Polpo, the operator of 5 London restaurants and bars led by Richard Beatty and Russell Norman, is to open its first pub site, The Ape & Bird on Shaftesbury Avenue in the former Marquis of granby pub.
The opening has been made possible due to a £540,000 Enterprise Funding Guarantee Scheme loan backed by the government’s Funding for Lending Scheme, which Polpo secured through Natwest.
Co-founder Richard Beatty said: “We wanted to expand the business, but we did not want to take funding from an independent source. We were delighted when NatWest agreed to support our plans to open another restaurant. The funding has enabled us to retain our entrepreneurial spirit and build the business effectively and quickly without having to sell ourselves short.”
Describing the new opening Norman and Beatty say The Ape & Bird will be 'a proper Victorian purpose-built boozer that we could stamp our mark on'. It will feature four bars over three floors, take reservations for lunch and dinner while also holding some tables for walk-ins. A frequently changing menu will be on offer, responding to what’s available from the market. The site is due to open this autumn.