The opening of the first San Carlo in Alderley Edge at the former Gino D'Acampo Luciano restaurant has been delayed - as bosses have decided to create an entirely new design for the huge site. The family-run Italian restaurant group took the keys for the site off celebrity chef Gino on February 15.
Their initial plan was to do a swift, five-week refurbishment to open back up in time for Easter.
But now San Carlo bosses have confirmed they have decided to invest a massive £2mn into the venue with a spectacular new design instead. The restaurant sits on a prominent site on London Road in the posh Cheshire village.
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The new signs for San Carlo are displayed outside the site, with an Italian flag flying. Builders have been seen in and out of the venue, next to Alderley Edge train station, over the past four weeks.
The reopening is now scheduled for May.
Marcello Distefano, managing director, San Carlo Restaurants said: "Alderley Edge is such a special destination for us, it’s where we grew up as a family and many local residents dine with us regularly in Hale and Manchester.
"When we got our hands on it, we decided to scrap our initial plans for a quick reopening and take our time to get it right. We’ve given the redesign and refit a budget of £2million and are hoping to be open in May.
"We can’t wait to unveil the new San Carlo Alderley Edge, as soon as we can."
They've not shared further detail on the redesign at this stage. But a video shared on its Instagram account showed that the former fixtures and fittings of the Luciano restaurant have been completely cleared for a blank canvas to start from.
San Carlo is known for its northern flagship on King Street in Manchester city centre beloved by footballers and superstars. It also owns the Cicchetti, Fumo and Bottega restaurants in the city centre as well as San Carlo Fiorentina in Hale.
It was announced in February that Gino D'Acampo was selling his Luciano Italian restaurant after less than a year in business at the site. A statement at the time said: "Leading upmarket restaurant operator San Carlo has acquired iconic Alderley Edge restaurant Luciano.
"The deal, announced today (February 9th), is part of the (Luciano) business’s strategy to focus on opening upmarket restaurants in national and international major cities."
Gino has previously announced that he is to open a new Luciano in Manchester city centre, at the site of the former Restaurant Bar & Grill on John Dalton Street. He aims to create a vast, three floor "super-Italian" on the site to include outdoor terraces.
Before Gino took over the Alderley Edge site, it had been another Italian restaurant, Piccolino. Before that it was the Panacea nightclub, and prior to that it was the famed nightspot Brasingamens so there is a long history of hospitality on the site.
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