The Plaza earmarked for 6,500 sq ft eatery

Graffiti Spirits Group has signed to open a restaurant occupying the entire ground floor of Bruntwood Works’ 18-storey office complex in Liverpool, which is undergoing a £3m refurbishment.

The leisure operator plans to create a restaurant and bar concept stretching across 6,577 sq ft at The Plaza, at 100 Old Hall Street in the city centre. Named The Plaza Restaurant and Bar, the venue is scheduled to open this summer and provide a new eatery in the heart of the L3 commercial district, according to Bruntwood Works.

The offices arm of developer Bruntwood is currently leading a large-scale refurbishment of the 355,000 sq ft office building as part of its Pioneer programme to upgrade its portfolio of workspaces. The Plaza will be the first Pioneer project in Liverpool once complete and the upgrade to 17,500 sq ft of the space aims to “blend work and lifestyle, nodding back to the spirit and aspirations of the 1960s [when the property was built] through bold and expressive interiors”.

Leisure group Graffiti Spirits intends to create a restaurant, bar and coffee shop operated by its Liverpool hospitality brand GSG, which also runs Duke Street Food and Drink Market, Bold Street Coffee, Salt Dog Slim’s and 81.

The planned space will feature a large, communal island bar at the heart of the venue that will provide an evolving day-to-night vibe and a welcoming focal point for The Plaza’s entrance.

The bar will offer a local beer list and wine list featuring predominantly vegan wines as well as a range of organic and biodynamic varieties, according to the operator. Meanwhile the restaurant space will be a new concept for GSG – based on a relaxed, all-day brasserie dining experience offering breakfast, brunch and dinner.

The Bold Street Coffee brand will also feature at the venue with an outlet complementing the bar and restaurant, and there will be a pop-up retail space hosted by independent brands.

“Our ambition was always to make this an exceptional experience for the businesses in the building, as well as creating a destination for the wider city centre community, and working with the renowned Graffiti Spirits Group has allowed us to bring that vision to life,” said Colin Forshaw, regional director of Bruntwood Works.

“[Its team] are an absolute tour de force in the industry and their plans for The Plaza are as exciting and well considered as we would expect. As we keep improving the working environment for our customers, lifestyle and wellness is central to our goals.”

And Matthew Farrell, co-founder and director of GSG Hospitality, added: “We thought long and hard about the concept for this location and we decided that, ultimately, the building is the destination, and our operation should celebrate that.

“This is a new concept for us and we’re really excited about it. Our vision is to create a welcoming, laid-back space – an immersive lobby experience where doing emails over coffee blends seamlessly with drinking cocktails with friends.

“The food will be quality, considered, no-nonsense, and with a sustainable ethos and use of local suppliers. There will be a large grill element to get stuck into from breakfast through to dinner where we’re going to showcase some brilliant produce.

“The Plaza is an incredible location and we can’t wait to get stuck in.”

The lobby-type space will feature a large, communal island bar