Restaurateur Russell Norman (pictured) has acquired the lease of theatreland pub the Marquis of Granby, on Shaftesbury Avenue.
When the news was announced, rumours spread that Norman would turn the pub into a pizzeria – but this is not what the restaurateur has up his sleeve, he assured Square Meal. ‘My business partner
and I have a really specific idea about what we want to do but we are reluctant to tell the world about it yet,’ Norman told us. ‘We are taking on a great, iconic pub in a great location and so
we’re not going to reinvent the wheel – I think some things don’t need to be messed around with.’
Of course, this being a Russell Norman venture, the new Marquis of Granby won’t just be a pub. ‘It will have a few special things that will make people smile,’ said Norman. ‘However, it definitely
won’t be another Polpo, Mishkin’s
or Spuntino.’
And is a pizzeria a possibility in the future? ‘I have said in the past that I have a real desire to find the right site to open a pizzeria,’ admitted the restaurateur. ‘My comments still stand –
but that doesn’t mean I’m going to open one.’
This article was published in the spring 2013 issue of Square Meal Lifestyle.