Features / Loungers
The story of one of Bristol’s biggest food and drink success stories
On August 29, 2002, a phenomenon was born in an unassuming empty former opticians building on North Street.
A group of friends: Dave Reid, Alex Reilley and Jake Bishop decided it was time to create something of their own after having spent years in the restaurant and bar trade.
So began one of the most successful food and drink stories to come from Bristol: Loungers.
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The founders loved their cafe-bar and restaurant creation, and so did many others. In a short span of time, they opened another location, this time on Gloucester Road.
Fast forward 22 years, against all odds and a pandemic that ravaged the hospitality sector, Loungers have opened their 228th venue overlooking the Floating Harbour.
Loungers have opened their 228th venue – photo: Martin Booth
Co-founder Reilley said the opening of Ritorno Lounge is “particularly significant” for the company which currently employs around 9,000 people at their multiple locations around the country due to its size and prominent location.
When asked about the inspiration behind the enterprise, Reilley said it was part of an effort to “democratise” the dining experience from years of experience in the hospitality industry and the trio’s travels to places such as Australia.
The “democratisation” puts the customer at the centre of the dining experience where they are given the means to amplify the experience.
“With a rolling customer base where there was just an intimate setting, customers made their own minds about what they wanted to do and how they wanted to use the premises,” he explained. “And we really liked the idea of doing something like that.”
With around 350 covers, the new site on the harbour is set to take this concept to the next level.
Reilley pointed out that the enduring success of the Loungers is something he is extremely proud of – photo: Loungers
Reilley said: “On the first floor, we could have a completely private room. We’ve got a room which is called the Karibu which has its own bar and kitchen which people can hire for all sorts of parties.
“We’ve only got a couple of Lounges where we have that kind of facility so we hope it’s going be very popular.”
What has made the chain of venues such a success? “I think it’s a very democratic concept,” said Reilley, “It’s not looking for a particular demographic or a particular type of individual.”
“It’s accessible and available to everybody and anybody. You go into any given Lounge on any given day and you see families, people having business meetings, builders having breakfast, mums, baby groups and older people.”
On the the difficulties the hospitality sector faces in Bristol, Reilley said: “Bristol is really interesting but it’s a very challenging city.
“We’ve seen lots of lots of brands that come from elsewhere to the city and fail because it’s a really tough city to crack.”
“It really helps from our perspective that we are from Bristol.”
Reilley concluded: “We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved, and we’re very proud of our Bristol roots.
“We still get an immense amount of joy from seeing how the business expands and we’re constantly striving to improve and get better and employ more people.”
With around 350 covers, the new site overlooking the Floating Harbour is set to take the founding ethos of Loungers to the next level – photo: Martin Booth
With their next venue set to be located in Nailsea, the founders are showing no sign of slowing down with plans to to open further 400 sites across the country.
Main photo: Martin Booth
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