Ladhar Leisure is set to rebrand in 2016 to Crafted Projects to fit the company’s profile of developing contemporary destinations for food, craft ales and cocktails.
The group is also to extend Newcastle's Pleased To Meet You's offer with additional seating to create a relaxed dedicated dining area with an additional bar, luxury events space, private dining facilities and the creation of an experimental cocktail club, Viceroy, which is hidden in the basement.
It has involved a major £500k refurbishment and renovation having expanded into two adjacent shop units, a move which has also created 25 jobs.
Renowned North East chef Dave Kennedy joined the group earlier this year and has created a new menu for Pleased To Meet You, while a special drinks menu has been created for Viceroy’s.
Since opening in 2013, Pleased to Meet You has gained a reputation as one of the region’s leading bars and has been listed in the top 100 bars in the UK. It was also listed in The Guardian newspaper as one of the top 10 beer bars in Newcastle.
Additionally, Ladhar plans to convert the Lounge opposite Central Station in Newcastle into a contemporary Neapolitan-inspired pizza and cocktail offering.
Around 30 jobs will be created in the project, which will be called Central Oven and Shaker.