Business

The Ivy Collection unveils its new £5 million Belfast restaurant

120 jobs have been created by the luxury restaurant group

Waiting staff at the official opening of the Ivy Belfast Brasserie on Thursday
Waiting staff at the official opening of the Ivy Belfast Brasserie on Thursday. (Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye/Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye )

The Ivy made its debut in Belfast on Thursday evening with an exclusive launch party to showcase the result of the hospitality group’s £5.35 million investment in the city.

The Ivy Belfast Brasserie, which officially opens to the public on September 17, is the 42nd restaurant in the expanding Ivy Collection.

A total of 120 jobs have been created by Troia (UK) Restaurants’ investment, which has transformed two former retail units at the listed Cleaver House, opposite Belfast City Hall on Donegall Square North.

The new restaurant will open all seven days of the week, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Irish dancers at the official opening of the Ivy Belfast Brasserie. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.
Irish dancers at the official opening of the Ivy Belfast Brasserie. (Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye/Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye )

Reservations have now opened.

The opening comes six years after The Ivy opened in Dublin’s Dawson Street and amid reports that the restaurant group’s owner, billionaire businessman Richard Caring, is close to selling his major stake in the business in a deal worth around £1 billion.

The entrepreneur originally bought The Ivy in 2005 and a decade later began opening spin-off versions of the famous West End restaurant.

The Ivy Collection now includes 42 venues in the UK and Ireland.

The group also operates eight restaurants under The Ivy Asia brand.

General  view at the official opening of the Ivy Belfast Brasserie.
General view at the official opening of the Ivy Belfast Brasserie. (Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye/Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye )

Mr Caring also owns Caprice Holdings, which includes some of London’s best known restaurants.

The latest accounts for Troia (UK) Restaurants, which comprises The Ivy Collection, show the chain generated a showed turnover of almost £303m for the year ending 1 January 2023.

The hospitality group produced adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £54.8m in that period.

DJ Mia Wong  at the official opening of the Ivy Belfast Brasserie.
DJ Mia Wong at the official opening of the Ivy Belfast Brasserie. (Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye/Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye )