The boss of new Bristol food hall and music venue BoxHall says he wants it to be a place that showcases the city’s new rising talent. The Welsh Back venue was due to open this autumn but it has been delayed until 2023 although founder Roger Wade says he’s already looking for chefs, food businesses and DJs to occupy the site.
Roger is the CEO of BoxPark, the groundbreaking London retail and dining concept with sites at Shoreditch, Croydon and Wembley. Based in converted shipping containers, the original BoxPark was an influence on Bristol’s Cargo area at Wapping Wharf but its founder decided to do something quite different for his first venture outside London.
A modern waterfront food hall with food, drink and music events under one roof, BoxHall will showcase the best in local talent. Whether it’s young chefs looking to open their first site or rising stars from the DJ scene, the venue in converted dockside sheds hopes to become a new creative hub for Bristol.
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Originally used by merchants and tradesman going back before Victorian times, the space will feature seven kitchens with food from local restaurants, street food traders and pop-up kitchens. There will be communal dining areas, beers from local breweries and a pontoon for visitors to enjoy unique harbourside views.
The reason for the delayed opening, according to Roger, is the fact they need to get a special licence because of a walkway overhanging the water. It has to be in place before they add a pontoon later so it had to have harbourmaster approval.
Roger says: “We’ve got to take vacant possession of the site from the landlord and the waterfront is important for the whole project so it was important we got that licence. We had planned to open this autumn but it’s more likely to be early 2023, hopefully by Easter.
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“There was a bit of a delay because of the pandemic because the administration side of things has taken longer than it would have, but the council has been really supportive. We’re renovating the existing building and it’s really dilapidated in there - there are plants growing through the roof and walls that are effectively being supported.
“It’s a significant renovation, probably costing the developers more than £5m. It’s all privately funded, too, so not council money.”
Roger says he can see a lot of similarities between Bristol and Brighton, where he is based. He adds that he wanted to create something quite unique in Bristol as it’s his first project outside London, and he has recruited local chef Josh Eggleton to help find the right people for the food side of the operation.
“There are a lot of similarities between Bristol and Brighton as they both support independent businesses. As a company, we recognise the strengths of independents and that gives both places a uniqueness.
“I think it’s really important that we create something special in Bristol and it addresses what the local market wants. If we were to simply transpose a load of brands from London, that wouldn’t work.
“We’ve engaged with local people and brought on board Josh Eggleton as a local ambassador to put together the trader list. Josh has set up a charity to promote young chefs and they’re looking to base it at BoxHall.
“We are really getting behind independents from Bristol and we’re going to invest in the kitchens at BoxHall. There will six or seven kitchens and we’re contributing £100,000 towards each one, which is a huge investment.
“We’re trying to remove the barrier to entry for young chefs and food businesses. We hope to appeal to people who don’t necessarily have existing establishments but who are fantastic chefs or street food businesses looking for their first opportunity.
“They can set up at BoxHall and hopefully everyone can experience a whole new breed of operators that Bristol hasn’t seen yet. There’s a lot of talent in the city.
“BoxHall is about great food, great drinks and great music. It’s a different business model to what we’ve done in London, it’s very much a food focussed business, championing local breweries and local talent.
“We like to think we were a major influence on Cargo because we were the first retail park built from shipping containers. And I like what the Cargo guys are doing - Bristol is a growing city and there’s room for lots of operators.
“If (Amazon founder) Jeff Bezos had his way, we’d all be sitting around a dining room table on our iPads not talking to each other and a drone would be delivering our food. I’d slit my wrists if that was my world - I want to go back to a world of Italian piazzas and markets, and help bring communities together through food, beer and music.”
Roger says the BoxParks have created around 300 new jobs per site and millions of tourists. He wants Bristol’s Boxhall to do the same.
“I talk about Bristol a lot as a role model of a thriving city. Part of that is what’s happening around the harbourside and also the developments around Temple Meads.
“BoxHall is not a cookie cutter approach, it’s a totally new concept and design for us. Some of our investors suggested we just roll out the BoxPark concept but I wanted to do something new for Bristol because that’s what the people here want and I’m very excited about it.”
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