Four new restaurants for Priory Place

[dutchman]

Priory Place is brimming with excitement.



The area in Coventry city centre, for so long overlooked and disregarded, now stands at a crossroads.

The World Food Court, which has already featured successful Indian and Chinese restaurants as well as a traditional Fish and Chips eatery, has seen doors open at two new dining spots recently with a double salvo still yet to come.

“This is great news,” argues Jo Truslove of Complex Development Projects. She is more correct than she could ever imagine.

CrepeFresh, set up by young entrepreneur Husen Ismail, is Coventry's first ever creperie and has been joined in the area by Café A La Turca.

The latter features a unique fusion of Italian and Turkish dishes but there is still more to come with the opening of a Pizza Grill Restaurant and a brand new milkshake bar Shakes Place following a successful stint in Birmingham.

These cutting-edge business start-ups have offered Coventry the chance to be at the forefront of Midlands cuisine.

While the erection of such restaurants is a sign of “a lift” in the economic market according to James Brookes of Bromwich Hardy, sceptical city natives may remember previous false dawns at Priory Place with the area plagued by business failures.

A note circulated to residents of Priory Place in the past admitted the area had not been “wholly successful”.

The document, which can be read online, states that market leaders such as Carluccio's and Wagamamas “won't come to Coventry”.

Is this a bad thing, though? The shunning of Coventry from popular chains has led to a focus from building planners in favour of homely and specialist independent restaurants.

This is a welcome change from the amalgamation of British cities in which community-based pubs are becoming Slug & Lettuces and record shops are closing whilst consumers walk past on their Amazon app.

Priory Place has undergone a radical modification and now appears to be at the centre of “exciting” times for the city, according to Truslove.

However, whether or not the four new businesses serve as a turning point for Coventry business is down to the potential adulation of Coventry locals.

Recently we have seen Lickety Lick, the Far Gosford Street ice-cream parlour, attract scores of people through the doors due to their innovative design and feel-good atmosphere.

With new innovative and modern businesses plumping for Coventry as a start-up location, Priory Place now has the ability to either see more businesses financially fail, or it can acquire a spearheading lease of life which could see the area thrive.

To do this, it needs the help of the Coventry consumers. The decision is surely a simple one for us.

If you've been to one Zizzi's you've been to them all, after all.

[rebbonk]

Best of luck, but I can't see them being long-term successes. The foot fall just doesn't seem to be there.