A popular Glasgow Italian restaurant chain is bringing a new branch to the city's east end, with an exciting new restaurant and bakery.
La Vita was founded in 1999 by the Arcari brothers and they've since gone on to open two La Vita restaurants in George Square and Bishopbriggs, two La Vita Spuntini restaurants on Gordon Street and Byres Road, and a La Vita Piccolino Vino in Newton Mearns. Following the reopening of the hospitality sector post-Covid, the business decided to embark on the next stage of its growth plans and open a new restaurant in Glasgow's east end on Baillieston Road.
Expected to launch in October, the exciting new venture will also include a baker, producing a range of Italian breads and cakes that will be available in all six restaurants. Meanwhile owners confirmed further plans are also being discussed to introduce additional restaurants to Glasgow over the coming years.
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They added: "To facilitate the acquisition, Bank of Scotland provided funding via the Clean Growth Financing Initiative to help the business achieve its growth ambitions. La Vita is also keen to minimise its carbon footprint and both the new restaurant and bakery will include a host of sustainable features, including heat retaining insulation, water recycling units and electric, eco-friendly boilers.
"Seats for the restaurant will also be manufactured from recycled fabrics made from sea reclaimed plastic bottles. La Vita currently employs 160 people across its five sites and intends to hire a further 25 people once the new site opens."
Mario Arcari, co-owner of La Vita, said: “We are really proud of our business and how our reputation has grown over the years. What started as one family-run restaurant in 1999 is now set to be a six-site business with a really strong customer base from all across Glasgow.
“Despite the disruption of the pandemic, our business has really bounced back. When we reopened, our bookings and orders surged so we knew that now was a great time to build on the positive momentum and expand further into the east end.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Bank of Scotland for its support and hope to continue our relationship as we explore further expansion opportunities over the coming months.”
Stephen Owens, relationship director at Bank of Scotland, said: “The hospitality sector is a vital facet of the Scottish economy and adds roughly £6 billion per year. We know that businesses are currently operating in a difficult environment, but growth opportunities remain on the horizon and it's imperative that we support firms wherever possible.
“La Vita is a great example of a family-run business that is continually striving to develop and grow. We’re proud to have been able to support Marco, Mario and their team once again, and hope the new restaurant will further boost the business’ reputation in Glasgow.
“We’ll continue to remain by the side of firms like La Vita to steer them through these choppy waters and help them to prosper.”
The new restaurant will be based at 175-177 Baillieston Road, Glasgow, G32 OTN
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