High hopes for a northern star

High hopes for a northern star

Long-established north coast venue, Shenanigans, has new owners and a new head chef and as the first phase in a two-year, £1m refurbishment project is unveiled, LCN has been talking to the owners and the head chef behind the project…

The news that Portrush is to be the venue in 2019 for the Open golf major – the first time that the province has hosted the hugely popular tournament in 68 years – served once again to highlight the burgeoning tourist potential of the entire north coast area.

And it’s a business opportunity not wasted on canny entrepreneurs such as Dermot O’Kane, a mid-Antrim based investor whose growing portfolio already includes a successful lounge bar, a thriving provincial newspaper and a forecourt and convenience site as well as a property portfolio.

Dermot – along with partners Fergal Doherty and Maggie McWilliams – has just completed phase one of a £1m project to refurbish Shenanigans, a well-established bar and restaurant in the north coast resort of Portstewart.

The trio signed the deal to acquire the business in April this year from a local family who had owned the venue for the previous 20 years.

There will be four phases to the refurbishment scheme and phase one – which has just been completed – involves the top two floors. A bar called O’Hara’s has been opened on the first floor; there’s also a new club experience called Studio 78 and on the top floor, The Loft cocktail bar and restaurant has opened its doors under head chef, Chris Bell.

“We knew that the venue was on the market and we knew the owners,” Dermot O’Kane told LCN recently. “Portstewart and the north coast generally are becoming more and more popular and while it mightn’t be a city like Belfast, we knew that from a footfall perspective, it enjoys a great passing trade. This whole area is very popular.”

Dermot also revealed that he and his partners had considered investing in a number of venues before deciding that Shenanigans held the most promise:

“We did consider two or three other places, but we just didn’t get the feel for them,” he added. “But straight away, we could see the potential in this place. We knew the history of the place, we knew what we were going to do with it. We also knew it had been a very popular spot in the past and we felt that we knew how to put it back on top.”

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” declared Dermot. “It’s the case now in the licensed trade that the places with the best offerings are going to be the ones that do well. Customers are being more selective now and their expectations are rising, so our standards in the hospitality trade have to rise along with that. I think those that can do that will survive and those that don’t will struggle.”

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Dermot is already involved with Fergal in Pat’s Bar, a long-standing and successful venture in the Co. Antrim village of Portglenone. And he and Maggie are the joint proprietors of the County Antrim News, a provincial weekly paper also based in Portglenone.

The Portstewart venue represents the investors’ first foray into the thriving, visitor-driven economy of the north coast.

They hope to see all four stages of the redevelopment plan at Shenanigans completed within the next two years and to help get the venue’s credentials established from the start, they’ve enlisted the help of former NI Chef of the Year title-winner, Chris Bell, who will be head chef at The Loft.

Ballymena-born Chris says that he’s trying to offer “something a wee bit different” – top end dining but in a relaxed atmosphere with “all the little things done really well”.

“We can do 38 covers at one sitting and we won’t be looking to turn tables around in a night, we’re not chasing volume,” he said. “We want to encourage people to stay and enjoy what The Loft has to offer after the food.

“The venue is for over 21s and we are aiming for the age group between the mid-20s and the mid-40s. We’re trying to create a venue where people feel comfortable spending the whole night.”

Chris Bell spent much of his early career working for Michael Deane before relocating to GB for a period, during which he worked with renowned Lancashire chef, Paul Heathcote. Recipient of a Gordon Ramsey chef scholarship, he has twice represented Northern Ireland on the Great British Menu. He was formerly head chef of the River Room restaurant at Galgorm Resort & Spa near Ballymena and he launched the Eagle Bar and Grill at Galgorm Castle Golf Club before taking on The Loft at Shenanigans.

“We’re not really setting out to win awards or accolades, what we’re interested in focusing on is the people that are coming through the door,” said Chris. We want to treat them well and give them the best experience that we can.”

Also on the staff at Shenanigans is another Chris Bell, formerly manager at Philip McHenry’s Central Bar in Ballycastle. Chris has taken over as general manager at the Portstewart venue.

 

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Chris Bell, the new head chef at Shenanigans in Portstewart

 

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Shenanigan’s new manager, also called Chris Bell.