Tragus Holdings, which owns the Café Rouge and Bella Italia restaurant chains, is to add a Spanish concept called Ortega to its line-up.
The first Ortega (which is a traditional Spanish family name) will open in early July on the site of the 190-seat Bella Italia in Harlow, Essex.. Another three will be added across the country by the end of the year.
Tragus chief executive Graham Turner said: “It’s something we have been thinking about for a while. There is one major operator in this market in the UK – La Tasca – but there is nobody else.”
The current plan is to convert existing Tragus restaurants of between 3,500 and 5,000 sq ft into Ortegas, which will have a contemporary design incorporating Spanish elements.
Ortega will be more entertainment-led than the existing Tragus brands, with a more defined bar area. Turner believes it will work best in leisure parks and on the traditional evening town cicuits.
Average spend per head will be £13 to £15 and the target market will be in the 24-44 age bracket, although Turner expects the bar to attract a younger crowd.
To broaden its appeal, Ortega will follow an all-day format and offer traditional Spanish main courses as well as tapas and paella. If the first four units are successful, the concept will be rolled out to become the group’s third core brand.
By Angela Frewin