New food hall set to open near Cineworld Boldon aimed at better serving 'millennial and younger customers'

An application was lodged with South Tyneside Council in June 2021 for the former Frankie and Benny’s unit at the Boldon Leisure Park, off Abingdon Way.

This included advertisement consent for refreshed signage to make way for a new eatery.

Planning documents name the future operator as Gourmet 4 Food Hall & Bar, which is known for housing several food brands under one roof with menu items ranging from pizza and chicken to gourmet burgers.

According to the firm’s website, Gourmet 4 aims to “transform outdated restaurants into vibrant marketplaces where multiple brands offer a variety of different cuisine.”

Customers will also be able to order using a self-service system with both dine-in and take out options available.

A statement on the Gourmet 4 website goes on to say: “Gourmet 4 is a food marketplace with quality, choice and speed at its core.

“With our extensive research, it became clear that the traditional food industry was not meeting the expectation of millennial and younger customers.

“The growth of online delivery organisations like Deliveroo and UberEats has radically changed the expectations of customers.

“Therefore our mission is to get these customers back into restaurants, by housing multiple, new, current food brands into one building like a food hall. Therefore, catering for everyone.”

South Tyneside Council’s planning department approved advertising consent for the Boldon Leisure Park unit on July 2, 2021.

A report from planning officers said that the proposed adverts would be “in keeping with the commercial character of the area.”

Gourmet 4 operates at a number of locations across the UK including Bristol, Birmingham, Romford, Watford, Southampton and Newport.

The unit at Boldon Leisure Park is listed as one of several locations “opening soon” and will house the Pizzaro, Fat Burgers, Smokey Joe’s and Saucy Chicks brands.

The food hall development will also join Canadian restaurant chain Tim Hortons, which recently won planning permission to open a drive-thru restaurant at the adjacent former Pizza Hut unit.

For more information on Gourmet 4, visit: gourmet4.co.uk

Details on the advertising consent application can also be found by visiting South Tyneside Council’s online planning portal and searching reference: ST/0494/21/ADV

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