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restaurants
triangleleftand knowledgeable. We hold
regular wine tasting nights, with
some of our glasses of wine
retailing for as much as £14.
In November we are planning to
have a producer from the
Abruzzo region of Italy come
over to help organise a special
wine night.”
At the present time, Nonna’s
report that they are likely to stay
in their Sheffield/Chesterfield
area with no expansion plans as
such. Indeed, there are plenty of
challenges to face with the
business as it is, not least the
current economic conditions and
ever-fluctuating prices of
ingredients, although Nonna’s
says that it is not seeing too Latest challenge
“In my opinion outlets can’t just
much evidence of excessive In the south west of the country,
economic gloom on the part of the independent Italian
be a restaurant these days, they
customers at the moment. restaurant chain, Bottelino’s, is
need to develop just as pubs have
“The daily price changes in also multi-tasking in its role as
food is our main challenge,” restaurant, café bar, deli and ice
done into gastropubs, and offer a
admits Daniel Jackson, “but we cream parlour. The chain has
place for people to meet up, as well
feel that it’s important not to go steadily been opening new sites,
as offer a dining experience”
down the route of cutting staff or its most recently completed
costs, or even talking about this project being in Swindon in a
in front of customers, this is the large, multi-storeyed heritage
chain’s operations director, Barry restaurant that is able to cater for
last thing they will want to hear, building that had once seen life
Farrell, who is now applying his large parties just as effectively as
and risks them thinking that you as a pattern store, then as a pub
considerable restaurant design it can accommodate meals for
are in some way cutting back on more recently.
experience to the next Bottelino’s two.
quality. At the moment we are The site’s general manager,
in Western Super Mare and “In my opinion outlets can’t
trying not to pass the increase in Darren Colecliffe, describes the
Portishead. However, the end just be a restaurant these days,
costs on to our customers, but building as being “somewhat
result in Swindon is very they need to develop just as
this in turn is putting more intimidating, definitely a one-off”,
impressive and working very pubs have done into gastropubs,
pressure on our ability to find so there was no doubt that
well, and now housed within this and offer a place for people to
good suppliers and the right turning it into a restaurant was a
imposing looking building is an meet up, as well as offer a dining
products.” major challenge, not least for the
inviting and airy Italian experience,” says Darren
Colecliffe. “At the moment the
restaurant is the biggest draw,
perhaps because of our £4.95
pizza or pasta meal offer. On
average we are seeing 130
people in a day for lunch, and I
would recommend that any
restaurant needs to have at least
60 people in for lunch to survive,
and at least 40 people in on a
Monday night.”
When full, the Swindon site
can cater for 250 plus diners and
more, able to host anything from
a wedding reception or
corporate do’, right down to a
more intimate meal for two. Its
bespoke interior design –
something which Barry Farrell
has selected to be integral to
Bottelino’s, rather than a ‘here
today, gone tomorrow’ fashion
statement - and range of seating
means that all ages and numbers
18
pizzapasta
October 2008
AND ITALIAN FOOD
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