Published: Friday, 21st March, 2008 09:00
Cooking up new jobs
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Husband and wife team Craig and Kirsty Hunter hope their new venture, The Avenue Restaurant, will be a culinary hit with locals and visitors alike
MORE than 20 jobs have been created by the opening last Friday of The Avenue Restaurant at 9 Court Street.
The former Victoria Inn has undergone a £50,000 transformation from ageing public bar to a modern eaterie with lofty ambitions since Haddington couple Craig and Kirsty Hunter bought the historic premises in November.
It is the first stab at business ownership for Mr Hunter, 37, formerly head chef at The Rocks restaurant in Dunbar, and his 35-year-old wife, who was reception manager at the Macdonald Marine Hotel, North Berwick.
Ten full-time and 14 part-time staff have been taken on to work in the new restaurant and bistro bar that has replaced the traditional-style watering hole.
Said Mr Hunter: “When we took over, the public bar was virtually empty on weekdays and the business was surviving purely on the Friday and Saturday night trade.
“We saw there was a gap in the market for restaurant standard food in Haddington and decided to take the plunge.”
A further four full-time staff will be taken on next year when a major refurbishment of the building’s eight bedrooms has been completed.
It will then be re-branded as The Avenue Restaurant With Rooms. An application will then be made to Visitscotland, requesting official three-star status as a small hotel.
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