bistrot Pierre site in Harrogate
- Harrogate food hall to close after just six months
Harrogate food hall to close after just six months
Harrogate’s first food hall is to close just six months after it opened in the former Jamie Oliver restaurant on Parliament Street.
Solita Food Hall Harrogate, which is set over two floors and a rooftop terrace, started serving customers in May.
It has six different stalls, all under the Shoot The Bull brand, and also welcomes other independent businesses on board. It created 30 jobs.
Founder Chris Harrison, chief executive of Shoot The Bull, told the Stray Ferret earlier in the year he hoped Harrogate would welcome the concept with open arms. However, Mr Harrison confirmed today that the Harrogate venue will close at the end of the year.
He added that staff would be offered employment at the next restaurant set to take on the building.
Read more:
Tomahawk Steakhouse, which had been planning to move into the empty Bistrot Pierre restaurant on Cheltenham Parade, is now planning to move into Solita Food Hall’s space.
The steakhouse had planned to open in January but with the change of location it is unclear at this stage when it will open for business.
A post on its Facebook page said:
“We’ve decided to go BIG and move into the former Jamie Oliver site on Parliament St! Expect an amazing roof garden that will be usable 52 weeks of the year!”
Co-founder Howard Eggleston has been planning to bring his steakhouse brand to Harrogate for four years.