Press release -
MARCO PIERRE WHITE OPENS FIRST SCOTTISH RESTAURANT
Renowned chef Marco Pierre White has launched his first restaurant in Scotland.
The celebrated Michelin star holder was on hand to meet customers and fans at the Aston Hotel in Dumfries as he unveiled his Wheeler’s of St. James’s brand in Scotland.
The restaurant offers an array of British and French cuisine in Marco’s trademark style.
With a 70-cover capacity, plus an additional private dining area for up to 40 people, the restaurant represents a £400,000 investment and has created 10 new jobs.
Chefs trained by Marco and his team, in one of his existing Michelin star restaurants, will aim to serve honest, high-quality food at affordable prices at Wheeler’s of St. James’s Dumfries.
Marco Pierre White said: “Launching a new restaurant is always a thrill – there are still those nerves, wondering if it’s all going to come together. But it has, and I’m very proud of my first venture in Scotland.
“Our aim for Wheeler’s is to create elegant restaurants with a comfortable dining experience, which our new home in Dumfries does perfectly.
“Now that our doors are open, the team can get on with doing what they do best – serving up fantastic food in a relaxed setting. We can’t wait to get cracking.”
Preet Ahluwalia, Director of Dominvs Hospitality, which owns the Aston Hotel Dumfries, said: “We’ve taken a lot of care over our redevelopment plans at the Aston Hotel Dumfries, and the opening with Marco is testament to the quality we’ve endeavoured to provide here.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming customers old and new to the Wheeler’s restaurant, and hope that both locals and those from further afield will be impressed with what we’ve done with the venue.”
Paula McDonald, Regional Director for VisitScotland, said: “It’s fantastic that Marco Pierre White has opened his only Scottish restaurant in the Aston Hotel, Dumfries, and I’m delighted but not surprised to see that he is showcasing the region’s local produce on the menu - Scotland has the most wonderful natural larder in the world.
“Visitors to Scotland currently spend around £800 million per year on food and drink and more than 70 per cent of potential visitors want to taste fresh local produce, so it’s great that Marco Pierre White has been impressed by the great network of local producers that exist here and is working closely with them to deliver his exquisite menu.
“Next year Scotland is in the international spotlight with the Commonwealth Games, Ryder Cup and Homecoming Scotland 2014, so it’s wonderful to see Dumfries and Galloway businesses raising the quality of their tourism product, encouraging even more people to visit and enjoy this fantastic region.”
Marco Pierre White Wheeler’s of St. James’s Dumfries is open for lunch Monday to Saturday, 12noon to 2:30pm, and dinner Monday to Friday 6:30pm to 9:30pm, Saturday 6:30pm to 10pm and Sunday 12noon to 9pm.www.wheelersdumfries.com/restaurant
ENDS
Issued by Beattie Communications (http://www.onlybeattie.com/) on behalf of Dominvs Group.
For further information, please contact:
Julie Yeudall / 07730415019 / 01698 787845 / julie.yeudall@onlybeattie.com
Sarah Ballantyne / 07973627150 / 01698 787859 / sarah.ballantyne@onlybeattie.com
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors:
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- 2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and more than 800 Homecoming events throughout the country.For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
- The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for Scotland’s economy.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
- For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx
