I've opened a new brunch spot in an historic Sunderland city centre building
“Two years ago, I never thought I would open a place in the city centre, but all the changes that are happening are so exciting,” says a city businesswoman as she opens her latest brunch and coffee spot.
Joanne Woods has already had great success with Ruhe in Roker Park, which has just had its busiest season yet after opening in the shadow of the bandstand in August 2023.
Back then, she never envisaged opening a business in the city centre, but Jo says she fell in love with a newly-renovated unit in an historic block of buildings and has just opened sister site, Fretta by Ruhe, in Stockton Road.
Like the Roker Park Ruhe, it has a firm focus on quality brunches for sit-in, as well as coffees - using Sunderland-based RESINN - and matcha, but it also offers a range of salad boxes, breakfast wraps, oat bowls and more for people on the move.
It even has its own canning machine, which Jo believes is the first in the city, so people can have their iced drinks canned to go.
“I spotted the canning machines in coffee shops in Manchester and London and knew I had to have one,” said Jo. “They’re ideal for keeping your cold drinks cold.”
Jo already has a meal prep business called Balance and says the take-out options are already proving popular with city centre workers at the new site.
Indeed, the name Fretta is after the Italian word for hurry, and is inspired by the convenient express element of the business.
“The reception so far has been amazing,” she said. “We’ve already had a lot of people who work in the city centre coming in for their lunches, but also a lot of the older generation who are coming from Park Lane Interchange.
“We’ve also noticed a lot of people from Ashbrooke coming in saying they love having a brunch place close by.
“As Ruhe has grown, I saw how popular quality brunches are becoming, that people are willing to pay for good food, and it felt right to open in the city centre.
“There are so many great independents in the city centre now and it’s great that we all offer something different for people. We’ve been meeting all the local businesses round here and offering discounts and everyone has been really welcoming.”
Housed in the space once occupied by Hot Rats, which has relocated to Waterloo Place, Fretta has opened as part of The Four Corner Collective.
Sunderland property investor Darryl Cullerton is forging ahead with his major transformation of the block of units on the corner of Mary Street and Stockton Road, which will house four boutique serviced apartments upstairs to meet demand for quality accommodation in the city centre.
Meanwhile, the ground floor houses four commercial units, which have been sympathetically restored.
One already houses property management company, Gold Ribbon, with Fretta the second unit to open, with two units available to let.
Moving forward, Fretta is looking to supply the boutique apartments above as part of the visitor offering.
Other new additions at this end of town include Wear, which has opened as a coffee shop and pre-loved clothes shop in the former Aphrodite unit in Vine Place.
*Fretta by Ruhe, which is dog-friendly, is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm, Saturday from 9am to 4pm, with Sunday opening hours coming soon.