An upmarket food court will open at the Eastgate Shopping Centre before Christmas after its owners pledged a £2 million investment.
The Inverness centre has been crying out for a new food area since the departure of most of its well-known names during the pandemic.
Loch and Larder is the name of the new setup. It will focus on quality local produce with a street food twist.
Scottish Kitchen – a concept from Scotland’s national chef Gary MacLean – will be the anchor of the new development.
The rest of the outlets involved will be revealed at a later date.
New food court ‘pivotal’ to Eastgate success
The announcement marks a change in strategy from Eastgate owners Scoop Asset Management.
For years, it was home to fast food chains like KFC and Pizza Hut.
Now it looks like something altogether different will be on offer.
A statement from Scoop said Loch and Larder “will become a place to meet, socialise and people watch”.
It added: “The new food collective will be a destination that will drive footfall to the centre.”
It is hoped the move will inject some new life into the Eastgate after a bruising couple of years for the retail sector.
The closure of flagship store Debenhams, plus other chains like Game and Argos moving on, has hit hard.
Scoop’s Mark Hewett said: “This will be a great anchor for the centre. We see it as pivotal to our success.”
Optimism about new Eastgate food development
Compass Building and Constructions Services have been working behind the scenes at the site since June.
Furniture has been ordered from Italy and kitchen designs are in production.
American catering services firm Aramark has also been signed up as the operational partner.
In Inverness, there is a sense of optimism about what could follow.
Eastgate Centre manager Jackie Cuddy said: “The new food collective will be at the heart of the centre.
“There has been a lot of working going on in the background over the last two years.
“I am delighted we are able to deliver this exciting new meeting place for Inverness.”
Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stewart Nicol said the investment would be a “fantastic addition”.
He added: “It could be a significant boost to footfall in the city centre. That is particularly welcome at this time.
“We have to be innovative with what we’re doing with city centre retail space. This fits in with that.”
Who is Gary Maclean and what will his plans for the Eastgate involve?
Gary Maclean is Scotland’s first national chef.
His job is celebrate Scottish produce and teach how to make the most of locally-sourced, healthy, sustainable and affordable food.
In 2016, he was crowned Masterchef: The Professionals champion. He defeated 47 other chefs along the way to win the prize.
He recently launched his own seafood restaurant inside the newly-opened St James Quarter in Edinburgh.
That venture has already picked up some rave reviews.
Mr Maclean said: “I am absolutely honoured to partner with Aramark in delivering something truly exceptional at Eastgate.
“We’ll be championing Scottish produce and creating dishes that celebrate small and independent suppliers.”
Former vendor rules out Eastgate return
Hopes are high that the new development will be a success.
However, the fate of a previous Eastgate food court tenant acts as a note of caution.
Black Sheep Hotels opened a pop-up restaurant in the centre in July 2021, hoping to build on the success of its Tiger On The Wall restaurant in Ardross Terrace.
But the restaurant was not a hit and closed soon after.
The new food court will not involve Black Sheep Hotels. There had been local speculation that suggested otherwise.
Black Sheep’s Saket Gupta said: “The plan was to keep the restaurant open for a longer period. However, due to poor footfall we decided to shut it.
“At present, there are no plans to do business with the Eastgate Centre.”
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